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“They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:19, ESV)

 For my friends in Virginia, we know that dressing for the day can be challenging.  We can start the morning out in the teens and by mid-afternoon we could be enjoying temperatures in the seventies. Or vice versa.  I’m an open toe girl (always pedicured and ready to shine) but if rain or extreme cold is in the forecast – a closed toe shoe is donned. Not everyone listens to the news but most everyone checks the weather regularly (and usually in the mornings). Even though the weather forecast isn’t one hundred percent accurate – people still regularly check it.   They want to know what to wear and if their outdoor plans are going to be safe.  They want to be prepared for the day.

There is a resource that we can go to that gives one hundred percent accuracy of how to dress for the day.  It’s the Bible.  Essential basics of dressing for the day include:

1. Don’t be clothed in things that will weigh us down (Hebrews 12:1)
2. Take off the old self – put on the new self (Colossians 3:9)
3. Putting on the armor of God every morning (Ephesians 6:13-18)
4. Be clothed in righteousness (Ephesians 4:25-5:2) (Isaiah 11:5)
5. Put on compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and meekness as God’s chosen (Colossians 3:12)
6. Always be sure to add peace to your day (Psalm 34:14)
7. Put on love – which binds everything together (Colossians 3:14)

By taking the time to read the Bible in the morning, we are reminded of these essentials to “wear” throughout the day.  Thus, making us a more effective follower of Christ that day. Versus waiting until after your day is done and then reading it. That’s like leaving your umbrella at home on a rainy day.  You have an umbrella but it’s not being very effective at keeping you dry.

If we haven’t gone to the scriptures first to know what to put on and what to take off, then we’re basically “feeling” our way through the day.

Friends, I can’t stress enough, you will never find consistency in your life if you’re making your decisions throughout the day based on feelings alone. Just because your mind has a thought or a feeling, it doesn’t make it truthful or helpful to you. Equipping ourselves with the Word of God in the mornings gives us ammunition to battle those feelings.  Bringing them under the authority of God.

If you don’t have time in the mornings to sit and read, then consider having the Word read to you as you prepare for the day.  Listening to the Bible on an app or via a preacher on TV can be just as effective.

“Father teach us to dress for the day by always going to your Word first to be effective for the gospel.”

For His Glory

Laura Holmes   (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life