Energy (and mastering control of it)

As I searched my heart for a blog topic for Net2Church, “Energy” seemed to be the response. I will have to rely on Holy Spirit to help me as I type this out, for I have nothing really pre-planned to say, other than I noticed that it has been one year since I wrote anything here, and that is most definitely an energy issue with me.

Good Intentions
My original intent in creating this blog back in 2006, was to post a monthly article to share my observations of how I see God moving, and where I see myself and others with respect to that. In January of 2006, due to my own personal marital and financial struggles, I began to back out from all of my ministry and church commitments (and including this blog), excluding my live Sunday morning radio broadcast (this became my version of Sunday morning worship, which I took on in May of that year). I did this for two reasons. First to put my energy into saving my marriage, and secondly, that others wouldn’t accuse me of abandonment of my marriage for the pursuit of religion (which naturally, some did anyway).

Well, after a year of separation, and a prolonged financial drought, I was yet unable to keep my wife, and sadly, we divorced after 30 years of marriage. Although the stated reasons for her departure were financial abandonment, I put all of my energy into income development and worked exclusively on finding viable ways to provide for my family. I was, however, unsuccessful in that, and also in saving my marriage, and ultimately my reputation as a local Christian “leader”. After all, who wants to follow anyone who’s own personal life is a mess? Hmmm… I could write volumes on that subject of Christian mis perceptions.

So, what does all of this have to do with energy? Everything! Visions take energy, relationships take energy - passions of all forms take energy. When we start the day, we have a bucketful of energy each and every day. The thoughts, passions, and all of the “to-do’s” begin to use up that resource, before we even begin to apply ourselves physically to accomplish anything. Merely by thinking about them – our time and energy have already absorbed portions of our daily energy supply.

Negative energy cycles
Much of this is “negative” energy, as was the case in my personal life’s story above. Time, and energy, focused on negative situations, hurting relationships, and unfortunate circumstances, each taking a piece of that energy and helping to “block” the positive energy wanting to come to the rescue. In my case , employing lots of daily meditative prayer, along with following the suggestions below, are the activities that helped me to remain focused on the solutions and not on the problems.

Our unwanted thinking of the negative issues in our lives actually steals the blessings of God away from us. In other words, we begin a negative energy cycle that prolongs our own suffering and actually worsens it – until we either change it on our own, or reach out to God to do it for us/with us. Either way we must come to the point that we say “NO MORE OF THIS”, and actively pursue the life that God intends for us to live – in each tiny moment of every day.

Breaking the cycle of energy depletion
Breaking this cycle even takes energy. We need to focus first on this word - Jesus said, think on these things (Philippians 4:8, kjv); “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest (noble), whatsoever things are just (right), whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue (excellence), and if there be any praise (praise worthy), think on these things.” Focus? Yes, concentrate on continually asking ourselves if the very things that are taking up our mental energy and focus fall into these spiritual categories. If not, then we are squandering our daily energy supply, and literally giving it to the forces of darkness. (The whole 4^th chapter is worth a reread)

The second thing that we must do is to separate ourselves from negative conversations, and relationship issues, or if necessary, from those who bring us into these negative cycles (as they are enabling us to fail). If we don’t do this, then God will do it for us, in order to help us reach the provisioning that we are always asking from Him – and “that” may not always be a gentle nudge if we are resisting Him.

Forgiveness
The third thing is forgiveness. When we find ourselves thinking about interactions with others (real or imagined) that are not of good report, and do not portray the other(s) as worthy of our kind and gentle love – we are then holding unforgiveness in our heart, and we need to stop immediately, asking God to help us to forgive.

Praise, thanks, and desires for unity
Next, I would say to you pray always with thoughts, words, behavior, and deeds, and I would ask you to remember Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such there is no law (and think about what that means in terms of breaking strongholds). Jesus tells us how to master our energy supply according to what we think about.

Additionally, we need to continually give thanks and praise to God in all of our thoughts and ways (Phil 4:6,7) and acknowledge Him as our Lord as we endeavor to become one with Him, this would be our responsive answer to Jesus’ prayer in John:20, 21; My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.