{"id":123,"date":"2025-08-04T21:25:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T21:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/?p=123"},"modified":"2025-08-06T00:11:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T00:11:18","slug":"first-things-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/?p=123","title":{"rendered":"First things First:"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Living a Life That Puts God at the Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Life gets busy. Between work, family, errands, and everything in between, it’s easy to wake up and hit the ground running. Before we know it, the day has slipped through our fingers, and sometimes, so has our time with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if the most powerful shift we could make isn’t in managing our schedule better, but in changing what (or who) we put first<\/strong><\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What It Means to Put God First<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting God first isn’t about adding another task to our already long to-do list. It’s about reordering our hearts. It’s saying, “Lord, before anything else- before I scroll, respond, or rush- I choose You.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s an invitation, not just religion. It’s making space to hear His voice, sense His peace, and align our steps with HIs will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here’s the truth: when we give God the first<\/em>, He blesses the rest<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God isn’t asking us to seek Him first because He needs<\/em> it. He asks us because we<\/em> do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need His wisdom before we respond to that text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need His peace before we enter the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We need His strength before we parent, serve, love, or lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we put Him first, we’re reminded that we’re not doing life alone. The God who spoke the world into existence is walking with us, and He’s faithful in every season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh every morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple Ways to Put God First (Even When You’re Busy<\/strong>!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Start the Morning with Him<\/strong>. Even five minutes of quiet with a cup of coffee, your Bible, and a whispered prayer can reset your whole day. Read a Psalm. Thank Him for who He is. Invite Him into your day.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Talk to Him Throughout the day.<\/strong> Prayer doesn’t have to be long or formal. It can be, “Lord, give me patience,” in the carpool line or, “Lord, help me love well,” before a hard conversation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Fill Your Environment with Truth<\/strong>. Play worship music while you clean. Put Scripture on your phone lock screen. Keep a devotional in your purse or bag. These little reminders shift our focus upward.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Let His Word Guide Your Choices.<\/strong> Ask before acting, “Does this align with what God wants for me?” When His Word becomes your compass, clarity and peace follow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Practice Sabbath Moments.<\/strong> Even if you can’t take a whole day off, create pockets of rest: moments to breathe, be still, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10<\/em><\/strong>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The Beauty of Relationship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    God desires relationship, not just routine. He isn’t watching the clock to see how much time you give Him; He’s looking at your heart. The more time you spend with Him, the more you’ll hear His voice, sense His direction, and trust His timing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You’ll begin to see the fruit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Peace<\/strong> in the chaos.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Clarity<\/strong> in confusion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Confidence<\/strong> in your calling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      When we draw near to Him, He draws near to us (James 4:8<\/em><\/strong>). And the more we understand His heart, the more we want to walk in step with His will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Encouragement for the Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Friend, you are not alone in the busyness of life. God sees every unseen effort, every whispered prayer, every moment you choose Him even when it’s hard. His love for you isn’t based on performance, but on His unchanging faithfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And when you put Him first, we live in the strength of that truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Let today be a fresh start- not to do more<\/em>, but to rest more<\/em> in Him<\/strong>. He’s already gone before you. He’s with you now. And He’ll be faithful in every step ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek HIs will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Living a Life That Puts God at the Center “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33 Life gets busy. Between work, family, errands, and everything in between, it’s easy to wake up and hit the ground running. Before we know it, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138,"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions\/138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reflections-from-a-salty-girl-104ae30.ingress-baronn.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}