Trust What’s Inside the Tank

On Pentecost Sunday we celebrated the birth of the church and the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit. The disciples had been promised this gift, but they still had to wait for it. I don’t know about you, but I long for more of Him.

Yet the Bible tells us something extraordinary in Romans 8:11 (The Passion Translation):

“Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!”

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Think about that for a moment. Yet so often we take our eyes off that truth and instead look through the lens of the world around us — a world where fear, discouragement, ungodliness, and hopelessness seem rife.

The Petrol Gauge Lie

My petrol gauge is very temperamental. I drive a Vauxhall Adam, affectionately named Adam Faithful because for the past five years it has been faithful, reliable, and remarkably well behaved. But lately, even after I have filled the tank, the next morning it insists on telling me the car is empty and urgently needs fuel. Warning lights flash. The arrow dramatically points to empty. Everything visible tells me I am running on nothing. And honestly? I’ve been caught out by it before.

But now I know better. I know the tank is not empty. I know there is fuel in there. I know there are still many miles left, so I have learned to trust what is inside the tank. Isn’t that true spiritually too?

There are moments when we feel empty. Worn down. Dry. Disappointed. Discouraged. But feelings are not always truth. Scripture reminds us that the Holy Spirit is not absent simply because we feel low.

Yes, we can grieve Him. Yes, life can exhaust us. But He is still present — available and accessible 24/7 when we ask. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Saviour, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you.”— John 14:16 (TPT)

What we feel can deceive us into believing we are alone, powerless, or forgotten. But God’s truth says otherwise.

We All Have a Charger

During the Pentecost service I felt prompted to share the illustration about my petrol gauge. But then I noticed something else — a phone charger underneath my pastor’s chair with his name written on it. He had taken it with him into hospital so it would not get mixed up with other patients’ belongings.

Immediately I felt the Holy Spirit whisper: "Everyone has a charger with their name on it.”

What a beautiful picture. We all plug into the same source — the Holy Spirit — yet each of us must choose to connect daily for ourselves.

“Be filled continually with the Holy Spirit.”— Ephesians 5:18 (TPT)

God never intended us to run on yesterday’s encounter, yesterday’s worship, or yesterday’s strength. We recharge by remaining connected to Him.

Open to Holy Interruptions

I want to be so full of Him that I am open to His interruptions and nudges. To call someone who suddenly comes to mind. To take a different path than I originally planned. To start a conversation with the person beside me in the supermarket. To acknowledge someone as they pass by.

Showing people they matter may seem like a tiny gesture considering world problems, but to that person in that moment, it may be life changing. Jesus always noticed people. The overlooked. The forgotten. The lonely. And when we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we notice them too.

When the Tank Feels Empty

The past eighteen months have been incredibly challenging for me for many reasons — particularly financial struggles, lack of work, and the false belief that I had no purpose and would never work again. I had to make a decision: Would I base my belief on what I could see with my natural eyes, or on what I knew deep within my spiritual core?

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply keep showing up even when we think our tank is empty and our charger is not working.

I encourage you to keep praying and looking for treasures in each day. Keep noticing tiny acts of kindness. Surround yourself with people who love the unchanging God who loves us constantly.

“So don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day.”— Philippians 4:6 (TPT)

Falling Flat on My Face

We all must get to the end of ourselves sometimes before things improve. I hit rock bottom quite literally when I fell flat on my face while out running. At the time, I was already overwhelmed. I had stepped out in faith for a project I believed God had called me to pursue, but I could not see how it would work. I had been selected for the Lions programme run by The Lions — a charity supporting Christian entrepreneurs and pioneers.

Tracy's bus shelter illustrations

My vision is to equip churches, organisations, and businesses with resources that foster joy, creativity, and community, while also helping transform towns and cities through playful artistic expression and colour. One dream is to reframe neglected public spaces — such as the bus shelter project I have involved in with the town council — not by changing their function, but by changing how they look. Bringing bursts of beauty, creativity, and hope into ordinary places.

As part of the Lions programme, we were each given £20 for a “seedling challenge” — to multiply it within six weeks for charity. Now, I am not naturally a business person. I honestly had no idea what I could do. But I didn't want to bury what God had placed in my hand like the servant with one talent.

So, I asked myself: What is in my hand already?

Well, my entrepreneurial idea is called Inspiring Playfulness (my surname is Spiers pronounced “spires”), and I happen to have a doctorate in playfulness! So naturally… I bought a lion costume. I decided to run 200 miles dressed as a lion mascot — complete with paws, ears, and much to my daughters’ embarrassment, a tail.

And it was while dressed as this lion that I fell spectacularly flat on my face — tail in the air — leaving me with a black chin and swollen lip. I had a choice. Do I get up and keep going? Or wallow in self-pity? I knew this moment was more than just a physical fall. It was a decision that impacted every area of my life.

I got back up. Bruised. Shaken. Sore. But determined. And somehow there was something deeply prophetic about being dressed as a lion while doing it. As I ran, I held onto the words from the song Gratitude:“You’ve got a lion inside of those lungs, get up and praise the Lord.” Those lyrics suddenly carried a whole new meaning.

Running Towards the Giant

Ironically minutes before the fall, I took a selfie (as a lion) next to a narrowboat named Goliath. It felt like God was speaking directly to me. Would I keep running away from fear, or start running towards it?

I had been on the verge of quitting the Lions programme, but something shifted in me that day. I decided to keep going. Things did not instantly improve, but internally something changed when I said yes again.

Amazingly, I ended up raising the highest amount — just under £1,500 — and the leaders honoured the courage it took to persevere. God truly is in the detail.

Trusting His Provision

Having no pension because I spent years raising my five daughters and following God’s call to study and finish a BA, MA and complete my PhD, I had started focusing more on my lack than on His provision. I remember apologising to God for my fear and scarcity mindset. And I sensed Him say gently:“You keep loving people, and I will sort out your bank account.”

So that is what I am trying to do. Each day I ask the Holy Spirit to lead me, interrupt me, stretch me, and take me beyond my comfort zone. It can feel scary at times, but it is also deeply alive. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons and daughters of God.”— Romans 8:14 (TPT)

The Roar Remains

We are called to become who we were always meant to be — children of God.

Loved by Him. Filled by Him. Sent by Him. But it does require recharging. It requires remembering that if we ask for more of His Spirit, our tanks can be full even when circumstances — and earthly eyes — suggest otherwise.

My daughters are quite relieved that their mother is no longer running along canals, beaches, and roads dressed as a lion. The tail is now safely put away. Although it did confuse a few dogs. But I still carry the roar because I know that what is inside of me is greater than my fears.

“The courageous will be like a young, ferocious lion.”— Proverbs 28:1 (TPT)