Actively Still: A God First Picture

Week 3

       Previously, we talked about the importance of having a God-first mentality, but what does that really look like? There is a great difference between knowing something and living it out. I think a big problem that rests within the church is this one: we know too much. I don’t mean that our minds are filled to the brim with wisdom from God’s Word, I mean we THINK we know ENOUGH. What good does it do if we know a thief just stole someone’s wallet yet do nothing about it? It’s great to know everything the Bible has to say, but so does Satan. The difference lies in what is chosen to be done with that knowledge. So, I’ve compiled a few ways on how to implement a God-first mentality in our everyday lives.

1. Get on that Praying Status

  I know this sounds extremely basic, but we cannot underestimate the tremendous POWER of prayer. If we aren’t dying from a terrible disease or dying for that new house, praying can seem kind of pointless in our everyday lives. We live in world of immediate satisfaction and prayer leaves little room for that. It isn’t strange to feel this way at all, our very own culture teaches us that immediacy means efficiency; thus, praying is seen as a last resort when we want things to get done. We need to be countercultural in the way we live, and by praying each morning we start our days this way. By praying daily, we prepare our hearts and minds for renewal. You may feel that there isn’t anything worth talking to Him about, but the fact that you woke up this morning is something to thank God for. You don’t have to recite the Lord’s Prayer word for word, just take time out of your mornings to talk to Him.

2. Open the Bible and Read

  “Ariana, I already KNOW I should read the Bible. This isn’t anything new!” Well, are you reading it every day? Trust I struggle with this one…nearly every day. The key to living out a God-first mentality is to put God FIRST. Jesus tells us to hide the Word in our hearts, and by reading more of the Bible we get to know more about God. Is it not easier to love someone the more you get to know them? As we reveal more about our Savior, the easier it is to fall in love with Him. By reading the Bible every day, although it may feel like a chore during the first days…or weeks… we give priority to God, rather than the TV or Facebook.

3. Ask “What Would Jesus Do?”

  Yes, we’re taking it back to the ‘90s because they knew where it was at. This sounds extremely cheesy, but it couldn’t be a better way to live out a God-first mentality. Ask yourself daily, “What would Jesus do?” By responding to life’s decisions with this question, we remove ourselves from the equation and replace us with God. The whole goal of our existence is bring glory to God, and what better way to do that than to strive to live like Him. Sometimes we come across things in our lives that we honestly don’t know what Jesus would do. Asking this question doesn’t help much if you don’t know anything about Christ. Reading the Bible is an incredible way to see what He did on the earth and use that as guidance into His character. It is in these moments that we stop and ask God, “What would you do?”

4. CHOOSE

  These are NOT steps to a happy Christian life. Anyone can pray, read the Bible and try to think about what Jesus would do in their situation, but if their HEART is not in the right place, living a God-first mentality is null and void. There is a difference between a ritualistic religious lifestyle and living God-first. You can’t pray, read and ask each day to simply check things off your Christian To-Do List. Praying each day can get tiring. Reading each day can get annoying. Asking what would Jesus do with your decisions can get frustrating. But love is more than the emotions we feel, love is a CHOICE. When we choose to love God first; through the exhaustion, irritation and frustration, we begin to live a God-first life.

       You may be wondering where the Actively Still title is going to come into play, but be patient. As the conclusion of this series nears in the upcoming weeks, I pray you’ll be able to see where this idea of being Actively Still works into every post. As for now, we will continue next week talking about our character and how important it is when we seek out romantic relationships.

Until Next Week,

Ariana