We often have a desire to put God first in our life but were never given proper guidance on what that even looks like. Here are 10 areas of life to put God first in your life!
**You will not understand the value of the rest of the post unless you are first saved. If you do not know what it means to be saved, then feel free to contact us so we can help!**
1. Put God first in your heart
We will never be able to genuinely put God first in any other area of our life unless He and the Word sit on the throne of our hearts FIRST. The Word of God breathes life into our hearts, mind, and soul.
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:20-23 (KJV)
By spending time in God’s Word daily, whether through in- depth studies or short 5 min devotions, we diligently keep our hearts in continuous subjection to God’s commandments.
It is imperative that we keep our hearts under constant subjection so as to not be deceived by it. Jeremiah 17:9 warns us that The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (KJV).
We don’t even know our own hearts! The media and entertainment industry continue to push the narrative that we should “follow our heart”. However, our heart is of the flesh so its desire is sinful. If we are not careful, we will be deceived into putting ourselves in the very traps that the enemy has set for us.
Our feelings in our hearts cannot be trusted! Have you ever been in a situation where more than anything you wanted something or wanted to do something, but in your mind knew better? You knew that if you really did what you wanted, the consequences would far outweigh the benefit of fulfilling that dangerous desire. You’d be fired, or hurt the people you love, or even ended up hurting yourself.
Matthew 15:18-19 says
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Matthew 15:18-19 (KJV)
Pray that the Lord change the desires of your heart and redirects them to His will for your life.
2. Pray first, Pray always
Pray FIRST in the morning! Give God your first few seconds, minutes, or hours of the day. Even if it is as quick and simple as praying as you are brushing your teeth. God cares for your heart and not the action itself. So what matters is the heart you do it with.
And now that our hearts are in the right place, we can pray from the right position. The more you seek the Lord, the more your desire will be for the Lord and the things of Him. This is the absolute key on how to put God first in your life.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Philippians 4:6 (KJV)
Tell God how thankful you are for the friend you have in him, tell Him your fears, desires, dreams, joys, and pains. This goes hand in hand with spending time with the Lord daily in his Word. Speak to the Lord continually in prayer, and listen to the Lord continually through the studying of his Word.
We are encouraged over and over to pray always and continually; to be in a constant state of prayer!
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luke 18:1 (KJV)
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)
It is almost inexplicable the power that prayer has in your life when done from a genuine heart. I equate continuous prayer with being in constant communication with my best friend.
3. Read His Word! Fill your mind.
Seek God First! In trying to put God first in the bigger areas of life, it is an accumulation of putting God first in the smaller areas of life. Give God your first 5 min in the morning to feed your mind with His words and meditate on this throughout the day.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2 (KJV)
By filling yourself with God’s word, you will be setting yourself apart from this world and closer to putting God first in everything.
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 7:25 (KJV)
4. Dedicate your eyes to the Lord
“Be careful little eyes what you see!”
This is a hard one for me but what you put in, you put out. So be very cautious with what you are watching. The best way to treat this is to have black and white rules.
Is it edifying? Does it go against the Word of God? Does it promote giving in to temptation? Will it feed the flesh or the spirit?
Simple yes or no questions make it very easy to answer “should I really be watching this?”. At first, this will be very hard, but the more Jesus you choose, the easier it will be to choose Jesus over and over.
Surround your eyes with Jesus! This can be a simple as writing key verses on sticky notes and placing them in your car dash, bathroom mirror, or even near light switches!
5. Dedicate your ears to God
“Be careful little ear what you hear!”
Just like with what you watch, what you feed your spirit is what will come out. What you sow, you will inevitably reap.
Ask yourself strict questions and decide if you should really be listening to that!
Surround yourself with true worship music, Biblically sound podcasts, and this even goes as far as the friends who you speak with daily. They are pouring into you too.
6. Give God time first
This now seems obvious, but it is so important because Satan is after what Jesus wants from you. God wants you to seek him early in the morning. This is where the enemy attacks! Sleepy mornings of hitting snooze so many times that there is no time left for Jesus before you need to get ready and run out the door for work or school!
One of the enemy’s greatest tactics is not tempting you to do things which are directly against the word of God. No, it is simple distractions that distance you from your constant fellowship with God. This can be anything from house chores, work, hobbies, or even serving in church!
Yes the enemy can even use the ministry to keep you away from the very one you are trying to serve! Your relationship with God is just that, a relationship that needs to be nurtured and fed in order to grow. Do not get so caught up in serving a ministry that you forget the God you serve.
7. Put God first in your work
Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Col 3:22-23 (KJV)
When it says “your masters”, this includes an employee/employer relationship. We are being told to be obedient! So be obedient to your employer and boss “as to the Lord” .OUCH. I’ve been there.
So surround yourself with Christ at work, but act like Christ at work too!
8. Bless the Lord with your talents first
Talent means any natural aptitude or skill. Your natural talents are God given so use them for his glory!
This is not just singing, sports, or acting. The Lord has equipped each and every one of His children with certain qualities and gifts. These, when under the subjection of God’s will, are exactly what He wants us to use to further the kingdom and bring Him glory!
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1 Cor 12:4 (KJV)
Are you a people person? maybe you should be a greeter at church so you can fellowship and share that vibrant personality! Love children? Children’s ministry. Are you administrative? The Lord may use those skills to organize ministry events one day!
9. Give to God first before you shop till you drop
This is always a touchy subject and may step on some toes, but if you truly want to put God first in every area of your life, why did you stop and question things when God required you to put your finances first?
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)
I knew someone that stated he did not like the institution of church because he could not understand why a church would require/or even request you to pay 10% of your earnings in order to attend.
Let’s clarify some things, if ANY church is requiring that you pay ANYTHING in order to be fed the Word of God, it is wrong. That is final. If Jesus was giving the gift of salvation for free, why are people trying to charge for it now?
Your tithes and offerings are something that the Lord himself requires of you and will convict you of. God is not interested in your money nor does He need it. He wants your obedience and your heart; He wants to know that you are putting Him first in EVERY aspect of your life, no limitations. He is measuring your commitment to Him.
The people that God uses the most are those who make themselves available to the Lord to be used by Him.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:10
We are encouraged to prove God in our tithing! Just as He fed Moses and the children of Israel in the wilderness daily, he will provide your every need.
10. Put God last too!
The more you surround yourself with Christ, the more you will want to surround yourself with Christ! Do not only let it be the first thing on your mind when you wake up, but let God put you to bed as well. God works at night too even while we are peacefully resting.
In Genesis chapter 1, after all that God created, it says “And the evening and the morning were the first day” and so on and so forth. God was working overtime and overnight!
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
Matthew 14:25
In this verse, his disciples were in the middle of a great storm and Jesus came and calmed their storm and it is when Peter walked on water! God is still performing miracles at night, just keep your eyes fixed on Him.
11. Bonus- Accountability is a must!
This is one that we often forget or neglect due to the fact that our relationship with The Lord truly is so personal. But that is exactly what makes this last one so imperative. You need one or two people in your life whom you trust. Not trust them, No. But trust in their relationship with the Lord.
Pray that God sends accountability partners and give you discernment to know who these people are.
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