Bunnies are everywhere right now. Stuffed, chocolate, wooden, and blow-up bunnies of every size, shape, color, and substance are filling store shelves and pet stores as Easter approaches. Soon, they will be gone, but we've gotten used to one bunny that is around all year long.
The Energizer Bunny of Energizer batteries is here to stay and has been a clever reminder of the durability and longevity of Energizer's batteries for decades. As the advertisement displays, the Energizer Bunny, like the battery, keeps going and going and going as he steadily beats his drum. He never wears down or tires.
I've noticed something about being busy with the Father's work. It's so energizing! If I'm tired and pray for someone who senses the Lord's touch or a lifting of a burden he is carrying, he is not the only one who gets blessed. I get a jolt of excitement, joy, and energy just by obeying the Lord.
Almost any act of faith or obedience to the Lord leaves us satisfied, encouraged, and energized. Our level of hope and expectation increases. Imagine the joy and energy Jesus and the disciples felt as they walked among crowds, healing the sick and setting demonized people free. In Philippians 2:13, the Amplified version of the Bible explains the dynamic of what happens when the Lord uses us: For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.
The Spirit of God working in and through us is an energizing, life-giving force of supernatural caliber. God's dunamis power within us is the force that created the universe. It resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead, and the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us! That Spirit will continue energizing us throughout eternity. When our bodies die, our spirits will not. Like the Energizer Bunny, our spirits will never wear down or tire.
Imagine having endless energy! Jesus does. The Godhead never slumbers or sleeps, as evidenced in Psalm 121:3-4: My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
What about those days when we feel like slugs—when nothing in us has the energy to face the day, let alone get excited about doing something for God? Undoubtedly, the disciples had mornings when they just wanted a cup of coffee, a bagel, and a good stare in their easy chairs. What then? How does the battery in us get charged when our humanness takes over and we feel as though we can't (or don't want to) budge?
If we ask Him, the Lord will often whisper a word into our spirit at such times. A simple suggestion like “Talk to Me,” “Think about My goodness,” or “Open your Bible” can jump-start our battery needs at that moment. Before long, more thoughts and ideas start to percolate inside until a plan evolves for the day, and we begin to feel rejuvenated. God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work, is strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose. Even our motivation to do good is generated from God's Spirit.
The supernatural charge and energizing come when we do what the Holy Spirit is nudging us to do. If we sit still in the presence of the Lord, His peace comes. If we open our Bibles and read a portion of scripture, the Holy Spirit may illuminate a verse and expand our understanding of it. We are instantly energized by the awakening of the Word in us. Perhaps as you go about your day, the Lord impresses you that a particular person nearby needs prayer. The Holy Spirit may even tell you the actual need so you can pray more specifically. As you step out in faith and pray for the person, the Spirit brings the sparkle and anointing. The slug in you becomes a powerhouse of faith, alive and energized by the Spirit of God Himself.
Joy is a byproduct of all of this. The joy of the Lord is our strength, Nehemiah 8:10 declares. After praying for someone to be healed or released from longstanding fear, I am sometimes so full of joy that I could burst! Leading someone to Christ is equally as joyful an occasion. The supernatural energy and joy in the here and now is a foretaste of the energy and drive we will have in heaven! It's easy to understand why we will “neither slumber nor sleep in heaven.” Our strength and vitality will be fully realized and never-ending.
Can we, like the Energizer Bunny, keep going and going and going from day to day? This side of heaven requires a bit of effort and discipline, but even the simplest act of obedience to the Lord's nudging starts the battery charging. The more complex the task put before us by the Lord, the greater the level of energy and joy at its completion.
Jesus can charge our batteries right now if we're winding down. In the natural, a good battery charge takes 10-24 hours to complete. The Lord can supercharge us in minutes if we do what He asks, and we will far outlive the Energizer Bunny!
© 2024, Chris Custer Werre