The Lord desires for you to place Him first in your life, but He also knows it can be hard with all of the things of this world distracting you. Putting God first needs to be your top priority. When you choose to put God first your life will be filled with joy and peace. But when you choose to place other things before the Lord your life can and will leave you feeling hollow, hurt, and alone. In this blog post I want to go over the benefits of putting God first in your life and 5 simple ways you can do that.
There was a time in my life when I struggled to put God first and I felt guilty and ashamed because of it. I felt like I was disappointing Him because I still wasn’t putting Him first every day. I felt that if I didn’t worship Him in the mornings like Joyce Meyers and Charles Stanley (Bestselling author and speaker) did then I wasn’t worshiping Him at all. They said mornings were the best time to spend with the Lord. So, I tried it and failed at it. I couldn’t seem to get myself up early enough to spend time with Him. And when I did wake up early, I would put other things first before my time with the Lord. It was sad that I couldn’t even find 10 min of my time to devote to God.
So, in prayer, God showed me two obstacles that were stopping me from spending quality time with Him. He first showed me Jeremiah 1. The whole chapter focuses on God giving Jeremiah a task that he feels he is not good enough to do. He tells God he is too young and God replies, “Do not be afraid for I will give you the words to speak and I will always be with you.”
I too felt that I was unable to do this simple task of putting the Lord first in my life. But God was telling me to not feel that way. He said I am worthy and capable of doing any task that He gives me.
The second obstacle was that I was listening to others and putting their ways of spending time with God before asking God what He thinks I should do. I needed to be asking God how He would like me to spend time with Him and when He would like me to spend time with Him. Instead, I was doing it the way Joyce Meyers and Charles Stanley were doing it. And I was beating myself up for it when I couldn’t accomplish it.
God continued to tell me in prayer to not listen to what others are doing or saying. He told me to listen to Him. Now there is nothing wrong with getting Christian advice, but you should know that God’s opinion is the most important and that His ways are better than your ways.
BENEFITS OF PUTTING GOD FIRST
Here are a few benefits to putting God first in your life.
You will experience his peace.
Putting God first releases you from the burden of worry because you know He is in charge of everything in your life.
You will experience joy and happiness.
You will have joy because you know that no matter the situation it will all turn out for your good.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28)
You will receive wisdom.
God generously gives wisdom and direction when you seek Him.
“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you” (James 1:5)
You will experience clarity and a sense of purpose.
You will know that you were put on this earth to glorify and spread the news of Jesus Christ to the unsaved. Whereas other people are constantly living their life in search of meaning. (Matthew 28: 18-20)
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO PUT GOD FIRST IN YOUR LIFE
1. Start Your Day With God
Before the noise of the world sets in, give God your first moments. Whether it’s a short prayer, reading a verse, or sitting quietly in His presence, starting your day with Him helps set your heart and mind on what truly matters. Give yourself 10 min. That’s all you need to get your day started.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else…” (Matthew 6:33)
2. Make God’s Word a Daily Priority
Spending time in Scripture allows God to shape your thoughts, decisions, and attitudes. If you don’t have time to read a chapter a day in the bible, then start out with just one verse. One verse can make a huge difference with a willing heart. Also, in Unleash God’s Word in Your Life, I share simple, practical steps to help believers move from wanting to read the Bible to actually living it out each day—no matter how busy life feels.
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
3. Pray About Everything—Big and Small
Putting God first means inviting Him into every area of your life—not just emergencies. Bring your worries, plans, and gratitude to Him in prayer, trusting that He cares deeply about every detail. I pray throughout the whole day. When something comes up, I pray about it right there. Little prayers throughout the day are better than no prayers at all.
“Pray about everything.” (Philippians 4:6)
4. Obey God Even When It’s Hard
Choosing obedience, especially when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular, is a powerful way to honor God. Putting Him first means trusting His ways above your own understanding. This is hard to do, but the more you read scripture and pray, the more you will learn to trust Him and want to obey Him.
“If you love me, obey my commandments.” (John 14:15)
5. Align Your Life With God’s Will
Evaluate how you spend your time, energy, and resources. Ask yourself if your choices reflect a heart surrendered to God. When your priorities align with His will, peace and purpose follow.
“Commit everything you do to the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:3)
THE NEXT STEP
Putting God first isn’t about perfection—it’s about daily surrender. It’s choosing, again and again, to make room for God’s Word, His voice, and His leading in your everyday life.
If you’re longing to move from wanting to spend time in Scripture to actually living it out consistently, my book Unleash God’s Word in Your Life was written for you. Inside, I share simple, practical steps to help you build a daily rhythm of Bible reading, prayer, and obedience—so God’s Word becomes something you don’t just read, but truly live.
Consider this an invitation to go deeper, one day at a time, as you continue learning what it means to put God first in every area of your life.
Click to learn more about this book: Unleash God’s Word In Your Life: Dickess, Cori: 9798868512469: Amazon.com: Books
CONCLUSION
Knowing God has an excellent plan for your life gives you a good reason to put Him first. And it may be a task that is hard for you to do with all the things you have to do. But when you ask the Lord to help you find time to put Him first, He will help you do that. And even if it is just 10 min a day it is better than nothing at all. Think about what or whom you put first before the Lord and pray for that to change so can begin to experience all God has for your life.
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