5 Ways to Have More Energy

5 Ways to Have More Energy
Steve Backlund

Most of us greatly value living an energetic life. We desire to have motivation, enthusiasm, and inspiration.

There are a number of reasons for the level of energy we experience. Some of the reasons are certainly physical and connected to how we take care of our bodies – our nutrition, our sleep habits, exercise, and learning what recharges us as individuals. Although taking care of our physical bodies is important, there are soul and spiritual reasons affecting our energy levels as well.

Here are five ways I have found to have more energy, and I believe they will help you as well.

  1. Prioritize Having a Vision and Hope – “Without a vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29). Where there is no vision or hope for the future, improvements slow down dramatically or stop. Hope is the belief that the future will be better than the present, and we have the power to help make it so. It is the fuel of motivation and energy. A vision for the future gives purpose and energy for the present because we believe we will experience the rewards of reaching a meaningful goal.
  1. Deal With Personal Guilt – Guilt and condemnation drain us of personal energy. Whether we are experiencing legitimate guilt or battling lies from the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10), we will find a lack of get-up and go unless we deal with it. It is the wise person who makes a list of everything he feels guilty about and then decides what to do about each item. Some of these will need a specific action to be taken (repentance, asking for forgiveness, doing something we have procrastinated about, etc.), while others will simply need the decision that nothing is to be done except to reject the guilt. As these areas of guilt are faced, energy will increase in our lives.
  1. Perform Your Commitments in Faith, Not Duty – Faithfulness is not just showing up to our commitments, but it thinking and talking faith before showing up, when you show up, and continuing in faith afterward. Many do not have energy for the normal routines of life (coming home, going to meetings, appointments, times with the Lord, etc.) because it is done as a duty instead of done in faith. When we activate our faith by saying things like, “This is going to be a great meeting,” we increase our energy because faith is the catalyst for spiritual energy.
  1. Speak Life Our words are directing agents of our lives (James 3:2-5). Whatever we speak about a lot, we get pulled toward. If we constantly speak about how tired we are, we will experience more tiredness. Often tiredness is a negative mindset which is reinforced by regularly speaking about our experience instead of God’s promises. Just as sports coaches energize their teams through what they say, we can inspire ourselves by attacking lethargy, passiveness, lukewarmness, and victim mindsets with our words. Here is a basic list of declarations I have given to people for years to help get you started:
  1.  Encourage Others – I travel extensively, speaking to churches, conferences, and leadership teams. I have noticed one reason leadership teams are tired is because of a lack of mutual encouragement. Little or no intentional encouragement = tiredness. Regular, proactive encouragement = energy. One of our greatest assignments is to increasingly encourage others (Hebrews 10:24-25). As we do this, we will find ourselves more encouraged and energized.

In closing, feast on this promise of strength and energy in Isaiah 40:28-31:
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weakAnd to those who have no might, He increases strength.Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary,They shall walk and not faint.”