What Does Following God Really Mean?

We know that if we’re “with God,” we’re following Him. But let’s break that down further. What does it mean to follow God? It means that we have priorities—not our priorities, but His.

When God’s priorities become your priorities, you will put Him and His Word first. This is  not an option; it’s a necessity. You won’t put friends first. You won’t even put listening to Christian podcasts, reading teaching materials, and attending special meetings first. You will put Him first! Those other things can help you, but they can’t take the place of His Word and of your fellowship with Him.

You can always tell when a person is putting God and His Word first. You can’t determine that by the absence of tests or trials in their life. It’s what they do in the midst of tests and trials that shows where their priorities lie.

When you’re putting God first and a trial comes, you won’t wring your hands and say, “Oh God, what am I going to do?” No, you will have already armed yourself with His Word, and you will begin to speak it. What you have put in your heart will eventually come out of your mouth.

Putting God and His things first also means putting His will first. To follow God, we must put His desires above our desires and choose His will for our lives over our own.

Putting God’s will for us first is a choice we will have to reaffirm throughout our lives. We don’t do it once, and that’s it. If you haven’t already done so, I challenge you to put God’s desires for your life above your own. He made you, and He has created you for a very special purpose. You can trust Him to bring that purpose to fulfillment.

Following God Involves Commitment

Following God also means committing to follow Him as a lifestyle. We commit to always put Him, His Word, and His will first. And we commit to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. We must wholeheartedly commit to follow the One Who knows more about us than we know about ourselves. We must entrust ourselves to Him Who cares more about our prosperity and success than we do. He has our best interests at heart. We can trust Him with our life!

These things are what it means to be “with God” and to follow Him. If we are “with God,” we are putting God, His Word, and His will first, and we are committed to doing that despite any sacrifices we may have to make. Whatever you think you may be sacrificing to follow God is nothing compared with the rewards of following Him.

Someone might argue, “Well, you sound so certain, but I’m just not sure.” People like that often find themselves feeling dissatisfied. They’re questioning rather than believing. They haven’t reached the point in their walk with God where they can say with full assurance of faith, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it!”

When the pressures, tests, and trials of life come to try to steal from us and make us doubt, we must let the infallible truth of God’s Word be our rock and foundation. We have to maintain our commitment to follow God, His Word, and His will for our lives, no matter what. And we must steadfastly follow the leading of His Spirit.

Your mind may be shouting, “You’re not going to make it! There’s no way out of this!” You may have to bite your lip to keep from giving in to hysteria and desperation. You may have to just close your eyes and cling in faith to the Master, because all you see is hopelessness. But if you will hold to the truth that the answer to your problem is possible with God, you will make it through and experience the fullness of His blessing.