How many times have I woke up and can’t seem to get moving? My feet refuse to go the same direction my head is telling them to go, my brain refuses to cooperate by helping me clear the cobwebs. All I can think about is getting that first sip of coffee, lol! On these mornings I often let the confusion overtake the true facts of my emotions.

   You see on the mornings you wake and you don’t feel it, doesn’t mean that anything has changed in your life. It doesn’t mean that God is far away. As a female I tend to take the emotional route and start wondering OK where are you God? What did I do? What will someone say or do today? Before I know it my emotions have run away with me and I really believe this is going to be a bad day. Really, it doesn’t have to be, but because I’ve made my confession that it is, the enemy has a free day to run and play as he wishes, setting all kinds of havoc in motion in my life.

   The problem with most of us is that we tend to move by emotion rather than reality. Before you say Oh not me? Let me ask you this, when you get in a line at the supermarket and its really long and someone at the checkout is being unsually long, what is your first response? Be honest, God can hear your thoughts?

   What about going down the highway and someone cuts you off or pulls out in front of you, What is your first response? Again, God is listening. If you are honest the first thing you think is usually not a repeatable answer, don’t try to be all spiritual and say no way not me? My point in the question is this, I’m going somewhere with this. If your first response isn’t repeatable then chances are you are moving by emotion not in reality & that point of time ruined your whole day! Anybody honest enough to admit it? I will since I am writing the blog. There have been numerous times my emotions ruled and because I allowed them to, it would literally ruin my whole day. On these, “the not feeling it days”, we should be more alert to guard our heart and keep our words few and our confession nothing but His Word!

Proverbs 4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life

We see in Proverbs that we are to keep out heart with all diligence, meaning that it is a ongoing process in our life. Our heart holds the issues of our lives. If we allow anything to stay in there that is negative or critical, we will then become at some point a negative, critical person. When you wake up, the first thing you should do clear headed or not is give thanks for living & declare “This is the day the Lord has made I WILL rejoice and be glad in it”

I know, I know, I hear you! When I get up I don’t want to speak much less declare anything before a good shot of hot coffee, just ask my husband he will tell you. He used to be lucky to get a grunt out of me, much less a hello, he could absolutely forget good morning, morning maybe, good never!  lol.

   One day I got up and I realized that I was setting the tone of my whole day simply by the words that I speak and the attitude I allowed to attach to me. So I decided to test the Lord at His Word and see what differences it made in my life. Honestly, I didn’t expect much of a change because I had programmed my heart to believe it was ok, ok to get up grumpy, after all I’m tired. It was ok to be critical after all the jerk cut me off. It was ok to be mad about the little elderly lady taking so long to write a check at Wal-Mart after all it is the age of techonology she should get a card already, plsss. Hmm, hmmm some of you are going yikes that’s me! I know it is and I’m writing this to help you, knowing that in the morning I’m going to get tested in the same stuff & I’m praying in advance I will pass the test.

   I am about 8-9 months into it now and I have seen dramatic changes in my heart. Not just to me or God but in how I deal with others. So now when I speak, because I am being diligent with my heart good things are coming out. Things that used to make me spitting mad I’m able to shrug off and keep singing. Things that used to ruin my whole day have become meaningless nothings in light of God’s mercy over me. Mind you, I still have those days when I’m just not feeling it, because I’m still in the fleshly body, but Praise The Lord they are becoming few and farther in between.

I have not arrived by any stretch of the imagination. I have miles and miles to go but I’m leaning on the everlasting arms believing His Word, that He is faithful to His Word!

Here’s the deal, this is so simple it’s astounding. The deal is this, you change your confession, you change your life! I’m not talking blab it grab it, name it claim it voodoo. I’m talking about a confession grounded in His word so when you get cut off in traffic, you can say “thank you Lord I might have wrecked my car if You had not been watching over me” Or, thank you Lord this precious lady is taking so long You might be sparing me from being killed in a car wreck or being robbed or worse. The Word says this: Make this your confession!

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Then you walk this verse out!

Philippians 3:13,14 

 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It’s a race and it’s a mark we reach for because He will reward your diligence to run well!

The best thing you can do when you are not feeling it, is just say:

Father help me, I can’t do this on my own. Help me stand guard over my heart, help me keep my confession true!

This is the victory we have over the enemy without (devil) and the enemy within (ourselves). Our faith, which comes by hearing and our hearing by the Word of God. This produces our confession. Our confession comes by speaking the Word of God that we have allowed to root and grow in our heart, by hearing it, repeating it and living it!

Keep the faith! Keep your joy and do a happy dance on the enemies head every single day! He hates that!

Always In Christ,

Shawn