The Key to God Putting You First
By Gregory Toussaint | March 8, 2026
God declared it plainly in Deuteronomy 28:13 for all who believed — “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath” — and yet for millions of believers, that promise has never become a reality. They pour themselves out, they pray, they work, and still find themselves at the bottom, watching others take what they have sown. What separates the promise from the reality is not faith alone — it is a biblical principle called the Law of First Fruits, the ancient covenant key that unlocks God's favor in every area of life. Once a believer understands it, the impossible does not just become possible — it becomes inevitable.
The Gap Hard Work Cannot Fill
To understand why that gap exists, it helps to look at what has never been able to close it. If hard work alone were enough to reach the top, history would look very different. Generations of people who gave everything still found themselves at the bottom. That gap — between the energy a person gives and what they receive in return — is not closed by more effort. It is closed by favor, and favor is not random. It follows a law. Proverbs 3:9–10 makes it plain: "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty."For every believer who honors Him first, abundance in all matters shall follow second.
The Law of First Fruits
That exchange has a name, and understanding it changes everything.
At the heart of this teaching is what Scripture calls the Law of First Fruits — also known as the Law of Preeminence. In Revelation 1:8, God declares, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end." Because God is first in all things, He requires first place in every area of life: time, finances, praise, and the first hours of the morning to name a few. He is the first. He has always been the first. And to see the impossible made possible — a believer must learn to put Him there.
Getting It Backwards
Yet this is precisely what many believers miss. They tell themselves, "When God blesses me, I will honor Him." But the principle does not work that way. Psalm 110:3 says, "Your people will offer themselves willingly." That willingness — especially before the blessing is visible — is the very thing that activates the promise. It begins with a decision and a declaration: "Lord, this morning I put You first. I acknowledge You as first — the Creator of my life, my church, my family, my business." When a believer gives God what He desires, He turns around and gives them what they desire.
A Story That Reveals the Law
The clearest picture of what this looks like in practice came through a conversation that left a pastor speechless. A Jewish building owner once confronted him — a pastor who was struggling to pay rent saying, "How can we serve the same God of abundance and overflowing wealth, yet you struggle?" The Jewish man explained that every year he traveled to Jerusalem to present his first fruits before the Lord. "We Jews believe that the abundance we receive for the rest of the year flows from what we give first. There is a law and a covenant that you do not know. That is why we are first while others struggle.
King David: The Last Who Became First
That same covenant is what transformed the most overlooked man in his family into the most celebrated king in history. David was the last son — so forgotten that when Samuel came to anoint a king, his own father Jesse did not even think to call him in from the fields. Yet God made an everlasting covenant with him, declaring in Psalm 89 that He would make David His firstborn — the highest of the kings of the earth. The last became first. And that same heart of honor produced a generosity staggering in scale: when David prepared to build the temple, he gave from his personal wealth an amount valued in today's terms at approximately $37 billion (1 Chronicles 22 and 29). A person who honors God with little will naturally honor God with much when the blessing comes.
The Impossible Becomes Possible
David's story is not an exception — it is an invitation. This is the year the impossible becomes possible, but not through striving. It becomes possible through surrender.
Every first Sunday of the month, every first day of the week, every first hour of the morning belongs to God. We are not living in our own day — we are living in the Day of the Lord, and we give Him what belongs to Him. When a believer rises early and gives those hours to God before the noise of the day begins, they step into what Scripture describes as a spiritual womb — a place where grace, blessing, and power are birthed through the sacrifice of the first.
Isaiah 65:21–23 promises that those who walk in covenant with God "shall not labor in vain." The days of pouring yourself out while others take the harvest are finished. God says that this season, He will not let anyone rob you of what you have sown — because you have decided to put Him first.
Put God First — and Watch What He Does
The promise of Deuteronomy 28 was never out of reach. It was simply waiting on the right key. That key is the Law of First Fruits. Put God first in every area, without condition, before the blessing is visible — with your morning, your money, your praise, and your trust. Acknowledge Him as the Creator of your life, your family, your church, your business. Make the decision today because when a believer honors Him as first, He puts them first.
Discussion Questions
1. The Jewish building owner told the pastor, "There is a law and a covenant that you do not know." What do you think most believers are missing when it comes to putting God first?
2. Many believers get it backwards by waiting to honor God only after being blessed. How might this attitude affect one's spiritual growth and relationship with God?
3. Hard work alone cannot close the gap between effort and reward — only favor can. Do you agree, and what does that mean for how you approach your daily life?
4. The Law of First Fruits says God must come first before the blessing arrives. Has there ever been a time you waited for a blessing before honoring God? What happened?
5. David was the last and most overlooked in his family, yet God made him first. How does his story encourage you in a season where you feel unseen or passed over?
