How does one start putting God first when they don’t have time?
This seems impossible some days, doesn’t it?
I’m not going to lie, answering this question feels hard.
It feels hard to answer because I know what it feels like to be in your shoes.
In a season of life where you have made the realization that putting God first is a necessary step you need to take.
Which brings up mixed emotions for me.
Our world is a constant sensory overload- full of distractions, chaos and busyness.
If I have to ask myself how to put God first, does it mean that I’ve failed in my relationship with God?
Have I failed as a Christian?
Will others look down on me for admitting that putting God first was something I needed to work on?
These are the questions that I asked myself when I had my own desire to strengthen my relationship with God and what I discovered is that none of those questions matter.
Learning to take time out of our daily chaos just for God and the blessings that relationship brings far outweighs the insecurities you might be feeling.
Why You Haven’t Been Putting God First
Why do you think you haven’t put God first in your life?
Do the words ‘I don’t have time’ come to your mind?
As life got busier, this statement followed me around like my shadow.
“If I had the time” came out of mouth before my mind even had time to register if I actually did have time I could give to things.
God was in my life, but not to the degree in which He desires (and I needed!).
I would have an idea throughout the day or have moments where I had a deep desire to connect with God, but it wasn’t coming to light with all the busyness distracting me.
My life was running on autopilot.
Is Your Relationship With God On Autopilot?
Are work, kids, marriage, chores, errands and commitments taking up your time each day?
By the time your head hit the pillow at night, do you fall asleep 9.7 seconds in the middle of your nightly prayers?
Not sure I was even lasting a full 9.7 seconds.
At least I wasn’t during the season of my life where I realized I really needed to start figuring out what putting God first looked like!
This sent me on a journey of learning and questioning, getting myself out of the daily autopilot rut and I took 5 steps to strengthen my relationship with God to get me out of that rut!
As a result, I proudly admit that I am living out God first better than I ever have before and helping other women learn how to live out God first is the mission of Where You and God Connect, a free faith based, personal development mini series!
What The Bible Has To Say
It seems like total common sense to put God first, right?
Then why does it feel so hard sometimes?
Why do so many of us struggle to live this philosophy out in our everyday life?
The Bible gives us good indication that God should come first.
From “you shall have no other gods before me (exodus 20:3)” to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33), the Bible shows us the value in putting God first.
In John we are reminded that “whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did”. And Jesus, well he always put God first in all that he did.
Service to others, time spent in prayer and following God’s will, even when it wasn’t the easiest, are just a few ways that Jesus demonstrated how he put God first in his life.
3 Ways You Can Put God First
Obviously, you and I are far from Jesus but he does give us a vision of what we need to be doing in our life to life out the philosophy of God first.
Here are 3 ways that you can start putting God first in your life!
Time
Find time, no forget I said that-“find” is no longer part of this.
You must MAKE time for God every day.
If you don’t know how to get started with this, I’ve been there before.
Based on my own journey with learning what it means to put god first, you need to learn how to start prayer journaling ASAP!
There are lots of methods available to learn how to strengthen your relationship with God but Prayer Journaling is what I used and I’ll be forever grateful I listened to the voice that told me to start.
Prayer journaling has helped me connect with God every single day and grow our relationship much deeper than it was before; it has put God front and center in my life.
Learning to put God first is something I often reflect over in my prayer journal time and it has helped me to be honest with where I am at in my journey and guide me to the next steps where I need to grow.
Your True North Star
Realize that everything in your life is about Him.
How are you multiplying God’s influence in all that you ask for?
It is time to really start to give over your life to God.
Redirect everything back to God.
I often pray that my energy, decisions and desires each day are guided by Him.
That the plans he has outlined for my life are fulfilled because I am listening to him, following him and not straying from him to chase my own needs.
The more you begin to evaluate if your desires, decisions and energy each day are driving towards God or are your own, you will start to see the difference.
And then, you can pull them apart and realign towards God’s desires for you.
Just watch as the burdens you have on your heart melt away.
You will be amazed at how clear things become when you truly mean it as you pray for God’s guidance in your life!
Love His People
If you want to put God first, know that it can’t be done unless you are demonstrating love for his people.
“Yeah, sure I’m a pretty decent person- I volunteer, I donate money. I smile, I forgive. I pray for others” is what probably comes to mind when I talk about loving people.
But how are you really demonstrating love for others? And in what areas are you missing this step completely?
I’m known for saying “Jesus just wants us to love others” often and I mean it.
From the smallest act of love, to the greatest acts of love, this is an area in my life I want to always be striving to be better in.
Start Today!
It isn’t always easy, and even as I’m here writing this I realize I myself still have work to do to put Him first in my days.
And I mean truly put God first in my life.
Each day I grow with him, I learn something new.
And then he helps me realize how much more growing I need to do!
There is really something beautiful in this journey though because I know that it isn’t because I’m missing something.
It is because God is leading the way and he is giving me what he knows I can handle before unveiling me the next steps; new ways I need to learn and grow.
Now that I am standing on the other side of that awful feeling like I never had time for things, I realize that the time was there all along, just waiting for me to use it in the best way!
Ready to begin putting God first in your life?
Check out these awesome free resources that will help you take the right steps to putting God front and center in your life:
Join the free Prayer Journaling Challenge!
Join Where You and God Connect, a free faith based, personal development mini series!
