Starting Right
Starting Right is a 5 minute Day Starter to help keep you motivated, encouraged, and focused throughout your day. DannyMac is a pastor, teacher, motivational speaker, husband, and father. His years of leading and training people have given him vast experience in helping individuals to accomplish change in their lives and meet their goals. He can help you set the course for your day by offering practical advice from God's Word in a positive and fun way. There is no better way to begin your day than by Starting Right with DannyMac.
Starting Right
King Richard's Morning Lesson
The moment of remembrance that forever changed a battle's outcome offers a powerful analogy for our spiritual lives. When King Richard the Lionheart found himself vastly outnumbered and called for retreat, a simple reminder from an advisor—"Your Highness, don't forget who you are"—transformed the situation. Nothing changed except Richard's understanding of himself and his calling.
When worry keeps you awake at night, remember this core truth: you are a child of the King, and you belong to Him. Live each day in that strength and confidence, knowing there is nothing coming against you that's too great for God. Whatever battles you're facing today, don't forget who you are—and whose you are.
Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mac. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day, so grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax and let me help you start your day right. King Richard I, or King Richard the Lionheart as he became known, was one of the greatest English kings of all time. He ruled from 1189 to 1199. During that time, he went off and fought in the Crusades. He was captured and taken as a prisoner in Italy, where he had to raise an enormous ransom for his freedom, and then he returned back to England. He was the king coming back home for which Robin Hood was supposed to have been fighting for. He was also not just respected for being a king, but he was also one of the most effective military leaders that England ever had. He fought many, many battles, and he won almost all of them, with only the battle for Jerusalem being called a draw. The story goes, however, that during one of these other battles, king Richard realized that he was vastly outnumbered. So, for one of the very few times in his life, he sounded a retreat, and it was during that retreat that one of King Richard's advisors rode up beside him and said your Highness, your Highness, don't forget who you are. Well, that made King Richard stop, turn around and give the order to sound once again the attack, and he went on to win that battle. The amazing part of this story is that there was nothing that really changed other than King Richard's understanding of himself and what he was called to do. What really happened was he had a momentary identity crisis.
Speaker 1:As Christians, we often struggle with this ourselves. We forget who we are, and not only who we are, but whose we are. Often, we base our worth on our own accomplishments or our appearance or the opinions of others. However, as Christians, we have the privilege of knowing how God sees us and what he says about us, and throughout Scripture we see the many times that God reminds us of who we are and how he wants to work in our lives. In 1 John 3, verse 1, it says see what great love the Father lavished on us that we should be called children of God. The Father lavished on us that we should be called children of God, and that's what we are. Did you know that, no matter what, no matter the circumstances or the problems or the mistakes, when we become a Christian. We are a child of God, and there are times when we need to remind ourselves hey, I am God's child, he is with me and he is my Father. That is who and what I am Over. In Romans 8, verse 17, it says Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. That reminds us that we have a share in the inheritance that Christ has received from the Father. We have the promise of eternal life and the hope of being with Christ forever and the promise of His Holy Spirit working in our lives every day. And then it says over in 1 John 4, you belong to God, my dear children, you have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
Speaker 1:There are times when we can find ourselves feeling overwhelmed by what we're going through, the challenges that we face, especially with all the changes and uncertainty around us, things getting far more expensive and in many ways it's becoming more difficult to find medical help, particularly here in Canada, and so we can't see the future. We don't know what's coming. But if we lay in bed at night and we let our minds wander, we can be filled with all sorts of fear and worry about what might happen. But we need to remember that we belong to God. We are His children. He loves us and he's working in us, and remember this too.
Speaker 1:Over in Romans, chapter 8 and verse 37, it says In all these things, you are more than conquerors, through Him who loved us.
Speaker 1:For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Nothing can separate you from the love of God, nothing can separate you from your relationship with Him, nothing can separate you from His ability to work in you and for you. And he's created us all to live this life. Live it to the full, knowing that we are children of the King and we belong to him. Be encouraged this morning. There is nothing coming against you that is too great for God. Remember who you are. You are God's child and remember whose you are he has paid the price for you. You belong to him. Have a great day, my friends. Live it in strength and hope and victory, and we will talk again tomorrow. Thank you for listening today and I invite you to join me Monday to Friday, right here on Starting Right with Denny Mac.
