Distracted? Are your priorities right? This message tells us how to avoid distractions. When things in life get in the way and draw you away spiritually from the will of God, he will do whatever it takes to bring you close to him. The Lord saved you for a purpose. Choose to make Jesus a priority today.

Are you living in the full blessing God has for you? When was the last time you evaluated your priorities? This series will help you stay on track or get back to the right priorities with God. Plus, learn how to grow spiritually. He wants to be close to you, to bless you, to give you rest. But getting God’s blessings will require you to consider your ways and focus on what’s important to God.

You Will Be Strengthened When You Put God First

Make God A Priority and Blessing Will Follow

Over the last several weeks we have considered God’s love, that God passionately loves us, and that God’s love is perfect. Last week we noted that God’s love is also unstoppable and nothing will change or stop God from loving you. I quoted John 3:16 in each of those three messages.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17, NIV).

As we considered God’s love, we were focusing on Easter and we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The tomb was empty. Death could not hold Jesus, and nothing in all creation would change the fact that God loves you with an everlasting love. We saw that nothing would change or stop Jesus from obeying and doing the will of God the Father.

In Luke 22:39-43 we find Jesus in the garden (the Mount of Olives) with his disciples. Jesus warns them about temptation, and he tells them to pray. It is here we find Jesus praying, “not my will, but God’s will be done.”

“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him” (Luke 22:39-43).

Jesus would soon be arrested and crucified. Jesus was teaching his disciples to focus on what was important; to pray and not fall into temptation, and to do the will of the father. Jesus was focused on loving you and obeying the Father’s will. Jesus was facing physical death and he chose to teach his disciples, and all future generations of believers, to pray and to put aside everything else and focus on doing the most important thing in life: to be faithful and follow the will of God; to focus on what is spiritually important and to worship God Almighty; to focus on spiritual things and not worldly pleasures. Next to spiritual things everything else is secondary.

Know that God will take care of you. He will bless you as you put him first in your life. You will find that you will be strengthened in your spirit when you pray and place God first in your heart.

5 Questions to Ask Yourself About Priorities

Today I want us to consider the way we live. The prophet Haggai challenges us to consider our ways. We need to consider our priorities in life.

To consider your priorities, ask yourself:

1. What am I doing?

2. What is most important to me?

3. Where is my focus?

4. Am I more concerned about physical things and the pleasures of this life more than serving and worshiping God Almighty?

5. Have I lost sight of God’s plan for my life and embraced the world's temporary pleasures?

God sent the prophet Haggai to the people of God for just that reason: to turn their eyes and priorities back to God. The people of God had become discouraged and were focused on themselves, their pleasures. Over a period, the cares of life had become first in their hearts and the worship of God and doing his will was not even a close second.

Haggai was to confront the people and get them to refocus their priorities. They had lost sight of what was truly important. They made God second and made themselves and their comfort their first priority. They chose to get their physical lives together and to build their own houses before getting their spiritual lives together and building the temple of God. They allowed their personal pleasure to come before God’s will and the worship of God Almighty. Their priorities became backwards. They had become spiritually blind to their actions. What was once a priority in life, came second or third place to individual desires. God sent the prophet Haggai to confront them and tell them why things were going so bad.

It is out of love that God sends Haggai. First, to confront the people of their sin. God sends Haggai to awaken them spiritually. Second, to refocus their priorities and to bless them for all the world to see.

The people were hard at work, but their work produced little because God was no longer their priority in life. They were not honoring God and God had withdrawn his blessing in order to gain their attention once again. Church, it is God who multiplies the work of your hands to produce a great harvest. It doesn’t matter how hard you work if God is not first in your life. And you will never be truly happy and find that you will always be in want.

Putting God First Will Result in Personal and Spiritual Blessings

Haggai confronts the people with a message from the Lord. This message is repeated twice in the first seven verses of Haggai. It is a message that I believe people and churches everywhere need to hear: Give careful thought to your ways.

‘In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest:

2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”

3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”

5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”

7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands”’ (Haggai 1:1-11).

The people have returned from exile. Israel had become a divided nation. Both the northern and southern kingdom had been taken captive by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The Persians replaced the Babylonians as the world's power and king Cyrus allowed the Jews to return home. Both the books of Ezra and Nehemiah record the start of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. The walls of the city were still in ruin and Nehemiah is used by God to encourage the people to renew their spirit and rebuild the walls. The temple’s foundation is complete, but it’s been more than 15 years and the temple is still not rebuilt.

The people had become discouraged. The foundation was laid but the rebuilding was stopped. Opposition to rebuilding the temple was strong. In time, the people focused on their own houses and their personal lives, and they lost sight of what was truly important.

Haggai was sent by God to encourage the people spiritually and to refocus their priorities off themselves and back onto God Almighty. In doing so, the people would be blessed. Haggai makes it clear that much of the people’s difficulties in their personal lives was due to their backwards priority. The priority of me first and God second is totally backwards. Making God a priority and first in your life will result in both spiritual and personal blessing. God desires to be first in your life.

Are You Spiritually Distracted, Or Listening to God and Receiving His Blessing?

Haggai did tell the people that they shouldn't build homes for themselves. They made their homes the priority rather than God and the temple of God, where they were to worship God Almighty.

Never allow anything to get in the way of serving God with all your heart. Do not become discouraged because something is not going the way you think it should. Do not become spiritually distracted. Keep God first in your life always.

Be encouraged. Encourage one another and hold one another spiritually accountable in a loving manner. Know the promises of God are true and he will send you words of instruction and encouragement in many ways.

How does God instruct and encourage us?

• In songs.

• In the scriptures.

• In sermons.

• In dreams.

• In prayer.

• In conversations with others.

• With your memory through the Holy Spirit.

Know the promises of God will be fulfilled; both positive and negative promises. God will bless you, but he can also withhold his blessing to get your attention, as we find here in Haggai 1.

The question is: will you listen? Will you respond? The Israelites did not always respond or listen to God. Time and again they rebelled and turned their backs on God. However, when the people of God cried out to God and returned to worshiping God, God blessed them and delivered them from bondage and defeat. When the northern kingdom fell and went into captivity Judah did not change her ways. She continued worshiping other gods. After a time, the southern kingdom fell into captivity just like the northern kingdom. The people of God had become spiritually blind. They did not see that remaining faithful to God was a priority. They did not see turning their backs on God as something to be concerned about. They could not see the priority of building their own homes before building God's temple as disobedience and sin. They did not see the lack of worshiping God or spiritual disobedience to be such a big deal. This is when God sends Haggai to awaken their hearts and to make God the priority in their lives once again. Haggai tells the people, “Consider your ways.”

Are you going to finish well?

Athletes have coaches to keep them focused on what is important in life. If an athlete wants to finish well, they will listen to their coach. A good coach may sound harsh at times. If the athlete is not focused, the coach will encourage them to get back on track.

A successful coach knows that:

A good training routine is important.

Focus is important.

Distractions are to be avoided.

Hard work should result in good results, if not something is wrong.

So how do we finish well? As believers we need a coach to keep us focused on what is important, so we will finish life well. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God are to be our coach and instruction manual in life. Just like the instruction manuals that come with products tell us how to use something, take care of it, and give warnings of things to avoid, the bible has those same instructions and warnings for life.

Is God the Priority in Your Life?

Haggai asks the question, "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" (Haggai 1:4). In asking the question, Haggai is highlighting a warning. Haggai then gives the people a verbal picture of their life without God being their priority.

“You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it” (Haggai 1:6).

Haggai tells the people of God why their hard work is paying little results. It is because their priorities are upside down and backwards.

‘You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?”’ (Haggai 1:9a).

God has withheld his blessing on the work of their hands because they no longer are living with God as their priority.

Today I want to ask you: is God the priority in your life?

Matthew 6:33-34 tells us to seek God first:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).

What is your priority? Is God first or are your priorities first? Do not get distracted from what is truly important in life. Do not lose sight of God’s will for your life.

The world will tell you to be happy and fulfilled you will need to:

• Have a new car.

• Own the latest phone.

• Buy a bigger house.

• Get the newest electronic gadget.

• Make more money, or a host of other things.

These are all distractions and lies of the enemy.

Today I want us to take inventory of our hearts. What is important to you? Is worshipping the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind important to you? If you do this, you will never lose sight of what is truly important.

Are you growing in the Lord and building on the firm foundation of faith in Christ? Asking Jesus into your heart is the first step. Believing that Jesus died and rose again and asking him to forgive you of sin is a solid foundation, but do not stop there. Do not become spiritually distracted or believe the lie of the enemy and think now you can do as you please.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

No! God has more for you. This is only the beginning.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Never forget all that God has done for you. Jesus suffered the pain and humiliation of dying on a cross as a sinner and paid the debt of your sin when he knew no sin himself.

Do not grow spiritually weary. Do not lose sight of what is truly important. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Grow in the Lord.

How do you build a strong foundation? Loving God and lovingly serving others is building on the foundation of your faith. Studying the scriptures and sharing the gospel is building on the spiritual foundation that is in your heart. Doing the will of God and fulfilling the great commission is building on the spiritual foundation God has placed in your heart.

So, How Can We Avoid Being Spiritually Distracted?

How can we keep from losing sight of God first in our hearts?

• Pray and ask the Lord to guard your heart from spiritual distractions.

• Study the scriptures and apply the truths of God in your life daily.

• Gather with other believers and encourage one another spiritually.

• Consider God’s Word and your heart and apply the truth of God.

• Worship the Lord and be involved in sharing the gospel with others.

• Build upon what others have already done and focus on doing what God has placed upon your heart to do.

In the book of Nehemiah, we see that he had different individuals and families building different sections of the wall; sections that were important to them.

I am suggesting that you focus on the spiritual foundation of your heart and build it up. Build up what is most important first. With Jesus as the focus of your heart, you will find that you are less likely to become distracted and you will grow spiritually stronger each day. You will be blessed. What you put your hands to do will produce a great harvest. You will never be in want.

“But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28, KJV).

The people listened to the words of Haggai. They considered their ways and turned back to God.

‘Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.

13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month. In the second year of King Darius’ (Haggai 1:12-15, NIV).

Having just celebrated Easter and knowing the pain and suffering that Jesus endured because of his love for you; knowing Jesus paid the debt of sin you could never pay yourself; knowing Jesus endured the humiliation of being crucified on a cross that you might live—won’t you consider your ways?

Focus on worshiping and serving the Lord with all your heart.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32).

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

In the next few moments, won’t you give some thought to your priorities in life? Decide today to consider your ways and always put Jesus first in your heart and life.

Some people listening to this message may need to consider your ways and turn back to God. Some may need to reach out to the Lord and ask Jesus to forgive you of sin as you place your faith in Jesus for the very first time. Others of you may want to pray and thank God for his passionate, perfect, and never-ending love for you.

Thank the Lord for sending the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort you along life’s journey.

Suggested Praise and Worship

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