by Rebekah Harvey
In a recent Bible study Pastor Jana shared a profound statement she said, “if you don’t have your priorities set, the enemy will set them for you”. I don’t think that any sane person would want their enemy setting their priorities in life. Can you imagine that, allowing someone that doesn’t like you and certainly doesn’t have your best interest in mind setting your life priorities?

As I was thinking about this, I did a quick internet search on setting priorities and most of them that came up are all self focused, which we do need to spend time evaluating and caring for ourselves. The key that is not included is spending time in reading God’s Word, investing in your spiritual growth and development. Psalms 63:1-3 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

We can make this Psalm a prayer over our lives, we can ask the Lord to give us a thirst for God, and His Word. I encourage you to give God the first minute of your day when you wake up, simply tell Him good morning and that you love Him and ask Him to give you His desires, to make you hungry and thirsty for things He wants in your life. Give Him permission to change your priorities if needed.

The Bible teaches us that we need to give the Lord first priority in our lives. In Deuteronomy 6:5 it says, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 10:12 says that we are required to do these things, “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” This means that God is first place in our lives, He is our priority.

Sometimes in life our priorities get out of whack and we have to reevaluate them, you may need to make an adjustment in your spiritual life, don’t be condemned if you need this, be thankful that the Lord is drawing you back to Him, put Him first, be in communication with Him and shut the door to the enemy by putting God first. Lamentations 3:40-41”Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD; Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.”