DAY 31 of 31: Declare Your New Day!

"Rise and shine!" my mom would say, waking us up in the morning. And when we would pull the covers back over our heads, she would break into song, "Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory. Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory..." You can imagine how that went over! As annoying as it was for teenagers, the truth is, it signaled the beginning of a new day.

So my lovelies, I am singing over you this morning to rise, shine, and give God the glory! We have come to the last day of #adifferentmarch and a new day for your next.  I have prayed for you daily; for your strength, courage, and wisdom to receive your "marching orders" for your next season.  How are you planning to declare YOUR new day?

Four years ago I wrote a "New Day Memo."  I was coming through a challenging season and I needed to make some declarations of intent. God gave me this passage of scripture that is my perfect encouragement to you.

“From the Shadows to the Substance Col 2:6-7- My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving”.

The Holy Spirit has prompted many of us this month. We know what to do and now we need to start living it! Because Satan would love nothing more than to snatch up the seeds that have been planted, and stop any forward progress for God's Kingdom, now is the perfect time to declare your intent.

Action: Write your own New Day Memo! (My complete memo is at the bottom of this blog for reference.) Think of it as a marking moment or stacking stones!

Please share in the comments what God has been doing in your life and any take-aways from our March.

Note from me: I plan to continue blogging. For your inbox sake I think I will limit it to 1 x week- 2 tops. This has been an incredible journey and I hope you will stay on it with me. I have been encouraged and blessed by you all. And the comments and stories you've shared with me convince me God had His way with this past month.  May God continue to bless you and show you how valuable and powerful you are!

Love, Donna

 SAMPLE OF MY "NEW DAY MEMO" FROM 4 YEARS AGO:

“From the Shadows to the Substance Col 2:6-7- My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving”.

It’s a new season. It’s a new day. I have walked through the next door. I have crossed the next bridge. With the grace of God I have pushed through the season of fog and confusion. The fog has transformed into a cloud of His presence that hovers in my soul. The confusion has been transformed into possibility. The fear that gripped me because I didn’t know where to go has yielded to obedience to my marching orders shown above; “just go ahead.”

“Now LIVE Him!” To live Him means taking the precious lessons of my recent past and “do what you’ve (I’ve) been taught.”

1.             I am a daughter of the King – my identity rests in this TRUTH

2.             I am rooted in His love- nothing can separate me from the love of God.

3.             I am rebuilt in His strength – Isaiah 54

4.             I am on this planet at this time to “Help them see.”

This means: 

I will live open-handed. This is my stance before God. Whatever God wants me to have I will have. I will not live with clenched fists that represent anger, frustration, or ownership of anything. All is God’s. As long as I live in a spirit of anticipation and receiving, He will pour out the fullness that overflows from His goodness.

I will use the power to which my Heavenly Father has given me access. God has given all the power I need for this life and ministry. While human initiative and obedience play a significant role, the true power and anointing is God-given, infinite, and ultimately victorious.

 I will honor my Sabbath. I will take one day a week when I do not respond to email, when I do not work on work. For the sake of my soul, my marriage and my sanity this is a priority. If necessary I will put my Out of Office attendant on so people realize this is a boundary I’m not willing to breach. IF there is an exception, it will be just that and not the rule. I WILL take another day in its place.

I will speak up. As I remain in Christ and tune in to the Holy Spirit, I will not be afraid to say what I feel I must say. I will have fierce conversations. I will be bold and courageous. I will be the “herald” at my post to those with ears to hear.

I will say “no” more often. I recently heard the phrase, “you get what you tolerate.” Over the past 25 years (longer, really) my usefulness to people and God has been rooted in a combination of needing people’s approval and passion to serve God in the position to which He has called me. God has successfully separated these two. While I thought they were Siamese twins, the truth is one is life and the other is a leech. With my sufficiency in Christ, I am free to balance what I can do and what I should do through my passion and post.

I will write. I will NOT deny this part of my DNA. I was put on this world to fulfill at this time, at this post, Habbakuk 3- “write it down, make it plain”- God wants to say things to people through my writing so whether my position requires it or not, I will intentionally and consistently use this gift for His glory. My responsibility is to write it down. What happens (if anything) with it after that is up to God.

I will grow. Learning and experiencing the “new” is fuel for me. I will not allow my world to shrink as I get older. I will continue to push out the boundaries of my knowledge and comfort to take in everything God has for me as long as I live.

I will prioritize people over process. Things need to get done, but people need to be developed. Development requires conversation, time, challenges, encouragement and direction. I will intentionally focus on the person in the process allowing the Holy Spirit to prompt my level of investment in them.

I will show gratitude. I will seek out ways to bless others in gratitude for what God and others have done for me on my journey. I have all that I need. It is time to get more dedicated to passing my blessings on to others. Be funnel not a bucket, right?!

I commit these statements to the Lord as a testimony of the message of Christ: "Behold I make all things new.”  Let everything that is in me give praise to my Heavenly Father, the Great I AM.