Daily Devotional #1,852

The other night a house caught fire on our block. It was about midnight before I realized that there was  something big going on. It was away from our house, at the end of the block and it was pretty dramatic with all  the fire engines, ambulances and other vehicles. My next-door neighbor and I came out about the same time  and he found out from the firefighters that it had been an electrical fire and we could actually see flashes from  the burning electrical lines. The family and all the pets were safe, and it looked like it was going to be a long  night for our fire crews, so I went back in to finish sending some text messages. When I turned to go back to  my house, it looked different. And I realized that all the lights, inside and out, were not working. My neighbor  ran over and told me that they had to cut all the power to our block for the safety of the firefighters. I had  brought a flashlight and had no trouble getting back to my now dark study. I was going to send out emails and  texts and realized that I wouldn’t have internet without electricity. But I had my cell phone so I could at least  get out my messages. When I picked up my phone, my heart sank because I hadn’t charged it during the day  and it was almost out of electricity. I don’t usually worry about that because I can just plug my phone in when I  get home. But again…there was no power. I thought about my situation and how my neglect meant I didn’t  have much energy to run that phone. And thought about how that applies to my own life with God. There are  times that I let my “spiritual battery” run down. And then when I need that strength, encouragement or wisdom,  I realize that my “tank” is close to being empty. Remember that we need to be filled with God’s Spirit and to  live in his presence each day. And our job is to live as he calls us to in his Bible. But we need to be reminded  that we have no chance to do this life in Christ on our own. He is the one who gives us the power and strength  to handle the challenges and trials that will come in this life. So, the key is to stay fully charged. And we do  that by plugging into God’s strength through prayer, being in God’s Word…the Bible and spending time with  others who are following this same path. If we will do these things, we will never find ourselves running low  on that spiritual energy we need. So, stay plugged into God and let him fill you with all you need for each and  every day. Here’s our Bible verse for today…  
Philippians 4:13 NLT For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  
Remember I’m praying for you!  
With love, PJ