Motivational Mindset Monday: The Secret to Ultimate Success in One Easy Step!

“You'll never come second by putting God first.” Brian Houston

Click on the pic above to listen to an auditory version of this blog post.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:16-17

The part I wanted to share specifically is this promise! Put God first in all things and all things will be held together.

Sounds easy right? Too easy! But life CAN be easy! Once you surrender and seek after God FIRST and foremost in everything you do. Every conversation you have. In every relationship. In your career and passion projects. You didn't come up with that business idea on your own. It was given to you!

When you were formed in your mother’s womb your life’s purpose was woven into you. Hand stitched by God himself. God created the world with you in mind. You were created to live for this very time and season of life that you are in. Even the hard and difficult times were designed and woven into your life for a purpose. There is a purpose for everything that happens under the sun and moon.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,  a time to search and a time to give up,  a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,  a time to love and a time to hate,  a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything! That should bring comfort and excitement to you to know that there will be an end to your pain, and a time to be wealthy when you were once poor. Just as there is a time for those who are wealthy to experience lack, the healthy to experience illness, and those who are thriving in their businesses to go through a season of drought.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20

God is pleased when you put him first. Not because he is egotistical, but because like your Father, he wants to know you trust him and love him unconditionally. Even during the hard times of life, are you still faithful to Him, or just when things are going your way? That is why we will see the good things in life, along with the bad. To test our devotion, to develop perseverance during difficult seasons, and to learn to love unconditionally. We don’t develop perseverance when things are going our way. Think of someone who is training for a triathlon. You can’t hit the finish line if you only focus on running, or biking. Or even running and swimming. If you don’t condition yourself in all three sports, you will never get close to the finish line. BUT if you allow yourself to train in all areas, then you have a chance.

Just like creating a business. You can have an idea, a business plan, but if you don’t put them into action, you cannot see your business thrive. Take your health. Say you have an issue that isn’t resolved by just changing your diet. It takes medication or medical intervention, rest, proper diet, and the movement of your body to be fully healed from any injury whether it is physical, mental or both.  Take your finances. If you spend every dollar you bring into your household, you will always be looking for more to fill in the gaps between the emergencies that come up, vet visits for your pets. But if you put God first in your finances, then you will find that you will always have enough, and sometimes even more than you need.

“Let me tell you how worthwhile you are. You are infinitely valuable to God. First, God created you. Second, Jesus died for you. Third, he puts his Spirit within you. Fourth, he wants you to be with him forever in eternity. That's how valuable you are to God. You are infinitely valuable to God.” Rick Warren

How do you put God first in your life?

Putting God first in your life is a personal and subjective matter, as it depends on your beliefs and values. However, here are some general ways people express putting God first:

1. Prayer and Meditation: Take time each day to pray or meditate, seeking guidance, strength, and connection with the divine. Start each day with a prayer inviting God into your day praising him for waking you up and for everything you have in your life and end each day to give gratitude for all the day’s events. Daily prayer is an amazing way to invite God into your daily life, which in turns put you putting Him first. Especially if you pray before your day even begins.  

2. Study Religious Texts: Read and reflect on sacred texts, scriptures, or teachings that align with your faith. This can deepen your understanding and provide spiritual insights. Get involved in a bible study whether that be through your church or one online. We are having one here on my channel every week this year! Currently we are working through ‘Strength in the Struggle” by Lauren Bach. I will link that in the description box below if you would like to grab a copy for yourself and join in.

3. Attend Worship Services: Regularly participate in religious services, whether it's attending church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or any other place of worship. I know that being in the house of worship physically is the best way because you build connections with other believers. And it is in the unity of like-minded believers, that your personal connection with God can grow. I know there is a lot of people who have been hurt by the church. All I can say is keep looking. You will find one, even if it is an online group. You will find one that feels right and brings you closer to God. We all need mentors in our life.

4. Live by Moral and Ethical Principles: Integrate your faith into your daily life by following moral and ethical principles derived from your religious beliefs. Simply put, live by the golden rule. That is always a good place to start. Do unto others as you would have them done to you. That comes directly from Matthew 7:12. It doesn’t treat people as they have treated you, but instead to treat them the way you want to be treated. Simply put, if you are having issues with someone, whether it be in person, or online remember one thing. You do not have to prove someone else to be in the wrong. That is not your job. You don’t have to accept just anyone at their word, but you also don’t have to put gasoline on the fire. Your job is to treat others like you want to be treated.

5. Serve Others: Engage in acts of kindness, charity, and service to others as a way of expressing your love for God and contributing to the well-being of your community. How are you sharing God with other people? Our daily actions are our living testimony as to what we believe. If a liar lies, they are known as a liar. If someone bakes a lot they are known as a baker. Be kind, you will be known as someone who is kind.

6. Build a Relationship with God: Foster a personal relationship with God through open communication, gratitude, and trust. Share your thoughts, feelings, and concerns in your prayers. Be open and honest because God already knows your thoughts, feelings, and concerns. He just wants to see if you will come to him and trust him by telling him all those things.

7. Prioritize Spiritual Growth: Make an effort to grow spiritually by seeking knowledge, attending religious classes, or engaging in spiritual discussions. When you make the effort to chase after God, you are making the effort to build a closer connection with Him.

Remember, the way one puts God first may vary among individuals and across different faith traditions. It's a personal journey that involves aligning one's life with their spiritual beliefs and values.

“We need to make sure our activities and our attitudes line up with what pleases God first and foremost. Wherever we focus our attention the most will become the driving force in our lives.” Lysa TerKeurst

Prioritizing spiritual growth is a personal journey that involves intentional actions and practices. Here are some ways to prioritize spiritual growth:

1. Daily Reflection: Set aside time each day for self-reflection, meditation, or prayer. Reflecting on your thoughts, actions, and experiences can promote spiritual awareness. Keep a prayer journal, notes on your phone, or even a video diary.

2. Study Sacred Texts: Engage in the study of religious or spiritual texts that are significant to your faith. This can deepen your understanding and provide guidance for personal growth. This can be done in a Bible study form but dig in deeper than the studies ask of you. Search related scriptures that may clarify any questions that you may have. Do a daily Bible flop. I love doing that. That is simply where you allow your Bible to fall open and read where your eyes fall. I do suggest you pray before you do that and ask God to lead you to whatever scriptures he would ask of you to read.

3. Attend Spiritual Gatherings: Participate in religious services, community events, or spiritual gatherings. Connecting with like-minded individuals can offer support and encouragement.

4. Seek Guidance from Spiritual Leaders: Consult with spiritual leaders, mentors, or counselors for guidance and support on your spiritual journey. They can provide insights and advice based on their experiences.

5. Practice Mindfulness: Incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily routine. Mindfulness can help you stay present, focused, and aware of your spiritual journey.

6. Foster Gratitude: Cultivate a grateful mindset by acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of your life. Gratitude can contribute to a sense of spiritual well-being. You guys know by now that gratitude is my favorite topic! I love gratitude. It has taken me out of the worst funk and turned situations around for me.

7. Serve Others: Engage in acts of kindness and service to others. Contributing to the well-being of others can be a meaningful aspect of spiritual growth.

8. Set Spiritual Goals: Define specific spiritual goals for yourself. Whether it's deepening your understanding of certain teachings or cultivating virtues, having goals can provide direction.

9. Connect with Nature: Spend time in nature to connect with the natural world. Many find a sense of spirituality and awe in the beauty of the environment. I love sitting outside without my phone, or any other distractions and just observing nature. Listen to the wind, rustling the rice fields, birds singing in the background, butterflies or dragonflies dancing around me. It all seems to usher God into my consciousness, I can hear from him clearly when sitting out in nature. Whether I am sitting on the back porch or taking a walk.

10. Practice Compassion: Cultivate compassion and empathy toward others. This involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others, fostering a sense of interconnectedness. No matter what you have going on in your life, someone else is going through worse. When I lost my husband, someone else had lost their child. When I gave birth, someone else had gone through a miscarriage. When I got married, someone else was going through a divorce. Kind of like the seasons we talked about at the beginning of this video.

11. Embrace Challenges as Opportunities: View challenges and hardships as opportunities for spiritual growth. Learn from difficult experiences and use them as catalysts for positive change. Write these down when they happen to you, they will serve as a reminder one day to God’s grace and faithfulness. We just celebrated being in our home for eleven years. Eleven years ago, was a season in my life where God was blessing me and answering my prayers like crazy.

“Keep God first. If you do that, if you just focus on God and keeping Him first, then everything else will just take care of itself. Do everything for Him.” John Salmons

Remember that spiritual growth is a lifelong process, and everyone's journey is unique. It's important to be patient with yourself and allow for personal exploration and discovery along the way.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6: 33-34

If you want to be successful in your life, you need seek God first. Why? Because it is the only guarantee that you will find success. Why do I make that bold of a claim? Because scripture tells us that if we seek first God, his Kingdom, and his righteousness, that all “these things” will be given to us as well. What are “these things”? You must go up to Verse 25 through 32 to decipher that.

 “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Matthew 6: 25-32

So, seek God first in everything and watch how he steps in to show you that he is listening. He listens intently to your very prayers, your whispers to God. I am going to leave you with one last quote, 

“Life is short. Make the most of it. Put God first. Love deeply. Forgive quickly. Laugh a lot. Find and live out your purpose.” Nicky Gumbel

From this point forward, let’s make a pact together. Let’s choose to put God first in our lives, in every little detail. From every thought, to every action let’s commit to going to God first, not our own fleshly desires, or to please other people. When we do put God first, we can’t help but love deeply, forgive quickly, we do indeed laugh a lot and we discover and are able to live out our purpose in this life.