How to Live for God: 10 Insights to Transform Your Life
The rhythm of the elliptical is like a cadence keeping time with my prayers. I pray while I exercise. Today I’m praying for single-minded focus to help me live for God in a world so full of distractions.
I stare at a beautiful landscape background on my computer while a worship mix stirs my soul.
I’m listening to Israel Houghton’s moving rendition of “To Worship You I Live” when a question startles me from my daze.
How to Live for God
I think of Paul’s words: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 NIV).
The song prompts me to consider what I live for most days.
I live to keep a routine, to get the oldest on the bus at exactly 8:29 every morning, to pack lunches, cook meals, meet with younger women, take stroller walks, buy groceries, fold laundry, wipe windows, and write articles. Some days it feels like I am merely living to keep up with the work of it all.
Am I mindful of Christ in the process of living?
If I live to worship him, then to live is to encounter him in everything.
Perhaps you, too, want to live for God but often get caught up in distractions. 
You are in the right place.
Today, we’ll answer the question of how to live for God with 10 practical insights. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you live for God every day.
Let’s dive in!
10 Ways to Live for God
1. Live for God by slowing down to be present in each moment.
I consider what it will look like to walk through the rest of my day with my eyes focused on Christ.
It will mean I enjoy my son immensely as we do life together today. I will expect him to act like a two-year-old, and I won’t blow up when his behavior doesn’t fit my plans for my day.
I’ll thank God for the food I get to cook. I will praise him and listen to his voice as I lead young women’s Bible study.
I’ll stop to talk to the lonely neighbor on our stroller walk today.
We live for God when we aim to be fully in present in all of life’s moments.
Ask God to help you slow down and be fully engaged today. This is one of the first steps for living for him.
2. Live for God by practicing gratitude.
Give thanks for the many small blessings around you and keep track. Make a list.
Thank the One who makes all things new.
Gratitude naturally lifts a heart to a worshipful place of praise.
God calls us to give thanks in all circumstances.
3. Live for God by aiming to remain aware of his presence.
In any single moment, you might be listening to a friend, considering how you might respond to her in love, and praying for God’s wisdom. I like to call this living life on two levels.
On one level, you are connecting with those around you. On a deeper level, you are listening for the whispers of the Holy Spirit to offer insight and wisdom.
Living on two levels enables you to worship while you do all things, even while you walk through the struggles and valleys of your days.
4. Live for God by taking control of your thoughts.
Make a conscious effort to become aware of what you are allowing yourself to think about.
Feel your feelings, and share them with God, but then ask him to shine his truth onto the thoughts that are destructive and not life-giving. Take these thoughts captive and replace them with thoughts that align with God’s Word.
Feel your #feelings, and share them with God, but then ask him to shine his truth onto the thoughts that are destructive and not life-giving. #speaklife #captivethoughts #encounteringGod Share on X5. Live for God by staying engaged in his Word.
You will learn to live for God by reading and studying the Bible.
God’s Word renews our minds. If we want to follow God, reading his Word daily helps us stay on track.
6. Live for God by obeying him.
If we love God, we obey his commands.
Have you been putting off a step of obedience?
Don’t delay. We show our love for God by obeying him.
7. Live for God by cultivating an attitude of joy.
We choose joy or grumpiness. Daily make the choice to be joyful. We honor God by exuding his joy.
Others are drawn into his love by our joy.
8. Live for God by praying without stopping.
We live for God when our lives become ongoing conversations with God.
The Apostle Paul reminded us: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
9. Live for God by serving others.
The Bible makes it clear that those who spend their energy serving others are more blessed than those who receive.
“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Prov. 11:25).
10. Live for God by keeping a soft heart.
Perhaps the most important aspect of living for God is keeping our hearts soft.
A hard heart turns brittle and bitter. We cannot live for God with bitterness consuming us.
Resist the urge to take offense when life is difficult. God is with you. He can work any situation for good in your life. Trust him and lean into him.
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I wish every day of my life were filled with victory. I wish I could always say I live for God in every moment. But I’m learning what it means. One day at a time, I’m walking forward. May these words stir the same desire in your heart. May you live to worship him.
If these insights on how to live for God blessed you, I invite you to explore our devotional books and library of free devotional eBooks below. Be blessed as you seeking the King!
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
