Rule Your Day
When you get up in the morning, make the decision: “I’m going to rule my thoughts today. I’m not just going to think about whatever comes to mind. I’m going to think thoughts that are positive, hopeful, and encouraging, on purpose. I’m not going to spend time with just anyone today. I’m going to rule my day and be selective. I’m going to associate with eagles. I’m going to rule my attitude today. I’m going to see the best, I’m going to be grateful, and I’m going to stay in peace. I’m going to rule my emotions today. I’m going to forgive the wrongs, I’m going to overlook insults, and I’m going to give people the benefit of the doubt.”
Before you leave the house in the morning, it’s important to make this decision that nothing that happens is going to upset you. You’re going to stay in peace. Then when difficulties come—traffic is bad, your boss is rude, your child has a problem—you’ve already decided you’re going to rule your day. You have your walls up. You’re not going to live upset.
We should go out every day expecting the best, but knowing that everything may not be perfect. There may be delays, interruptions, and people who are hard to deal with. Don’t let that ruin your day. Rule your day. Keep the negative out of your atmosphere. God is directing your steps. Whatever happens is not a surprise to Him. He’s given you the power to remain calm in times of adversity.
Daily Direction
God says in Psalm 32, “I will lead you down the best path for your life.” He has the wisdom, the guidance, and the direction we need, but it’s not going to happen automatically. There’s something we have to do. Every morning we have to go to Him and say, “God, I’m ready for my assignment. Show me what to do, show me where to go, give me the words to speak, make the path clear.” Asking for wisdom, guidance, and instruction is an act of surrender. It takes humility to say, “God, You know what’s best for me. I need Your help. I can’t do this on my own. Open the right doors, close the wrong doors. Show me the best path.”
The Scripture says that when you acknowledge God in all your ways, He will direct your path. Too often we make our plans without consulting God, then we ask Him to bless them. We wonder why it’s a struggle, why it feels like it’s always uphill. We have it backward. We’re making the move, then asking God for His help. The right way is to ask God first. “God, is this what You want me to do? Should I date this person? Should I start this project? Should I take this trip? Should I make this purchase?” If you feel peace about it, go forward. If not, hold off. God knows what’s best for us.
Stay open for change. Be willing to try something new. What made you successful five years ago may not make you successful today. What worked in your marriage in the past may not work today. Why don’t you get some fresh manna? Have the attitude, God, I’m open for new things.
You can’t rely on what got you to where you are to keep you where you are. Things are changing. Somebody wants your job, somebody wants your spouse, somebody wants your dream. The world is moving forward. You can’t afford to stay on autopilot, to just coast and do things the same way. You’ll get left behind. The good news is that God has daily favor, daily wisdom, daily ideas, daily abundance. If you stay open, He’ll lead you into the fullness of your destiny.
Keep Speaking Victory
Our words are setting the direction for our lives. If you want to know what you’re going to be like five years from now, listen to what you’re saying about yourself today. “I’ll never get well. I’ll never break this addiction. I’ll never meet the right person.” You are prophesying your future. You can’t speak defeat and have victory. You can’t talk sickness and have health. You can’t speak lack and struggle and have abundance.
The Scripture says, “You will eat the fruit of your words.” Pay attention to what you’re saying about yourself, your family, your finances, and your health. You’re going to become what you’re continually saying. That’s why it’s so important to get in a habit of speaking victory over your life. All through the day, you have to be saying, “I am blessed. I am strong. I am healthy. I am surrounded by favor. Something good is going to happen to me.” The fruit of those words is blessings, favor, and abundance. It’s not enough to just think it; we give life to our faith by speaking it out.
When you’re in tough times, you can complain, talk about the problem, and say, “I can’t believe this happened.” Or you can say, “Father, thank You that You’re fighting my battles. Thank You that what was meant for harm, You’re turning to my advantage. Thank You that You always cause me to triumph, that I’ll come out of this better than I was before.” That’s prophesying victory, that’s prophesying a breakthrough. Don’t use your words to describe the situation; use your words to change the situation.
The Secret to Solving Problems
We all face challenges and things we’re believing will turn around—a child who’s off course, a sickness we’re dealing with, a dream that seems impossible. We’re praying, believing, and declaring God’s promises, but nothing is changing. Sometimes God won’t allow you to solve your own problem.
The secret is that you have to help someone else solve their problem. You have to take the focus off yourself and be good to others in your time of need. As you sow that seed, that’s what’s going to bring the harvest you’re waiting for. You’ll be tempted to think, I can’t help someone else. I have my own challenges. I need to spend my energy trying to fix my situation. If you take your hands off your problem and be good to someone else, God will put His hands on your problem and make things happen that you couldn’t make happen. While you’re working on their situation, you’re not losing time, because God is working on your situation.
Look around for a need you can meet. Go pray for your neighbor who’s under the weather, go encourage your coworker who’s struggling, go help your friend accomplish her dream. As you’re helping others, you can’t see it, but God is helping you. He’s lining up the healing, the breakthrough, the promotion for you. You can’t sow a seed without reaping a harvest.
No More Distractions
The older we get, the more we realize that we’re not going to be here forever. Life is flying by. When you realize how fast time is going, it should bring a sense of urgency, a sense of focus. Your assignment has an expiration date. Your time on this Earth is not unlimited.
You don’t have time to waste being worried about what people think about you. Your time is too valuable for you to respond to every critic and every negative comment, to try to convince people that you really are okay. That’s a distraction. Everyone is not going to like you; everyone is not going to accept you. Quit wasting time trying to convince someone to understand you who’s determined to misunderstand you. They don’t want to be for you, and that’s okay. Don’t get bitter about it. You don’t need them to fulfill your destiny. The enemy would love for you to spend your time and energy trying to win over someone who’s never going to be won over.
If you change and do everything they want, they will still find some reason to not like you. Set your face and run your race. The people you need to be for you will be for you. God has already lined up people who will celebrate you, people who will stick with you, people who see the best in you.
Ready to Rise
We all face things in life that try to push us down. It’s easy to lose our passion and think that’s the way it’s always going to be. But God didn’t create you to be overcome, He created you as an overcomer. He’s put something in your spirit called “bounce-back.” Bounce-back means that when you get knocked down, you don’t stay down. There is a force breathing in your direction, making things happen that you couldn’t make happen, giving you strength that you didn’t have. It causes you to rise up. Because you have bounce-back, that difficulty cannot defeat you. It may hold you back temporarily, but it’s just a matter of time before you rise back up.
You may have things that have come against you now. Thoughts will tell you, You’ll never get well. The pandemic ruined your finances. You’ll always struggle with this addiction. Don’t believe those lies. You may be down, but that’s not your final destination. God is saying, “Get ready to rise. Get ready for favor, get ready for breakthroughs, get ready for healing.” What was meant for your harm, God is turning to your advantage.