Start Your Mornings Right

I've been reading a book by C.J. Mahaney called, Humility, and it is a wonderful book. He talks of how everyone deals with a pride problem. And because of this pride, God actually opposes us. James 4.6 talks about how "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." So how do we deal with this pride issue? Mahaney says that sin never sleeps, therefore in the morning it doesn't have to wake up, but is ready for the battle tho we may still be a little inhibited from our recent awaking. Our job then is to not play defense on pride, rather mount an offensive strike.

C.J. shares certain morning habits that he has tried to practice, I have made it a goal this week to do the same. I will share them here, with a few verses that I've found. Starting our mornings off the right way, whether a morning person or not, sets the correct tone for the rest of the day. So if interested I challenge you to take the offensive this week and try these practices it, write them down, place it somewhere as a reminder!

Practice #1: Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for Him. (Psalm 121):

"I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth. He will not let your foot be moved; Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on you right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from the time forth and forevermore."

To go on the offensive we have to depend on God. When we start to try and do things on our own, we fail, we become prideful, we sin. We want grace from God, so we have humble ourselves and acknowledge our dependence upon him.

Practice #2: Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.(Psalm 4.7-8):

"You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Gratefulness allows us to put into perspective our life. Without God we have nothing. We should be grateful for the life he is allowing us to live!

Practice #3: Practice the spiritual disciplines:

-Prayer (Psalm 5.3): "O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice..."
-Reading (Psalm 1.1-2): "Blessed is the man...[whose] delight is in the law
of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and
night"
-Worship (Psalm 7.17): "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his
righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name
of the Lord, the Most High"

Practice #4: Cast your cares upon him (Psalm 18.6):

"In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice and my cry to him reached his ears"

If we cast our cares upon him, even as Peter wrote about (I Peter 5.6-7), we can live free of the bondage that pride has on our life. When we delve into the despair of our worries, all we're concerned with is ourselves. Shed those chains and cast your cares on the One who cares for you!

If we take these practices into our lives, we can see a transformation happen! Jesus want all of us, but we can't give that to him if we're engulfed in our own lives. Come to the end of yourself and live a life that is pleasing and worshipful of Jesus. He loves you and gave his life for you, will you give it back to him?