Toxic Patterns

Toxic  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Patterns determine your day!
If I were to do a poll I wonder how many people would state they either look at facebook, turn on the news, or read the paper first thing in the morning. The issue is when you fill yourself first with negativity there isn’t room for much else. If I sit down and eat a pound of bacon and someone hands me an apple I’m not going to have room for that apple. But if I start with the apple Ill have room for the bacon.
I am subscribed to several blogs and such that I read to keep updated and get good sermon intros out of. One of the blogs I subscribe to is “A Successful Man’s Morning Routine.” I believe people are defined by the patterns they set in their life. It’s a common thought and Millions of books are sold based on this idea alone. I like Navy Seal Admiral McRaven’s Make your Bed. one of the quotes in his book states: If you want to change the world you should start by making your bed.
Adm
his whole premise is that by starting the day completing a rather simple tasks sets you in prime position to complete other harder tasks. Simply by checking something off your to do list gets your started on your to do list. The idea is centered around procrastination. If we procrastinate concerning little things we will procrastinate the day away.
I see this in my life—The way the day begins determines my day. Every weekday morning I wake up with my wife and kids and get them ready for school. Most mornings I don’t sit down. I walk around the or stand in the kitchen giving directions to our children. Once the wife and kids leave on their way to school I hop into the shower and start my day. Every once in a while I make the mistake of sitting down. Either because I’m tired or my youngest daughter wants to cuddle. On those mornings when the wife and kids go to school I continue to sit until my wife comes home and asks: Isn’t that the same place I left you? To which I reply yes and drag my tired rear into the bathroom to get ready.
Patterns Matter: In fact I watched a clip explaining why obesity is in large part an American issue. Yes there are obese people all over the world, but America has the majority of them. The videos sole focus was on breakfast. Most American’s consume 3/4’s of their daily allotted sugars for breakfast. In fact I read Americans have national donut day based off of a lady who walked around and served American soldiers donuts in the first World War.

Patterns determine your day!
If I were to do a poll I wonder how many people would state they either look at facebook, turn on the news, or read the paper first thing in the morning. The issue is when you fill yourself first with negativity there isn’t room for much else. If I sit down and eat a pound of bacon and someone hands me an apple I’m not going to have room for that apple. But if I start with the apple Ill have room for the bacon.
Colossians 3:12 CSB
Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
Now admittingly I am not a morning person. I consider the start to my morning when I sit at my desk because my caffeine has already been consumed and my body has been in motion.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
When I think of the word Clothe it screams morning. The first thing we do when we get up in my house is clothe ourselves. We put on a covering to protect our bodies from the eye.
When I think of the word Clothe it screams morning. The first thing we do when we get up in my house is clothe ourselves. We put on a covering to protect our bodies from the eye.
The other word I look at is yourself. This doesn’t mean you run around with the clothes you had on Sunday. Sunday’s clothes stink come Monday morning. Clothing must be changed daily so that we are pleasant to those around us. You’re doing nothing for yourself or God being a grumpy Christian stinking up the office with your Sunday best on Friday. The things you do, the way you start your day matters.
Great victories are on at the beginning of your day!
Psalm
Psalm 92:2 ESV
to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
Psalm 5:3 ESV
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
Psalm 92:2 ESV
to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
Psalm
I believe there is a direct connection between your sacrifice in the morning and God’s faithfulness at night.
Much like making our beds starts on the check list, coming to God prepares the sacrifice for the day. If I don’t prepare my sacrifice in the morning I’m not going to sacrifice my day to God.
If you’re like me your not a morning person. My morning starts when I sit at my chair at my desk. By then my brain is working, there’s caffeine in my system and I am alert and awake. I noticed that if I don’t spend time in morning devotion my devotional life becomes a soccer ball being pick up by a 2 year old. Before I get my hands on it my feet has already pushed it away and is moving me onto something else.
So how do we start our day in a growth environment instead of a toxic one.
Set realistic expectations.
make a list of to do’s before going to bed. not only will it free your mind at night you will wake up with a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
If you don’t read your bible and hr a day don’t try to start your day reading the bible for an hour.
If you don’t start before coffee then have coffee before you start.
A few years back I was chatting with a retired gentlemen who started every morning working out. He had for years and continued in his old age. After some time I asked him why he kept working out and he stated because if you look around at people my age when they retire they sit and when they sit they die.
I didn’t get it right then, but I pondered it. When you sit for prolonged periods your muscles deteriorate. Moving around gets harder. The probability of a heart attack skyrockets between a doer and a sitter. Eventually it’s no longer a choice to, but rather I sit because I can no longer move.

Where you set your vision is where you will continue to look

2. Start your day clean
Lamentations
Lamentations 3:22–23 ESV
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Don’t start your day with the dirt of yesterday. There is a reason I take a shower everyday. Just like you need new clothes you have to renew the soapy lather that brings a fresh fragrance to your skin.

3) Make your goals public; Make them count

Most people hate to fail, but they hate to fail when people are watching even more.
Ephesians
Ephesians 5:11 ESV
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
Ephesians 5:13–14 ESV
But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Like film in a 90’s camera when it is exposed it’s deleted.
Denzel Washington states don’t confuse movement with progress.
Satan wants to fill your life with business; God wants to fill your life with purpose.
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