Put the Lord First in Your Life, and Everything Will Align

This idea has been in my mind for a while. Every time I go to church, or when I am seeking for answers, this has been my answer recently. At first I didn't believe it, but now I get that the importance of putting the Lord first. Recently, I have not been diligent in reading my scriptures or praying to my Heavenly Father. Now, I'm not proud of this, but pride is not what this blog is about. It is about admitting to my weaknesses, embracing my strengths, and turning to God in order to become a better person. 

Just yesterday, I sat down to eat my homemade tacos for lunch at home, and before I knew it, I was finished and I realized that I didn't even think about praying to bless my food. Usually this is second nature to me. This realization scared me and made me realize that I want to be better. I need to be better.

I have also become extremely lax in my morning and evening prayers to my Heavenly Father. I resign to saying them as I go to sleep or simply forgetting them. As for daily scripture study, I have been briskly reading a couple verses most nights right before I go to sleep, hardly thinking about, or even understanding what I read.

Henry B. Eyring said in the May 2011 Ensign, "Testimony requires the nurturing by the prayer of faith, the hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth we have received. There is danger in neglecting prayer. There is danger to our testimony in only casual study and reading of the scriptures. They are necessary nutrients for our testimony". I firmly believe that forgetting my prayers and ignoring my scriptures has endangered me to the temptations of the devil. It has nulled my sense for the Spirit, and has degraded my ability to learn.

I have been trying to do better in school recently. I have not been receiving the best grades recently, and I honestly want to do better. I want to improve. I want to be good. I have realized that my two thoughts of wanting to do better in school, and pushing my relationship with the Lord to the back burner are counter-productive. I am now realizing that putting the Lord first in my life will lead me to greater happiness and success. I guess I never thought this before because I haven't given the Lord the chance to show me that that is how it works.

After realizing this, I came to the conclusion that I need to make a list of ways that I can show the Lord that He is the first priority in my life. Here is what I came up with:

• Read the Ensign each month 
• Read the Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple pamphlet 
• Be completely diligent in my Visiting Teaching 
• Be more aware of curfew, and abide by the rules 
• Communicate lovingly with my roommates 
• Kneel and pray before I leave my apartment in the morning 
• Kneel and pray before I go to sleep 
• Pray before I eat 
• Set apart a time where I can read the scriptures everyday 
• Schedule a time to go to the temple each week 

This is a list that I have created for myself in order to show the Lord that He is first in my life. Each of these has a specific meaning to me. I encourage you to make your own list. It may be similar to mine, or completely different. I wouldn't feel obliged to do anything on this list just because I am. There are things that are not on my list that may be on yours. You need to listen to the Spirit and see what Heavenly Father tells you to focus on. Ask Him for help. Ask that you may know the steps that you need to take in order to show Him that He is first in your life too.