The Price of Power
While traveling thousands of miles each year, our eyes are constantly on the fuel gauge. With our large rigs, we can’t just stop anywhere, so fuel stops must be planned many miles in advance. When we finally exit the interstate and make our way into the trucker’s fueling area, we are often met by the sight of many other big rigs waiting in line for their turn to fill up.
Ninety-nine percent of the time, we don’t know those drivers personally. From a human standpoint, we may have nothing in common, except for one thing: we all need fuel. A few weeks ago, the Lord dropped something into my spirit during one of these fueling experiences, and I want to share it with you today.
The Cost
Every driver in that line is prepared to pay the price, and no one expects anything otherwise. Some trucks before us have even paid over $800 for a single fill-up. From the standpoint of our F-450, that cost is astronomical. But for that driver to transport his heavy load, he was prepared to pay that extremely high cost.
As a spiritual comparison, we know we cannot “buy” the Spirit of God (Acts 8:18–20). But there is a cost. As one preacher once said, “Salvation is free, but it’s not cheap.” Jesus Himself declared, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
Far too many are content with a cheap, watered-down version of spiritual power. They want the blessing of God without the burden of consecration. They’re forgetting that real power always comes at a price.
Years ago, we fueled at a station where the diesel was contaminated with water. Within an hour, we were broken down on the side of the road, powerless to continue until the engine was purged of that contaminated fuel. Paul warned of those who would have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5). A diluted gospel will never carry us forward in victory.
The Unseen Source
Once we arrive at the pump, we step out and instinctively reach for the fuel nozzle. Yet, we know that the nozzle is only a channel. The true source exists somewhere in an underground reservoir. We can’t see it, but by faith, we know it’s available for us to receive.
It reminds me of a man who walked up to a little boy holding onto a string and looking up into the sky. When asked what he was doing, the little boy replied, “I’m flying a kite.” But when the man looked up, he asked, “How do you know you’re flying a kite? I can’t see anything up there.” The boy said, “Well, it’s like this. I can’t see it, but every now and then, I feel a tug on this end of the line.”
Even though the source of power may be unseen, we know that Heaven’s anointing only flows from God Almighty.
The Inner Working
So with the fuel nozzle in hand, the next step involves where the fuel should go. Of course, we know it goes inside the tank! It may seem elementary, but think about it. If I were to take that nozzle and drench the outside of the truck, we would still be powerless to move. I love the old song that says, “I’ve got something on the inside, working on the outside. Oh, what a change in my life!”
Jesus taught this truth to the Samaritan woman at the well: “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
This power is not just around us, not just upon us, but it was meant to be in us! The Spirit must be received inwardly before He can manifest outwardly. Many Christians desire the outward gifts of the Spirit, yet they’ve neglected the inward working of the Spirit. Friends, if the Holy Ghost is alive and burning inside of us, He will reveal Himself in our lives, through our words, and in our witness.
The Result
Once the fueling is complete, we climb back into the cab and put the truck in gear. A combined total of over thirty thousand pounds of steel and cargo sits motionless, far too heavy for any human strength to move. But then it happens—by the simple pressure of a human foot on the accelerator, that liquid from an unseen reservoir, now flowing through the engine, unleashes its power. What moments ago was lifeless and immovable, suddenly surges forward with strength! What was impossible to move in our own strength, now becomes possible because we are fueled up. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
Too many of us have exhausted ourselves trying to carry burdens, mend what is broken, and move mountains in our own strength. But the Spirit calls us to something greater. It is time to bow before the Lord and pray, “Cleanse me of every watered-down substitute and fill me with Your power.”
The road ahead is long and the weight is heavy, but we do not on this journey alone. When we are filled with power from on high, what was once impossible becomes possible. By His Spirit, the load will move, the work will continue, and the glory of what’s accomplished will belong to Him! The price paid is well worth the power received!