A popular meme explains, “If a man says he’ll fix it, there’s no need to nag him every six months.”
Sadly, it took me just about that long to respond when our car’s automatic sensor suggested one of the tires was low. I got out and walked around, visually inspecting all four tires. They looked good—not a bit under-inflated.
Because everything looked fine, I concluded the car’s sensor had gone bad. In my experience, they often have. But the low-pressure message didn't go away. So, I put a gauge on all four tires, and sure enough, one of them—the rear passenger’s—was low. I pumped it up, the warning went away, and life was good.
About a week later…the same scenario. This time, I immediately put air in the rear passenger tire. All seemed well, but I was still suspicious of the car’s sensor. My wife? She was suspicious that our tire had a problem—like a nail.
Nevertheless, I faithfully pumped air into that tire again and again—for several months. Finally, I set up an appointment with the tire shop at Diana's request. You already know what happened—they found a nail.
So, it wasn’t the sensor’s fault. The sensor was speaking the truth. The problem was me and my disbelief–the quiet belief that "I knew better." Think of the hassle we could have saved, let alone the mileage we might have gained from a properly inflated tire.
Likewise, God regularly speaks a word of warning or correction into our lives. He uses a verse of Scripture or prompting from the Holy Spirit. But we often ignore the alert, making our own inspection of the issue, falsely concluding that everything is just fine–or "fine enough."
But God alone is the gauge. Not us. And when He points out a problem, there's no use ignoring, avoiding, or delaying (again, think of the hassle we create for ourselves!). The very moment the Holy Spirit puts His finger on an issue is the time to deal with it. Not six hours, six days, or six months from now.
Pay careful attention to Him and obey His voice; do not rebel against Him.
-Exodus 23:21