UNPACK this...Leading a Disciplined LifeПримерок

Starting Your Day The Best Way Imagine this for a moment. A quarterback doesn’t practice, watch game film, or communicate with his head coach all week, avoids his teammates, and misses the pregame locker room speech with the final charge from the coach. Then, he still goes out and plays in the game. How would he do? He’d be out of sync with his wide receivers and wouldn’t know the plays. He’d lack the proper preparation, wouldn’t fully understand what the coach was trying to tell him, and would be ill-equipped to handle the blitzes sure to come his way. This would lead to sacks…turnovers…miscues…disappointment…anxiety…frustration…pressure…and confusion. Although this may sound extreme, there’s a parallel to spending quality time with God as followers of Jesus. If we don't get quiet time with the Lord (praying, reading, meditating, and praising Him) before starting our day, frustration, anxiety, and disappointment can easily result. When entering the day in our own strength, we’re more apt to be out of sync with the people around us, have more confusion about what to do, and be less equipped to handle the “blitzes” we face. Psalm 119:147 gives us this encouragement: “I rise before dawn and cry [in prayer] for help; I wait for Your Word.” Psalm 119:11 tells us, “I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Every morning, we must prepare our hearts and minds for the day by soaking in God’s Word, receiving His “pregame charge,” and communicating through prayer. We gain His strength by understanding what He’s trying to tell us before “heading out onto the field.” 1 Peter 1:13 says, “So prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Let’s stop making excuses for missing out on the most important aspect of our day. Let’s prioritize being alone with God to be fully prepared and equipped to walk in His power throughout our day and do what He calls us to do. I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me prioritize my time with You in prayer and reading Your Word. Please show me Your strength and power to get me through each day. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.