The Spare Tire Conundrum | Joshua Scott Zeitz

We explore the powerful message from Psalms 46 about finding refuge and strength in God, challenging the common tendency to compartmentalize faith until crisis hits. By intentionally practicing stillness and inviting divine presence into our daily decisions, we can transform our approach to life's challenges both big and small.

• God is described as "our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble"
• Many people treat God like a spare tire or genie in a bottle, only involving Him during crises
• When we compartmentalize God, we miss opportunities for blessing and guidance
• Intentionally involving God in decision-making, finances, parenting and work reduces stress
• Not about getting "hooky spooky" but about purposefully including God in more areas of life
• Finding scriptures for areas where you've been operating independently
• What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you

Take some time today to identify areas in your life where you've been trying to manage without God's involvement, find scriptures that speak to those situations, and watch those areas begin to transform.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Scripture Reading
• 0:29 The Problem with Rushing
• 0:58 When We Keep God at Bay
• 1:18 Putting God First, Not Just Last
• 2:11 Today's Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello and welcome to Mornings with Jesus, your daily dose of encouragement. I am your host, joshua Scott Zaitz. Today's encouragement comes from Psalms 46, verses 1 and 10. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.

Speaker 1: 0:29

Have you ever rushed into something too fast, said something that you later regretted, did something that you wished you hadn't? Both my hands and my feet are up Today. I just wanted to take a moment and be still before an awesome and mighty God to acknowledge how good and how faithful he truly is. Be encouraged today. He is for you, not against you, and he cares about every facet of your life.

Speaker 1: 0:58

Yet how many times do we keep Him at bay until we feel we actually need Him? It looks something like this Okay, god, I can handle all the smaller things, but I will bring you out if the need arises. When we do this, when we try to compartmentalize him, control him and treat him in essence like a spare tire or a genie in a bottle, we miss so many opportunities for him to bless our socks off. Listen, I'm not saying we need to get all hooky spooky. Oh Lord, which flavor of gum do you want me to have today?

Speaker 1: 1:35

Yet I am saying this if we will, on purpose, practice putting him first in our decision-making, our spending, our giving, our child rearing, our work, if we will, on purpose, begin to allow him to be involved in more areas of our life, we will find that the small things we used to keep him out of won't stress us out near as much. Take some time today and think about some areas in your life that perhaps you have been trying to do on your own, without truly involving him, and begin to get scriptures for those areas. Begin to talk to the Lord about them. Watch and see those areas begin to turn around for the better. He will be exalted in the earth. Allow him to be exalted in your life today. Be still and know that he is God and he is good all the time. Remember what you make happen for others, god will make happen for you.