I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed with the number of events and responsibilities I have committed myself to.
Can you relate?
It was time to step back and prayerfully consider my priorities.
Truth be told, it was time to allow God to reveal HIS priorities for me.
As I analyzed my obligations, the Lord spoke to my spirit. “Daughter, you are involved in many ‘good’ things—but I want you to do what is ‘best.’”
Sometimes even good things are not what we are supposed to be doing if it isn’t God’s best.
There are several reasons our priorities become compromised. Life has a way of providing situations, circumstances, and relationships that test what’s truly most important to us. If we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves involved in things that do not reflect what our real priorities are.
Because life is ever-changing, we are faced with a test of our priorities on a regular basis. The trouble is, many times we don’t even realize it. We carry on, dealing with situations as they come, that is until suddenly we realize we are stressed and out of balance.
So, are you feeling stressed? Does life seem out of balance? If you answered yes, it’s time to check your priorities. How? There’s a simple test coming up soon.
God gave a blueprint for our priorities and He kept it really simple.
We should love Him above all else, seeking His kingdom first and all of the other things in life fall into place.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
Listen, I’m still a work in progress. I don’t claim to have my life in perfect balance. But I have learned a few things that have brought me some peace and a better balance of priorities. I’m currently taking a step back to re-evaluate with the Lord’s guidance. This might include posting less often here for a while.
Could you use some more balance and more peace in your life?
To get our lives and priorities in balance, we must first look at where we are spending our time. This shouldn’t be a one-time event. I have gotten in the habit of reevaluating my life priorities on a yearly basis. If something of significance, like a major change, such as an illness occurs, I may re-evaluate sooner (as mentioned above). The way we live our day-to-day lives tell us about our priorities.
The Priorities Test
- What do you think about the most?
- Where does your money go first?
- How do you spend your time?
- Ask someone close to you to answer honestly what they see as your top five priorities.
Once you’ve answered the three questions and gotten the list back from your family member/friend, it’s time to evaluate.
If things are not in proper balance, the first place to start is prayer.
Ask God to help you get your priorities right. Ask Him to reveal HIS ‘best’ for you.
Most of us realize that God should be our top priority, however seeking God first can be easier said than done. The good news is, God wants to help. He knows our weaknesses and things that distract us, even ‘good’ things.
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “…My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
The key to having this rich and satisfying life is to keep God in His rightful place in our priorities.
God said to Abraham, “Walk and live habitually before Me . . .” (Genesis 17:1 AMP).
Notice that God instructed Abraham to be habitual in walking with Him and living for Him. We can do this by establishing daily habits of prayer, worship and time in the Word.
Here’s the hitch:
God doesn’t just want to be at the top of our to-do list.
He wants to be the center of everything in our lives. This is why He said we must love Him with all that we are.
When we decide to make God our first priority, the by-product is what Jesus promised to give us, “a rich and satisfying life.” Of course, it won’t be perfect or without troubles.
A life lived on purpose for God’s purpose is one of fulfillment and balance.
I’d love to hear your comments and/or prayer requests in the comments below.
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Beckie — wonderful timing and outstanding post. As we talked today, we are both overwhelmed, but it’s all good.
My post tomorrow discusses priorities too.
I just wish mine was as good as yours – lol.
Keep up the fantastic ministry.
Del
Excellent post. We need to remind ourselves of what we are doing and see if it lines up with what God wants us to be doing. Loved it. Thank you.
Ann, yes and amen! The Lord is so patient with us, isn’t He?
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I’m so pleased it resonated with you.
Blessings to you and yours<3
Enjoyed Ms. Beckie. Isn’t it funny how our priorities get changed with each day. Like you, am trying to learn the let God determine my priorities. Now if I can only learn to let go of the reins more.
Oh, I hear ya, J.D.! Glad you found this post helpful.
Thanks and God bless.
“God doesn’t just want to be at the top of our to-do list.
He wants to be the center of everything in our lives.”
I love this truth, Beckie. Such a great reminder. Thank you! Love and blessings to you!
Trudy, It’s a reminder for me, too! I’m a “doer.” So, I can get caught in that trap easily. Glad you found the post helpful.
Blessings!
Thanks Beckie! I can always tell when I have too much on my plate when I feel stressed by it all. I then have to ask God what needs to come off my schedule. Your post is a good reminder that we have to walk with God not ahead of Him. You are right, He needs to be the center of our life not the top of the list. Love that!
Someone already mentioned it above, but this was definitely my favorite line: “God doesn’t just want to be at the top of our to-do list. He wants to be the center of everything in our lives.” That’s such an important given in our walk with God, but yet, it’s so hard for me to keep that in mind every day when the busy-ness of life gets in the way. Thank you for reminding me that what seems “good” may not be God’s best for that moment or phase of my life.