The WORD Before the WORLD

    For the past several years I have made it my daily practice to pray to God as soon as I wake in the morning. I thank Him for His lovingkindness of granting me (and my family) a new day (Psalm 92:1-2), already abounding with blessings (“life, breath, and all things” Acts 17:25). After that, I’ll get up, make my bed, get dressed, and head downstairs where I’ll grab my Bible and sit down, close my eyes, and thank God for His word and pray for understanding of what I am about to read. I then open my Bible and read two chapters: one from the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament. Reading two chapters takes me anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes each day. *Note: Sometimes I start cross referencing to other passages so a bit more time is spent in study on those days! 

    Prayer and reading set my focus for the day: I discover daily the glories of God and His faithful promises through Jesus, I am reminded of what is truly important in this life, I am assured of the Bible’s unchanging truth which allows me to withstand the constantly changing world, and through purposefully reading each morning  I’ve come to realize what an absolute treasure it is to have ready access to God’s word (Psalm 119:162, Colossians 2:2-3) and to know without doubt how to live righteously (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and faithfully flourish before Him (Psalm1:1-3, 1 Peter 1-3)!

    Putting God's word in your heart and mind first thing in the morning is the same as waking up and putting on the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18), it will ready you to face the world! 

    Consider the benefits of putting on God's armour each morning:

• Your heart is protected when you put on the breastplate of righteousness (living right before God, 1 John 2:28-3:8)
• The very core of your being is guarded when you wrap your waist with truth (2 Timothy 2:15, John 8:31-32; 14:6)
• Your walk is secured with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 2:14-18; 4:1-3)
• You are shielded with faith, able to extinguish the devil's attempts to harm you (Ephesians 6:16, 1 Peter 5:8-9, 1 John 5:4-5)
• Your mind is safeguarded with the helmet of salvation, as you meditate on God's glorious grace and His abundant blessings while pressing toward the goal. Meditating on these things also allows you readiness to talk about your hope through Jesus (Titus 2:11-14, Philippians 3:12-15, 1 Peter 3:15)
• You can defend yourself with God's word. When you study God's word and wholly obey it, you will do all that is good and profitable and no one will be able to bring an accusation against you (1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:15-17) 

 

    So, if in the past, you felt a bit discombobulated and overwhelmed with your day to day busyness and you thought that having to add one more thing to your already chaotic, bursting-at-the-seams schedule would cause calamity, I beg you, now that you may have a quieter days because of quarantine, consider adding just 5 minutes of bible reading to the very beginning of your day. Set a timer if need be, start by reading a psalm, or a chapter from one of the gospels (Mark is a fast paced, short book!), read until the timer goes and then go about your day. Make it a daily practice to "put on the armour of God," get familiar with it by recalling your daily reading to your mind, think on it as you wash the dishes, fold the laundry, and make mention of what you read to whoever you talk to on the phone or online!

    Put the WORD before the WORLD, discover the blessings that come from filling your heart with God’s word before the world fills your day, in so doing you will be putting on the armour of God and preparing yourself to face whatever comes your way!

    You can do it!! It is worth every effort to try!!