Putting God First in Your Priorities

Putting God First in Your Priorities

There are so many things that clamor for our attention and devotion: our jobs, our kids, our spouses, our hobbies—the demands and distractions of life. And we have to be careful not to let them become more important or more of a priority than our relationship with God.

The first of the Ten Commandments states we will have no other gods before Him (see Exodus 20:3). And Deuteronomy 5:8-9 (NLT) says, You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

Yet how many of the things that occupy our time, money, thoughts and attention have taken the place where God is supposed to be?

Distractions from Truth

Anything can become a god to us—anything we worship or put an excessive amount of time into. Even your feelings can become a god if you allow them to control you. We need to ask ourselves, Am I bowing down to God and His Word or to my feelings?

Another challenge we have to confront is living in a world full of humanism and people not wanting God and His Truth to interfere with their lives and routines. It seems we have an epidemic of selfishness in our world today, and this creates all kinds of unhealthy situations.

For example, when people refuse to honor God and follow His wisdom in their decisions, it causes them to become bogged down with worry, resentment and bitterness. Eventually it shows up as sickness and disease in their bodies. And in our culture, this behavior causes a decline in our moral standards and attitudes.

But the good news is, we don’t have to settle for this way of living. In Christ, we can enjoy our lives—abundantly! (See John 10:10)

How to Establish the Habit of Living for God

The key to having God’s “abundant life”—His love, peace and joy—is keeping Him in His rightful place in our priorities. God said to Abraham, Walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete) (Genesis 17:1). 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 regular, consistent time spent in His Word.

I love the Word of God! It is amazing. It contains wisdom, encouragement, comfort and inspiration for every conceivable human problem or dilemma. His Word brings peace and stability to our spirits, and it will renew our minds (see Romans 12:2). Get excited about getting into the Bible!

Benefits of Keeping God First

Make it your goal to have a deep, intimate relationship with God. Let Him into every area of your life. If you constantly look to other people for answers and validation, pray about this and ask the Lord to help you stop doing that and instead look to Him. (See 1 Thessalonians 2:4) As we live to please God, He promises to bless our lives and make us prosper.

When you decide to serve God with your whole heart and make Him first in your life, your soul will prosper and your joy and peace will increase. Remember to lean on Him more than anything else, and tell Him, “God, I want to do this, but I can’t do it without You.” He doesn’t expect you to live for Him in your own strength or ability, and He understands when you make mistakes.

So if you mess up, don’t be discouraged and let it hold you back; confess it and keep going. God will give you grace to do what you need to do. One day at a time, you and God together can do anything

© Joyce Meyer

The Bible Motivator: A New Small Beginning

The Bible Motivator: A New Small Beginning: Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. Job 8.7 All great things start from small beginnings ...

The Bible Motivator: Stay Still

The Bible Motivator: Stay Still

A Worry List

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.

—Phil 4.6

 “What you have made a matter of prayer should cease to be a matter of care”

—Anne Cetas

Worry, as defined, is the state of being anxious or troubled over actual or perceived/potential problems. And many of us are guilty of this.

It is natural to worry when your faith is under trial due to some life's challenges you confront. But for you, here is God’s instruction on the subject;

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.”  - Phil 4.6

Years ago, in an article in the Denver Seminary magazine Focal Point, Paul

Borden gave some helpful suggestions for worriers:

Start a worry list. Write down what you’re worried about. The bills. Your job.

Your children or grandchildren. Your health. The future.

Turn your worry list into a prayer list. Ask the Lord to work in those situations you’re concerned about. Pray specifically for your needs and depend on Him.

Turn your prayer list into an action list. If you have any insight that there’s something you can do about your cares, do it. As we turn our worries into prayer and action, Borden says, “Paralyzing anxiety can be replaced by concern for the responsibilities of life.”

Why not start your list right now? Remember, “What you have made a matter of prayer should cease to be a matter of care.”

Shalom.

James Adekoje

For The Bible Motivator

Source inspiration: © Our Daily Bread.

A Matter Of Love (Reloaded)

Each year on February 14th, many people exchange cards, gifts or flowers with their special “Val.” The day of love we call Valentine's Day dates back to the 3^rd century when St. Valentine, who later became a Christian martyr, pioneered a Love-initiative in his parting letter to Julia, a fellow prisoner. That now redefines the essence of unconditional love (Agape) our Lord Jesus Christ re-established in redemption.

Similarly, Paul –an apostle of Jesus Christ, around 55 AD wrote a Love-letter to the Corinthian Church, explicitly describing the personality of this Sweetheart called LOVE.

Here is “Thebiblemotivator” inspirational version of Bro Paul’s  love letter (1 Corinthians 13) for 21st century Christians. It reads thus:

1Corinthians 13

1. Though I can speak five languages and talk intelligently on dozens of subjects, if I don’t have enough love to keep from gossiping or putting down others, I’m not just making so much useless noise, I’m being downright destructive.

2. And though I read the Bible regularly and even know parts of it by heart, and though I pray daily and have a lot of faith and other spiritual gifts, if I don’t have enough love to sometimes sacrifice some of my personal desires for others’ sakes, then all of my “spirituality” amounts to nothing.

3. And though I work two jobs to provide for my family, and though I give to charity and volunteer for every community project that comes up, if I don’t show love and kindness to those I live and work with, all my hard work and self-sacrifice are worthless.

4. Love has a long, hard, frustrating day at the office, yet doesn’t get snappy and short-tempered. Love is happy for the other guy when he gets all the breaks. Love doesn’t have to drive the flashiest car, live in the biggest house, or have all the latest gadgets.  Love doesn’t always have to be the boss or have the last word.

5. Love isn’t rude or crude, isn’t selfish, and doesn’t gripe, guilt-trip, or pressure others to get what it wants. Love is too busy being concerned about the needs of others to spend much time worrying about its own. Love doesn’t freak out when things don’t go its way.  Love is quick to believe the best about people and slow to believe the rest.

6. Love hates to hear gossip and instead wants only to talk about others’ good qualities and the good that they’ve done. Love knows that what it listens to, watches, or reads will affect its attitudes and actions and thereby have an effect on others, so it’s careful about how it spends its time.

7. Love is flexible, takes everything in stride, and can handle whatever comes its way.  Love is always ready to give others the benefit of the doubt and looks for the best in them. Love wants to see others reach their full potential and does all it can to make that happen. Love never runs out of patience, even with those who are slow to get with the program or do their share. Love doesn’t keep looking at its watch when others are talking.

8. Love never fails. I fail others, and others can fail me.  We all can be mistaken, misguided, or confused at times. Our words and deeds often fall short, and our bright ideas don’t always play out the way we want or expect them to.

9. We’re frail, fallible, and often foolish, and our understanding of the world we live in, not to mention the world to come, is only partial at best.

10. But when God’s Spirit of love lives in us, that changes everything.

11. We’re really just children when it comes to practicing real love, but God can help us outgrow our childish ways

12. Without Him we’re clueless when it comes to love and the other things that matter most in life, but when we live in His kingdom—the kingdom of Heaven that Jesus said is even now within us—we can see things as He does, get our priorities straight, pull out the stops, and live and love to the full.

13. There are lots of nice things in life and lots of good things, but none are as good or as important as love!

Take grace for Agape love. Happy Valentine

Thank you

 James Adekoje

For The Bible Motivator

TWELVE THINGS TO REMEMBER By Marshall Field

TWELVE THINGS TO REMEMBER By Marshall Field

“We can do nothing against the truth but for the truth” – 2Cor 13.8

A long time ago, I read a fascinating biography of a legendary Baptist Pastor whose pioneering exploits cannot be overemphasized. According to his biographer, “12 Things to remember by Marshall Field as quoted in Elbert Hubbard’s Scrap Book (pg 78) was his cardinal life principles.

Here is the evergreen “Twelve Things to Remember” by Marshall Field

1. The value of time

2. The success of perseverance

3. The pleasure of working

4. The dignity of simplicity

5. The worth of character

6. The power of kindness

7. The influence of example

8. The obligation of duty

9. The wisdom of economy

10. The virtue of patience

11. The improvement of talent

12. The joy of originating.

I encourage you to internalize these wisdom nuggets. See you at the top!

James Adekoje

For the Bible Motivator

The Trigger of Peace

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!  - Isaiah 26.2-4(TLB)

 “The most important lesson that I have learnt is to trust God in every circumstance. …God is always in control and He will never leave us.”

- Allyson Felix, American Olympic Gold Medalist

The International Day of Peace, sometimes referred to as World Peace Day is observed around the world annually on 21 September, a courageous initiative by the United Nations in its pursuit of global peace. And recently this was celebrated amidst apparently unabated waves of universal socio-economic unrest. 

In our quest for real inner peace, unreserved trust in God has been identified as the trigger of peace in this tumultuous world. Jesus, with an eye of the future once declared, “I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." (John 16:33).

Joyce Meyer, the great Bible teacher, in the following article reveals how to pull the trigger:

Peace is one of the most precious gifts God has promised His children. I know, because for many years my life was not peaceful, and I was miserable. So, to now have this peace and live in God's rest is a treasure to me. And it is a gift that He wants all of us to have.

But to attain this peace and rest, I had to learn to be patient while God was working in my life. It definitely didn't just happen overnight. I had to learn to trust God while His peace was being cultivated in me. And I think we all have to learn this very important lesson.

I believe that a trusting attitude and a patient attitude go hand in hand. You see, when you let go and learn to trust God, it releases joy in your life. And when you trust God, you're able to be more patient. Patience is not just about waiting for something…it's about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting.

The key to it all is humility. Humility may well be one of the most difficult of the fruit of the Spirit to be cultivated in us – and to maintain. That's because without humility, it's not likely that you will put your complete trust in God. I have learned from personal experience that putting trust in God means there will be some unanswered questions. That was a hard lesson for me because I naturally want to understand everything,   …to know what’s going on so I can feel like I'm in control. It’s just human nature to try and figure things out. 

So, when we're in the midst of a situation, we usually try to reason our way through it. We generally want to know "Why, God, why?" or "When, God, when?" We want to know the outcome now. Our pride just has a hard time with not knowing. Because to not know means to not be in control, and that's hard on the flesh! But humility submits to what God is doing. This is where we must make a decision. Where Will You Put Your Trust?

Deciding to trust God releases us from feeling like we have to have all the answers. And Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us exactly where to put our trust. I don't know if it can be much clearer than that,   …We are just not smart enough to run our own lives…but God is!

Here's something else I've discovered: God won’t give us the ability to solve our own problems. He's got that covered. But He does give us the capacity to help someone else solve theirs. So, while we are putting our trust in Him to work in our situation, the best thing we can do is focus on being a blessing to others.

As I mentioned earlier, another essential part of trusting God is having patience. It is very important to realize this, because even when a decision is made to trust God, it doesn't mean that things will just fall into place right away. We may have to wait – and wait longer than we think we should have to – on some things. It’s important to understand that while we're waiting, having a negative, impatient attitude will not make God hurry. 

Remember, the Children of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness on what could have been an 11-day journey, mainly because of their attitude! When things were not going like they wanted, they began to murmur and complain and ultimately, they sinned against God, simply because they got impatient and stopped trusting Him. A good question to ask yourself is, Will I keep God's commands when I'm not getting what I want?  Will you continue to put your trust in Him? Will you exercise patience while you wait on Him to work things out for you?

I encourage you to do like the Word of God says in Psalm 5:11; 7:1; 9:10; 11:1; 16:1; 20:7, 55:22, and 56:3, just to name a few. The idea here is to plan to put your trust in God.  …to trust yourself and everything in your life to Him. That way, you will free yourself to focus on loving and being a blessing to others, while you are confident that God is working on your behalf.

Remember, God is always in control. So, humble yourself…trust Him…and be patient. You will not be disappointed. Shalom!

Source: Joyce Meyer, Bible teacher and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries. 

Back To Bethel

“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.”

 - Isaiah 30:15 (KJV)

  “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”

- Nelson Mandela, South African Statesman

 Christianity as a way of life is a walk with God. It’s a long journey of ever increasing conformity to the image of Christ. And every day in this spiritual marathon, we are directed to fix our gaze on Jesus in order to keep in step with God.

 Jacob was one of the great Patriarchs of the Old Testament and his life as a study in this context can never fail to inspire insight. Remember, the Bible strongly advises God’s people “not to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”¹ A time came when Jacob had a very profound encounter with God at Bethel. Being a defining moment, he vowed to treasure the experience all his life, which also prompted God to promise never to give up on him.² Figuratively, Bethel is a type of your salvation experience, your first love for God, your covenant encounters with God, your discovered purpose and divine assignment, etc.

 Because life presents some unavoidable distractions which could inflict deviation, it has been part of God’s benevolence to always point a way of return and restoration to our initial devotion to Him.  As once remarked by a much respected American football Coach, “When a football team is failing, an experience Coach takes them back to the basics.” It’s the same idea God had in mind when he says in Isaiah 30:15, “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.”  Also God said to a body of believers in scripture; “remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works.”³

The message in this short piece is clear; Return! God told Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee…”⁴ Thus, back to bethel could mean revisiting those things that matter to your life and your walk with God. This is because, no matter how far one has gone on a wrong path, the way-out still remains humility and repentance. Interestingly, Aviation has a zone called the point of no return once an aircraft is considerably deep in flight and turning back is physically impossible or prohibitively expensive and dangerous. But with God, this does not necessarily exist. It is never too late to return and do the right thing. The biblical prodigal son’s destiny was on the brink of extinction. Yet in returning to the Father, he had a brand new beginning.⁵ There is hope for you too!

 The truth is, every sincere step you take towards God, He takes several of such steps back towards you. “Come close to God, and He will come close to you” says the Bible.⁶ Bro Paul said it best when he said, “let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.”⁷ So, let’s take a full advantage of this.

 In the words of Nelson Mandela, that South African statesman; “There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” The Bible records the following concerning Abraham: “And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the Lord”⁸

 It’s time to go back to the drawing board. Shalom!

 Thank you.

 James Adekoje

For The Bible Motivator

1 Heb 6.12 (NIV) 2 Gen 28.16-22 3 Rev 2.3-4 4 Gen 35.1 5 Luke 15.17-20 6 James 4.8 7 Heb 4.16 (TLB) 8 Gen 13:3-4.