When the Lord showed me this verse of Scripture about 20 years ago, He began teaching me about the importance of being an energetic and enthusiastic worker. He made it clear to me that one reason why He gave me His indwelling Spirit when I received Christ as my Savior was so that I no longer had to dread or drag through my work. He showed me Ecclesiastes 5:19 (NLT), where Solomon says that enjoying our work is a gift from God. And it doesn't matter whether our work involves child care, office work, housework, yard work, ministry work, or anything else - we can enjoy it all, and we can do it energetically.

When I have a job to do that I am dreading, I ask for the Lord's help to get started, and then I declare, "I set about my work vigorously!" (Proverbs 31:17 NIV) This reminds me that I don't have to put off a job of mine simply because I'm not looking forward to it. God has equipped me to dig in to my projects, instead of procrastinating and causing them to intimidate me and gain control over me. When my job involves physical work, I declare the second half of this verse, saying, "My arms are strong for my tasks!" When we make these faith-filled declarations, we are alerting the Holy Spirit to send waves of supernatural strength through our bodies, and to fill us with divine energy. The apostle Paul spoke of this powerful principle when he wrote that God filled him with "superhuman energy" for his work. (Colossians 1:29 AMP) Once I began experiencing this kind of energy years ago, I began claiming it on a regular basis, and relying on it for both big and small tasks. As I get older, I realize more and more the value of this kind of strength.

I love a clean house. Anyone who knows me knows how true this is. But there are certain aspects of housecleaning that I simply dread. One of them is mopping floors. So when I know that I have to do it, I ask the Lord for help, and without thinking about it, I get out my mop and pail. I begin filling the pail with water, and I pour in the detergent. And the next thing I know, I am mopping floors! You see, once we think too much about starting a task we don't particularly like, we give it power over us. God wants us to go ahead and take some steps toward beginning the task, without overthinking it. When we do, He gets involved and strengthens us until the job is completed. And if we ask and expect Him to, He will even fill us with joy while we do it.

Perhaps you dread going grocery shopping. I understand how you feel. But like I tell my husband, Joe, if you want food in the house, you've got to shop for it! What I like to do is to time myself when I shop. I use my smartphone to track my time, and I challenge myself to get in and out of the store quickly. This discourages me from spending too much time browsing, which can increase my shopping time by 30 minutes or more. Even though my husband is a browser - and I often have to tap him on the shoulder and tell him, "Focus!" - the last time we went to the supermarket, he said, "Let's time ourselves!" He's learned that getting in and out of the store quickly can make a task like this more enjoyable and productive, and less likely to become a source of dread.

The Bible says: "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it and He will." (Psalm 37:5 TLB) I challenge you to begin inviting God into your tasks, no matter how simple or mundane they may be, and watch Him bless the work of your hands, and fill you with His joy!

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for filling me with Your Holy Spirit, whom You called my "Helper." (John 14:16 NASB) Teach me how to rely on Your Spirit to strengthen and guide me through all of my work. Guard me from procrastination, and help me to set about my tasks "vigorously". Give me Your gift of joy for my work so that I can really enjoy it. (Ecclesiastes 5:19 NLT) Today, I choose to commit my work to You, to ask for Your help, and to trust You to equip me with everything I need to succeed!