As I gazed at the mountains in the distance, the cool breeze swirled around me and I kept my warm coffee in hand. I was embracing the quiet for the first time in a while. But as I tried to dig into the Scriptures I was reading, the most random worry invaded my mind: What if I suddenly lose my creativity?

Here I was in the most serene place to practice solitude, surrounded by the painted landscape of the Creator Himself, and I was worrying about whether I would lose the very gift He gave me. Have you ever noticed how your mind can travel 1,000,000 miles in just a few minutes?

Even when you’re trying to practice solitude, it seems that you have a bundle of tabs open in your head, and tackling them all feels impossible. I call it “squirreling out“—when your mind feels scattered and isn’t able to focus on the current task, journey, or conversation at hand.

Do you experience this all-too-familiar phenomenon?

There’s a reason why Jesus, the only perfect One, continually made time to sit still with the Father and reflect on His faithfulness. Jesus set aside time in His schedule to receive His Father‘s affection and renew Himself in truth. Why? Because He knew that for His mind to stay focused and calm, He had to slow His pace and ask the Spirit to help Him be present.

Don’t you think that means you can benefit from doing the same? The enemy can’t steal your destiny or rewrite your identity, so he will do everything he can to distract you. He will try to discourage you in the present by making you obsess over the future, knowing you can’t do anything about tomorrow.

Reserve your energy for this moment, this day, this season. And this week, you will make decisions that have long-term impacts. During this time, ask yourself, “Do I trust God with tomorrow?”

Day by day, be diligent about practicing awareness, solitude, and prayer. Being present is a discipline that requires practice, so be gentle with yourself.

Understand that while it’s normal to occasionally obsess over the past or feel paralyzed by the future, you have the Holy Spirit to help you remain in the present, fully committed to exactly what God has planned for this day.

Make today great and know that you can trust Him with every tomorrow.

Declare over your week:

1. I will pay attention to what is in front of me this day.
2. I will sit with Jesus every morning, even for a few moments, and soak in His love.
3. I will pay attention to the fuel in my tank, realizing when I need to persevere and when I need to take a break.
4. My emotional equilibrium will not be determined by what happened in the past or worries about the future.
5. I will lean on the power of prayer, understanding that the One listening controls heaven and earth.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today”
(Matthew 6:34).

Taken from Revive: Declarations of God’s Truth to Renew Your Spirit by Cleere Cherry Reaves. © 2024 Cleerely Stated, LLC. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. HarperCollinsChristian.com.

For further reflection, listen to Matthew 6 today!

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