HDWN? Establishing a Christ-centered morning routine

Y'all! How's it going? How's your week been? I hope you have smiled and laughed so much this week!

This week, we're diving into how to establish a morning routine or a start to the day with Jesus! I want to make you the same promises that I did a few weeks back when we talked about faith-filled daily habits: (1) I will not write about anything I don't personally do, (2) everything will be linked to a Bible verse, and (3) all of these habits are absolutely achievable. This is going to be a very real morning routine - not the "It Girl"(or "It Guy" for all of my brothers in Christ) routine you might see on Instagram... no getting up at 4AM to get a pilates workout in before eating the most aesthetic breakfast while wearing designer brands. No hate on those routines - I mean, dang, I hope I get there one day! But, this is a routine that quite literally anyone can accomplish, no matter what level of faith you find yourself in.

Let's dive in!

Wake Up & Say Good Morning

You might feel a little awkward doing this one at first, but believe me, it sets you up for success from the moment you wake up. Quite literally, my alarm goes off and while I'm pressing the stop button, I say (out loud) something along the lines of "Good morning, Jesus!" or "Good morning, God!"

Here's my thought process - we want a firm relationship with Jesus, right? That's what we should be striving for. Now, let's say you enter a room, you're best friend is in the room, and you don't say hi or even acknowledge them. WHAT?! A lot of us couldn't imagine doing that! In that same way, Jesus is with us from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep. So roll over, and say good morning!

If you still need convincing, consider Lamentations 3:22-23:

His mercies for you and I are new every morning!!! This is more than enough reason for us to say "Good morning, God! Thank you so much for this day! Your mercies are new and Your love is endless!" Am I right??

Doing this really does make you think more about Christ throughout your day. Think about it... if you wake up and immediately check your phone, the one thing you'll want to do all day long is be on your phone, because that's where you got your initial dose of dopamine for the day. So instead, get that initial feel-good-feeling from acknowledging Christ, so you'll think about Him more through your day.

Get Yo Booty Out of Bed... Early

Haha... so on the note of waking up, let's wake up early. Yeah, I know this isn't going to be the most popular habit. In fact, I can hear your groans as you read this. But, the truth is that an early start to the day changes the entire day ahead of you.

There's a reason that we find these verses throughout the Bible:

Clearly, there is an evident theme about rising early in order to (1) spend time with the Lord and (2) be productive. Personally, I like to wake up at about 6-6:30AM... now, this is not really rising before dawn as we see illustrated in these verses, but it does allow me to have sacred time to read my Bible, maybe read a devotional, and pray for discernment and guidance before my day gets ramped up. In fact, getting up this early means I can have my cake and eat it too - I can get quality time with the Lord and not be rushed getting ready.

You may say, Kennedy I want to sleep in, and just do my Bible study at night. And to that I say - if that works for you, then do it! I can write about a whole night-time routine. But I would highly encourage you to invite Jesus into your morning - that way He can be with you from the start of the day through. When I used to mainly pray at night, I felt like I was living my day for me and then only bringing it to Jesus at night. Now, I find myself involving Jesus in all aspects of my day from the get-go, because I spent quality time with Him in the morning. We should be praying all the time! I've found that if I start talking to God in the morning, it's easier to talk to Him throughout the day.

I like to either go outside or sit near a window in these early hours. There is something about hearing the birds sing while you sit and talk to Jesus that calms the soul. It almost feels like God and I are the only ones on the planet. By getting up early and talking to God before you get ready and get jumping, you can invite Jesus to walk with you throughout your day. You can talk to Jesus about all you have to do through the day, what issues you might deal with, and what people you may talk to. Overall, waking up early provides you a moment to collect yourself spiritually and "take inventory" of your soul so that you can go out and be salt and light to the world.

Don't Just Get Ready, Get Ready-Ready

Now, I love wearing my sweatpants and not showering until 1PM as much as the next person, truly I do... but it's important for us to be ready for anything that gets thrown at us during the day.

Am I saying to dress as though you're competing in Miss America everyday? No. What I am saying is to take the effort to dress presentably to honor the Lord. I mean, we were made in His image - honor that! Look in the mirror as you get ready for the day and know that God perfectly designed you. Put on outfit that you feel good in, take some extra time to comb your hair and do some skincare, and take delight in the day that the Lord has given you!

Each morning as I am getting ready, I remember the armor of God described in Ephesians 613-17. I ponder on these verses as I put on whatever outfit I planned to wear and as I do my makeup and hair.

Y'all, this is some powerful stuff! Try it - repeat these verses as you get ready and watch how your confidence and security changes. I mean, literally put on the breastplate of righteousness when you put on your shirt or the gospel of peace when you put on your shoes. And let's not forget, it's written that the Proverbs 31 woman dresses in fineee linen, so plan those cute outfits and have fun wearing them!

While I do my hair and makeup every morning, I love to jam to Christian music. Admittedly, I don't really listen to the "K-Love, Maverick City, Elevation" type of worship music... instead I opt for "If Jesus and I were riding down the coast with all of our windows down smelling the salty air with our shades on, we'd be listening to this song" type of vibe. If this is your style too, you can click here to listen to my playlist!

A Verse a Day Keeps the Darkness at Bay

Okay this is a crucial part of my morning routine. It physically connects what I read in my morning time with Jesus to the rest of my day. Every day, I take a verse that meant something to me from either my Bible study or devotional and write it on a Post-It note or in my phone. I try my very best to use the Post-It note method, because it allows you to stick Bible verses all over the place - your mirror, your car, heck you can even leave it at the grocery store for someone else to read!

Why do I think this is such an game-changer? Easy. Psalm 119:105 says it well.

The lamp unto my feet and the light of my path!!! WHAT?! Y'all, these Words are quite literally what allows us to see the next step ahead of us and step into it with God-given confidence. I literally can't tell you how many times that I have been carried through the day by whatever verse I ended up writing that morning. Even when the verse has seemed so random to me, God has used it in crazy ways as the day went by. Sometimes, they were meant for me to hang on to, and other times I ended up giving them to friends or even strangers throughout the day.

Try it! Write one down and see what the Lord does - how He has such a divine plan for you and how He holds you and your day in the palm of His hand!

Fill Your Brain with Good Things From the Get-Go

After we've gotten up and gotten ready, well that usually tends to be around the time that things start getting hectic. Either we have to commute to work, get the kids ready, make breakfast, or get the rest of the day started in some way shape or form. Maybe, you've got a doctor's appointment, a job interview, or a big test at school. Whatever your day holds, the Lord has gone before you.

It's usually at this part of my day that I like to take some time to fill my mind with good things! Like Paul writes to the Philippians in chapter 4 verse 8,

Now, as you might already imagine, I am a huge podcast girl (more news about my podcast to come)! Normally, either while I'm getting ready, fixing breakfast, or heading to work, I listen to a strong, faith-fueled podcast. Here is a list of all of my favorites!

• Girls Gone Bible with Angela Halili and Arielle Reitsma

• Christ with Coffee on Ice with Aly Yost

• The Secret Place with Carew Ellington

• Happy & Healthy with Jeanine Amapola

• Give Me and Answer with Stuart and Cliffie Knechtle

• The Bryce Crawford Podcast with Bryce Crawford

What I've found is that listening to a good podcast in the morning gets me ready to be in community for the day. It's almost like a little practice community before heading into work or school. Sometimes, it gives me talking points or new perspectives that I get to share throughout the day. A good podcast helps me gear-up to talk to friends and strangers throughout the day by putting me in an "I am so confident and bold to talk about the Lord and pour into people like these podcasters are pouring into me - I can't wait to share these ideas!" mood.

Pray for the Day

Finally, before the day gets too busy, I like to bow my head in prayer. Usually the lineup goes something like this:

• I thank God for waking me up, and I thank Jesus for being with me.

• I pray over the people who have asked me through social media to pray for them and/or their circumstances.

• I ask God to give me divine wisdom - a clear head, clear eyes, and a clear heart - as I make decisions throughout the day. I ask for discernment do I can tell what is from Him and what is not from Him.

• I ask God for boldness, so that if I have the chance to share the Gospel or share my personal faith journey, I recognize it and act on it.

• I pray that my generation rises to the occasion God has set out before us, truly living Jesus-led lives.

• I pray for the world we live in, especially for Israel.

• I bind up and cast out any spirits of anxiety, depression, confusion, and uncertainty that might be trying to cloud my vision in the name of Jesus.

• I ask God to walk before me and lead me toward His purpose, no matter where it leads me through my day.

And with that, we're off to the races! I hope that you found this post achievable and encouraging. What other things do you do in your morning that I can try? Send me a message!

I appreciate you so much for being on this journey with me. You are loved beyond measure! Remember, this blog is meant to glorify God and encourage you! Written with love for YOU!

I hope you have a fantastic week! See ya next time!