First things first
What are you seeking first?
When I wake up I tend to grab my phone and immediately browse through news notifications, emails and social media. This may not seem like a big deal, but I instantly felt this anxiety that came with the burden of what the day could bring. This was my daily routine for months on end. It wasn't until God brought it to my attention that I was anxious because the first few pieces of information I fed my brain in the morning were negative or worldly. I wasn't seeking Him and His kingdom first. I decided that I wanted that to change and I began to take the first part of my morning to thank God for the day ahead of me and pray. I even started to open the bible app to complete daily plans and added in worship time to follow.
It was amazing how much peace I felt throughout the day from simply changing what I sought after first thing in the morning. Once this became a habit, I wondered what it would be like if I always made God a priority, seeking Him first in every situation.
I had to ask myself, where is the first place I go for answers or remedy when I'm tired, fearful, stressed out and worried. The hard truth was I never went to God first. I would try to figure things out on my own using my limited scope of knowledge. I decided to apply the same principle from my morning routine to my entire life and suddenly Matthew 6:33 made so much more sense.
Matthew 6:25-33 → “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
SEEK GOD FIRST AND YOU WILL HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED —
As a business owner it's so easy to fear lack and loss. Entrepreneurship can be a rollercoaster financially. I have struggled in some seasons and triumphed in other seasons, but one common thing remained the same. Whatever I focused on and gave more attention to is what manifested in my life. If I focused on lack, I felt worry and fear. If I focused on God, I felt peace. If I spent my day seeking God, I found answers and provision. But when I spent my days seeking worldly things, I found myself coming up empty. It's like Peter walking on water, as long as he focused on Jesus he didn't sink, but as soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink. So, this week take inventory and ask yourself these questions to re-prioritize who and what you are seeking daily. Seeking God first will change everything.
When I have an issue where do I go for help first?
In my daily pursuits, what have I placed as my first priority?
Is God's kingdom my first priority in everything that I do?
