When my wife awakens in the mornings, her attitude seems to be one that says, "Good morning, Lord!" She has a great morning personality. She's sharp and full of joy. Her mind and heart function in a full-speed mode. However, it's just the opposite when I awaken. I often find myself dragging around moaning, "Help me, Lord!" I'm definitely not a morning person.

Yet, I know I need to begin the day with God. Without Him, I can do nothing. If I wait until the evening to talk to God, then the only thing I can say to Him is, "Please forgive me. I really blew it today." We must start the day with God. That's difficult for people who are like me in the mornings. I certainly empathize with those who find it difficult in the mornings to pray.

I have a problem with my sinuses. Consequently, I'm normally very congested when I awaken each morning. It takes me a little longer for my body to function at full speed. Yet, I know how important it is to begin each day with God. The Psalmist said, "In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation" (Ps. 5:3 NIV). He understood how crucial those early hours are to our walk with God. When we begin the day in prayer, we're in essence saying, "I need you, God."

Early morning times of prayer were the pattern of Jesus. The Bible says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed" (Mark 1:35 NIV). If Jesus, God's own Son, needed to begin the day alone with His Father, then how much more do we need to do the same?

Prayer could be defined as intimacy with God. But it's also much more than that. It's preparation for the spiritual battles we'll face every day. Each day we have to face three sources of battle - the flesh, the devil, and the world. The flesh is the place of the inner battle that we face daily. It's our old nature. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit in order to overcome this enemy. The devil is the second enemy we must fight. Our battle is not with people or groups but with "principalities and powers from on high." The final source of spiritual warfare is "the world." It's that system of thought and life that's contrary to God's ways. We face all three of these daily.

We must understand that any good soldier must dress properly if he's going to be victorious in the battle. The Bible tells us to put on the whole armor of God. But how do you do that? Simple - through prayer. When we awaken in the morning, we cry unto God. We seek His face. We clothe ourselves with His truth, His righteousness, His faith, His peace, and His word. Then and only then are we ready to deal with our flesh, the devil, and the world.