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PROGRAM D-7346
Ever had a leak that caused you problems? I had a leak in my car not long ago, and as a result the air conditioning didn’t work. You may have had a leak in the plumbing in your house and found that you had some serious water damage as a result. If you get a leak in your gasoline tank, you’ll find that you don’t get very far before running out of gas. Leaks are usually a big nuisance, and often they are hazardous.
I want to talk about the energy leaks in our lives—the things that cause us to lose physical, mental and spiritual energy. The things that drive us into burnout and stress. I want to point out some of the most common energy leaks and give you some ideas on how you can plug those holes and keep that energy from leaking out.
Energy Leak No. 1 – A Negative Attitude
I put this one at the top of my list because I find it to be so prevalent. Any time you and I start thinking negatively, talking negatively, griping and complaining, we have just pulled the plug on our energy and it is leaking out fast.
Do you pour a lot of negative junk back into your mind all the time, saying things like: “I’m so tired” or “I can’t do this” or “I hate this job” or “I’ll never get all this done” or “I don’t feel good”? Every time you indulge in that negative chatter—whether in word or thought—you are wasting energy. Maybe you can think of a day when you were in negative territory most of the day. Did you accomplish much that day? I doubt it.
Now, how do we plug up this all-too-common energy leak? Here’s what the Apostle Paul told us: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Okay, I can see you going “Oh, right, just one quick verse and that’s supposed to solve all my problems.” Well, friends, if you practiced this verse, you would not be losing energy due to a negative attitude, because you can’t be negative while you’re rejoicing! It’s impossible!
Paul told us to rejoice in the Lord always. There are things over which we cannot rejoice. But we can rejoice in the Lord—always! Even in the midst of situations that are depressing and negative. It’s our choice; no one can force us to be in a negative mood if we don’t want to be.
If you have trouble with a negative attitude and you need to plug this energy leak, pray this verse into your life every morning. Repeat it on the way to work each day. Memorize it and recite it out loud as often as possible. I promise you, this will plug up that energy leak and you’ll save all that energy you’ve been wasting on a negative attitude.