04_The_Fuel_Part_Two.pdf

Devotional

Day 1: The Fuel You Choose Shapes Your Spiritual Journey

What powers your life will determine where you end up. Just as a race car’s performance depends on the quality of its fuel, your faith’s endurance and direction are shaped by what you allow to fill your heart and mind. If you let culture, comparison, or selfish ambition drive you, your spiritual engine will eventually sputter and stall. But when you draw your strength from God’s love—receiving it daily and letting it shape your thoughts and actions—you find a source that never runs dry, even in the hardest moments.
God’s love is not just a feeling; it is the sustaining power that keeps you moving forward, especially when the road gets tough. It’s easy to let other things become your fuel: approval from others, success, comfort, or even religious activity. But only God’s love can truly sustain you, heal you, and keep you on the path toward spiritual maturity. The journey of faith is long, and the right fuel makes all the difference.

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: What is one thing you are currently allowing to “fuel” your decisions or emotions that is not rooted in God’s love? How can you intentionally replace it with God’s love today?

Day 2: Love and Lust: Same Language, Different Destinations

Love and lust can look similar on the surface—they both express needs, give gifts, and show appreciation. But their motives and outcomes are worlds apart. Love is outward-focused, seeking the good of others and drawing us closer to God and people. Lust, in contrast, is self-centered, manipulative, and leaves us emptier than before. It’s not just about romantic or sexual desire; lust is any craving that puts self at the center and uses others for personal gain.
Discerning between love and lust requires honest self-examination. Ask yourself: Is my action motivated by a desire to give or to get? Am I seeking connection or control? Letting God redefine your desires is a daily process, but it leads to freedom and deeper relationships. When you choose love, you reflect God’s heart and find true fulfillment.

“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you gave or received something. Was your motive truly love, or was there a hidden desire for recognition, control, or personal gain? What would it look like to choose love instead?

Day 3: Trials Forge Endurance, Not Shortcuts

Endurance in faith is not built by avoiding hardship but by facing it with God’s help. Just as a race car is tested, repaired, and put back on the track, your faith matures through trials, repentance, and perseverance. Shortcuts—avoiding discomfort, seeking quick fixes, or numbing pain—only lead to spiritual stagnation.
James teaches that trials are opportunities for growth, not obstacles to be dodged. When you allow God’s love to refine you in hard times, you become stronger, wiser, and more compassionate. Repentance is not a sign of failure but a step toward maturity. Embrace the process, trusting that God is shaping you for the long race ahead.

“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” (James 5:11, ESV)

Reflection: What trial or discomfort are you currently facing that you are tempted to avoid or shortcut? How might God be inviting you to endure and grow through it instead?

Day 4: Spiritual Health Requires a Team

You were never meant to run the race of faith alone. Just as a race car needs a skilled pit crew, you need a community of believers who know you, love you, and are willing to both encourage and correct you. True discipleship happens in relationships where you are both known and needed, where you can call each other to repentance and growth.
Isolation leaves you vulnerable to burnout and self-deception. But when you open your life to others, you receive the support, accountability, and love needed to stay on course. Community is not always comfortable, but it is essential for spiritual health. Let others into your journey, and be willing to do the same for them.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life truly knows you and is willing to speak truth to you? How can you take a step today to deepen your connection with your spiritual community?

Day 5: Discernment, Repentance, and Correction: A Lifelong Journey

Keeping your faith fueled by love is not a one-time decision but a daily, ongoing practice. It requires regular discernment—honestly examining your motives and actions. When you notice selfishness or lust creeping in, repentance is the way back to God’s heart. Prioritizing God’s love above all else and being open to correction, both from God and others, keeps you aligned with His purposes.
This journey is lifelong. There will be moments of failure and moments of victory, but the goal is always to keep faith, hope, and—above all—love at the center. As you practice discernment, repentance, and correction, you become more like Christ and reflect His love to the world around you.

“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven.” (Lamentations 3:40-41, ESV)

Reflection: Set aside a few minutes today to quietly examine your heart before God. Where do you need to repent, realign, or invite correction? What is one step you can take to keep God’s love at the center of your life this week?

Sermon Summary

of the Sermon:**

In this sermon, we explored the metaphor of fueling our faith, drawing parallels between high-performance race cars and the Christian journey. Just as the right fuel is essential for a car’s engine, the right “fuel” is vital for our faith—namely, God’s love. We examined how outside influences, wrong desires, and even well-intentioned but misguided efforts can corrode our faith if we’re not careful about what we allow to power our lives. The difference between love and lust was unpacked, not just in terms of romantic or sexual desire, but as a broader spiritual reality: love flows from God and draws us closer to Him and others, while lust is self-centered and ultimately destructive. We also discussed how both love and lust can be expressed through needs, gifts, appreciation, and the “languages” we use, but their motives and outcomes are worlds apart. The call was to discern, repent, prioritize, and correct—ensuring that our faith is fueled by authentic love, supported by a community that both encourages and lovingly corrects us, so we can endure the journey and reflect God’s heart to the world.

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Key Takeaways

1. The Source of Your Fuel Determines the Journey’s Outcome: Just as a race car’s performance depends on the right fuel, our faith’s endurance and effectiveness hinge on what powers us. If we allow culture, comparison, or selfish desires to fuel us, our spiritual engine will eventually break down. Only God’s love, understood and received, can sustain us through trials and keep us on course toward maturity.
2. Love and Lust: Similar Expressions, Opposite Destinations: Both love and lust can express needs, offer gifts, and show appreciation, but their motives are fundamentally different. Love seeks connection, self-giving, and the good of others, reflecting God’s heart. Lust, on the other hand, is self-serving, manipulative, and ultimately leaves us emptier than before. Discerning between the two requires honest self-examination and a willingness to let God redefine our desires.
3. Endurance is Forged in Trials, Not Avoided by Shortcuts: James teaches that trials are not obstacles to be avoided but opportunities for our faith to be tested and strengthened. Like a race car that must be tested, repaired, and put back on the track, our faith matures through repentance, perseverance, and the refining work of God’s love. Avoiding discomfort or seeking quick fixes only leads to spiritual stagnation.
4. Community is Essential for Spiritual Health: We are not meant to run this race alone. The right team—fellow believers who know us, love us, and are willing to correct and encourage us—ensures we stay fueled with love and not with destructive desires. True discipleship happens in the context of relationships where we are both known and needed, able to call each other to repentance and growth.
5. Discernment, Repentance, and Correction are Ongoing Practices: Keeping our faith fueled by love requires continual attention. We must regularly discern the true motives behind our actions, repent when we find lust or selfishness creeping in, prioritize God’s love above all else, and be willing to correct ourselves and others with gentleness. This is not a one-time fix but a lifelong journey of aligning our hearts with God’s, so that faith, hope, and—above all—love remain at the center of our lives.

Bible Study Guide

**Bible Study Discussion Guide: "Fueling Our Faith – Love vs. Lust"**

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### Bible Reading

- **James 1:2-4**
2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

- **1 Corinthians 13:13**
13 Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love – but the greatest of these is love.

- **James 4:1-3**
1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you? 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

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### Observation Questions

According to James 1:2-4, what is the purpose of trials in the life of a believer?
In James 4:1-3, what does James say is the root cause of conflicts among people?
How does 1 Corinthians 13:13 describe the relationship between faith, hope, and love?
From the sermon, what are some ways that love and lust can look similar on the outside?

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### Interpretation Questions

Why does James encourage believers to consider trials as “great joy”? What does this reveal about God’s purpose for hardship?
The sermon says both love and lust can express needs, give gifts, and show appreciation. What makes their motives and outcomes so different?
According to the sermon, how can someone tell if their faith is being fueled by love or by lust/selfish desires?
The message emphasized the importance of community in fueling our faith. Why is it dangerous to try to “run the race” alone?

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### Application Questions

Think about a recent challenge or trial you’ve faced. Did you see it as an opportunity for your faith to grow, or just something to get through? How might your perspective change after hearing this sermon?
Are there areas in your life where you’ve been “fueling your faith” with something other than God’s love (like comparison, culture, or selfish desires)? What would it look like to switch to the right fuel?
The sermon talked about the difference between love and lust, not just in romance but in all areas of life. Can you think of a time when you thought you were acting out of love, but later realized it was more about your own desires?
Who are the people in your life that make up your “team”—those who encourage, correct, and help you stay on track spiritually? Is there someone you need to invite into your life for more accountability or encouragement?
The message called us to discern, repent, prioritize, and correct. Which of these steps do you find most challenging, and why? What’s one practical step you can take this week to grow in that area?
When you give gifts, serve, or show appreciation, do you ever catch yourself doing it for what you might get in return? How can you shift your motive to reflect God’s self-giving love?
Is there someone in your life you need to lovingly correct or encourage because you see them “fueling up” with the wrong things? How can you approach them with both truth and gentleness?

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Sermon Quotes

Fueling our faith with outside voices—like culture, comparison, and desires—can take us off the road just as quickly as a race car can crash at 200 mph. The wrong fuel, even if it looks right, can corrode your faith and derail your journey.

Endurance requires trials. Your faith will suffer potholes, wrong turns, and missed opportunities. But just as a race car must be tested and repaired, your faith matures only when it’s stretched, given cause for repentance, and fueled by God’s love.

Running the race with the right team ensures victory, but the wrong team spells disaster. You need people around you who love you as God loves you—who will correct, rebuke, and encourage you with love.

Loving one another as God loves us is the heart of discipleship. How can you love one another if you do not know one another? Real love requires real relationships and honest connection.

God’s love is the key that turns the engine, igniting our love for God and others. His love empowers our faith and gets us on the road toward heaven—the fulfillment of hope.

Lust is anything that flows out of the heart of man and separates us from God. It covets, craves, compares, and controls, always seeking to fill a bottomless pit. Lust cannot fuel our faith; it corrodes us from the inside out.

Love gives through selfless sacrifice, offers forgiveness, and fulfills hope. Lust gives only to take, manipulates, and maneuvers for its own gain. The motive and method make all the difference.

If your “love” does not communicate God’s love back to Him or others, then it is not love. There are many lusts in this world that masquerade as false loves—discern the difference.

How we love others is an outpouring of how we love God. You need the right team around you—one who will correct you when you’re fueling up with lusts, and one who can be corrected by you when they are.

Don’t let your faith fall apart because you’ve mixed your fuels, or because you let the world determine your race. God loves you. He won’t abandon you in your trials, but will help you endure as He leads you to heaven.

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04_The_Fuel_Part_Two.pdf

Devotional

Day 1: The Fuel You Choose Shapes Your Spiritual Journey

Day 2: Love and Lust: Same Language, Different Destinations

Day 3: Trials Forge Endurance, Not Shortcuts

Day 4: Spiritual Health Requires a Team

Day 5: Discernment, Repentance, and Correction: A Lifelong Journey

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Quotes

Chatbot

04_The_Fuel_Part_Two.pdf

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