A man once took his car to a mechanic and said, “The ‘check engine’ light on my dashboard is on, and I need you to see what the problem is.” The mechanic connected his diagnostic equipment, ran a few tests, and returned with confidence. “It’s nothing serious,” he said. “This model is notorious for giving false warnings. I’ll clear the code and you’ll be fine.”
A couple of months later, the light came back on and the man took his car back to the mechanic. The diagnosis was the same. “Nothing to worry about,” said the mechanic. The code was cleared again and the check engine light went off. But when the light returned a third time, the mechanic shrugged. “You can keep bringing it in, or you can just ignore it. As I’ve said, this happens all the time with this model.”
So the man did what many of us do – he ignored it. The car kept running fine for two more years, until one morning it sputtered, groaned, and died in the middle of his commute to work. Luckily there was an auto shop across the street, and with the help of a fellow driver he was able to push the car to the nearby auto shop. The owner of the shop came out and looked under the hood. Shaking his head, he said, “I can tell you right now that you need a new engine – this one is shot. But this didn’t happen overnight. The check-engine warning light was trying to tell you something. Did you not notice?”
The car owner’s story mirrors what so often happens in the spiritual life. Our soul’s “check engine” light comes on – subtle signs that something isn’t right. But instead of addressing the root cause, we clear the code and bypass the warning. We rationalize, excuse, or minimize the issue until one day, our spiritual engine seizes up.
Recognizing the Warning Signs
- Loss of Appetite for God’s Word
When the heart grows cold, Scripture becomes dull. The words that once brought life now seem dry or irrelevant. That’s not a small thing – it’s a sign of spiritual malnourishment in the soul. Jesus says in Matthew 4:4, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.‘”
2. Neglect of Prayer
Communication breaks down when a relationship weakens. When prayer becomes infrequent or mechanical, it’s a sign that fellowship with God is being replaced by self-reliance. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
3. Dulled Sensitivity to Sin
What use to convict us now barely stirs the conscience, and so we begin relabeling sin. What the Bible calls “compromise” – we start calling “wisdom.” What the Bible calls “bitterness” – we call “setting boundaries.” And what Scripture calls “pride” – we call “confidence.” The check-engine light is flashing, but we’ve learned to look away. Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:18-19, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.” When our hearts become hardened, we become numb to our own sin.
4. Isolation from Christian Fellowship
Spiritual illness thrives in solitude. When we begin avoiding church, small group, or accountability to other brothers and sisters in Christ, it’s often because we’re ashamed to admit that we need help and really don’t want our condition exposed. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.”
5. Loss of Joy and Peace
The absence of joy isn’t always about our circumstances; sometimes it’s a symptom that our hearts are out of alignment with Christ. Jesus tells us in John 15:10-11, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
The Cure
Ignoring the light never fixes the problem. True spiritual health begins with humble confession – acknowledging that something is wrong. David said, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away” (Psalm 32:3). But when he turned to God, healing began.
A spiritually healthy life requires regular maintenance: time in God’s Word, honest prayer, fellowship with believers, and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit’s conviction. God’s “warning lights” are signs of His mercy, not His anger. They’re reminders that He loves us too much to let us self-destruct unnoticed.
Like the wise mechanic, the Lord reveals what’s wrong inside of us. And not to condemn us, but to repair and restore us.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.” – Psalm 139:23-24
Former Blackout Artist 