Summary:

Most Christians profess God as the top priority in their lives, but how they schedule their lives often contradicts their claims. In these last days, believers must take authority over
their flesh and make God and increasing His kingdom the top priority in
their lives in order to see their dreams made manifest.


  1. Setting priorities and putting first things first will either make you or break you (Proverbs 24:27).
    1. Priority is “that which is of first importance; those things in which higher value is placed.”
    2. Your schedule reflects your priorities. Make sure your schedule is indicative of your profession that God is first in your life.

  2. During times of fasting and prayer, the ultimate aim is to replace the dictates of the flesh with the things of the Spirit.
    1. Don’t allow your flesh to control you; when you put your flesh under submission to your spirit, you put sin and selfishness under as well.
    2. Make sure your fasting is sincere and not just for show.
    3. If you are not praying and spending time in fellowship with God during a fast, you are simply on a “hunger strike” and will not receive anything
      from the Lord.
    4. When fasting, cut out external, worldly distractions such as the “6 o’clock news.” Instead, replace them with increased church attendance, prayer and Bible study time to aid your
      hearing clearly from God.
    5. Don’t give in to the flesh by being moody; take the opportunity to develop in love.

  3. Merely imitating the behavior of other Christians can get you off course and cause you to miss your destiny in God.
    1. You have to know what God is leading you to do.
    2. Everything is permissible for you, but not all things are profitable (1 Corinthians 6:12, AMP).
      1. Example: Spending beyond your means is lawful, but God wants you to be debt free.

    1. When one of Jesus’ disciples wanted to go bury his father, Jesus replied, “…let the dead bury their dead” (Matthew 8:18-22).
      1. Jesus was trying to get this man to see things from a heavenly viewpoint so that he wouldn’t get off course.
    2. If you don’t get your priorities straight, then you’ll allow circumstances and other people to set your priorities for you.
    3. Your relationship with your spouse and children should not take precedent over your relationship with God (1 Corinthians 7:35, AMP).
      1. Rearrange your schedule so that you spend quality time with your family while maintaining your fellowship with God as top priority.


  4. When following after your destiny in Christ, you must guard yourself against even noble distractions.
  5. You will not be able to secure your undistracted devotion to the Lord without changing the way you think (1 Corinthians 7:35, AMP).
    1. Distractions are “intrusions of the mind to bring confusion.”
    2. When distractions come, continue seeing things through the eyes of faith instead of what lies before you—or they will ultimately get you off
      course.
      1. Jesus told Jairus to keep seeing his daughter healed through the eye of faith instead of allowing distractions to get him off course (Mark 5:35-36,
        39).
    3. When you walk in the Spirit, you see things from God’s point of view; when you walk in the flesh, you see things from man’s perspective, which
      provides several avenues for distraction.
    4. The fleshy person believes what he sees; a believer sees what he believes.

  6. The person who sees things from a godly perspective will win in life.
    1. As long as you allow your flesh to control you, spiritual things can never take their rightful place as priority in your life.
      1. Example: Being tired should have nothing to do with your getting up in the morning to pray.
      2. You can’t say God is first in your life when you continue to yield to your flesh.
    2. You must make walking in the Spirit and doing God’s Word the highest priority in your life.
    3. The day you make the Word second place in your life will be the day you find yourself in the flesh, wondering why the Spirit isn’t working for
      you.

  7. God is before all things and holds everything in your life and this world together (Colossians 1:16-17, AMP).
    1. It is an act of perversion for you to put a created thing before the Creator.
    2. Anything or anyone who occupies first place in your heart—including your career, family or marriage—is idolatry; guard yourself from letting that happen
      (1 John 5:21, AMP).
    3. God can’t do the things He wants to do for you when your job, sports or anything else is a higher priority than He is in your life.
    4. Don’t allow a principle such as giving to take precedent over your relationship with God, or your giving won’t work.
    5. You must be willing to disregard your personal interests to give to God (2 Corinthians 8:5).
    6. God is demanding ultimate loyalty from you, so you can’t keep making excuses for not serving Him (Luke 14:25-26).
    7. When God is first in your life, you don’t have to fear what man will do to you.
    8. Self-preservation mode is an indicator of fear and selfishness.
    9. God must be in first place if He is to lead and guide you.
    10. You must put your confidence in God first (Ephesians 1:12, AMP).
    11. When God sees that you trust Him and can’t be moved, He must move on your behalf.

  8. Wrong priorities will cause things you desire to be damned up (1 Timothy 5:12, AMP).
    1. If you want things to work right, you must rearrange your priorities and put God first.
    2. You can’t love the attachments of the world and expect to prosper (1 John 2:15-16).
    3. When you allow other things to take first place over God, it is like breaking your marriage vow to Him (James 4:2-4, AMP).
    4. Your friendship with the world makes you God’s enemy (James 4:2-4, AMP).
    5. You can tell what your priorities are by how you spend your time, what you talk about and what you think about.

Scripture References:

  • Proverbs 24:27
  • 1 Corinthians 6:12, AMP
  • Matthew 8:18-22
  • 1 Corinthians 7:35, AMP
  • Mark 5:35-36, 39
  • Colossians 1:16-17, AMP
  • 1 John 5:21, AMP
  • 2 Corinthians 8:5
  • Luke 14:25-26
  • 1 Corinthians 7:35, AMP
  • Ephesians 1:12, AMP
  • 1 Timothy 5:12, AMP
  • 1 John 2:15-16
  • James 4:2-4, AMP

Pastor Robert Bagonza

Redeemed Church

www.mrolec.org