When I am putting God first and making my morning time with Him a priority, I find myself in balance everywhere else. Even if I am short on time and things seem to be chaotic, if I just spend time with Him, I find I have enough time and energy to do the things that need to get done. I am better focused in my workouts, I don't fall into as many temptations with my nutrition, and I am able to better keep my emotions in check.
One thing that focuses my mind in the morning is sending some sort of scripture or prayer that is edifying to my best friend. She lives 2 hours behind me (and I get up at ridiculous times in the morning anyway), so I am able to have a message waiting for her on her phone when she is ready to roll out of bed and look at it.
I am not totally sure when this got started, but I have been doing this for months now and it is something I am consistent with and forces me to sit down, look at scripture and write about it! This also allows me to pour life into someone else the way I have had life poured into me so many times!
I send her things that I feel God wants her to know and He is leading me to share. I sometimes share lessons that God is working on in my life, or sometimes it is a scripture that I find motivating to get the day started and started right!
On a perfect morning in my world, sending off this message is the first thing I do (of course I pray that God would lead me to what he wants me to share first). Then, I will read out of my devotional book and journal prayers and affirmations for and over my husband.
Next, I will either get on my knees, face, or stand to pray. I will pray what is in my heart, I will pray over important people in my life and I will lift up prayers people have asked me to lift up. I pray that I will be so filled with His Spirit that it overflow from every thought or word that comes from me and every action I take in the day. I pray He use me for His will but that He be clear with me what that is (since sometimes I just don't understand or am being stubborn). I pray He shows me who to reach out to and what to say and not say in my conversations. I pray that I am obedient to His call and how He wants me to go about my day.
I thank Him for the many blessings in my life and pray that He guide me every step of my day.
So, why do I share this? Because I think so many of us want to start to have a better relationship with Christ. We want to pray more but feel like it has to be complicated or there is a right or wrong way to do it. My prayer time has involved my message to my friend, devotional reading, journaling and speaking prayer out loud. My prayers have gotten longer and more powerful. Your prayer life is something you work at like you would any muscles. Over time you get better and stronger. You can do more and you can do it longer.
Your prayer life is something you become in better tune with like your body. I know when my body needs a more focus in one area over another, I know when my body needs a little extra love and care and I know when I need to push it further.
There are days I need to spend much more time in prayer. There are days I need to be flat on my face and there are others that I don't. There are days that I need to be reading more scripture and meditating and there are days I need to be journaling more. The more you do it the more in tune you are with your needs and the desires God has for you.
To close, I wanted to share the scripture I shared with Christine today. This scripture is exactly the kind of prayers I try to pray and it ties my thoughts together better than I ever could! I share scripture to her in the New International Version (NIV) because that is what she reads from.
“Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.”
Psalm 119:33-38 NIV
I am so blessed for the scriptures you send me each morning! It is such a blessing. You are such a positive example of how to put HIM first and live for HIM!
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