Friday Fight 93 - The Temporal Tone

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF93.

How much authority do we give to our first thoughts of the day? It may seem like a silly question but think about it. How we feel and posture our mindset dictates the tone for the rest of the day. So, are we grabbing coffee, scrolling through our phones, or even rolling over to prolong our day's beginning? Whatever the case, let's take some time to unpack different patterns and look at how we set the tone for the rest of our day.

The Temporal Tone:

Clearing our minds from the start of our day is essential. If we typically carry emotions from one day to the next, mornings are a great time to release those emotions. God's mercies are new every morning, but like anything offered to us, we must accept them. What are our first thoughts of the day? Perhaps we dislike our jobs and begin with complaints or comparisons. We could grab our phones or watch the news, and the irritation starts building, all while still in bed. Some of us may rush to the gym, begin with prayer, or do something else that addresses our emotional health. Taking our temporal tone from the moment we wake can help us form habits or understand why we have certain emotions throughout the day. Reflection and awareness allow us to see what is contributing to that tone.

Looking over the past week, how often did we scroll through social media to find ourselves comparing our belongings, the house we live in, the clothes we wear, or the salary we earn? If we are intentional about how we begin our day, areas throughout the day can be easier to combat. If we start our day with a negative mindset, it can saturate our thoughts throughout the day, escalating simple situations to something explosive. After a day of emotional build up, we come home to find ourselves angrily focused on all the toys and messy house, rather than being thankful for the gifts before us. Looking at the structure of our day, is our temporal tone relating to worldly things as opposed to our spiritual livelihood.

The enemy of our souls is a thief; he not only wants to steal, kill and destroy our joy but also attempts to steal our time. Darkness makes sure we focus on the negative things and face our day feeling defeated rather than excited. Satan works to turn a hard-working, dedicated person with goals and healthy habits into someone who approaches everything with a negative lens.

The more we focus on how we begin each day, the less reactive we will be when negative situations arise. Mornings are a great time to reflect on our blessings, be excited about serving God, pray, or read the Word. The most important part is to outline the outcome with a positive perspective, which prevents our value from being dictated by the world. So tomorrow morning, when you wake, take some appreciative breaths and thank God for the blessings in your life. Let's take authority for the tone of our day.

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert