Learning to Put God First in a World Full of Distractions
"... do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on"
Today Chambers digs deeper into the personal places of our lives — but truly, it is the Lord Jesus Himself who is doing the digging. Matthew 6:25 is part of the Sermon on the Mount, and Chambers reminds us: Do not take the pressure of your provision upon yourself.
We are not meant to carry the weight of our own needs.
We are not meant to worry about the practical details of our lives.
We are meant to seek first the Kingdom of God — to put Him first in everything.
Before you buy a new book…
Before you plan a vacation…
Before you make any decision at all…
Put God first.
Seek His approval. Seek His guidance. He may have other plans for you — and for your money, your time, your energy, your life.
Matthew 13:22 tells us that “the cares of this world” choke the Word out of us. Not the devil. Not persecution. Not tragedy.
The cares.
The little worries.
The daily distractions.
Do you ever read Scripture in the morning, feel its truth, feel its weight…
and then the phone rings, someone invites you somewhere, something pulls your attention —
and the Word is gone?
Gone... with the wind in your hair as you rush out the door.
This is how it happens.
If we do not keep the Word — think about it, meditate on it, hold it in our heart, mind, and soul — the world will snatch it right out of us.
So we must build discipline.
We must create habits that keep the Word alive in us after we hear it or read it.
If we want to grow spiritually…
If we want the life only Jesus can give…
We must create habits that keep Him first.
We cannot live as the world lives anymore if we want to have a Jesus life.
I made decisions on my own.
I carried my own burdens.
I worried about everything.
I tried to provide for myself.
I planned my own way.
And I wish I had not.
But here is the truth that gives me peace:If I had not lived the way I did... I would not be here today writing this devotional.
I would not have this urgency.
I would not have this testimony.
God has used every wrong turn, every heavy burden, every anxious moment to teach me what I now know — and what I now share with you.
I don't say this with regret — I say it with gratitude.
Because God wastes nothing.
He redeemed my worry, my wandering, even my self-reliance.
So I can say this with complete certainty:
Life works when God is first.
Life breaks when He is not.
Jesus calls us to abandon — to give up our life, pick up our cross, and follow Him.
And He tells us not to worry because He is with us.
He will take care of us.
He knows when He is first in our life — the Holy Spirit sees it, feels it, responds to it.
So put Him first.
Place all your cares at His feet.
Follow Him.
Trust Him.
Obey Him — even when you cannot see the rest of the day ahead of you.
That is faith.
That is discipleship.
That is abandon.
Remember Abraham — he left his home not knowing where he was going, but he was led by God.
Remember Moses — led by God to the edge of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind them… and God parted the waters. Israel walked through. Their enemies did not.
Just like your troubles will not — when you put all your hope and trust in the Lord.
Breath Prayer
Inhale: Lord, Open my spiritual eyes,
Exhale: that I may see You.
Matthew 6:25 — Do not worry about your life.
Proverbs 3:5–6 — In all your ways acknowledge Him.
Psalm 37:5 — Commit your way to the Lord.
1 Peter 5:7 — Cast all your care upon Him.
Philippians 4:6–7 — Be anxious for nothing.
Psalm 55:22 — Cast your burden on the Lord.
Luke 8:14 — Choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life.
Joshua 1:8 — Meditate on the Word day and night.
Psalm 119:11 — Your Word have I hidden in my heart.
James 1:22 — Be doers of the Word, not hearers only.
Galatians 5:25 — Walk in the Spirit.
Romans 12:2 — Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
John 15:4–5 — Abide in Me.
God Using Our Past
Romans 8:28 — All things work together for good.
Genesis 50:20 — You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.
Psalm 40:2–3 — He lifted me out of the miry clay.
Joel 2:25 — I will restore the years the locust has eaten.
2 Corinthians 1:4 — Comforting others with the comfort we received.
Life Works When God Is First
Deuteronomy 6:5 — Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
Matthew 22:37–38 — The greatest commandment.
Jeremiah 2:13 — Broken cisterns that hold no water.
John 15:5 — Apart from Me you can do nothing.
Abandon / Taking Up Your Cross
Luke 9:23 — Deny yourself, take up your cross daily.
Matthew 16:24–25 — Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Galatians 2:20 — I have been crucified with Christ.
God Is With Us / Do Not Fear
Isaiah 41:10 — Fear not, for I am with you.
Hebrews 13:5–6 — I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Psalm 23:1–4 — The Lord is my shepherd.
Trusting God When You Cannot See
2 Corinthians 5:7 — We walk by faith, not by sight.
Hebrews 11:1 — Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Abraham’s Faith
Hebrews 11:8 — Abraham obeyed, not knowing where he was going.
Genesis 12:1–4 — God calls Abraham to leave his home.
Exodus 14:13–31 — God parts the Red Sea.
Exodus 14:14 — The Lord will fight for you.
PRAYER SCRIPTURES
Psalm 103:8 — The Lord is merciful and gracious.
Psalm 145:8–9 — The Lord is good to all.
1 John 4:16 — God is love.
Revelation 19:16
1 Timothy 6:15
Psalm 91:1–2 — My refuge and fortress.
Psalm 46:1 — God is our refuge and strength.
Romans 8:15 — Abba, Father.
Ephesians 1:17–18
Psalm 119:18
2 Kings 6:17
Revelation 3:20
Jeremiah 31:3
2 Corinthians 3:16
2 Corinthians 4:4–6
Acts 1:8
Romans 8:11
1 Corinthians 2:4
Psalm 40:1–3
Psalm 18:16–19
Colossians 1:13
Isaiah 43:1
John 10:27–29
1 Corinthians 6:19–20
BREATH PRAYER SCRIPTURES
Psalm 119:18 — Open my eyes.
Ephesians 1:17–18 — Enlighten the eyes of my heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 — You will seek Me and find Me.
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