Maslow Got It Wrong...
What the true hierarchy of needs are and how to transform your life, family, and community.
Aren’t you tired of waiting on the government or someone else to fix your problems? I am too. That’s why I came up with 9 prioritized needs you should be focusing on to make life more fulfilling and empowering.
We all learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in school. Abraham Maslow first shared this idea in 1943 to conceptualize, through the image of a pyramid, how every human is motivated. He said that our physical needs were primary, but the need of self-actualization is ultimate.
I believe much of Maslow’s pyramid is either upside down or the needs mentioned are not truly reflective of God’s intended purposes for us. That’s why I’ve created a new set of prioritized needs that better resemble God’s commands. Without a higher priority need fulfilled, the lesser priority needs will shake and risk crumbling. Here they are in order of priority with Scripture references:
Get saved and follow God’s basic will for your life.
According to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we are supposed to live by every word that comes out of the mouth of God more than we are to depend on bread (food). (Matthew 4:4)
Already, we have flipped Maslow’s pyramid on its head. It is more important to have ‘self-actualization’ (which is the realization of our standing with God) than it is to have our earthly needs fulfilled because our eternal needs far outweigh them.
Once you have trusted in Christ as your Savior, you must follow the basic will of God, which is to repent of your sins and confess them to Him (and others when necessary).
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:33
Live a healthy lifestyle and focus on overcoming sicknesses and ailments.
This is where one of Maslow’s needs kick in. If you are sick with the flu or with a debilitating illness or injury, how will you be able to effectively do anything else? You must prioritize your health over everything that is listed beneath this step (or above it based on a pyramid).
Some of us lack a general healthy lifestyle, which prevents us from performing basic physical tasks such as walking a mile without being winded or even standing up for long periods of time without feeling lightheaded. You must reach your minimum health goals before you can reach your full potential in every other need.
“…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God.” - Romans 12:1b
Build your net worth and submit every dollar to God.
Do you struggle to pay your bills? Are you thousands of dollars in debt? How will you be able to follow God’s specific callings for your life if you are enslaved to another master?
Put your financial house in order. Pay off all debts and owe no one but God anything. Use the debt snowball method and use your salary to build wealth.
Even if you are in debt, you should be giving a minimum of 10% of your monthly income back to God who blessed you with it in the first place.
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
And try Me now in this.”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of Heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.”- Malachi 3:10
Follow God’s specific will and callings on your life.
Once you have the previous needs properly prioritized, God can begin to use you in a way you could not have thought or imagined. You have already submitted to Him the core aspects of life, and now He can trust you with bigger and more specific tasks.
Watch and pray for God’s specific will to be done in your life and that you will obey Him when the time comes.
God’s specific will can include a range of multiple things such as career calling(s), telling you to move to a different state, or hearing Him tell you to give someone an encouraging word.
“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord, “plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” - Jeremiah 29:11
Grow, protect, and strengthen your family through their physical and spiritual needs.
Make sure you are doing everything you can to serve your spouse, your children, and even other family members. (The key word is ‘serve’ - do not enable family members in sin and rebellion by blindly giving things like money to them)
Train up your children in the way they should go, honor your father and mother, and love your spouse/neighbor as yourself.
If you do not have a spouse or children, focus on other family members or even close friends by serving them as Christ would.
“For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” - I Timothy 3:5
Lead and serve in your local church.
This step should not be confused with ‘joining’ a church. Everyone should be a part of a local body of believers when they get saved (Need #1) to help them in following God’s basic will for their lives.
Since God is able to trust you with the smaller responsibilities, look for ways He is calling you to serve and lead in your church.
If you are married, especially the husband should be making sure he and his family are plugged into the church as well.
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” - Hebrews 10:24-25
Serve and lead in your community.
Now the focus turns toward the needs of others and not just your own. When this happens, you will miraculously start to feel more fulfilled in your calling on earth.
Look for ways to use your talents and passions God has given you by doing things like serving in your local food pantry, fulfilling a need for a neighbor next door, or even running for public office.
All this should be done with the goal of spreading the Gospel through your words and actions in service to others.
“Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” - Matthew 25:40
Grow in your knowledge and wonder of God.
Seek to do a deep dive of study into God’s Word and grow your thirst and hunger to know who He is and why things are as they are in the world.
This will only help expand your love for God and your desire to do His will.
You will also notice your wisdom increase and it will help you make the best decisions through situations that overwhelm you everyday.
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” - Proverbs 2:6
Stand for Truth with courage.
There will be times you are confronted by evil and you will be demanded by God to stand for His Truth and not deny His name. If all other needs are not fulfilled before times like this, you will find it very difficult to obey God in this way as the pressure will be great and you may not be able to face it.
As we draw nearer to a time of potentially great trials and suffering in the world, God will look to test each of us to see how far we will go to trust Him and proclaim the truth of His Word. Make sure you are ready.
“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” - Luke 12:12
Final Thought:
Even though these needs are numbered in order, it does not insinuate they are to be taken as literal steps. We are all in different phases of life with our own needs. This new ‘hierarchy of needs’ is intended to give you an idea of how to prioritize everything going on in your life as well as to show you what your greatest motivation should be (to live for Christ and give over our whole selves to Him). If you find you must focus on one of these needs above the others, that does not mean you neglect them. It means all other needs above that need in the pyramid are to be throttled down to a minimum where they can still at least operate.
As an example, if your health is wavering, that does not mean you stop attending church if you are still able. It just means you may have to take a step back from any leadership roles until your health has been restored.