Month: February 2018

A few weeks ago I wrote about personal energy and explained why I believe energy is more important than time or money. Then I asked if you were aware of the energy level you function at, and if you knew what energizes or drains you? Today, I want to talk about something closely related to personal energy, a phenomenon that is out of this world.

If you care about maximizing your energy, I’d like to challenge you to consciously consider synergy. What is synergy you ask? It is the interaction of two elements that results in a sum that is bigger than the parts. Imagine that! You add one element to a second element and you get MORE than the two elements alone. Now that gets my attention. If I care passionately about maximizing my personal energy levels, this amplification or multiplication takes my excitement to a whole new level.

The best example I have to explain synergy is water (H2O). You take two atoms of Hydrogen, share their outer electrons with one atom of Oxygen, and you get water. Water is essential for life. We need water. Nor, can I imagine our world without its beautiful streams, rivers, lakes and oceans. Water is amazing and yet is the simple synergy between Hydrogen and Oxygen. Water is the sum result or reward of Hydrogen and Oxygen working together. Notice that neither loses its own identity or autonomy. They just willingly partner together and a mysterious third element becomes a part of their relationship.

I have come to the conclusion, if I want to succeed in a new project or program; I need to find a partner that can join their unique abilities with mine. When we partner with someone for a common goal, the result of our time and activity is maximum production without losing anything of ourselves. Together we produce something that is bigger than just our two parts.

Synergy is a powerful reality that supersedes everyday excellence. For more on this subject visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHk3sQ1Foew&t=15s

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite radio program of all time was Paul Harvey, and his ‘Rest of the Story’ segments. It started during WWII as a news broadcast that also told an interesting story. He would withhold a key piece of information, such as the person’s identity, until the end and then conclude the broadcast with the famous tagline, ”….and now you know the rest of the story.”

We deal with difficult people everyday. But, most of the time we are only dealing with the part of their story they let us see. Wouldn’t it be nice to know the rest of the story? Wouldn’t it be nice to know what made them mad earlier in the day, before they got to us?

There is a story in the Bible, found in Numbers 20: 2-12, when the people complained to Moses about not having any water. God tells Moses to speak to the rock and God would cause water to come out of the rock and thus He would take care of the people. Moses responds to their complaint with anger and strikes the rock, disobeying what God had told him to do. God was faithful to bring the water but He told Moses that He would not enter the promise land because of what he did.

Every time I have ever heard this passage preached, the speaker says that God punished Moses for his disobedience. But, recently I heard a minister by the name of Dwayne Weehunt, from Keller, Texas, approach this story a little differently.

He said that God and Moses were friends. God spoke to His friend face to face, unlike anyone God ever related to. God said Moses was the most humble man alive. Dwayne then went on to say, “Have you ever noticed that this story picks up in verse two of the chapter, not verse one?” Could verse one have any impact on this story? Well, let’s look at verse one:

Numbers 20: 1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.

Moses sister just died. He doesn’t have time to grieve her and the people are complaining about water. Is it possible that Moses was not disobedient out of anger but out of grief? And, isn’t it possible that God was not punishing Moses because of disobedience, but was pulling him out of leadership (ministry) because he didn’t like the toll it was taking on His friend Moses. Could it be that God hated what was happening to His friend and couldn’t stand the destruction of his heart? And, now you might know… the rest of the story.

You can’t help but look at the story differently after you’ve read verse one. Everybody has a verse one. If we kept that in mind, maybe we would all show a little more grace with people’s bad behavior and a lot more interest in knowing the rest of their story. For more on this subject go to  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjpzQS7Y0i0

 

Recently I was reading “The Nature of God” by Graham Cooke. He made a very interesting statement that I wish all believers were aware of. He said, “But there is one aspect of His character that He will want to be yours in particular. This is your doorway into His presence. I love the compassion, mercy, integrity and grace of God – but my access point to Him is always His kindness.”

When I read that I thought of several attributes of God that woo me or draw me into His presence. After much reflection, I have decided it is His mercy that is my gateway to God.

I have heard mercy and grace defined this way. Grace is getting what you did not deserve (undeserved favor) and mercy is NOT getting what you deserve. Mercy is when you are guilty but He chooses to throw your case out of court.

I have known Him to show unbelievable mercy to myself and others expecting to be crushed under the judgment of an angry God. So many people run away from God when they have sinned or done something wrong. They know and understand the high expectations of God’s holiness. When they fail to measure up to that, they tend to hide, flinch or run away.

The other day I was talking to an intercessor that spends hours a day alone with the Lord. I asked her, “Do you ever pray for God’s judgment upon your life”? She said, “Sure, there is nothing to fear in His judgment.” Spoken like someone who really knows God and His heart.

When a judge rules on a case, it can go one of four ways.

She or he may find someone innocent.
They may discover a technicality that allows them to dismiss the case.
They can also find you guilty but lessen the sentence.
Or, they can throw the book at you.

Three out of the four outcomes are good—if you’re the guilty party.

I have found God chooses to be merciful in almost all cases and loves to show His love off by surprising us with His mercy. Whenever I experience that or see it displayed in the life of others, it immediately draws me into the presence of God. For more on this subject visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfkrRN07vHI&t=1897s

 

 

 

In my opinion, time is more valuable than money and energy is more valuable than time. You can have all the money in the world but when you run out of time, it is over. You can have all the time in the world but if you don’t have any energy, your time is meaningless.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “Energy and persistence conquer all things”. According to the dictionary, energy is ‘power that when exerted creates activity’. Energy is a latent reservoir of power that when released allows for vigorous activity to take place. Energy funds activity. That is why I believe energy is more important than time, because you need it to make your time worthwhile.

I am fascinated by personal energy. I pay attention to the people that seem to have an unlimited supply and I also pay attention to those that seem to barely get by on the supply they have. Have you noticed some people can energize the whole place, while others seem to conserve what energy they have as if they might run out at anytime? Then there are those that through personal drama, need or awkward moments suck the energy right out of a room.

I ask myself questions about energy all the time and these are a few things I have learned:

Personal energy comes from internal and external sources.
We all have the same amount of energy available to us
It is possible to get more energy.

The classic definition of what makes a person an introvert or extrovert is how they recharge their battery. Introverts tend to want to be alone for extended periods of time to let their reservoir increase. Extroverts need interaction with people to recharge.

This definition is a little too cut and dry for me. As an extrovert, I do recharge by being with people. But, it has to be the right people. Some people drain me. I take quick note as to whether someone “lifes” me or “sucks the life” out of me.

I firmly believe we are responsible for maintaining our own energy levels. And, there are many factors to consider while doing that. Sleep, diet, exercise, stress, responsibilities and relationship all have an impact on our personal energy levels. I challenge you to raise your awareness of this area, increase your energy level and see if the quality of your life doesn’t increase as well. For more on this subject, please visit   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHk3sQ1Foew