Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11

I may be on Inter-Mission but I am keenly aware that a new school year has officially begun. I have the Crayola markers and pencil crayons to prove it! No, I’m not returning to school, but who could resist those amazing back-to-school deals? Clearly not me!

Some of you reading this may be starting another year at High School or University, or you have children going back to school, or perhaps you are a teacher, the start of a new school year can be hectic, stressful and yes, even exciting!

I want you to know that, even while away from Amberlea, I have been praying for you.

I pray that this will be a wonderful year for you. I also pray that you will seek God first, everyday. Honesty, I can think of no better way to start your day.

If you are on Facebook or Pinterest you’ve likely seen this quote:

“I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, “oh no, she's up!”

Isn’t that great?

And to do that we need to begin each day with God, in prayer. It doesn’t need to be long or convoluted, there are some mornings before putting my feet on the floor all I say is, “Lord, this one’s for you.” There are other mornings when my prayers are much, much lengthier.

Here’s the thing, to begin your day praying to God will give you strength and focus throughout the day. The truth is, you’re going to face a lot of challenges in your busy day. You’ll be making a lot of decisions. Having that daily time with God first thing will help you meet the challenges of life in His strength, not yours, and help you make wise, Godly decisions.

There are two things I hope you will remember as you begin this new school year, and by the way you don’t need to be going back to school to do a reset on the year. What a great opportunity to start fresh!

First, remember our purpose in this life; to serve and glorify God. There is a reason you are where you are. God ordained it. There is a purpose to all of it. Secondly the key to staying balanced and on track in the midst of all the many things you do each day, is to begin with God.

Each day God gives us is a gift, and is to be used wisely. Make the most of it and why not give the devil a little scare in the process ;-)

Looking forward to worshipping with you on Thanksgiving Weekend!