Building on the truth discussed last week, that God has packed my suitcase as a believer with everything I need, how should I approach a new day? I get the chance to decide the second I wake up in the morning. Am I going to live it as a believer (which means putting faith in God and in His Word) or will I adopt the spiritually bankrupt mindset of the world?
Let’s not be abstract or conceptual here. Sometimes we wake up and it’s not to the sound of angels singing. Stop and try to recall—what was going through your head when you first woke up this morning? I hope it was some promise of God, or thanksgiving for His love! But was it instead an overwhelming to-do list? Was it some nagging thing about your health? Was it some unresolved problem or conflict? What was it? And how did you feel thinking about that?
One of the enemy’s biggest weapons against us is fear. Jesus told us not to allow ourselves to be anxious about anything—He said, “Don’t LET your heart be troubled, neither LET it be afraid” (John 14:27). Fear amounts to unbelief, so the devil wants us to be fearful about everything! He broadcasts bad news 24/7 to stoke fear and to load us up with the cares of the world. But the gospel spreads good news for gladness! Which station is your alarm tuned to when you awake? (Hint—even if it’s the wrong one, you can change it in a second!)
If I’m waking up worried or depressed, I can do something about it, just like David did when he told himself to put his hope in God (Psalm 42:5). If I believe in God’s promised provision of every resource I may need—mental, physical, and emotional strength, finances, energy—whatever might require replenishment—how should that affect my outlook? Instead of being overwhelmed, I could start the day declaring (out loud) truths like:
God loves me and He’s for me! I don’t need to worry about money and stuff, or about what people think. (1)
With God, I’m more than equal to any challenge today may hold. (2)
God’s supply to me will exceed any demand placed on me. (3)
I choose to walk in peace and victory and to manifest Jesus today. (4)
God has already thought of everything; I have nothing to fear. (5)
Listen for God’s voice in the morning—and throughout the day. Tune out the voice of the enemy. God’s packed you a new suitcase as His new creation, but you may still be lugging an old suitcase around, too. That’s the one from which you draw old, dirty, laundry like self-reliance, analysis, leaning on your own understanding. It puts all the weight on you, on what you can or can’t do. It has a magnifying glass for your problems and demands you solve them. Lose that old baggage! Start your day with life-giving truth that sets you free.
It was for freedom that Christ set us free (Galatians 5:1).
(1) Psalm 56:9, Proverbs 29:25, 1 John 4:16, Hebrews 13:5-6
(2) Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 6:10, Philippians 4:13
(3) 2 Corinthians 9:8, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Peter 1:3
(4) John 14:27, 1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 2:14
(5) Luke 12:7
Thank you, JB – I especially appreciate the reference to those particular verses, which I shall use to remind me of the points you made. “In times like these…” comes to mind, but there will always BE “times like these” that challenge our mindsets and responses.