When the Morning Assaults our Mindset: How to WakeUp and Win!

Why does the morning come so soon?

It seems like I just went to bed, weary from one day’s battle, when the blast of my alarm trumpets the onslaught of a new one targeting my mindset. I can hear them chanting as they begin their march around in my head. These are the readiest of wrong thoughts whose only desire is to pierce my heart like flaming arrows reminding me of yesterday’s failed attempts and tomorrow’s fears. None of them seem to recognize the hope I had readied for today.

It’s in these early morning moments when I wish I could curl back up in the safe womb of my covers and hide because the world outside seems ready to assault any chance that victory could have been mine today.

But that’s when I hear the whisper. The words I memorized before. It begins to rise as I struggle for focus. I squeeze my eyes shut, I bite my lip, leaning in with all my soul, I listen for it… louder and louder, I let it take on it’s own voice until it drowns out the doubt that kept me here.

It’s time to get up!

It’s time to take action! This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it. Yes! That’s what I practiced. That’s what I want. Set aside your feelings, Warrior! Step forward in faith. With this new perspective I begin to face the new day. With this new mindset, I choose be victorious. And so can you!

Is it always that easy? No, of course not. But it’s better than always losing. Which is what I used to do. So let me share with you Warrior, what I’ve learned about starting your day with a right mindset. Because it’s made all the difference for me in realizing how to win battles, not just in the world, but within. For me, this is so full of revelation that I want to cry out to all hearts held hostage to the hurts which used to constantly defeat me. Let me share with you how I have learned to find strength and lean in, even on the hardest of days.

We can choose our mindset

It’s so critical that we understand that God has actually made available special mercies just for the purpose of pointing us in the proper direction as we get up and out of bed each new day! This is key so that we don’t get defeated by wrong mindsets before we even have opportunity set our feet on the floor.

We should think like Warriors

But exactly how does the mind of a successful warrior work? How do they establish who they really are within? The best way to learn is to observe those who have gone before; those Warriors who have been to battle and come back victorious.

So for this lesson on mindset, the warrior we will observe is Jeremiah, because although he was a faithful prophet who was given mighty visions from God, he didn’t start out so bold and brave. He too began as one with hidden moments under the covers, full of doubt and fear when God first spoke to him…

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb
Before you were born, I set you apart
and appointed you as My prophet to the nations”
Jeremiah 1:5 NLT

And look how Jeremiah replied to God,
“O Sovereign Lord, I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

But God reassured him, saying,
“Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.
And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah 1:6-8

It starts with encouragement

It’s so important for us to realize, any great Warrior who begins with a dream has to first go to war against doubt. Do we really think that satan is going to let God speak a bold vision to someone and let them walk it out without some sort of opposition? Heck no!

The enemy of God has been dealing in doubt since the Garden of Eden and it remains one of his favorite weapons. That’s why God continues to encourage us, as He did Jeremiah.

I can just imagine young Jeremiah cowering under his covers in the morning, struggling for a reason to get out of bed. That’s why God gave him affirmations… so he could to repeat to himself what God said about him in order to face each new day; in order to faithfully go on the next difficult assignment with boldness. I imagine him chanting to himself…

God knew me before I was formed my mother’s womb
Before I was born, God set me apart
and appointed me as His prophet to the nations

We would do well to say the same thing…

Because God knew us before we formed our mother’s womb
Before we were born, God set us apart for a reason

Warrior, God desires that we too are encouraged by these words.
But there is so much more!

So let’s fast forward to a time in Jeremiah’s life when he was a full-fledged prophet. Now he is seeing visions and speaking words over Israel. But what’s important to know is that Jeremiah had a pretty hard job. You see, Israel had turned away from God. They had begun to worship idols and did not listen to the warnings about their disobedience. So God allowed them to be taken over by the enemy nation of Babylon and the people were led away as captives to live in a foreign land. Jeremiah had warned them over and over, but the people wouldn’t listen. So now he is homeless in enemy territory to no fault of his own.

And this is his prayer to the Lord…

¹⁹ Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
²⁰ My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
²¹ But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.
²⁴ “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in Him.”
Lamentations 3:19-24 ESV

The beauty of Jeremiah’s prayer begins with the hardest part… our heart’s wanderings. Even though Jeremiah’s sin didn’t cause his exile, he was not a perfect man, so he begins by humbly confessing. But yesterday’s sin does not deny his hope. Because even in the worst of times, he has found something to be grateful for. Even in his sorrow, he still tells God that he believes there are promises to be kept for him and the people of Israel.

And here’s the best part…

When Jeremiah says “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases… His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning…“ he’s not just talking about God’s pity… his feeling of compassion or sadness for them. In the Hebrew language, the word mercies actually creates for us the word picture of a woman’s womb.

Right here in the middle of Jeremiah’s sorrowful prayer for being held captive in enemy territory, he is remembering God’s promise. Right here in the middle of living in a wilderness that is the fault of someone else’s sin, he’s remembering being tucked under the covers as a young man when God told him there was a purpose for his life.

The beauty of Jeremiah’s prayer weaves together a promise for us. Not only are we known and planned by God, formed in our mother’s womb, set apart and appointed for a reason… but we have God’s new mercies to claim every day.

So here’s what it means…

Listen to the promise again!
Jeremiah said…
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases… that means it doesn’t stop
His mercies never come to an end… we are seen by God as if we were in the womb
they are new every morning… so we are reborn each new morning
great is Your faithfulness… This reminds us that God is not a liar, so this must be true.

What this means is that when we are still tucked under those covers in the morning, when we are in the middle of those feelings of doubt and fear, God sees us just like we were still in our mother’s womb. Each… and every, new day.  So PLEASE take amoment to think this through with me! Don’t let me lose you here. Because this will BLOW your mind… and your heart, if you take the time to fully grasp it! So let’s break it down.

Before each of us was born, we can claim…

• I did nothing to get into the womb
• I did nothing to sustain myself in the womb.
• God put me in the womb
• God protected me in the womb
• God nourished me in the womb
• God miraculously knit me together in the womb
• God create me as unique and separate from anyone else in the womb
• God set me apart, different and distinct from all other humans in the womb

There in that womb… that is the place of mercy and compassion.
That is how God sees you each and every morning.

When you and I were in the womb, we can emphatically state…

• I had no opportunity to sin in the womb
• I was blameless in the womb
• I was seen by God with eyes of wonder and great potential
• My whole future was before me in the womb
• I had NO past to regret in the womb
• I had NO shame in the womb
• I had NO fears from which I had to cower in the womb
• I had NO worry, doubt, or anxiety in the womb

So, are you starting to put the pieces together now?
Because this actually blows my mind.
THESE are the mercies and compassions of God… NEW.EACH.MORNING.

This is the promise which the prophet Jeremiah claimed over his life and all the people of Israel. Even in their wandering. Even in their disobedience to God. And now, we too can claim them over our lives, because this is a promise we can bring to God’s remembrance.

Did you know that’s how God sees you?

I know I didn’t when I first heard it. It was almost too strange to accept. But it’s true! So what do we do with this new understanding? Because if we hear something new, like this revelation, but don’t apply it to our lives, it’s actually pretty worthless to us. So let’s find a way to be true Warriors and put this new revelation into action. Let’s begin by summarizing it into three basic points of understanding so we can wake up with a winning mindset!

1. What should I do when I wake up asking myself, “How do I FEEL today?”

This is when we put this verse to its best use, by not letting our feelings drive our day in the wrong direction.

Since God has new mercies and compassions for us, He sees us as reborn each new day, as in that womb. Remember, in the womb He sees no past, no regret, no shame, no worry, no doubt, no anxiety. So why should we allow room for those feelings to run our day? Instead, let’s focus on the joy of realizing that God allows us to be the best version of ourselves possible that day.

2. What should I do when I wake up wondering, “Am I in this battle alone?”

When we realize the truth of God’s compassion, we understand that God is on our side and hope comes alive in us. Since God’s mercies are ‘as in the womb,’ and we are seen as reborn each day, if we did nothing to PUT ourselves there, nor PLAN for our life there, nor PROVIDE or PROTECT ourselves there, then clearly God was with us the whole time… as He is now. God has a PURPOSE for our lives and He will not leave us in our new mercies, just as He did not leave us in the womb.

3. What should I do when I wake up concerned, “What do others think of me?”

Consider this: When you see a pregnant woman, are there any thoughts you can think or any opinions you can have, that will in anyway, affect the growth, development, nourishment, plans or purpose of the child in her womb?

Absolutely not!

So why should we care, or place any value on the thoughts and opinions of others? If we now know that God’s compassions toward us are new every morning, and if we are living by faith that we are reborn as in the womb each new day, then we should realize that others opinioins and thoughts toward us truly have no effect on the purpose and plan God has for us. The only opinion which should matter to us is God’s and His thoughts of us are many and beautiful.

You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in Your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
You are still with me!
Psalm 139:16-18 NLT

So let me suggest this…

Take a 3×5 notecard.

Write out these verses in your own handwriting. This causes us to truly process the verses, it’s words and intentions better than something printed or pulled up on our phone.

Put the notecard by your bedside. And when you wake tomorrow, before your feet ever touch the floor, read these verses OUT LOUD to yourself. Hear them spoken in your own voice. Let them sink into your heart and soul.

Thank God for His compassions. Thank God for His faithful mercies. Take them with you throughout the day, Warrior. Meditate on and BELIEVE them. Know that you are reborn each new day. Accept that you were planned, purposed, provided for, protected and prepared just as God intended.

You are a Warrior who has been called to live a victorious life. But there will still be days when you awaken with doubts and fears. Every Warrior does. But it’s knowing the mercies of God that sets us free. It’s taking on a new mindset; leaning into the fresh perspective which the Spirit of God gives when we are willing to listen. You now have permission to hit the snooze and stay in that womb of the covers for just a few more minutes to set your mind on the mercies and compassions which God has for you. This, surely is the way wakeup and win!

I would LOVE to hear how this has encouraged you, Warrior! Leave me a comment. Share a picture of your 3×5 card in the comments section. If you have a friend who could use some encouragment, share this with them. God’s mercies are for all who will receive them… new each day! Let’s spread the news! Let’s be generous with His compassion!

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like: Spiritual Warfare: 3 Signs You’re Standing in the Middle of It, or Sharpen Your Sword Skills: Duel with the Spoken Word of God.