5 Ways to enhance your mental health with early morning prayer

Do you get up refreshed and ready for your day and return home with a long face? On the other hand, do you get up drained and without anything to hope for?Fact is, you are not the only one.Anyone can fall into this pit and I reckon at some point of each individual’s life ,we’ve been there.

Before my CONSISTENT power morning sessions….and I highlight the word consistency, I did not build a strong foundation for the weights that can influence my day.

Think about this! Our days come with weights and if our mental -or spiritual health is not strong enough, our systems can crash, tumble…and where do we discern the attacks?

Our minds get weary and confused
We are being cut off from the counsel of the Holy Spirit.
Giving up or we try, but do not have enough strength
Handling conflicts or other matters in a fleshly manner
Tired and just wishing the day would end
Defeated
Not productive
Failing attempts

I cannot express in words how my early morning meetings with God anchored me in my day, although sometimes strong winds or even whirlwinds tried to swing me out of my secured place.

The structure of our day

Getting up as such was not the hardest, but I did not have a secured table, platform, or altar to present myself before God. A platform or altar that allows me to have effective fellowship with Him and Him with me. Of course, God speaks through His Word, but by the way, He chooses to teach us and reach out to us.

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
Psalm 3:3

What do I mean with an altar of prayer?

With an altar or prayer, I simply refer to a place where you can talk with God alone revealing your innermost thoughts and emotions you do not share with others. Or maybe there is no one to share it with. I found prayer journaling! The nature of God is also to provide for our needs to help us to reach and fulfill our purpose.

Do not present yourself before God empty-hearted.Take a little bit of faith!

You may be interested in the following ideas to start up with prayer journaling:

– How to start a prayer journal routine( Part 1)

– How to start a prayer journal routine ( Part 2)

– Write your first prayer journal entry

In a previous post, I wrote about the importance of resistance. Resisting the devil and vigilance are the 2 keys to take with you when setting off into your day. And they are the 2 day watches to keep throughout your day, whenever the Holy Spirit prompts you! Then there is the manna that you picked up early morning as you gain strength in His presence.

1.Engage in evaluating your situation

Before jumping into any strategy, we first need to do an honest self-evaluation, identify the key areas for change and draw up an action plan. It may sound insignificant in a lot of effort, but it’s worth it and soon you will start to see change. The role of a mentor, friend, or over can be of great help when doing a self-evaluation whether it is about your mental health, spiritual walk, or any other area of your life.

2.Start your day by declaring the word of God.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
Proverbs 12:25

Do not speak according to the language of fear, but use your words wisely and choose to speak life, positivity. There is power in the tongue for it can speak life or death. (Proverbs 18:21)Write out your declarations in your journal and build up your ammunition!

Do some Resistance Training !

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control
2 Timothy 1:7

3.Remove the magnetic fields of negativity

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
1 Corinthians 15:33

Set a positive field around you with early morning time with God. Evaluate the company with whom you spend time, attitudes, what you talk about and how you influence each other. First set your mind and mood on a good foundation, so you can be strong enough to resist temptation. You can make such a big difference in someone else life.

Become a mood changer!

4.Silence all negative voices and counter them with the word of God.

Do not allow the voice of the enemy to bully you into thoughts of inferiority, failure, weakness, or whatever strategy he uses to draw a line through your positivity. Take a stand on the word of God and oppose him. Even Jesus himself fell back on the word of God when He was tempted by Satan in the desert.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 4:6-7

Prayer: Father, I am so anxious about many things. I carry it around in my heart causing my days to be heavy and clouding the eyes of my heart. I take off all these burdens and ask that You remove them from me as far as the East is from the West. Let Your peace stand guard at my heart and mind. In Jesus’ name.

5.Command your moods

I really do not want to track my nasty moods to look at their faces every day. They’ll just remind me of defeat and make me more anxious! I’d rather trade my negative feelings with what the word of God declares about me and track them instead.

Be the boss! Stand up against negative thoughts! Take action!

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Romans 12:2

All around us we hear stories of turmoil and do we see pictures of a fading world, and it can have a direct impact on our lives and mental health. The current pandemic can even top up the list, but I still have a choice!