How To Start Waking Up Earlier
Wake up earlier
I believe you need to start waking up earlier.
I believe you need to start waking up earlier. And I get it you are “not a morning person.” Quite frankly, neither am I, but there is no other time in my day I can pray, seek the Lord, and prioritize the most important without distractions. For example, in the early morning (4 AM-7 AM), there are: No emails coming inNo expectations from my bossNo kids awake (usually) No church members who need helpNo barrage of social media comments I need a time of no distractions daily to pursue a deep inner life with God before I can live a productive, powerful, and purposeful life. If you can find an alternative time in your day without those, then enjoy your sleep. But for me (and the great men I’ve read about), this was their time to seek the Lord. For example: George Whitefield (1714-1770): George Whitefield was an English preacher and evangelist who was a crucial figure in the First Great Awakening. This revival movement swept through the American colonies in the 18th century. Whitefield was known for his powerful sermons and commitment to early morning prayer and Bible study.
John Wesley (1703-1791): John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a prominent figure in the First Great Awakening in Britain and the American colonies. He was known for his disciplined lifestyle, which included a daily routine of rising early for prayer, scripture reading, and preaching. Charles Finney (1792-1875): Charles Finney was a Presbyterian minister and one of the leading figures of the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He emphasized the importance of personal holiness and was known for his dedication to prayer and reading the Bible. Finney, quickly after his conversion, decided to prioritize his early mornings as a space to see the Lord. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758): Jonathan Edwards was a Congregationalist preacher and theologian whose sermons were crucial in the First Great Awakening. He was a profoundly spiritual man who believed in seeking God through prayer and scripture study. He is even quoted as saying, “I think Christ has recommended rising early in the morning, by rising from his grave very early.” I honestly believe you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in Christian history who accomplished great things for God but did not set aside a great time for God in the early morning. To be a strategic leader, you, too, need to set aside time to be with God when no one else is trying to be with you. Here are five reasons why you should consider waking up much earlier: Five Reasons Why You Consider Waking Up Much Earlier 1 - Because we are in the greatest spiritual decline in modern history. According to Barna, Gen Z is the most irreligious generation in American history. Our society is decaying. Do you know what will not reverse that decline? Spending hours on video games & gambling while spending minutes in the presence of God. As Jon Tyson says, “The clock determines the play.” And now is the time to seek the Lord more, not less. 2 - Because I bet you don’t pray like your spiritual heroes did. Every pastor I know wants revival. We want to see God move as he did in the life of Charles Finney, Charles Wesley, and Billy Graham. But we don’t want to live the life they lived. As I read about great men, I realized none of them slept in. 3 - Because discipline in one area leads to discipline in most areas. Waking up early has cascading effects. Wake up early > Read the Bible > Pray > Walk In The Spirit > Say No To Temptation > Practice Healthy Rhythms > Be Tired > Go To Bed Early > Do It Again. Remember, health habits create healthy habits (i.e. keystone habits). 4 - You immediately increase your income-earning capability. The impact of waking up early is not limited to your spiritual life. If you create 3 hours of space 6 times weekly, you create two business days of deep work. Your creative space can now be used to start a business, innovate in your field, or consume resources that increase your value. The early AM grind is a superpower. 5 - The start of your day is the most essential part of your day. I want to walk in the Spirit each day. I struggle to do that when I wake up to a toddler screaming for breakfast. Those few early AM hours are your time to start your day on your terms. Whether you read your Bible, work out, make a list, or have coffee with your spouse, your goal is the same — start strong to finish strong. Strategic Plan of Action: Three Ways To Begin Waking Up Earlier As of right now, my wife & I usually wake up between 4:30 AM to 5:15 AM. Of course, this ebbs and flows in seasons (usually correlated with our children’s sleep patterns), but this is our healthy rhythm. Although prioritizing the early has been a transformative practice, it was not an instantly normative practice. Here’s how we began to create this routine: 1 - Focus on the result, not the rhythm. My friend & church planting coach Greg Gibson posted a helpful video on his Instagram. His point was that when creating a new habit, don’t focus on accomplishing the habit; instead, focus on the rewards that developing the practice will bring. In my life, waking up early results in: A centered soul A list of answered prayers A prioritized list of tasks A moment of deep joy to start my dayA strength to overcome the day's temptation If you know, you can tell a difference between the days started with Jesus versus the days started by screaming toddlers. There is a passage in Acts 4:13 that describes this well: [13] Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. - Acts 4:13 (ESV) Can people tell you’ve been with Jesus? Ultimately, I want people to describe me as someone who has been in the presence of God. I believe that is the most critical result and reward of the early morning. 2 - Create a low goal, middle goal, and high goal. . If you desire to start waking up at 4:30 AM, and you currently sleep till 8 AM, then you have a long road ahead of you. Some people may be able to make the switch immediately, but I bet most people need to start small. Remember, life with Jesus is a marathon, not a sprint. So, if you want to begin waking up earlier, I’d encourage you to start by waking up 30 minutes to one hour earlier. Your end goal can still be 4:30 AM, but your starting goals might be more manageable and attainable immediately. For example, here’s the system I would implement: If you wake up at 7:00 AM…Wake up for 30 days at 6:00 AM (low goal)Wake up for 30 more days at 5:15 AM (middle goal)Wake up for 30 more additional days at 4:30 AM (high goal)
Start small, and over a long period, work your way into it! Don’t try too much too soon that you find yourself discouraged from taking on the practice at all. 3 - Remove every barrier from your morning. I do not wake up in the morning if the coffee is not set the night before. I know that is a small and silly thing, but the thought of waking up, making coffee, clanging mugs, and potentially waking up the children is often precisely the discouragement I need to keep my butt in bed. Instead, win the battle the night before by removing every potential barrier discouraging you from waking up. For example, the night prior you can: Set the coffee Place your Bible & journal by the bedIron your clothes Make your protein shake Put your house shoes by the bed Each of these in and of themselves is small, but together, they can create a significant practical hindrance to your motivation to wake up.
I genuinely hope you will start prioritizing time alone with God by building a system that helps set your mind on Him without distraction! We say it all the time: healthy leaders make healthy systems. And if you want to be an effective leader for Jesus, you need to put in place the rhythms of Jesus!