How To Get All The Energy You Need

Have you ever felt that you had so many things to accomplish, but did not have the energy to do them all?

We live in a busy world. Between work, travel, and play, there seems an endless amount of tasks to do. Many of us feel worn out at the end of the day. We lack the energy to keep up with our schedules.

To gain energy, we try a variety of activities, including:

1. Drinking lots of coffee
2. Taking naps
3. Working out at the gym
4. Reading a book called “100 Ways to Re-Energize Your Life!”
5. Reading a sequel to that book, called “100 More Ways to Re-Energize Your Life!”

These may all be valid ways to gain energy for what we need to do in our lives. But it is a scientific fact that energy cannot be completed or destroyed; it can be changed from one state or form to another.

This is true for all the forms of energy that we can think  of, including

• Gravitational
• Heat
• Chemical
• Electrical
• Wind
• Nuclear

Therefore, we can’t truly credit these forms of energy with providing the sustenance we need to live our lives. All of these energy forms have a source, and an unlimited source at that. We read from the Bible that everything began with God- a Being with no beginning and no end who created all things, including energy.  

God is the source of all the energy we need.

“And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

It is amazing how much we rely on our cell phones these days. I remember just over a year ago when I had a “dumb” phone. It could make calls and text messages, and the battery lasted a week. When I upgraded to a “smart” phone, the new phone could make calls, send texts, play music, browse the Internet, and take pictures...all at the same time. And yet the battery only lasts a couple hours before the phone turns off!

In comparison, how many batteries do you think would be needed to ensure the stars of this universe never turned off? A trillion to the trillionth power? The correct answer would be zero, because it is God who keeps the stars burning. The Almighty is the eternal power source of everything that occurs in our universe.

God provides us energy by giving us His Holy Spirit.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

Energy is that which is required to accelerate a mass over a distance; in other words, the ability to do work.The physical quantity that includes both work and time is called power. So the level of power is proportional to the amount of work done in a specific period of time.

We humans have comparatively short lives. The average lifespan is 78 years. For vegetarians who run ultra marathons, the lifespan increases slightly to 79 years. We only have a short amount of time to do the work that God calls each of us to do before we enter into eternity.

Thankfully, for those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit of God is given to energize us and equip us to do our work. We are plugged into the energy source of the universe! We are given a source of unlimited power, only limited by how much we allow Him to operate in our lives.

Note: the Holy Spirit gives us energy, but He is not an “It” or some type of “Force” like in Star Wars; He is a Person.

God provides us energy so that we may become more like Jesus.

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Colossians 1:29

In the physical world, the Law of entropy states that all systems go from order to disorder unless acted upon by an outside force. Thus, a garden will soon become overrun by weeds and parasites unless tended to by a gardener.

In the same way, we were born as sinners, and we will go from bad to worse unless graciously saved by God. Once adopted by faith into His family, we actually go from bad to good to better! We gradually transition from sinfulness to Christlikeness. God’s energy allows us to work out our salvation and do good deeds for the glory of God and the good of mankind.

What are some practical ways to harness the energy that God gives?

1. Rest

“The Sabbath was made for man” 

Mark 2:27

I bought an electronic toothbrush recently. Periodically, it runs out of power, and I have to give it a rest by charging it for several hours. Once it is fully charged, I can use it again.

In the same way, God has ordained that we take breaks from our work. Even Jesus took naps while He was on Earth. When we rest, we honor God and He gives us energy to work harder when our rest time is up.

2. Pray

“Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 

Psalm 105:4

When I worked as a summer camp counselor, I did not get a lot of rest. In fact, I only had an hour break each day; the rest of my day was filled with camp activities and supervising campers. It was exhausting work!

Yet I found that the more often I prayed throughout the day, the more energy I had to complete my tasks. Just as a corded vacuum cleaner cannot work without being plugged into an electrical outlet, so we cannot work to our highest potential unless we are plugged into God through prayer.

3. Get going!

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:14

Runners know that the first couple minutes of their run are usually the least exciting. Their bodies are tired, their muscles are cold, and they have the prospect of a long run ahead. But eventually, their bodies get used to running. In fact, the longer they run, the easier it becomes. Their bodies get into a natural rhythm and they experience “runner’s high” and a “second wind”.

I experience this during my first half marathon. The first couple of miles were dreadful, but the longer I ran, the more energized I felt. Paradoxically, instead of feeling tired after the race ended, I felt strong enough to run another 13.2 miles and make it a full marathon!

The Christian life rarely feels easy. It can be long and tiring and wearing. Sometimes you will experience more failures than successes. But press on you must, and eventually you may experience a “second wind”.

The first three summers I worked in camp ministry were exhausting. But by my fourth summer I felt I had mastered the basics, and even though I worked harder than the previous three summers, it did not feel like I worked harder, because God supplied me with the energy I needed to do His work.

The next time you lack energy, remember this: God is the source of all the energy in the universe. God will provide you power through His Holy Spirit as you are being transformed to be like Jesus. No amount of coffee can help you do your work like God can!