Why can’t I keep my priorities straight? Honestly, there are weeks (sometimes months/years) when I realize I was busy but I accomplished nothing! I can’t remember the last time I had quality time with God. My kids are out of control. My relationship with my husband is growing distant. Anxiety rolls over me like a familiar friend. How do I set Biblical priorities for a busy life?
Why Fight For Biblical Priorities for a Busy Life?
But I am busy… so busy I could fall into bed each day completely spent. How on earth does that happen? Busyness is a strategy the enemy uses to keep me distracted from my true calling.
The truth is, when life gets busy, my priorities get all out of whack. I notice it when I am yelling at my kids about spilling something… When I am aggravated with my husband for interrupting a movie I am watching… And when the last thoughts before bed are of all the things I didn’t get done and my first thoughts are of getting back to my to-do list.
When tasks seem more important than relationships I know I am in trouble. And I have to fight to set and keep set Biblical priorities for a busy life. Can you relate? If I do not fight the cultural push for busyness, my priorities shift to accomplishing things and impressing people so quickly.
Questions About Godly Priorities
Several times each year I get off track. Yikes. I wish it were not so often, but it is too easy to shift my focus. Each time I see the signs that I am not living out the Biblical order of priorities in my life I schedule time to meet with God about it.
These are the questions I take to Him, each time:
- What does the Bible say about priorities?
- How can you make time for God with a busy schedule?
- What are a Christian’s priorities?
- How do I make God a priority in my life in a way that shows?
What Does The Bible Say About Priorities?
There are some topics in Scripture that seem debatable. Biblical Priorities are not an area however that is up for debate. From the time God gave Moses the 10 Commandments, it has been clear that God is to be our first priority. Time with God, praise, and reverence to God must come first.
God gave further clarification in Deuteronomy.
“Hear O Israel: The Lord your God, The Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NASB)
Reasons I Am Too Busy To Live Out Biblical Priorities
This year God challenged me to look into the reasons I am so busy. Too busy to live out Biblical priorities or godly priorities in my life… By acknowledging the reasons I am too busy I have been able to change the patterns that make get me off track so often.
- People pleasing
- No clear plan to follow
- Inconsistent time with God
People Pleasing Stops Biblical Priorities
My struggle is that I care about what people think of me. Whew, that is hard to say. It is important to start making God a priority in my life.
Over and over He is telling me, “Put God first to set Biblical priorities for a busy life!”
But the truth is, my 1st priority has not been to Love God first, because I am too busy pleasing people. God is teaching me that I have to be more concerned about what HE thinks of me than what others think of me.
With No Plan, There Is No Peace
It is easy to wander through life -from one task to the next- instead of being intentional with my life. In the past, I had some goals, but I didn’t have a plan or a purpose to reach those goals.
So I began digging into the Bible to see if God had anything to say about that. I found that He has actually set a Biblical order for the priorities in my life. Now all I had to do is stick to it.
What I find though, is that there are a lot of things that have to be done. If I don’t make a list of what I am doing and hold it up to God’s list I could easily be focused on all the wrong things and not living out godly priorities.
So now I write them out and I check my list to God’s list to be sure I stay on track.
Inconsistent Time With God
I know I need to spend quality time in God’s word – asking Him to order my steps. But sometimes it feels like I’m only checking off something on my to-do list. I know I am supposed to read my Bible, but it feels mechanical sometimes. It doesn’t always feel like a way to get to know Jesus and grow our relationship. When my quiet time is a task I should do I don’t do it consistently.
Also, I feel like I should do every Bible study offered at church. Or I believe need to read through the entire Bible in a year because the church is. There is that people-pleasing again! Do you ever feel that way? It will never be consistent it if is for someone else!
How To Fight for Biblical Priorities for a Busy Life
So if those are the three things that off-road my Biblical priorities for life, how do we fix them?
- People pleasing
- Learn to say, “No.”
- No plan
- Write out a plan.
- Inconsistent time with God
- Find the rhythm you need to be consistent with God daily.
To Fix My Priorities I Have To Learn To Say, “No”
In the Bible verses about prioritizing God, we say, He shined His light on these truths. It hurts to see the mask I have been wearing in my habit of people-pleasing. I say, “Yes” too quickly for a lot of reasons:
- A deep need to be needed.
- I want to feel like I accomplished something.
- It feels good to feel important.
- I don’t want to lose certain skill sets.
- What happens if no one else will step up?
- I fear that someone else will mess it up.
None of those are good reasons to say, “Yes”.
Related Post: Ways To Get Your Priorities Straight
What To Say Instead of Yes
To fight the busy life and fix my priorities I have to start saying, ”No.” Honestly, no felt too harsh so I am starting with a softer no.
“I’ll pray about that and get back to you.”
No has its place in Biblical priorities for a busy life, but it still feels wrong to me!
“He who restrains his word has knowledge, And he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” (Proverbs 17:27-28 NASB)
Maybe after a while with a soft no, the more direct no will be easier?
Write Down Priorities to Fight the Busy Life and Set Godly Priorities
The point of all this is that I want to set my priorities in life according to the Bible. That means I have to follow a more BIblical order of priorities.
Did you know the Bible sets our priorities fairly clearly? That’s right, there really is a Christian priorities list if we know the Scriptures!
Biblical Order of Priorities:
- God
- Husband
- Kids
- Calling
- Seek after the passion God has put in my heart (Ephesians 4:1).
How Do I Live Out Christian Priorities?
I am starting to examine every area of my busy life to be sure they reflect godly priorities, the Christian priorities laid out in Scripture.
These more Spiritual priorities make me a little nervous. As a people-pleaser I worry about stepping out of things – hurting people, losing the respect of those I respect or leaving someone in need because they needed me. Can you relate?
But making God a priority in your life demands you do just that sometimes. And if we don’t start living out our Biblical priorities we will never fulfill our calling… ha, until last year I didn’t even realize I had a calling. It is very motivating!!!!!!!!!
“Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.” (1 Corinthians 7:17 NASB)
Slow Down My Quiet Time to Set Biblical Priorities and Fight the Busy Life
The biggest enemy of Biblical priorities in my life is an inconsistent time with God. Period. When I don’t know what He says should be my first and second priorities I easily default to what is easiest or most fulfilling.
How do you prioritize Jesus time? Set up some red flags to know when to make changes. When my quiet time is getting stale I’ve come to notice the red flags:
- Being easily annoyed with others.
- Falling back into old sin habits.
- Not “feeling” close to God.
- Skipping days or weeks of quiet time.
I have to remind myself that my quiet time is between me and God! This is not a competition -with myself or others- about how much of the bible I read each day.
Related Post: How to Create a Quiet Time That Will Last a Lifetime
How Can You Make Time For God With A Busy Schedule?
I won’t spend a ton of time here because we have covered this before, but it is worth repeating some key points. You do not have to read the whole Bible in a year, you don’t even need a whole chapter a day.
Nope, The most meaningful time I have in the word is usually a verse or a passage at a time. Sometimes I spend weeks on one chapter or working through one topic.
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” (Joshua 1:8 NASB)
To Revamp Your Quiet Time Try to be Systematic About it:
- Read a verse or passage (a group of verses chunked together).
- Lookup parts of the verse you don’t understand.
- Use BlueletterBible.org for definitions
- Or search the verse and the word commentary to see how Bible scholars explain it.
- Find other verses that talk about the same topic for clarity.
- Pray through it.
- Ask God to show you how to apply it.
- Write the verse out in a journal or on a note card.
- Pin or tape the verse up so you can meditate on it throughout the day.
Use a Journal
I struggle with distractions during my quiet time so I use a journal. I find that writing down what I learn helps me remember it longer and stay focused.
Need help starting out with Prayer Journaling? Check out the Strategic Prayer Journal in the HopeJoyInChrist Shop! It is printable so you never run out of pages!
Benefits Of Time With God
There are so many benefits of a consistent time with God. Over time you learn more and more o the Bible. Familiarity with His Word brings blessings! One is that I don’t have to ask, “What are a Christian’s priorities?” because I am in the Word and can easily recall them if I get swayed.
It is the answer to an earlier question we asked as well. How do I make God a priority in my life? Spend time with Him. He longs to grow your relationship and the only way to do that is to spend time together.
Which of These 3 Ways to Set Biblical Priorities for a Busy Life Will You Try Today?
Setting Biblical priorities for a busy life can be a challenge when we are surrounded by a fast-paced world that doesn’t value God.
- Learn to say, “No”.
- Write down priorities.
- Slow down your quiet time.
When I am doing these it is easier to fight the busy life strategy the enemy wants to use. It is easier to stay focused on my priorities in life!
These are just three ways I’ve found to set the priorities but you might have others. I’d love to hear them in the comments.
in HIM,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
If you enjoyed this you will love these posts:
- 40-Days to Be Still and Know God More
- How To Become a Strong Prayer Warrior and Why
- 40 Bible Verses to Overcome Anxiety
- 38 Inspiring Bible Verses about Gratitude to Get You Through Hard Times
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Yes i relate to that, and i would like to thank you for sharing your honest thoughts 🙂
Thanks Tony. it is the calling God has placed on my life. Praying for you today.
Thank you so much for this post. It truly has helped me a lot♥️
Praying for you today Araceli! So glad it blessed you.