Matthew 6:33 - Seek First (Even Before Coffee)

Step 1: Pray. Select.  

Today, the warmth of the morning sun feels heavenly on my skin. We are blessed to live in an area where yesterday it was too cold to sit outside, and this morning, the sun is radiant, pouring out onto everything on my patio for me to sit down and meet with God.

I hear many sounds; the train rushing by in the distance, the birds, the neighbors in their backyards surrounding ours, and so on. But something occurred to me. We have nothing if it wasn't for our creator. All this busyness would not exist without God's creations coming to life.

I have to confess something. This morning, I backslid into some old habits. Hence, the reason for me being on this 30-day journey is to kill my fleshly habits. Present, not perfect, right?

I walked outside, took a pitcher of water to pour onto my overly dry money tree, and grabbed a cup of coffee instead of immediately sitting down and blogging. We will know I have made a breakthrough when I get out of bed and meet God before coffee. Let's not get crazy now! One thing at a time! But that is what this is all about, isn't it? NOTHING before God.

That is when my verse of the day came to mind.

Step 2: Write. Read. Circle

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all things shall be added to you.

After reading the scripture three times, the following words stood out:

• Seek First

• God

• And All

• Shall be added to you

Step 3: Re-Write

Adding my name to the front and with a focus on the words that stood out, here is the sentence I came up with for today:

• Jennifer, seek first God, and all shall be added to you.

Step 4: Visualize

Okay, okay. I hear you loud and clear. NOTHING before you, God. Not even coffee! Seek God, and all will be added. I need to get to my prayer practice before anything. I have heard of people removing habits or creature comforts, but coffee? Really?

I realize he is trying to tell me He needs to order my steps. Even the smallest act out of order can interfere with His plans. This goes back to my blog on December 6th - Hearing First. You have to hear before you do anything. The only way to truly hear is to listen to His voice before anything. He created everything; He was here first, so why am I not seeking Him first instead of my precious coffee?

It is Day 2, and he is asking me if I am serious about showing up for our meeting and prayer practice by thirsting for Him over everything, including coffee. He tells me He needs to work from a blank canvas and retrain my brain to form new habits. I need to remove all excuses for missing our meetings in the past. For example, I wake up and spend too much time lounging around, drinking coffee, etc.; before you know it, I run out the door late to whatever I had planned, spending little to no time with Him. I need to treat Him with the respect He deserves. He is my creator and visionary steward over my life. He knew me before I was in my mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5).

Imagine if every day you had the opportunity to meet with the creator of the company you work for or a mentor you dream of learning from, and their expectation was for you to show up in a suit. Most of us, out of respect, would do so even if we aren't the suit-wearing type. Being an entrepreneur for the first time in my life, I have an opportunity to meet every day with God (the ultimate visionary) and owe Him the respect to show up how He asks me to.

The exchange? The exchange far exceeds my small sacrifice, the wisdom of the kingdom. The ability to tap into something so powerful beyond measure, but the only requirement is to show up ready and how He asks. It is a NO BRAINER!

I can't help but think about how many entrepreneurs and CEOs, if they met with God first, our corporate values and ethos would align with our creator, and we might actually serve the right master since we cannot serve two. We would all be true to ourselves and our callings. This isn't just for people in leadership; it goes for everyone. If you have a heart for service in an entry-level position, that position, if it is God's will, would be socially as glamorous as a top-level executive, and people would treat you just as important as a higher-up.

I realize this isn't the world we live in today, but that is God's way. Our ultimate leader is always willing to meet with you exactly where you are and even get involved in measly decisions like whether or not to drink coffee while you meet.

Step 5: Ask. Seek

The main question(s) that came to mind were:

• Holy Spirit, how do I come to you more respectfully, understanding the honor it is to meet with you? I thought I was obedient, but now I'm concerned that I have not been. Please tell me how to humble my spirit.

• How do I stop seeking other things before you so I can truly find you inside of me and my purpose without any preconceived notions?

Step 6: Hear. Write. Receive

Holy Spirit, how do I come to you more respectfully, understanding the honor it is to meet with you. Please tell me how to humble my spirit.

Tears streamed down my face as I let go and listened for His answer.

"You have been holding onto what the world will think of you if turned away from your job or career and followed me. All those things brought you worldly success but left you feeling lonely. I am not mad at you, but now that you are meeting with me in a place to hear me, I need you to follow in my footsteps. You were not made to be boxed in; you are happy just being with me and seeing people smile when you bring me to them. Your mother and father thought they were never enough, so you went on your own way and saw the world, but it wasn't all it appeared to be. What are you looking for?"

I was not expecting that question. I paused for quite some time to think about what the Holy Spirit asked me. Then, I proceeded to answer as honestly as I knew how.

"I was looking for your purpose for my life. While trying to find it, I was trying to look inflated to prove how good you were. I had to beat everyone, and in some ways, I did - over and over, but it only left me with what's next? I don't know where the competition began, but I didn't know how to stop once it started."

How do I stop seeking other things before you so I can truly find you inside of me and my purpose without any preconceived notions?

"Just keep meeting with me, and little by little, we will shed the weight you are carrying that somehow you picked up along the way. We will get there, just trust the process. Let me go in front of you. When you get to the place where you operate in your true gifting, you will labor no more."

Step 7: Pray. Confirm

For today, it is clear I will get up tomorrow and go directly to God. No stopping for anything along the way. Not even for distracting thoughts or coffee. I will trust this process God has laid out for me.

I will remind my two witnesses to continue to pray over what I have heard and to continue to keep me accountable to stay on track with the 30-day challenge from God.

If you used the scripture of the day and need prayer or someone to pray with you, connect Here. Remember, you are not alone!

Step 8: Share. Testify

I have a small first testimony. My aunt read my blog yesterday (John 15:5 - Branches of Promise), and I found out that it was an answered prayer for her. She also tried the 8-step prayer practice and received wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

Hearing this good news gave me the courage to keep writing because you never know when someone has sent a prayer request up, but they are waiting for a message to come down. It is my honor and privilege to stay obedient to God and continue writing whatever God puts on my heart.

I will continue to walk out this faith journey and can't wait to see what God does next!

If you workshopped any of the verses mentioned above using the 8-Step Prayer Practice, we would love to hear from you in the comments below about what the Holy Spirit showed or spoke to you today.

If you have a miracle or testimony to share, don't forget to Spread Hope and share HERE. We want to see how God is working in your life!

Conclusion:

Well, Day 2 is complete. I look forward to being more prepared for God tomorrow and running to him first. Even before my first cup of coffee - which, for me, is saying a lot!

Don't forget to share where the Holy Spirit took you with this scripture! I know each one of you will have a fantastic story to tell.

Until tomorrow, friends!