The very first thing you should do, every morning, is pray for Jesus to be right by your side. In the Bible, Jesus said that "without me ye can do nothing".

If we are going to be successful in life, it is Jesus that we need. We need His light, His life, His Spirit--and we need it continually. We need Him every hour.

That's why every morning, just as the sun peaks over the horizon and starts to shed the warmth of its light on the landscape, we must ask for the Sun of Righteousness to shine in the chambers of our minds and hearts, lighting our lives with the presence of Jesus. Even one moment without Jesus is one moment too much. The enemy is well aware when we try to fight life's battles on our own, and he is there, ready to fill our minds with doubt and evil suggestions. The devil wants us to fall away from our steadfastness, but it is God's desire that moment by moment, our hearts will abide in Him.

Jesus wants you to be filled with His goodness, so that you can be a representative to the world of the wonderful grace and character of God. He has the power to set you free from sin. He doesn't want people to say they are Christians, and then not make use of the marvelous grace that can improve and perfect their characters. Jesus wants us to be set free from the bonds of sin. When we continue to wallow in bad habits, not taking advantage of the power so freely offered, we disappoint Heaven and grieve our divine Redeemer.

If you find yourself in such a condition--don't give up! Prayer and faith can do for you what no power on earth can accomplish.

As you travel the journey of life, you will seldom be placed in the same position twice. There will always be new challenges, new trials to pass through, where past experience alone is not a sufficient guide. The only way to keep our feet on the straight and narrow path is to walk in the light of God's presence. If you ask for His help, you can be sure that Jesus will always be by your side. But you must ask for His presence and companionship--and ask for it every morning. For it is part of God's great plant to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, blessings that He would not give if we didn't ask. Which is why you should be on your knees, praying first thing every morning.