Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

I will praise the name of God in song, and magnify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

The morning is the time for productivity. It is not always the time for FEELING like being productive. But research shows again and again that the morning time is when our willpower is strongest. That sets us up to force ourselves to do the things that are the most important – whether we enjoy it or not – regardless of how the rest of ourselves is feeling. Your brain is the sharpest. Your mind is the freshest. Your abilities (collectively your strength) is the highest. What you do with yourself in the morning shows where your priorities lie. Which is a sobering thought if you really consider it. How you spend your morning matters.

Most of us start it off drugging ourselves. Be it tea, coffee, or sugary cereal. We give ourselves a not at all needed jolt. We’ve conditioned ourselves to believe we’ll be groggy and non-functional without it. It’s a clever ploy. First, it helps reinforce our addictions (mild or not, they are still addictions). Second, it keeps our mind off the most productive time we have. The LAST thing the devil wants is for us to be paying attention to Adonai when we are at our clearest thinking. When we wake up, our brains (not our feelings) are fresh and ready. Every minute we are awake, more sleep chemicals are being produced by our brains until the end of the day arrives and we just can’t stay awake anymore. He wants us confused, groggy, and divided in our attentions. That is the best time for us to connect with Adonai from his point of view. Which means it is literally the WORST possible thing to do.

Think about the things we do in the mornings. We get our bodies ready for the day. We feed ourselves and renew our energy. We re-connect with our loved ones. We encourage each other to have a good day. We smile more. We’re energetic and more willing to be talkative. Many people say they get their best ideas in the shower in the morning. Our brains are off the charts in the morning. The Word confirms this. Adonai mentions mornings to us a LOT, and many of those times He speaks of us looking His way. Jesus made a practise of it. “And getting up early in the morning while it was very dark, he departed and went to a deserted place, and there he was praying” (Mark 1:35). Adonai listens to us all the time, but the Psalmist specifically cites His morning attention (Psalm 5:3)

In the morning, nothing has happened yet. We haven’t made any blunders. We haven’t made any mistakes. We’re not distracted. We’re not busy. We’re awake and quiet and starting our day. Those few minutes before we put our minds into our day in advance (remembering the interview, the test, that thing that’s about to go down, etc) are the most valuable real estate of your mental mindscape. If you fill those moments up in the wrong way, your tank is empty all day. If you fill those moments up in the right way, nothing can go wrong – you’ll have situations, but not problems. In the same way that people put on their glasses to see better, praise in the morning helps us to live better. We’re connecting to our Source. We’re feeding ourselves with Adonai. We’re giving Him THE place of importance in our lives. We’re making Adonai FIRST STOP. I cannot overstate the importance of this. Every single successful day I have had and that I have heard of others having started with this simple step.

What to do isn’t the issue. That you want to from your heart is. Ruach HaKodesh can guide you through the WHAT. You – your mind and your heart – decide the WANT TO. Adonai takes our want tos and turns them into world-reaching events. We’re the small fish He will feed thousands with. We need to be thankful to Him. For everything. Even simply existing. He is the reason we open our eyes. He is the reason we have conscious thoughts. He is the reason for all of it and everything else. Can’t think of anything specific? Ruach HaKodesh will remind you. Don’t have the words? Ruach HaKodesh will supply them. He’s there to help in EVERY way with EVERY thing that we do. Doubly so when it comes to being thankful, because THAT is where He resides (Psalm 22:3). You have to choose not to be thankful. Rely on Ruach HaKodesh to get the words into your mind to say. He recalls everything to our minds. Be willing. Be ready. Be thankful. Give Adonai a good morning EVERY morning. Thank Him, praise Him, and start your day off with a balanced mindscape. Balanced on HIM.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: 2 Chronicles 20:22

“And when they began with singing and praise, Yahweh set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who were coming against Judah. And they were defeated.” Praises are warfare. They are a method of battling the kingdom of darkness that is unparalleled. Because they are thankful toward Adonai for doing the heavy lifting. For doing the work. For completing it. For getting the victory and spreading it around. For helping us become more than we are. And all of it through our praise. WE sing, Adonai enacts the battle. WE praise, Adonai has the plan. WE rejoice in Him for who He is and what He’s done, Adonai defeats all comers. Praise is such a two-way street it’s crazy. Crazier is the realisation OUR way is a single one-way road and HIS way is a ten-lane super freeway. He plans it. He accomplishes it. He delivers it. And it is all started with our thankful praise. From our hearts to His. And LOOK what He has done for us! What a GOOD God!

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8