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Prayer and Busy Mornings 

Scripture

"Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually." I Chronicles 16:11

As I was jarred awake by the  5 a.m. alarm on my phone, I rolled over and immediately my mind began to make plans and think about all the responsibilities that lie ahead for the week. I thought about lesson plans, grading, duties, PLC meeting, starting courses for endorsements on my teaching certificate. Then suddenly my thoughts came to a screeching hault as I said, "Good morning Father, Good morning Jesus, Good morning Holy Spirit. This is the day that you have made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

My alarm wakes me up an hour before the house gets to stirring because I want to get into the presence of God and seek His strength for the day. Life can get so hectic and if we allow them, the cares of what lies ahead will carry us off into our day without a single hello to the Father. I realized early on that if I'm not careful, I'll miss His sweet whisper, "Good morning" to my spirit. 

As busy as our mornings can be, let us be reminded of how vital it is to seek God daily for His presence. Our thoughts will intrude on our time spent with Him, but He cares about the things we care about so let us show ourselves grace. It is in His presence that we are strengthened and given the grace to face what lies ahead. 

Prayer

Lord, we commit our days to you. We thank you for each day that you give us to continually seek Your presence and strength to face the joys and challenges ahead. Please guide our thoughts and actions, and help us bring glory to Your name. Thank you for your love and presence. Amen

Scripture

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7

"Come on, not again." I groaned as I barreled down the expressway glancing at the climbing temperature gauge on my car. I was late picking up my daughter once again. An hour and half impromptu meeting after school shifted all of my afternoon plans, and the meeting I was looking forward to attending was pushed back, which ate into the moments that I tried to salvage for the task I needed to complete before Bible Study. "I told you that I would be done today at 5:45" said my daughter over the phone. "Did she really tell me that?" I thought as I hurried to pick her up realizing that absolutely nothing would get done today. I was becoming frazzled. 

The most amazing thing happened though. In the midst of the misunderstandings, an ailing car, and irritation, I encountered someone who was extremely generous to me. He was completely unaware of the storm I was facing, yet his gentle words brought peace and calm to my spirit. In my encounter with this  stranger, the Lord reminded me that no matter the situation, His peace would guard my heart and mind. The anxiety and frustration that were attempting to take a hold of my emotions were haulted at the gate of my heart by His peace. 

Nothing compares to His powerful, protective peace in our lives. When His peace is operating in us, it prevents the enemy's attacks from slipping into our minds. Satan will always try to find a way to your emotions and mind through circumstances, but God's peace will stall his efforts. I encourage you to make Philippians 4:7 reality in your life today. If you're tired of the enemy making you frazzled, it's time let God's supernatural peace protect your heart and your mind. 

Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, I confess that I allow anxiety and frustration to fill my heart at times. I know that you are the true source of peace, a peace that surpasses all of my understanding. I pray Philippians 4:7 over my life, Lord. Fill me with your peace that transcends all of my concerns. Amen

Scripture

"Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins-even those you do in secret." Job:11:13-14

I sat back on my bed, closed my eyes, and allowed the presence of the Lord to wash over me. I pondered the day's events and questions began to flood my mind. "Did I handle that right? Did I say too much? Should that conversation have gone like that?" I began to flip back in my notebooks that chronicled the past year's communion with God. I compared it to what I was feeling in that moment. I knew something was different.  Another question enveloped my mind, "Lord, how did I allow the cares, responsibilities, busyness, etc. to creep into the parts of my heart that belongs to you?" 

There are certain times of the year when my cares of life wane and my mind is clearer. I don't have to fight through the clutter of pervasive thoughts, responsibilities, and priorities. However, when my schedule is hectic, I have to be intentional about protecting and prioritizing the presence of the Lord in my life. I have to organize my life in such a way that He is first. Subsequently, everything else will flow as it should. It starts with the sweet surrender of my heart to His. Somehow along the way I allowed busyness and responsibilities to creep in. I realized that there was a part of my heart that I had not fully surrendered to the Lord. I quickly repented and laid every responsibility, care, and priority on the altar. I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal anything else that I had neglected to put on the altar, therefore was carrying as weight in my life. As He revealed, I laid them down until my heart was emptied out on the altar of God. I felt His peace and our communion grow stronger. 

Maybe your load doesn't get lighter and you constantly balance the responsibilities of being a parent, friend, spouse, or even a student. Wherever you are in your journey with Him, continue to surrender your heart to His. Prioritize your life where your fellowship with Him comes first. He'll take care of the rest. 

Prayer

Lord, I surrender my heart and soul to you today. I prioritize my fellowship and communion with you. Please come into my heart more deeply. I trust your sweet grace to face each day. Amen

Scripture 

Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in by the Holy Spirit. -John 4:1

One early morning, while in the presence of the Father, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper something to my spirit, "You want to go deeper?" I told Him yes. He responded with one word, "Yield." "Wait! What? I'm yielded." I replied to Him. Though this was my first response, I knew enough about the Holy Spirit to know that if He's saying it, there's more of me that must yield. I began to pray this prayer, "Father, search my heart and my thoughts and reveal what hinders me from yielding totally to you." As He revealed, I surrendered to the altar. In another prayer to the Father, I exclaimed that I die to myself. Though this was a simple prayer for me, to God, this was no ordinary declaration. He spoke to my spirit that that day was marked, for it was the day I died. Then He explained that He was giving me the spirit of grace. He said I'd be able to do things that I never thought I could. 

Ok! I died! Now what?  I knew that something had happened on the day I made that declaration, but in the course of time, it began ushering me out of one world and into another. It didn't take long for me to realize that the Holy Spirit was still answering my first prayer. He continued His sanctifying work of revealing things that were still in me that were lying dormant. I learned that situations will cause behaviors, mindsets, old habits you buried, and strongholds to be revealed. If you're not discerning, you will blame the devil for something that God is allowing. Needless to say the journey wasn't the most comfortable. My behavior, proclivities, and character were constantly on display. 

The scripture said that Jesus was FULL OF AND CONTROLLED by the Holy Spirit. The only way that this is going to happen in our lives is that we allow Him to empty of us everything that offends God and hinders our relationship with Him. The journey had taken me to true repentance and total reliance on every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God. I learned that dying to myself was continual. God accepted my prayer, and my response was to allow Him to show me the areas in which I needed to die. 

Have you died to "self"? Is it your desire to die to "self", but you haven't surrendered? Today is that day. It's never too late to move into a deeper relationship with the Father.

Prayer

Father, I relinquish my desires, habits, and will to You. I ask your Spirit to search my heart and thoughts to reveal what is not like You. Help me to surrender and follow your lead. I trust your plans and will for my life. I surrender now. Amen

*Stay tuned for Part II. The journey had just begun*

Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in by the Holy Spirit. -Luke 4:1

In part one of this devotional I mentioned that dying daily took me on a journey where true repentance and reliance on God was continual.  While spending time with the Lord, I heard Him speak to my heart, "Daughter, you must come to the end of yourself." Though understood what He was speaking to my heart, I wasn't quite sure how to come to the end of myself. 

 Coming to the end of myself means coming to the realization that apart from Him, I can do nothing. It means leaning not to my own understanding. It means depending on Him for my very next breath. It means that I don't live as if I exist without Him. In fact, I am to live each day totally dependent and reliant on Him. Jesus did not live one day apart from the Father. So much so that when He was baptized at the Jordan River, the word says Jesus was full of and controlled by the the Holy Spirit. He was filled to overflowing. He was completely submitted to the Father to the point of being fully controlled by the Spirit of God. This is what dying to self looks like. None of me and all of God. The Holy Spirit's sanctifying work  is being performed in me. He is drawing me, separating me, and revealing to me so that I can produce a life overflowing with His presence and power.

Do you desire for the Spirt of God to overflow in your life?  Let's pray.

Prayer

Father, I want to be full of and controlled by your Holy Spirit. I acknowledge my need for your guidance and power. I submit to your will and commit my life to you. Amen