In 2019 I made a decision to get up earlier…
This had a lot to do with something I read in “Extreme Ownership” a book of leadership by Jocko Willink. In it he explained in the final chapter how individuals with increased discipline and self-control flourish because they have excess energy or time. He described this principle as “discipline equals freedom.”
The application of this principle is there’s always time to do the hard work, but it takes increased discipline. I immediately realized how the Lord wanted to use that in my own life.
A devotional time in the Word of God is thankfully a huge part of my life. But I couldn’t help but think the Lord wanted me to go deeper in my devotional time:
- More time to Study Scripture
- More time to memorize verses
- More time to meditate, and journal what I’ve learned
- More time for prayer
- More time for personal application
Its true I was doing those things already, but they were rushed….
So I set my alarm much earlier .
What I’ve discovered is the quiet morning hours are ideal times to prepare my heart to serve the Lord, and allow Him to do a work in my life. Without those hours I would find myself rushing out the door to ministry without spending quality time with the Lord.
There’s nothing magical about the morning hours. But I’ve learned to love those moments spent sitting at the feet of Jesus before the busyness of life kicks in.
Johnhwilburn.org 