Putting God first

[chrisscan87]

Putting God first is the sin we all struggle with the most. It's not in our sinful nature to do so. Keep pressing, sister.

 

 

Edit by Omegaman: Sorry if I have this wrong, but I think you mean that
failing to put God first is the sin we struggle with.

[Love is alive]

To me putting God first has to start with getting up a little earlier to read and study the bible, spending time in prayer. Walking with the Lord means you have to surrender your life to him everyday, not just once during the time you are baptized. Praying before making major decisions, praying to ask for guidence when things get tough, praying before meals, and praying at bedtime as well as praying for others.  Not to mention the quick prayers that we say during the day just to thank Him or Praise Him for a particular blessing. When you put God first you have to remember Jesus is your best friend, talk to him like you would talk to your best friend. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

 

Too many people only call upon God when they need his help because they are in some sort of trouble. We have to remember to acknowledge Him with thanks and praise. Your relationship with the Lord has to come before everything else in your life, including (no cyber rock throwing) your children. We have to trust in Him with all that we have within us. We have to trust him to care for us completely and He is always faithful to be there for us.

 

As far as the enemy reminding you of your past, remind him of his future. The enemy wants you to get too busy or to put other things first in your life. The enemy wants you as far away from the Lord as he can get you. The farther you are from the Lord, the happier he is.

 

Once you have made your prayer request known to the Lord, thank him for the particular thing that was asked for in prayer. That shows and builds trust that we know that the Lord has heard us and that we trust he will answer our prayers and believe that he will answer them in your heart.

 

No one is perfect, you are not a bad mother, christian or person because you make mistakes. The Lord knows we are not perfect, we are all in need of our saviour on a daily basis. We cannot do it alone, if we could God would not have needed to send Christ to die on the cross for us. So give yourself a break. The Lord never promised walking with Him would be easy. You will never be alone though, so long as you have your best friend with you. 

[kwikphilly]

Blessings PurpleDee,

   Welcome again...... to Worthy ,dear Sister.............to be perfectly honest,I myself have to re-ead it a couple of times! I was so wrapped up in the Lord just loving His warm embrace in the morning that I was just happily typing away...LOL      As I just love to spend time with my Abba "FIRST",before anything,some days(my favorite days)First turns into "All day'' .all day in the Presence of the Lord,to bask in His Glory...if only everyday were that way!!!! But just think ........that is "the prize'',I can only imagine what Heaven will be like?

    God Bless you,thank you again for your OP........such a delight.....all the Glory to God!

                                                                                                                     With love-in Christ,Kwik

[OneLight]

Since you now have enough posts, I move the thread to Doctrinal Questions.

[coheir]

This is a confusing matter for me as well. Some of the statements people make are great for some but still others like myself are left puzzled. I may be reading more into it than I should, if so it is because I still do not understand.

I thank the Lord every morning as soon as wake. I thank the Lord if I find a penny on the ground. I thank the Lord if I find a parking space.I thank the Lord for my food, money to buy and knowledge to cook it. I read in the bible quite regular seeking the Lords understanding. If I am having difficulty doing something I ask the Lord for help with it. I speak/talk to him many times a day. And yet I feel myself not quite giving God my all. 

Things that people put forward to help one understand seems to elude my understanding many times.

If someone said to me; ( I pray before I make all decisions ) I would think there is some things he/she does not pray for but he/she thinks I know them so they did not separate them out from "all decisions" for me to see.

If one has a child, does one pray and ask God what clothes the child should wear to school, does one pray before they decide to put that child on bus or drive them to school, does one pray before your child can go next door a play with their friend, does one pray before deciding to eat out or cook in. Does one pray which route to take to work. Does one pray before grocery shopping, whether it be to find the right foods to buy or which store to buy from. To me these are part of the "all decisions" that are not discussed. I know to pray before a purchase of house, car, expensive toys, getting married, having children, going on vacation and how much to allocate money, going to certain places out of the norm, even befriending certain people but

so many things leaves me wondering is this one of the decisions I need to pray to God for or is this one he expects me to use my freewill and what I have already learned in is word to make my own decision.

Sorry for going on so.

[AugustMay]

I put god first in everything.  I thank him all the time for the good in my life and I know that he is always there for me in the bad times.

[LoveGeneration]

Putting The Lord before everyone and everything else.

This is one thing I' m not even sure I understand, let alone think I'm capable of doing. I want to, I know that is how it is supposed to be but I've never figured out what that would look like.

 

I understand your anxiety, putting God before anything or anyone else in your life takes serious dedication and sacrifice, especially if you have a family of your own, as you mentioned. My advice to you is to follow God's commandments and do His work. What are his commandments? See Mark 12:29-30 and John 13:34. What is His work exactly? See Mark 16:15-16. I want to put extra emphasis on doing His work, because a lot of people think it's enough to go to church and read the Bible once in a while, but it isn't. You're supposed to take what you've learned and teach others, that's the only way to save souls. Do not be ashamed of His word but go forth and declare His name to all who are willing to hear. As Apostle Paul beautifully declared, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16 NKJV). Be blessed!

[Fez]

Putting The Lord before everyone and everything else.

This is one thing I' m not even sure I understand, let alone think I'm capable of doing. I want to, I know that is how it is supposed to be but I've never figured out what that would look like.

Right now, and probably for the past 14 years, I would have to say my children are number one for me.

We attend church every week, are quite involved and connected there. We talk of God during the week, our Sunday school lessons often become the basis for further discussion.

Recently, our pastor spoke about this topic, and invited anyone for further discussion to join him afterward, I did, and he said I seemed like I was doing all the right things. Is it just Christian guilt? That I'll never be good enough (which is true, we don't save ourselves). Is it a mother's guilt? That I'm not doing enough to teach them about God. Is it my own anxiety? Perhaps I am doing fine, but how would I know? As I said to my pastor, I am not about to pull an Abraham to prove how much I love Him. (And we've all heard stories of unfortunate people who have).

Combine my own questioning with a few people in my life who have recently thrown this phrase around like my 6 year old trying to hit the laundry basket with a dirty sock, and I am really wondering what it looks like in this crazy life we live. I can't think of a single family in the same stage of life I am in who can say God is number one. I see it in our seniors at church but out in the race the rest of us run...not so much.

So tell me, what do I do, how would I feel, how do I know that I am putting God above all else?

Yikes! Should have named myself RamblingDee!

Thanks for any advice you've got...

D

We attend church every week, are quite involved and connected there. We talk of God during the week, our Sunday school lessons often become the basis for further discussion. 

 

You answered your own question! 

 

You are involved in His church as a family, you talk of Him during the week, and you engender discussion!

 

You answered your own question!

 

Carry on doing what you are doing, pray that He gives you discernment to do His will, and be patient!

 

"Patience is not in the waiting, it is in how we wait". You are "waiting" very well!

 

God Bless.

[Enoc]

It’s a process. God knows exactly where you are at concerning him. He knows your strengths and weaknesses. As you progress in your walk, the Holy Spirit will guide you along the way to bring you into the spiritual place where the father deems you to be, given you yield to the Holy Spirit. 

[Guest]

It’s a process.

 

God knows exactly where you are at concerning him.

 

He knows your strengths and weaknesses.

 

As you progress in your walk, the Holy Spirit will guide you along the way

 

to bring you into the spiritual place where the father deems you to be,

 

given you yield to the Holy Spirit. 

 

 

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Philippians 2:13