Refueling Your Life in Mid-flight

References:
http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=201&artid=5994&expand=1
Refueling your life in mid-flight by Rick Warren

Keywords:

The Strategic Air Command -- our nation’s defense system -- operates 24 hours a day as a shield of protection for our nation. This means that at any point in a given day there are airplanes carrying nuclear warheads in the air over our country. If these planes fly constantly, how do they keep them full of gas? In the military, they do what’s called mid-flight refueling. A re-fueling plane actually flies up next to the Strategic Air Command plane, docks in, and fills the plane with gas.

As a pastor, you need to learn how to refuel your life in mid-flight. You can’t just hop off to Tahiti every time you get tired and discouraged. You have to keep going. You have to learn how to recharge yourself in the middle of your hectic lifestyle.

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Discouragement leads to doubt. How do you defeat doubt? You remember three things:

1. I remind myself of God’s goodness yesterday. I make a list of all the things he’s done in my life, and I just start being thankful. The attitude of gratitude is the healthiest emotion that you can have.

2. I remember God’s presence today. I remind myself that he’s with me right now. I’m not alone. Even when I feel like I’m completely alone, I’m not. I’ve just forgotten that he’s there with me. He says, "I’m here. I’m going to help you. I’ve promised I’ll never leave you or forsake you. I’m with you right now in this crisis."

3. I remind myself of God’s promises for tomorrow. There are more than 7000 promises for us in the Bible. Each one is like a blank check that I can write out: "God, I claiming this one today. I’m turning in this coupon." He has said, "I will give you strength. I will give you the necessary tools to accomplish the task I’ve given you. I will give you the wisdom you need in this situation if you’ll just call on Me."

God’s goodness yesterday, God’s presence today, God’s promises tomorrow. I don’t need to doubt. I don’t need to be discouraged. I don’t need to be distracted. I can renew myself daily.