A Fresh Start

April 11, 2011

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:21-23

I’m grateful we get a fresh start every day. Each morning is a new day with Jesus. I could’ve had a weird last night, a weird yesterday afternoon, a weird last week—but His mercies are new every morning. If we start our day by giving Jesus priority, giving thanks, and cracking open the Bible, our spirit will be filled with substance and strength for the day.

If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day. ~E.M. Bounds, “Power Through Prayer”

Try beginning your day praising Jesus. Let the first words out of your mouth be, “Thank You, Jesus!” In Psalms, David wrote: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (Psalm 100:4). God is inviting us to shift out of bitterness or an affliction mentality and instead magnify God and remember how great and mighty He is.

The enemy tries to keep us out of the secret place by keeping us busy doing other things. The devil knows that starting your mornings with God will precipitate a spirit of faith that will have repercussive effects for others. So you’ve got to be deliberate about spending the first moments with God. Find encouraging devotionals; read a Proverb a day; train yourself to read entire chapters and books of the Bible. If you don’t like reading, download the audio Bible on your phone or computer. Do whatever it takes to get the Word in you.

Whatever your battle, deny doubt and unbelief the right to govern your worldview and start praising God this very moment. Instead of gazing at your problems, gaze at Jesus, who has all the answers you will ever need.

Press on!
Pastor Jeff

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.