“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” Psalm 143:8
This year, God has been talking to me about my habits—in particular, my morning habits. He has shown me that in order to have a spirit-filled, productive day where I feel alive, energized, and flowing in my giftings, I must ‘own my mornings.’
He’s showing me that my morning is the most important time of the day because it sets the tone for the day. The start of each new day is like a fresh opportunity to start over. It’s like hitting the reset button (Lam. 3:23).
Armed with this new spiritual truth from my Father. I decided to take charge of my mornings. Here’s my new routine.
1. Jump Out of Bed
Thankfully, I’ve always been a morning person, but I’ve never fully maximized this gift of waking up early. Prior to this year, I would wake up and often lay in bed thinking, half-awake, half-asleep. I would want to get out of bed but it felt too warm and comfy so I would linger there for as long as I could. Then at the last minute, I would rush to squeeze in a quick prayer, spend some time checking emails or Facebook and leave the house feeling somewhat disjointed and frazzled.
This year, as soon as I wake up (after giving thanks for the day), I jump out of bed! Why jump out? Because if I linger in bed, I can quickly talk myself out of waking up and come up with all kinds of reasons why I should stay in bed. So, I decided not to ask myself what I’m thinking or how I’m feeling.
2. Drink Some Water
Once I jump out of bed, I immediately go downstairs and drink a glass of lemon water. Drinking water is a way of turning on all your body systems. To me, it’s like flipping the ‘on’ switch in my body. It fires up my metabolism, my brain, and my digestive system. The lemon gives me a much-needed dose of vitamin C, revs up my metabolism, and it’s reported to decrease inflammation and joint pain.
3. Faith Before Facebook
Then I head back upstairs to spend some time in prayer and reflection. If I’m not studying one of the WLGW devotionals, then my go-to is ‘First15‘. After I read, I then journal my thoughts; write out what I believe the Holy Spirit is telling me, and then I pray for those who the Lord has laid on my heart. I always pray for my family, and I pray for all the women in the WLGW program. Prior to this routine, my journaling was hit and miss. I would always pray but sometimes it was a rushed 2-minute prayer, and sometimes I would start praying and end up on Facebook. Now my time is focused. I don’t allow any distractions to steal my prayer time. If an important thought comes into my head during m prayer time, I’ll write it down and return back to the thought once my prayer time is over. I’ve set a hard rule. No Facebook before prayer. I want God to direct my day, not what the latest Facebook challenge is.
4. Plan My Day
The next thing I do consistently is to plan out my day. I record on my calendar what I will be eating during lunch and dinner. I schedule out all my appointments and I allocate a specific amount of time for each task. I schedule my workouts and my leisure time. I’m a big believer in the quip, ‘proper planning prevents poor performance’. I’ve learned to never plan my schedule before prayer time because it can easily become a wish list that I’m asking God to bless instead of the other way around. I want God to give me my marching orders for the day. I want to make sure He is always in the driver’s seat.
5. Get Some Fresh Air
Lastly, I go outside and get some fresh air. This ain’t easy because it was -20 degrees here in Toronto this week (that’s 6 degrees Fahrenheit for my American friends). Like drinking water, your body also needs to move. The fresh air clears out the cobwebs so to speak, and kicks your body into high gear. We spend much of our days cooped up inside, so fresh air especially first thing in the morning, even if it’s only for a few minutes is good for your body, soul, and spirit. It’s also a good time to talk to God while most of the world is still asleep.
I encourage you to develop your own morning routine. Begin to own your mornings too and you see how your body comes alive. Your body craves routines and this is one routine that it will definitely thank you for. Share on X My routine takes about 70 minutes, which includes my walk to the fitness center for my workout.
You probably have a routine right now. Can you fine-tune it? The key is consistency.
Maybe you like to sit quietly with a cup of coffee or maybe to like to listen to some music.
Whatever it is, see it as your ‘tithe’ to God. Give him the best part of your day and the reward will be tenfold.
I would love to hear what your morning routine is like. Please share below what special routines you enjoy in the mornings.
P.S. if you are tired of circling the same mountain over and over and want a Christ-centered approach to lasting weight loss without feeling guilty, deprived, or overwhelmed, go to cathymorenzie.com.
26 Comments
I get up at 5:00 and workout ( I found belly dancing fun and a workout) for 15 mins. Then I shower get dressed eat breakfast and then do my devotional which is usually from 6;30-7:30 and then head to work, I’m not always perfect and miss a few days here and there but for the most part I’m consistent I. This. God has been promoting me to establish an evening devotional time and I’m working g on establishing that not there yet. I feel closer to the Lord and more organized when I set time apart to seek Him
Great morning routine Christine!
Great timing on reading this post! I have good things in my morning (time w/ God and a cup of tea, workout) but I am too “dwadley” with it and take entirely too long. I need to be more disciplined about getting right to the important things and not wasting time between.
Gosh….I chuckled when I read this blog/article. I do Facebook before anything!!! Thank you!
You’re most welcome Colleen!
My routine in the morning is a work out which is belly dancing which I really enjoy for about 15 minutes trying to increase it to 20 minutes. Then I take a shower get dressed eat a small breakfast and then I do my devotionalWhich includes prayer, Bible reading plan, Short devotional books about 2, journaling, and then listening to music. Then I head off to work. I am also trying to incorporate a devotional prayer time in the evening to end my days. It’s not as defined as my morning routine but I’m working on coming up with a plan with Gods help.
Every morning I get up at 4-5 have coffee with my husband, he goes to work then I have coffee with the Lord he goes to work in me I spend several hours with the Lord, working on my issues with weight loss God‘s way, I thank God for Cathy, I have learned how to overcome some issues in my life and still learning God is very patient with me he never gives up.
Then I go to the gym do cardio, I see I need to step it up. I will be working on that 👭
This was perfect timing for me to read. The Lord just this morning was talking to me that I need to change somethings in my morning routine. It takes me a minute to wake up. I do commune with the Lord as I hop out of bed. I Like to get my coffee and sit for a minute. But I need to be more focused with my time with Him. Lately I have been talking at Him as I go on to look at WLGW and work emails. Putting the other things before Him. Then spending a little time with Him. So today I am taking time to sit with Him and work out my morning routine. He’s shown me that I fly by the seat of my pants a lot and thats not so good. I love to journal to the Lord, but want to start a journal with what He speaks to me in our time together as we begin our day. I am so grateful for God working through your heart and life Cathy! Thank you for your love and commitment to God that He can pour into you and we can drink of the living waters, being filled ourselves that others can drink from our well of living waters. I love the the thought…. of calm waters of a lake. Than a big rock being thrown into the waters, causing a huge splash with ripples that go out in every direction, continuing on and on. A ripple effect. You are that rock and we are the ripples of your faithfulness. We can then become the rock and have ripple effects that touch the lives of others. Thank You Father for Your Faithfulness and Love.
You’re most welcome Andrea. God’s timing is always perfect!
I used to wake up 15 to 10 minutes before gym which is at 5am read my daily devotion and pray. I lacked consistency to an extent of waking up n not pray at all n go to work without preparing my bed😭😭
Today is a good day to restart those habits Noko. You can do it with the Lord as your strength.
I am a habitual person with certain areas of my life, but not others. I ALWAYS make my bed immediately. I always make sure my home is in order: rinse up any stray dishes, through in a load of laundry, make a pot of coffee. After that, my day gets hectic and scattered. I need to create consistency with the time and place for prayer and communion with God. I have been using my cake room as my war room, but that gets tricky when I try to focus on my prayer time with sugar flowers or sculptures sitting everywhere drying. I am trying your 5 tips, to get started. I will obviously adapt them to glorify God with who I am. I love your routine. Please pray for me as I climb aboard the morning routine train, that journeys farther than my household chores.
Welcome to the morning routine train Marilyn, next stop. Energy and vitality!
I use to jump out of bed but lately have a hard time due to being so tired. I know I am not getting enough sleep which I use to not require but I am older and now I do. Some of my routine is not different to what you suggested, Get up, have one or two glasses of water, take meds, have prayer with God but then get ready for work. I am now trying to prepare for my day the night before as best as I can remember to, pick out clothes, make sure pan is ready to prepare breakfast, choose or contain my lunch. The one thing I would like to do is have prayer in the evening more to end my day.
Good plan Alicia, keep practising these habits. Can you get to bed earlier?
This is so good. I, too, am starting this year to begin my day in prayer and in Word. It makes such a difference. Made the mistake this morning of turning my phone on first and had 3 texts messages (which is very unusual to wake up to messages from 3 different people). I ended up on a rabbit trail as one text lead to another. Lesson learned (I hope!) do not check texts until AFTER my quiet time with the Lord. Cathy your articles are great and its amazing how so many times they hit right where I’m at. It has to be the Lord 🙂
It’s so easy to get off track. If I even look at Facebook before my devotion time, all bets are off. It takes a lot of practise but as we say ‘practise makes progress. So glad to hear that you’re starting your day off in prayer.
I start my day at 5am devoting my time to God. It is my most quieter time and I feel more at peace .
Very God-centered message. He’s been speaking to me as well about spending more quality time with Him. I will add jumping out of bed, the lemon water first thing in the morning and planning my day… not totally on board with the fresh air.
Love this! God has been speaking to me about this as well! Thank you for sharing this Cathy!
You’re most welcome.
Good word. I am not a morning person but I do have my quiet time before I get up. I usually pray as I’m waking up. Have to put dog out and in. I have a basic plan for the day. I wait until about ten now to walk. Too cold earlier. In the summer, we walk about 8.
Whatever routine you develop Lee, practise consistency and discipline. Great to hear that you have a plan each day.
Up with the alarm, feed the animals, coffee, devotions, Bible, prayer, quiet time…then Facebook, email etc.
I keep trying the journaling, but it never seems to stick.
Great plan Jimi!
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