How to Identify Our Values and Align Them with God’s
- Tobias Wade
- May 25
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 25
Why Do We Need to Identify Our Values and Align Them with God’s?
Values are the core principles we seek to live by, and our actions are where they come to life. Living out our values allows us to live authenticity, experience greater vitality and develop a deeper connection with ourselves. In those moments when we wrestle with our identity, our roles and responsibilities, or our relationships the most, we will often find ourselves struggling to live out our values as well.
As Christians, our values need to align with God’s values. Because living out God’s values allows us to experience even greater joy and vitality and develop a deeper relationship with Him. In those moments when we feel spiritually dry or distant from God, we will often find ourselves struggling to live out God’s values as well. For example, if we value being in control, and God values faith, we will struggle to place our trust and confidence in God, which can lead to spiritual dryness.
It can also be due to our values and God’s values being misaligned. For example, if we value wealth and God values generosity, but for us wealth means living abundantly and comfortably, but for God it presents a blessing to be shared generously, then our values are misaligned.
Aligning our values with God’s values is the ultimate step towards living an authentic Chrisitan life and enjoying a deeper and more fulfilling relationship with God. To do that, we need to identify our values and see how they align with God’s values. Answering the following three self-reflective questions will help:
What do I want other people to say about me?
What do I want God to say about me?
What is God saying to me now?
Let us begin by exploring each of these three questions together.
What Do I Want Other People to Say About Me?
Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon.1 Samuel 25:1 NLT
When someone we care about dies, it naturally opens us up to self-reflection. This is because death reminds us of our own mortality, that our time is valuable and we do not know how much we have left. We often then question what our values are and whether we are living them out.
Hardly a week goes by for me without at least one patient coming to see me because someone they knew has died or had a near-death experience. It is always for the same reason: to get a health check-up. The death of someone close to us makes the value of health seem more important.
Funerals often lead to reflection or self-reflection as well. As we share stories about the one who has passed, about who they were and how they lived, it can cause us to ask ourselves “How do I want to be remembered?” or “What do I want other people to say about me?”
All of Israel assembled at Samuel’s funeral to mourn him. His life impacted millions across generations. If we were to write Samuel’s eulogy based on the account of his life recorded in 1 Samuel it might include the following:
His life was dedicated to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:28)
He had God’s favour (1 Samuel 2:26)
He listened to God and followed His will (1 Samuel 3:10)
He served the Lord faithfully and was above reproach (1 Samuel 12:3)
He instructed God’s people in “the good and right way” to live (1 Samuel 12:23)
He rebuked those whose faith and worship was superficial (1 Samuel 15:22)
He saw others the way God sees them (1 Samuel 16:7)
I cannot help but be awestruck by the extraordinary life Samuel lived in devotion and service to God. The values he lived out across His life are commendable and the way he lived them out is something to truly aspire to. More importantly, His values were completely aligned with God’s.
If we desire to align our values with God’s, we need to stop and ask ourselves “What do I want other people to say about me?” If they wrote my eulogy, what would I like them to include? If they were speaking about me at my wake, what would I like them say?
Because the answer to these questions helps us to identify our values. Unfortunately, the answers will reveal if we are living them out as well.
Once we know what our values are, we can take the next step and review how they align with God’s. The next question will help us to do this.
What Do I Want God to Say About Me?
“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ Matthew 25:23 NLT
I long to hear those words from God after I die. I suspect you do as well. Such desire prompts the question, “What Do I Want God to Say About Me?”
Would God say that we have been a good and faithful servant? That we were good stewards of our blessings, abilities, and resources? Or would He having something else to say to us?
If in your heart you know that God would have something else to say, then in that area of your life your values are misaligned with God’s.
The good news is we are still alive and covered in God’s grace. We have time to grow and change and to bring our values and God’s values into alignment and live them out in our lives.
Which brings us to our final question.
What is God Saying to Me Now?
Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21 NLT
The good news is we do not have to wait until we die to come into God’s presence and to hear His voice. God is always present. He knows the path to walk and which direction to turn. If our values are causing us to turn left and God’s values want us to turn right, listening to God’s voice helps us to align our values with His. The more we continue to live out God’s values, the more in tune to God’s voice we become, the easier it is to follow His leading.
Often the reason we cannot hear God’s voice is because we are too busy or distracted by our lives and the world around us. This is why taking a timeout from our lives is important. It helps to create a space for us to sit in God’s presence and listen to what He has to say. If this is an area of your life you struggle with, our devotional “How Taking a Timeout with God Can Transform Your Life” can help.
Learning to tune our ears to hear God’s voice, to follow His lead, and live out His values is a spiritual discipline that takes time to develop. The more we do, the more our values will align with God’s. As they do, we will begin to experience greater joy and a deeper more authentic relationship with God. All that it takes to begin this journey is one moment in the presence of God, and the strength and courage to trust and follow His lead.
Why not stop and take this moment with Him now? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Reflection
Where in your life are your values and God’s values misaligned? What steps can you take to bring them into alignment?
Prayer
Father God, in this moment help me to be aware of your presence. Help me to sit with you now and hear you voice speak into my life. Give me ears to hear your voice and the strength to live out your values and will for my life.
Affirmation
I do not walk through life alone, but with the voice of God directing my ways.
Action
Take a moment to set a couple of value-based goals to help you start living out your values.
In our self-help resources section, you will find the helpful guide “How to Set Value-Based Goals” to assist you with this.
If you are still unsure of what your values are, we have the self-reflection exercise “What are my values?” to help you identify your values. We also have the self-reflection exercise “Am I Living Out My Values?” to help you examine how you are living out your values.