Dimensions of Destiny: Divine Alignment with the Right Things, Part 1

Dimensions of Destiny: Divine Alignment with the Right Things: Priorities | by Jamie Rohrbaugh | FromHisPresence.comIf you are ready to get into divine alignment with God’s best and go to a new dimension of your destiny, it’s time to align yourself with the right things.

What are the right things?

First, let me say that the “right things” are not your house, your car, and the clothes you wear. The right things are not material at all.

However, the right things will impact your material goods. The right things will impact the clothes you wear, your house, and the car you drive. The right things will impact EVERYTHING else in your life.

To be in divine alignment with the right things, you need to know what God’s will is for these things in your life:

  • Your priorities;
  • Your calling;
  • Your life message;
  • Your giftings; and
  • Your schedule.

These things may seem overwhelming at first, but you can work through them one by one and they won’t be overwhelming at all. Getting these five things in order will be one of the most empowering, most liberating, most energizing things you’ve ever done.

Let’s look at these things one at a time and see how you can get into divine alignment in all these areas. In today’s blog post, we’ll discuss priorities, and then we’ll look at the rest of the list later this week.

(And by the way, as you read this blog post and the parts that follow, I’d encourage you to get alone with God as many times as you need to over the next few days. Take your journal, and ask Him to download into you what His will is for you in these areas. Write down what you hear, even if you have ideas that you need to delve into, and then begin focusing on those things.

Don’t worry about getting everything perfect the first time. Your focus and clarity will improve as you push deeper into what the Lord shows you.)

How to get your priorities in divine alignment:

The best time management advice I ever received was to figure out what my priorities should be and arrange my schedule in order of those priorities. When I first received this advice, my life was a mess because I was saying “yes” to everything, living without a plan, and neglecting the most important things.

So here’s the list of priorities I made for myself:

Priority 1: One-on-one time with God.

Matthew 6:33 says:

Start-quoteBut seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

When I set my list of priorities for my life, I determined to seek God first every day, day in and day out. I decided that I would get up early every morning and get alone with God, no matter how long or how short that time with Him was–whether 15 minutes or an hour–and that I would allow nothing to come between me and that time with Him.

Papa God began to dump blessing upon blessing on me when I made that decision, and I’ve never regretted deciding to give Him the first part of my day. I’m so dependent on that time with Him that I could never go back, either.

If you’re hungry for God; if you desire to get your life in divine alignment with His best, so you can walk every day on miracle territory–then I encourage you to set one-on-one time with God as your first priority too.

Scripture actually commands us to do this, so it’s not an original idea. 🙂 If you will spend time alone with God first every day, you will see God transform your life. It’s all about intimacy with Him; about knowing Him better, seeking His face, receiving His love and learning to love Him back. Spending time alone with God is how you become like Him.

And Jesus promised that if you seek Him first, all the THINGS you’re concerned about will be added to you. You don’t have to go to work and skip your quiet time for fear of not having enough provision. No; God will add all the things to you. He’ll simply provide, because He can, because you’re obeying Him. So run out to meet Him, day in and day out. You’ll be so glad you did.

Related: How to Make an Altar in Your Home

NOTE: Seeking God first does NOT mean volunteering at church first.

Seeking God first DOES involve attending church, but first and foremost it means YOU get alone with God in the secret place all by yourself and seek Him through prayer, study of the Word, and worship.

When the Lord helped me understand this, it was a real breakthrough for me. I had been at church all the time, but inside I felt dry as a bone. As soon as I began to seek Him first alone, I began to become well-watered in my soul and spirit. I still attended church because I love it and God commands us to be divinely aligned with the right place, but I was no longer looking to the church to fill a need in me that only time alone with my Father could provide.

Priority 2: My health and my husband.

I know it may seem strange to put these two on the same line, but for me, they are. I didn’t want to put my health before my husband, because I’ve heard about some folks who become so addicted to working out in the gym that it ruins their marriage. Obtaining the perfect physique is not worth ruining your marriage.

On the other hand, I also didn’t want to neglect my health, and always put my husband first (e.g. sitting on the couch snuggling my husband so much that I never get up and go for a walk), because then I wouldn’t be able to live a long life and enjoy my husband.

So I put them on the same line. Health and husband.

Priority 3: My family.

I don’t have kids yet, but this is for when I do. When we do have them, I desire to be a good parent who is present; a guiding influence in their lives.

  • I desire to raise my children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, shooting them like arrows into the next generation.
  • I desire to raise my children to become worshipping, warring, preaching prophets and priests unto Jesus.
  • I desire that they would always know love and never fear.
  • I desire for them to know they are beloved sons and daughters, and not orphans.

These things can only happen when I give my children their proper place in my life. Before my job, before church work, and before my social calendar.

And when you’re setting your priorities: PLEASE NOTE that your children must always come AFTER your spouse, not before your spouse.

Every time. You are one flesh with your spouse. You will live the rest of your life with your spouse. You are not one flesh with your children, and you will not live with them the rest of your life. And your children need a sense of security in your home, which happens best when you have a solid marriage.

I don’t have time to delve into this, but many a marriage has been wrecked because the wife or husband puts the kids before the spouse. If you’ve been making that mistake, please get things in order now, for your own sake.

Priority 4: My job.

God has blessed me with a good job, and I need the income from it, so I have to take good care of it. Therefore, I simply have to put my job before some things–like ministry and friends. For example:

  • I can’t always meet people for lunch, because I have to work.
  • I’m not always available to minister, because I need to work. (You, my faithful readers, see this because it usually takes me a few days to respond to comments. The delay is simply because I’m at work, holding down a very fast-paced corporate job and doing the best I can to be a good witness at work.)
  • I can’t always be at church (e.g. at our Tuesday lunchtime church service) because I have to work. Although that doesn’t excuse me from being faithful to attend church, I need to be a good steward of my job and a good employee. I have to honor God with my work, so there’s a balance.

Priority 5: Ministry & church work.

I love, love, love the house of God. Have I mentioned I love the house of God? Seriously. I really would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than do just about anything else.

But the needs of the church are limitless. There will always be volunteer opportunities. The needs of people are limitless. There will always be another person who needs help–counsel, mentoring, deliverance, etc–if someone is available to help. It’s called making disciples and reaching people for Jesus, and we’re supposed to keep on doing that until the trumpet sounds and the dead in Christ rise first.

But even though I love to minister, I can’t let ministry and church work derail my life. (Just being real!) For example:

  • I have been soooo guilty of doing so much ministry that I don’t have time to exercise. I can’t do that anymore; my health comes before ministry. I won’t live to minister if I don’t take care of my health. (See priority #2.)
  • I will almost always say no to any kind of ministry on Saturday mornings, because that is when I have very special, extended time with God (for a longer period than I get with Him on weekday mornings). (See priority #1.)
  • I am not going to be there every time the doors open because I need to spend time with my husband at home sometimes. So although I’m sure the programs are great, I do not generally attend children’s dinner theaters, night-time classes, or Sunday afternoon classes. (See priority #2.)

My husband and I still do a tremendous amount of ministry work. But we have agreed to a limit of how much time we can dedicate to church work each week, and we stick with that. If we didn’t, our lives would derail fast.

Priority 6: Entertainment and my social life.

I love my friends. When I’m mentoring or something like that, I occasionally fit my spiritual kids into priority #3. My people matter to me tremendously, and I do what I can to be available for them.

But if we’re strictly being social–going bowling, out to eat, or to a movie–my social life is priority #6 for me.

That doesn’t make it last priority; there are other things that are less-important to me that don’t even make the priority list. But I put entertainment and my social life on this list as a reminder that, if I haven’t spent time with the Lord, am behind at work, haven’t exercised in weeks, etc, then I have no business going out to dinner with my friends five nights a week. (Slight exaggeration, but you get the picture.)

We do need good, refreshing periods of rest and soul care. But getting enough sleep falls under health, and soul care (e.g. going away on a personal retreat, which I love to do) usually falls under one-on-one time with God plus health. 

So what are your priorities?

Are you ready to get your priorities in divine alignment? Here’s how:

  1. Get alone with God.
  2. Write down the different areas of life you have to handle each day, in no particular order (parenting, being a husband or wife, your job, spending time with God, etc).
  3. Ask the Lord to show you how to put those priorities in a numbered list.
  4. HINT: One-on-one time with God will always be first.

When you’ve done this, simply DECIDE to arrange your time according to your priorities. Things become easy when you decide. 🙂

We’ll talk more this week about how to look at your schedule and figure out how to match it up with your priorities. But for now, determine your priorities by the leading of the Holy Spirit and godly wisdom. ALWAYS test them against the Word of God. 

Get godly advice if you need to. But seriously, make your list of priorities. Having an order of importance for the things you deal with in your life will transform you and catapult you to the next level of your destiny.

Have you been pulled every which way because of a lack of order in your priorities? Does this message speak to your heart? Please leave a comment below if so. I’d love to hear from you!

Dimensions of Destiny: A Study of Divine Alignment:

 

22 Comments

  1. God has been showing me this lesson over and over! Love His confirmations

    1. Amen….another on time word of confirmation. . Praising God that He thought of us enough today to have you deliver His charge.

      1. Carol Campbell says:

        Thank you for your help I needed to read this article like I need to drink water.I am encouraged by your words of wisdom. Glory be to God, Bless His Holy Name.

    2. Yes, I’m still learning it too. It’s easy to get off-track! But if we know what our priorities are, then we can jump back on the right track easily and quickly.

  2. It has been difficult keeping my priorities but I try. I have a stressful job as a school psychologist, my mother in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s, and my own battle with MS. Every morning when I wake up, I begin by talking to God. I thank him and ask him for the courage to face the day. I have to learn how to include taking care of me without feeling guilty of putting myself in the priority list. Thank you for the priority list you provided. I have to work on mine this year.

    1. Yes, you should definitely be included on your list! I know serving others is important, but if you have nothing to give, your service doesn’t help much. And that alone time with God is where you refuel, along with taking care of your health (including your soul–sometimes we need good, healthy entertainment!). May Papa give you immense wisdom as you align your life with His best this year. 🙂

  3. Tameeka Brundidge says:

    This message speaks volumes. I have to learn how to say no when I need too. Im seeking a healthy balance and trusting the Holy Spirit to enlighten me.

    1. Tameeka, I often hear one of our pastors at church say, “‘No’ is a valid answer.” It takes courage to say no to things, but sometimes we have to give up the good things to obtain the BEST things. 🙂

  4. Rebecca Jones says:

    I definitely am thinking this through. It’s not that I didn’t have priorities, but I was on the bottom of my list until recently. I needed a break before getting to the breaking point. That’s why I have been encouraging women to rest in the Lord. As caregivers, we are often last, and it contributes to chronic illness. That rest can come from Priority # 1, Alone time with God, perhaps morning and evening, with your husband and separately, just a suggestion. And I have had the guilt trip come over me about not being at church either at all or every time the door is open. I was always studying and learning from some of the best faith people, tapes, books, television, and the very best teacher, the Holy Spirit. So I really was gathered together, after all.

    1. Yes, that alone time with God is crucial. The most important thing.

      And I definitely believe we should be faithful to attend church every week, but for me, I just have to distinguish between times of corporate worship and Word when the entire Body gathers together–for which I am THERE with bells on–and the extra stuff, like those evening classes or weekend kids’ programs.

      When the entire Body gathers together for worship and Word, Papa has a buffet prepared for us and I don’t want to miss out on that. But sometimes I am simply not called to the extra stuff. So… in those situations, “‘No’ is a valid answer. 🙂

  5. Maryjane McGeachy says:

    My Spiritual priorities have been out of whack for so long, I had forgotten the most important thing. I had forgotten about one-on-one time with my Abba. This blog entry was a Godsend! Is it OK if my altar is outside where I feel His presence the strongest? I have a porch swing with a great view of His creation. God is so good! Thank you for your God-Given insight into His heart! I sense His anointing on you!

    1. Hey Maryjane, yes, absolutely, you can spend time with the Lord wherever you feel led to do so. And if it gets too cold outside, just find a place inside for the winter! But no matter where you spend time with the Lord, I know you will find that putting one-on-one time with Him as your top priority will absolutely transform your life. 🙂

  6. Nonhlanhla says:

    I need to stop being lazy to wake up early to spend time with God,I tried spending time Him for a week or so early in the morning and it was the best week I’ve ever had. He was revealing great things to me through His Word and then He would set a beautiful tone for my day. I’m definately going back to spending time with Him first thing in the morning.

    1. Good for you, Nonhlanhla. You will find that, as you seek Him first, that best week you ever had will become normal. He really does keep His promise to add everything else to you when you seek Him first. He will feed you, shelter you, encourage you, teach you, and empower you as you sit alone with Him. Time alone with Him is the single most important thing you could ever do to transform your life. 🙂

  7. Deborah Mclain says:

    I truly enjoyed the lesson on putting everything in the right order.God is for most number 1.I truly appreciate your teachings, I sometimes use them for the women’s ministry. So I thank you.

    1. That’s awesome, Deborah. Thanks for letting me know. I pray the ladies to whom you minister would be blessed by the material. 🙂

  8. Thank you, Jamie, I really needed to read this today. Being on a disability pension, my days seem to just roll into each other, and I often don’t accomplish much besides reading emails (including yours and other spiritual blogs). I do study on two days a week now, and there is also a sense of anticipation come August for several reasons that I won’t go into here. Housework is like blah! It gets done when it is absolutely necessary …which is not always the most productive way to do housework!

    I have never been a morning person, so I rarely seem to have any time before any appointments. Spending time with my God therefore always happens in the evening. But I do sense that my life would be much easier if I spent some time in the morning with my Father. I need to set a reminder on my phone so that I don’t forget to at least spend 5 mins to begin with at least.

    This post is such a great reminder, Jamie!

    🙂 Maz

    1. Maryjane McGeachy says:

      Maz I am glad to know I am not the only one who has a problem with getting things done around the house. Something I do that helps me get things accomplished is to put some uplifting Christian music on and crank it up! The words of the music sink deep into my soul and I find it easier to work. I am also on disability, so I know how the days can run together. I hope this helps.

      Maryjane

    2. I’m glad you’re studying two days a week, Maz. I definitely encourage you to set that reminder on your phone. Like a musician tunes her instrument before she plays her concert, your time with God will set your whole day in tune with the Holy Spirit. You will see a marked difference, and I think you’ll like it. 🙂

  9. Thank you Jamie! I really appreciate this sound advice and word, thank God for you. Currently I am going thru a season that sometimes leaves me overwhelmed with the priorities of being a single mom of two (even though I know that the Lord guides me.) Recently I have been feeling overwhelmed by my son getting ready to graduate from high school deciding on what college, (fussing ay him at times to make sure he is focus and meeting deadlines), while deciding on my career goals, since my daughter is 8. I don’t want to work late so a ft career in accounting in iffy… I believe the Lord temporarily interuppted me from continuing graduate school to teach instead. I am back in forth with what I should do.. .ultimately, I work part time in both areas now that tax season is over I am back to solely teaching part time. Since my son is going to college in the fall. I keep thinking I need stability in a career or employment to provide but I want to enjoy what I do or perhaps earn a decent income working towards my goals while providing and doing what the Lord wants me to do. This priority list will help me to keep things in perspective and identify specifically what I should do. In addition to modeling these priorities I can teach my children time mgmt thru listing their priorities as well. Thank you just what I needed.

    God bless you,
    Tawana

    1. Hi Tawana, thank you for reading and sharing. Sounds like you are bearing quite a load of responsibilities and dilemmas right now. I pray Papa God would give you wisdom by His Holy Spirit, to know what to do, when to do it, and that He would sit on you with His power and anointing to help you accomplish everything you have to do and still rest in Him. In Jesus’ name!
      Have a great day!

  10. IRMA NORTJE says:

    AMEN THANK YOU JAMIE THANK YOU LORD GOD, LEAD AND GUIDE US INTO OUR DIVINE DESTINY. HELP OUR CHILDREN GRAND CHILDREN FAMILY FRIENDS NEIGHBOURS NATION INTO DIVINE ALIGNMENT. GIVE US WISDOM CONFIDENCE AND STRENGTH, THANK YOU BELOVEDS

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