Recharge Your Batteries
Isaiah 40:31 KVJ
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 AMP
31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]
Will gain new strength and renew their power;
They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];
They will run and not become weary,
They will walk and not grow tired.
Will gain new strength and renew their power;
They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun];
They will run and not become weary,
They will walk and not grow tired.
The need to recharge our batteries is an appropriate topic following Labor Day. We all need to take a break from our worries, concerns, and responsibilities from time to time and recharge. Knowing this, the Lord commanded us to rest. Not only does He command it, but He provides it. We find rest in Him.
Matthew 11:28
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Rest is relevant to our theme of hope. Ray Johnston lists “recharging our batteries” as the first of seven factors that will raise our hope quotient.
Johnston says we need to be mindful of the things that drain us and the things that fuel us. Although all of our lives differ, there are 5 passion killers that are common to most people.
1) Unhealthy People:
We have to be careful about how much time we are spending with people that only “take” from us. Some relationships are only one-sided.
I am not advocating that we only have relationships with people that never need anything from us, rather, I am saying our primary relationships must be with people who invest in us as well – people who build us up.
2) Unkind Critics:
We all need friends and spiritual mentors who will offer us correction/advice in love. We need people who love us enough to be honest about the areas that need growth in our lives. Having said that, we don’t need to listen to people who are being critical just to be critical. We don’t need to pay a whole lot of attention to people that don’t love us and are not willing to invest in our future. Be kind. Hear them out. Pray and ask God if there was any truth in their statements. Then flush the rest and move on.
3) Unbalanced Schedule:
It is important to make sure we have necessary breaks in our schedule. Being a hard worker is a great quality, being a workaholic is not. Sometimes it comes down to us being able to trust God to provide for us. Not only will we lack hope and optimism, we will ruin a lot of our relationships if we do not properly balance our schedules and priorities.
Someone once said, “If you’re burning the candle at both ends, you’re not as bright as you think you are.” (I am really convicted about this one)
4) Unnecessary Guilt:
Johnston says you cannot feel enthusiasm and guilt at the same time. Unconfessed sin is one of the biggest contributors to unnecessary guilt. Confess it and let God forgive you.
It is really hard to move forward in hope when we are dragging a huge weight from the past.
1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
5) Underestimating the Impact of Exposure:
Our minds will think most about what we most often expose ourselves to. The things we watch, read, listen to, and the environments we place ourselves in, will shape what we think about.
For example, watching cooking shows makes me hungry. The more I see delicious food, the more I want to eat something. I may have just eaten dinner 20 minutes ago, but seeing people prepare food makes me think I need to eat again!
If we are exposing ourselves to negative things, we are going to adopt negative thoughts. It is hard to be full of hope with a constant diet of discouragement.
Conclusion:
This concludes part one of our devotion on Recharge Your Batteries. Tomorrow we will examine part two which will encourage us to develop five supply lines that will keep us spiritually and emotionally fueled.