God First: Honor Him with Firsts and Expect Miracles

Devotional

Day 1: Seek First: The Promise of Priority

Begin this year by settling something in your heart: God belongs in first place, not on the margins. Jesus does not promise fullness from the second seat; He invites you to trust His Fatherly care by putting His kingdom and His ways ahead of every anxiety. When worries about provision rise, respond by reordering your loves, not by doubling down on control. As you seek Him first, you’ll discover that the things you truly need have a way of finding you. Make this a decisive turn, and let your days flow from that priority. [36:28]

Matthew 6:31–33 — Don’t spin in circles over what you’ll eat, drink, or wear; your Father already knows your needs. Instead, aim your life at God’s reign and rightness first, and He will see to it that the rest is supplied.

Reflection: Which recurring anxiety most often pushes God to the edges of your day, and what simple practice tomorrow morning could put Him back in first place?

Day 2: Faith Grows Exponentially Through Long Obedience

Faith doesn’t grow in straight lines; it multiplies through steady, repeated steps in the same direction. Like one domino tipping another, small daily choices to seek God compound into surprising momentum. You don’t need a “big” move to see big results; you need the right next step, practiced consistently. Choose one act of obedience and let time become your ally, not your enemy. As you keep going, expect God to amplify what you give Him. [34:04]

James 1:22–25 — Don’t stop at listening to God’s word; put it into action. Those who look into what God says, keep it before them, and actually do it find themselves steadied and blessed in the very things they practice.

Reflection: What one small, specific act of obedience will you repeat daily for the next 30 days so your faith can compound?

Day 3: No Power In A Partially Surrendered Life

It’s possible to say we believe in God yet live as if He isn’t there. Love that is half-hearted remains powerless, but God is worthy of your whole heart because He gave you His first and best in Christ. He is rightly “jealous” for your affection, not because He is insecure, but because He loves you and knows that idols shrink your soul. Ask Him plainly: “Where in my life are You not first?” Let Him reveal, and then respond with practical repentance. Full surrender is where fullness begins. [46:19]

Exodus 20:2–5 — I am the Lord who brought you out of bondage. Don’t elevate any other god or craft anything to rival Me. Don’t bow to what you’ve made, for I am the God who claims your exclusive devotion for your good.

Reflection: Where has a good thing (work, money, a habit, approval) become a functional ‘god’ for you, and what concrete step of repentance will you take this week?

Day 4: Give God The First Of Everything

Honor God by giving Him the first of your year, your month, your week, and your day. Start the year with focused prayer and fasting, setting aside space to hear His voice. At the start of each month, schedule time with God and budget with Him in view so there’s margin for what matters most. Make weekly worship a settled priority for your household; something unique happens when God’s people gather under His word. Each morning, check your soul before you check your phone, letting Scripture and prayer set the tone. Small firsts open big doors. [56:35]

Romans 12:1–2 — In view of God’s mercy, offer your whole self to Him—this is true worship. Don’t let the surrounding culture press you into its mold; let God reshape your thinking so you can recognize and respond to His good path.

Reflection: Choose one “first” to begin this week (year, month, week, or day). What exact change will you make, and when will you start?

Day 5: Expect God To Multiply And Bless The Rest

After you put God first, lean forward in hope and expect Him to keep His promises. He is not a distant or negligent Father; He delights to provide what His children truly need. When you honor Him with your first and best, He has a way of multiplying the rest—time stretches, resources reach further, opportunities open. Expectancy is the atmosphere where miracles often take root. Watch for His wise provision and give thanks as it unfolds. [01:00:44]

Proverbs 3:5–10 — Trust the Lord with your whole heart and stop insisting on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in every path, and He will level the road. Turn from evil, honor Him with your first and best, and you’ll find your life supplied and overflowing.

Reflection: In which area—time, finances, or a relationship—do you need to move from vague hope to concrete expectancy, and how will you watch for God’s provision there this month?

Sermon Summary

The call is clear: put God first and watch the compounding effect of obedience reshape a life, a family, and a church. Using the domino chain reaction as an image, the teaching insists that faith does not grow in simple, linear increments; it multiplies with long obedience in the same direction. One small, consistent act of surrender today sets off a chain of outcomes tomorrow that could never be engineered by sheer ambition. Scripture anchors the appeal: Christ is before all things, and he holds all things together; the kingdom must be sought first, not as an add-on but as the organizing center of every decision, desire, and direction.

The invitation is ruthlessly practical and deeply spiritual. Examine where God is not first—no excuses, no religious gloss—then reorder life around the “principle of first.” First fruits is not merely a giving rule; it is a comprehensive way of honoring God with the first and best of everything so that he may bless the rest. That means the first of the year (twenty-one days of prayer and fasting), the first of the month (intentional scheduling and budgeting), the first of the week (worship and rest with God’s people), and the first of the day (check the soul before checking the phone). These rhythms are not boxes to tick; they are patterns that shape loves, tame idols, and train attention toward the presence of God.

The teaching presses a crucial truth: Christ will not satisfy from second place. There is no power in a partially surrendered life. To treat God like an option while asking him to treat us like a priority is to guarantee frustration. Yet when the heart moves from acknowledgement to allegiance—when God is honored as first—Scripture promises that needs are met, wisdom is given, and life is transformed from the inside out. Expectancy matters: anticipate God to do what he said, not as presumption but as trust in his character. The throughline is simple and strong: when we honor God with our first and best, he multiplies and blesses the rest.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith grows exponentially, not linearly [34:04] Long obedience compounds in ways effort alone cannot. Small, repeated steps of surrender—taken daily—produce outsized outcomes over time. Kingdom growth often looks unimpressive at the start, but it gathers force like dominoes aligned by trust. What begins with two inches of faith can, in time, move what once felt immovable. [34:04]
2. Christ won’t bless second place [37:03] Jesus makes no promise to satisfy a heart that keeps him in the margins. Provision and peace flow from first-place allegiance, not partial compliance. Second-seat spirituality creates chronic anxiety because our center cannot hold. Put him first, and watch order return to what felt scattered. [37:03]
3. First things direct everything else [42:27] Whatever is truly first becomes the filter for every decision and desire. When money, success, or pleasure sits in the top slot, people and integrity get sacrificed subtly but surely. Make God first, and every other good thing is received through his wisdom and limits. This reordering liberates, because love now governs what ambition once did. [42:27]
4. Tithing forms hearts, not budgets [48:59] The tithe is a training ground for priority, not a tax for projects. God uses first fruits to pry idols from our grip and anchor trust in his care. Giving teaches the soul to love God more than gain and to see provision as gift, not guarantee. The outcome is freedom: less fear, more worship, clearer allegiance. [48:59]
5. Expectancy becomes miracle soil [58:11] God delights to meet faith with faithfulness. Expectancy is not demanding outcomes; it is trusting promises and arranging life as if God tells the truth. When we place the first and best in his hands, he multiplies what remains in ways math cannot predict. Live ready for God to surprise you with his provision and timing. [58:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:46] - Vision for livestream and expansion
[31:15] - New Year prayer of surrender
[32:06] - Domino effect and exponential faith
[35:15] - Christ before all things; seek first
[37:38] - Honest question: Where isn’t God first?
[40:14] - Fix your attention on God (Romans 12)
[41:13] - Principle of first fruits explained
[43:06] - Three ways to make 2026 different
[47:47] - Tithe as more than money
[50:02] - First of the year: 21 days fasting
[52:10] - First of the month: schedule and budget
[54:49] - First of the week: worship and rest
[56:35] - First of the day: check soul before phone
[58:11] - Expectancy and God’s multiplication
[60:44] - Trust God with first and best (Proverbs 3)
[61:39] - Invitation and salvation prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Colossians 1:15-17

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

- Matthew 6:31-33

So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

- Proverbs 3:5-10

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Observation questions

In Colossians 1:15-17, what repeated words or phrases show Christ’s supremacy and his role in holding life together?
In Matthew 6:31-33, what specific needs does Jesus mention, and what condition does he tie to the promise “all these things will be added”?
In Proverbs 3:5-10, list the action words (commands) and the outcomes connected to them. What actions come before the promises?
“There is no power in the partially surrendered life… He makes no promise of provision from the second seat.” What is being claimed here about Jesus’ place in a life? [37:03]

Interpretation questions

If Christ is “before all things” and “in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17), what would it mean for a scattered calendar, budget, or set of priorities to be held together by him? What would “before all things” look like beyond a slogan?
Matthew 6:33 ties God’s provision to seeking his kingdom first. How is “seek first” different from adding God to an already full life? Where is the line between trusting God’s promise and presuming on it?
Proverbs 3:9-10 commands honoring the Lord with the first and best. If “the purpose of tithing was to teach you always to put God first,” what heart shift is God after—beyond paying a bill? [48:59]
“Faith is not linear; faith is exponential… long obedience in the same direction brings compound results.” How does this perspective reshape ideas about “small” daily surrender and its long-term impact? [34:04]

Application questions

Get honest: “Where in my life is God not first?” Name one area (money, relationships, time, career, phone, comfort). What would first-place allegiance look like there this week? [37:38]
First of the year: What kind of fast or focused prayer could you choose for the next 21 days to put God first in your hunger, habits, or media intake? Be specific about the start time, type of fast, and a simple daily plan. [50:02]
First of the month: Before the next month begins, when will you sit down with your calendar and budget to prioritize worship, rest, giving, and intentional time with God and people? What needs to be cut to protect those priorities? [52:10]
Giving and freedom: If fear or control shows up around giving, what one step of obedience could help you move from anxiety to trust (for example, a 90-day tithe or a planned percentage)? What story from your life (or someone you know) fuels your faith to try? [53:41]
First of the week: What practical commitments will help you gather for worship and rest consistently (service time, serving team, family routine)? What obstacle tends to derail you, and how will you address it ahead of time? [54:49]
First of the day: What would “check your soul before you check your phone” look like tomorrow morning? Describe your first 10 minutes (place, Scripture plan, short prayer). What notification or app needs to be silenced or moved? [56:35]
Expectancy: Where do you need to raise your expectation that God will keep his word—provision, wisdom, reconciliation, guidance? Name the promise you will pray, and name the step you will take to act like it’s true. [58:11]

Sermon Clips

My prayer today as we start a new year together, as your pastor, that we would all be real with ourselves, that we would be very transparent and honest, and that we would put all the church space aside. We just what all the religious garbage is that somehow creeps up and clogs our soul, that we would put all of that away and all of that aside and that we would wrestle with a very, very honest and sincere question this year. Where in my life is God not first? [00:37:33] (26 seconds) #ExamineIfGodIsFirst

God brings the best out of you. This is why we always say here the best is yet to come. Because the day that you put God first, the day that you honor him before all things, the day that you truly make him the king of kings and the lord of lords in every area of your life, he brings the best out of you and brings the best for you and develops well formed maturity in you. [00:40:52] (21 seconds) #BestWhenGodIsFirst

He's jealous for you, man. He's jealous for your affection, for your attention, for your love. Why? Because he gave you all of his attention, affection, and love. He went first. He gave you his best. He gave you his only begotten sinless son. He did it to rescue you before you ever even cared about God or acknowledged God. And that while we were yet sinners, he died for us. He he went first. And because he went first and gave us his very best and put us above himself, he has every right to ask us to reciprocate that love. He has every right to ask us for all of our hearts [00:46:29] (35 seconds) #GodGaveFirst

The purpose of tithing, clear as I can the Bible can tell it. The purpose of tithing was to teach you always to put God first in your life. That was it. God just wanted for the people to understand that when he comes first, that it's an honor thing, that it is an honor thing. Tithing, if you do it financially listen, it's not about getting money out of your wallets, bro. It's getting idols out of our hearts. [00:48:57] (33 seconds) #TitheToHonorGod

Only if you wanna be a dynamic one. Only if you wanna be a growing one. I have never known anybody that treated God's house flippantly that was an on fire thriving believer. Only people that love the house of God. Your children are watching, and they're watching when and how you treat god's word and how you treat god's house, and you can never expect to raise champions for Christ if they've seen you live a cavalier relationship with god. We have a responsibility, mom and dad. [00:55:43] (28 seconds) #HonorGodsHouse

And when we constantly consume that and we get a little bit of God's word, but we get a lot of this negative stuff. Listen, you can't do it without it affecting your soul. And I've had to learn, man, that sometimes I just gotta get away from it. But I know first thing in the morning, I don't want that to corrupt my soul. Learn to check your soul before you check your phone. Give God the first five to ten minutes of your day. Start with a quick prayer and a moment of consecration and a moment of devotion. Even if you just go to the Bible app and read one or go to our website and read one. There is something powerful about setting the tone for the day with God first. [00:57:20] (33 seconds) #FirstMinutesWithGod

When we honor god with our first and best, he promises to multiply and bless the rest. When we honor god with our first and best, he promises to multiply and bless the rest. Now, you say, pastor, how does that work? how I could give 10% of something that's very little and he stretched that 90% out in a prolific and profound way and make up the difference almost as if I had more than a 100%. It's just god. It's just god doing what god does. I don't know how it works. I just know it works. [00:59:09] (51 seconds) #FirstFruitsMultiply

See, god wants what's best for his children. God wants you to have good things. God wants you to experience wonderful things. There's not a good father in this room that doesn't want his children to know and experience great things, but we also know boundaries. We're wise enough to know that that there that healthy boundaries in our children's lives, discipline in their lives, releases great things in their future. For their families, for their children, for our grandchildren. God does too and he said, when you honor me with your first and best, I promise that I will bless the rest. [01:00:54] (32 seconds) #GodBlessesTheRest

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God First: Honor Him with Firsts and Expect Miracles

Devotional

Day 1: Seek First: The Promise of Priority

Day 2: Faith Grows Exponentially Through Long Obedience

Day 3: No Power In A Partially Surrendered Life

Day 4: Give God The First Of Everything

Day 5: Expect God To Multiply And Bless The Rest

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

God First: Honor Him with Firsts and Expect Miracles

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