How to Find Peace and Power Through a Prioritized Life

“On your mark, get set, GO!!” The pistol sounds and the runners spring into action. Every thought, every motion, every breath has a purpose, and every eye is fixed on the same thing-the finish line.

What a beautiful illustration of living the Christian life-a life in which your every thought and motion has a purpose and your eyes are forever fixed on the goal!

But as I look back on my life, I realize there have been times when I've lost my focus and got caught running “the rat race” instead. Perhaps you have done the same thing. It's likely that even now you're exhausted from the activities of the holidays and are looking at the start of 2004 realizing you're being pulled in a dozen different directions.

People and circumstances are crying out to you saying, “Do this. Do that. Do this. Do that.” You feel as if you're constantly on the run, but you're not sure you're getting anywhere.

So to help you evaluate your life, I want to share a little test that's helped keep me headed in the right direction. I'm going to give you six symptoms of a life that's out of balance, and you can determine whether you identify a lot or a little with each one. By the end of the test, you'll have a good feel for whether or not you're on track.

Symptom #1: Busyness. People who are busy are always in a hurry. Time is their enemy because they never seem to have enough of it. Are you always running out the door, arriving just in time or a little late? Is your desk or house a mess? Is your car dirty? Is it because you just don't have time?
Don't get caught in the activity trap. Remember, it's not how much you do that's important, but whether you're accomplishing the things that are really important.

Symptom #2: Emotional Stress. Do you often feel pressure and anxiety? Do you have trouble sleeping or waking up? Are you frequently uneasy, restless, indecisive, unhappy, irritable, or worn out? Do you lack connectedness in relationships and keep conversations at a superficial level? Do you feel hopelessly overwhelmed?
Those symptoms of emotional stress are all indicators that you're doing a whole lot more than God designed you to do or that you're doing it in the wrong way. Remember, God's yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

Symptom #3: Nagging Guilt. Do you feel guilty because you're not accomplishing everything you think you should? Have you stopped liking yourself? Do you feel like you don't measure up? Nagging guilt indicates that something is wrong.

Symptom #4: Financial Problems: Are you spending money you don't have? Are you going out to eat because you're too tired to cook? Are you shopping because you want to feel better? Are you working harder and longer but still can't keep up with the bills? Have you stopped giving to God because you just can't afford it? Do you seem to have a hole in your checkbook? God may be using your financial struggles to get your attention.

Symptom #5: Prayerlessness. How is your devotional life? Have you set aside quality time for God, or are you running out the door in the morning and crawling into bed exhausted at night with hardly a thought drifting God's way? If you treated a friend or a spouse the way you treat God, how good would your relationship be? The amount of time spent with the Lord in prayer is one of the greatest indicators of where your heart is with God.

Symptom #6: Escapism Behavior. Do you sit down and mindlessly watch television for hours even if there's nothing in particular you want to watch? Do you grab something from the refrigerator, even if you're not hungry? Do you go shopping even when there's nothing you need? If you're doing any activity just to turn your mind off or get away from the pressures of life, you're practicing escapism behavior. Your life is out of balance.

So how did you do? If you're like me, you probably didn't score as well as you would have liked on that test. Keeping priorities in line isn't easy, and as I thought about those questions, I realized that even now my life isn't exactly where I would like it to be.

But be encouraged-everybody's priorities are constantly in flux. I don't know anybody who has their priorities perfectly together and everything in line. But wherever you are right now, you can determine in your heart that you're going to take a step in the right direction.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:25 that “everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” It's a process. You're not going to run a marathon the first time you put on your running shoes. But if you want to run a marathon, you have to start running.

So if your life doesn't have the balance you desire right now, let me encourage you to do two things. First, commit yourself to taking control of your time, because you can't control your priorities until you control your time.

And second, commit to giving your first and best time to God. Even if you're not a morning person, I'd encourage you to start your day with God. If you give God the first minutes, He can transform the rest of your day through His Spirit, Who will help you discern when to say yes and when to say no.

And before you know it, you'll experience the peace and power of a prioritized life.

Excerpted from EdgeNotes, the bi-monthly newsletter of Living on the Edge; based on the series Biblical Priorities. Used with permission. Copyright 2004 by Chip Ingram. All rights reserved.
About the author: Chip Ingram is President of Walk Thru the Bible in Atlanta, GA, and Teaching Pastor of Living on the Edge, a national radio ministry.

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