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PROGRAM D-7347

I got home from vacation one time to find water all over my family room floor.  Why?  A leak in the water pipes.  Ooh, what a mess.  Well, we make a mess in our lives when we have energy leaks—common energy leaks that cause us lots of problems.  It is exhausting and wasteful when we have negative attitudes.  Here’s another common energy leak:

Energy Leak #2 – Trying to Control the Uncontrollable

Now tell the truth—do you yell at traffic?  You know, there’s nothing you can do about that traffic jam, yet there you are yelling at cars, trying to control the uncontrollable.  Maybe you’re more likely to yell at your computer or some equipment.  Did you ever think about how much energy you waste when you do that?

Worse than that is trying to control uncontrollable people—like your boss or your coworker—or your mate or children!  How often do we waste our energy trying to manipulate and control other people?

Someone wrote: “If you will control the controllable, you can cope with the uncontrollable.”  Ask God to help you spend your energy on the things you can affect—which is mostly you—and not to waste energy trying to control the uncontrollable.  A good verse to memorize is 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  God knows about those uncontrollable things and people and he cares.  So, turn it over to him and stop wasting energy on the uncontrollable.

Energy Leak #3 – Poor Body Stewardship

God has given each of us a body that houses our spirit and soul.  And that body has to be kept in pretty good condition or we waste a lot of energy because the body isn’t running so well.  Are you a good steward of your body?  Do you have good eating habits?  Do you exercise enough?  Are you careful about what you put into your body and how you care for it?  If not, you’ll find that frequently you run out of energy long before the job is finished.

While it’s true that we all have different energy levels, it’s also true that we all have the responsibility of doing the things that keep our bodies in good form.  How are you doing in that department?  Paul asked the Corinthians: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?… Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  When we take that seriously and truly honor God with our bodies, our energy levels will be much greater.  It will plug up that major energy leak.