When you look for the word first in the bible you find this teaching you go first to God with
your problems we don't take our problems first to the bar we don't numb our fears with narcotics we
don't deny the existence of our struggles no we take our problems first to Christ he said
seek first the kingdom and his righteousness and look all these things will be given to you as well
would you like some advice to take into this year that will save you from a month of heartaches
go first to God with your problems the moment a problem surfaces is the moment you take
that problem to God don't take it out on your friends don't take it out on your family don't
try to solve it yourself you take that problem first to God seek first the kingdom and see if
all these things aren't given to you as well take it to him first you see when God's people
put God first blessings begin to flow I want to challenge you to let this be the year you put
God first keep first things first he promises and then everything else will fall into place
Actively seek God's direction in other words God's strategies are better than ours the prophet Isaiah
said his ways are higher than my ways his thoughts are higher than my thoughts God's strategies are
always better so I've got to seek him I've got to ask him for direction and how do I do that I do
that through prayer why because we don't want our plans to prevail we want God's plans to prevail
we want God's wisdom in our life that's why we seek him that's why I get up in the morning
and pray and talk to God what I need God's direction I can't live life on my own impulses
my own strategies my own gut instinct no I need the spirit of God giving me wisdom and that's
something that can only come to pass through prayer but here's what I've noticed many of us
in the body of Christ churches and Christians we go to God with an already made up mind
like we know what we're going to do and then we're just asking God to bless it but God's saying I
wasn't in it to begin with and you're asking me to bless something that I didn't ordain in your life
I didn't want you to make that choice you made that choice and I believe God wants to help you
no matter what the situation is but God's not here just to give to you he wants to guide you
not just give you things he wants to guide you in Psalm 32 it says I will guide you along the
best pathway for your life how many of you are thankful that God has a best pathway
for your life but we have to seek his direction well Josh I don't know I don't know how this all
gonna work out why don't you just read Proverbs chapter three verse five and six it says trust
God from the bottom of your heart and don't try to figure out everything on your own listen for
God's voice in everything you do and everywhere you go he's the one who will keep you on track
God will keep you on track don't plan first and then when you're out in the middle of doing what
you want to do pray for God to make it work no first we pray about everything
acknowledging God in all of our ways and he will direct our path but there are times in our lives
where our actions aren't necessarily in obedience to what God's told us to do why because we want
to do something else or what God's asking us to do doesn't feel good or what God's asking us to
do doesn't align with our plans our actions are inconsistent with what we say that we believe
so what do we have to do we got to get the right habits habits are powerful they create our future
The habits that we live with and our actions that we do every day create the future that we're going
to experience today I would dare say that many of us are sitting in the middle of a life that
we've created by our own habits by our own actions and when we're experiencing difficulty in life and
when we're tired of it it's then we got to say you know what I can't keep doing this thing anymore
it's bringing pain into my life and it's not working out so what habits does God want to
help you drop this year what habits does he want to help to establish on the inside of you you see
for some of you I believe that God wants to help you establish a habit of prayer a habit of prayer
in your life where you start seeking God in the morning in a fresh way you start knowing God's
will for your life some of you he just wants you to be faithful to come to his house more
make church a priority in your life and I know the kids sports are important I know that things come
up and I'm not saying that all that stuff is bad but if you don't make parents if you don't make
church a priority in your kid's life don't to be surprised that when they move out of the house
it's not a priority to them it takes faithful consistency in our actions to get breakthrough
I believe breakthrough people do consistently what other people just do occasionally
Most Christians I know who grow cold in their faith or who who grow unproductive or unfruitful
or unhappy in their lives do not do so out of a moment of rebellion but do so as a result of
minute by minute or day by day just drifting off course the book of Hebrews the writer of the book
of Hebrews says we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away from it
let the discipline of the first fruits recalibrate you every day every week so you can stay
focused and you can stay on target now one of the saddest scriptures in the bible
is Jeremiah 2:32 says my people have forgotten me days without number but I love the
net translation of Jeremiah 2:32 does a young woman forget to put on her jewels
have you ever forgot your cell phone and went back home to get it
says will a bride forget to put on her wedding dress but my people have forgotten me for more
days than can even be counted we'll go back home if we forget our cell phone but has anybody
here ever forgotten to pray and thought oh I'm going back home to pray before I start this day
I'm suggesting that you no longer try to work God into your schedule but you work your schedule
around God he would like to guide you and lead you through life and literally let me say it
again be involved in everything you do in every decision you make God wants to be part of it
Be patient be patient and wait don't give up don't give in James one says consider it a sheer gift
when tests and challenges come at you from all sides you know that under pressure your faith
life is forced out into the open and it shows its true colors in other words you really in it
or not it says don't try to get out of anything prematurely let it do it its work so you become
mature and well developed not deficient in any way one translation says that you'll not lack anything
if I don't give up on God then I know on the other side of my faithful obedience and patience
then I'm going to be I'm going to be stronger than I've ever been I'm going to be more mature
than I've ever been my marriage is going to be better than it's ever been I'm going to not be
lacking anything that I need in my life if I don't throw in the towel and give up when times get hard
I'm going to trust God and God's going to bring a breakthrough you know how you're going to get
through the attack you're facing friends you know how you're going to get through the trials and
the tribulation that you feel like you're facing today you're only going to be able to get through
it with God's help many years ago God finally got this through to me and he simply said this
you cannot do this and by this he meant life ministry whatever your this is
we're talking about you're this rather you're this is raising four kids
whether you're this as being a single parent you cannot do this unless you put God first
in your life that means I can't do without him how do you keep going when times are tough
it's because you believe that your breakthrough's right around the corner
my breakthrough is on the way I may not have it yet but I'm closer today than I was
yesterday