Friday, March 11, 2016

Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God

Hello, my dear and faithful followers!
These past couple of months
 I have been taking some time to sit at the feet of Jesus,
where I have found rest in His loving arms,
and I must confess that during my time away I MISSED YOU!! 
I was able to go south for some sunshine 
and these photo's were taken of the beautiful cactus's
in the area where I was staying.


God is true to His Word, in that when we seek Him
we are sure to find Him.
My spirit, my soul and my body
longed for some quiet and alone time with my Savior.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, my desire is to be a 
sweet fragrance for my Lord, and I longed to enter into a 
more personal and intimate relationship
with the One who brings us blessing, rest and joy.


I challenged myself daily to spend more time in the Word
seeking out the riches of God's promises
so as to memorize and apply them to my life,
Philippians 4:8 was one of the verses I meditated on
prayed over and set my mind on so as to live in God's ways.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; 
if there be any virtue and if there be any praise,
think on these things."
It all begins in our minds and we are to think about what is good and right.
During my quiet time with the Lord,
I was allowing His Spirit to fill my heart with all that
is good, pleasing and honorable in His Kingdom. 
What is true is found in God, in Christ, in the Holy Spirit
and in God's Word.
Honorable, the Greek term means "worthy of respect."
Believers are to meditate on whatever is worthy of awe and adoration. 


During this time I happened upon "The Daniel Fast"
believing it was of no mistake.
About one month into my quiet time alone with the Lord,
it would seem as though God was leading me to finish off this restful time alone with Him
through the benefits of fasting, and not just with my diet, but spiritually as well.
The power of fasting doesn't necessarily make sense to the natural mind.
But spiritual fasting requires spiritual sense-a spiritual
outlook and trust in the Lord and His ways.
I believed by doing the Daniel Fast that it was the first step toward 
the experience I was longing for that would bring me closer
to the Father who desires a deep , abiding relationship 
with each of His children.
Though I began my time of rest with meditation and prayer
I knew that every part of me needed something more.
I was longing for my Soul (my emotions, intellect, and feelings)
to benefit from the spiritual discipline of fasting.
I knew my soul needed to be fed.
I knew that my Spirit needed and would grow in strength 
and in the knowledge of Christ and His ways.
Then there was my Body...in many areas I wanted to renew my body and
benefit from a healthy lifestyle.
God continues to be faithful with 
where I have placed myself in His loving care.


Through the Daniel Fast I appreciated
 learning of Daniel's love for his God.
Daniel purposed in his heart to follow the ways of God.
"But, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself."
(Daniel 1:8a)
Daniel believed in his God.
That's the kind of faith we can all have.
Are we willing to love God with our whole hearts?
Are we willing to make God number one in our lives?
God is more than willing to do His part
when we are willing to do ours. 
Daniel devoted himself to God, he set his heart 
on the ways of the Lord and refused to be defiled by
the customs and practices of the Babylonians. 
Daniel's faith serves as a worthy example for us to follow. 


"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, 
and all these things shall be added unto you." 
(Matthew 6:33)
Jesus teaches us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,"
or His right way of doing things.
We should aim to do everything with God and in His ways.
When we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures 
and learn what the Lord has to say about who we are
and how we should care for our bodies,
there should be only one love-loaded
response to our Lord: "Yes Sir."
He is our number one reason for making changes
to be better aligned with what He wants for us.
Our Precious Heavenly Father, desires for us to be
healthy, to take good care of our bodies in whole,
so that we may be a shining example of His family.


"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil."
(Proverbs 4:23-27)

*******

Our Precious Heavenly Father,
These verses are such a powerful visual image
 that we must take and apply to our lives.
Help us to use our lips for Your glory,
to keep our eyes focused on Your kingdom,
and cause us to ponder the paths of our feet,
so that our ways will be established in You, and for Your glory.
Amen.

Be Blessed!
~ Debbie ~

Please join me as I party with Stephanie over at
Roses of Inspiration

 

32 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

So good to see you back dear Debbie! What an inspiring post.

Have a lovely weekend ~ FlowerLady

Anne Payne said...

Dearest Debbie, I truly believe the Lord is calling out HIS children, putting an almost desperation in our souls for more of HIM! I have felt this way too for a few months, and sought His refreshment, restoration, encouragement and satisfying Presence on a daily basis. Some days I f=think I just can't get enough of HIM!!!

I'm so happy that you have been refreshed in body, soul and spirit! Praise the Lord for His tender mercies toward us! {{hugs}}

Kelly @ Homespuns 'n Hayfields said...

Welcome back Debbie! I'm so glad you're doing well and what a beautiful post.
Love Kelly

Marilyn Mathis said...

How very precious are the words of this post. Truly we must keep Christ the center of every thing we think and do. We not only must commit to Him totally but also grow in Him and it sounds like you have drawn closer to Him through this. You are such an inspiration to me and I thank you for your honest, transparent posts that help me and others to draw closer to Him too. May God continue to draw you closer in His arms.

Sylvia said...

So happy to see your post when I got on. Your words are always encouraging and an inspiration to me. May God continue to bless you and give you the words to share to help others along their journey.
Take care dear lady.

Mindy said...

Nice to see your sweet face and read your inspiring words. Such beautiful pictures and the sentiment to go with...what a journey you have been on. Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Hi Debbie,
You are such an encouragement to me. I am doing a two week fast right now as a way to heal some physical needs and to become more rested alone with the Lord.
What a blessing we enjoy being able to enter into His presence and find refuge and peace.
Grace and peace to you,
Shirley

Daniela said...

What a blessing to have you back, precious friend of mine, I've been missing you and the love you shared so, so much !
Welcome amongst us, sweetest one, I need you and your words such a lot ...
Sending blessings of joy on your weekend,
with sincere love and gratitude
Dany

Celestina Marie said...

Dear Debbie, what a beautiful post. You share your heart so open and the knowledge that God blesses you with to teach and encourage others. My hubby and I were just talking about how important it is to maintain God as the center of our lives. Putting HIM first in all we do. We live in a world that has moved away from our heavenly Father. There is time to change this and each one of us, who believes, has the power to do so. May we always let God direct our path.
So glad to see you today and visit your lovely blog and post. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Blessings and love to you my friend, xo

Kim said...

How lovely to have you back, Debbie, doing what you do best, inspiring us all with your beautiful words and your faith in our loving God. Have the most wonderful weekend. Xx

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Welcome back, sweet friend! I always so enjoy reading your posts and learning from you. You have shared you heart, mind and soul with us, and I know that you were refreshed with spirituality through your deeper connection with Our Savior. Thank you, as always, for sharing your wisdom with us, and for sharing the beautiful pictures. Love and blessings to you, Debbie.

Denise said...

welcome back my sweet friend, missed you. thanks for such an encouraging post.

living from glory to glory said...

Hello Dear Friend! I am so glad you took this time to sit at the Lords feet! I know you will be more refreshed and focused on what really matters! I always so blessed from your writings to encourage us in our walk with the Lord!
Have a blessed Easter and Resurrection Day...
Love, Roxy

Linda said...

What a sweet post, my friend. You have been missed. Many Blessings to you...

Anonymous said...

The joy of spending quiet time with Our Lord is a gift, but it is something that we all should do...daily! :0) How wonderful that you were able to South for a nice giveaway...it is such a joy to read your words once again Debbie. God bless sweet friend,
mari

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Dear Debbie,

You indeed were missed so very much, and how thrilled I was to see your post here today! I can think of no more joyous thing to do than spend time with the Savior and just soak up His presence! I so enjoyed your pictures of the cactus, because just as the cactus soaks up water and stores it for the days ahead, I see that the Lord has done just that with you, he has restored and soaked your soul with the living water of His presence! And oh the Daniel fast, what a joyful fast to participate in. I too have done the Daniel fast at various times in my life when I just needed restoration in my spirit. And like you said, spirit, soul and body all benefit from this time of fasting.

It is a joyful thing to soak up the presence of the Lord, and I pray that the Lord has blessed and enriched your life throughout this time with Him, and I look forward to more gems written from your heart as the Lord gives you the inspiration! I've been blessed today to visit with you here :)

Linda Walker said...

Dear Debbie,
How thrilled I was when I noticed a new post from you on my sidebar. I have missed you my friend and your inspirational posts and wisdom. I am glad that you have taken the time to take care of you and grow in your faith. We all need to do that more. I learn so much from you and I am delighted that you are back. Sending love,
Linda

Robyn said...

You have been on quite a journey, my friend. Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with us. I am always reminded when I visit you that I need more time for my spiritual self and rather that put it off, just do it.
So glad you're home, Debbie. And yes, it's a good thing you like snow, lol.
Happy Sunday :) Love to you.

Vicky Hunt said...

How nice to have you back Debbie! I missed your sweet spirit and peaceful, thought provoking posts. I'm glad you enjoyed your time away with the Lord. I pray that you have a delightful week. I look forward to visiting again soon.

Hugs, Vicky

Mrs. Chrissy T said...

Mrs. Debbie,

First, I want to thank you for visiting my blog and for your sweet comment. Second, I feel that draw that you are talking about and I have been feasting at Jesus Feet but I feel I need to go deeper and today during church this very think you are writing about and experienced was preached on. It was a confirmation to me of my next step. Thank you for sharing.

Roosterhead Designs said...

Hello and thank you Debbie! : )
I was so glad to find your encouraging post here this morning as I get ready for a busy day at work~
Thank you so much for sharing your heart, and His love and word!
I am familiar w/the Daniel fast; as my daughter has done it - and my sister many times. She feels so refreshed spiritually (and physically) every time~
Have a great week friend. Karen O

hobbyloes said...

Its so good to see you back, Debbie. Thanks for your wonderful and spiritual post.
It is so fine that you have found peace and tranquility in our Lord.
Great pictures.
Have a blessed week.
Hugs, Loes

Bonnie said...

My heart was warmed to hear from you and read your post today. You are an inspiration. Your pictures and words are uplifting today in a troubled world that needs a Savior.
Thank you for the scriptures to ponder and for your example.

Sandra said...

I'm so pleased to see you back, Debbie. Your words are always so encouraging and filled with truth and wisdom. You're truly a teacher at heart. Hugs to you, my friend.

Terra said...

You sound all refreshed upon your return. Phillipians 4:8 is a favorite Scripture of mine too.

Debby Ray said...

Welcome back, my precious friend! I am still trying to get caught up after our trip to TN and this post of yours nearly slipped right through the cracks! Your post was just full of wonderful truths and worded so beautifully. I hope that your time away was everything you wanted and needed. I think this is something we all need from time to time and I pray it has given you a renewed sense of peace. It is always so good to hear from you, Debbie! Much love and hugs to you :)

Melanie said...

Hi Debby,
I'm so happy to see you back and refreshed. I certainly do sense a peace about you. I'm glad to hear that the Daniel Fast has helped you so much. Our bodies are the temple of God and I have to confess I've not treated it very well. Have a blessed day, my friend.

Ginny said...

Oh Debbie, So wonderful to read your beautiful inspiring words! I hope you truly did rest and find refreshment in the Lord. I know exactly what you mean in your writing about fasting, our bodies, getting closer to the Lord. During this Lenten season, I have been very attentive to what I ate, how I spoke and what I read. I have to admit my prayer time sometimes got trumped by busyness, but I always tried to get back on track as soon as possible. Your writing is such an inspiration to so many of us! I was delighted to see your new blog post! Thank you! ginny

Camille said...

The Lord is so very good to us, isn't He? I am so glad you have been finding Him in the quiet He has led you into. Your photos are beautiful. It sounds like your time away with your Mom was a blessing to your heart. Hugs to you! Camille

Deborah Montgomery said...

I was so happy to see your post, and to hear about your blogging break. What a wonderful time of refreshment you had. It's such an encouragement to us all to take time to spend more time with our Savior and drawing closer to Him. Thank you for sharing what you learned with us. Yes, I love those verses from Philippians, too. Blessings, Deborah

Joyful said...

Welcome back Debbie. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your away time and fellowship with the Father. The verses of scripture you provided are great food for the mind and heart. The first one is one of my favourites and God brings it to mind whenever there is a need. Hugs. xx

CherylQuilts said...

Dearest Debbie, it's a joy to see you back and to read this beautiful post and see the amazing photos of some of God's creation. It sounds like you've had a wonderful time of refreshment as you've sit at the feet of Jesus...something we all need more and more of...especially given our more and more broken and sin-broken world. Oh, that we would yearn more to spend time with Him to soak in His Word and to let it fill our hearts, minds, and bodies. I believe one by one we could make more of a difference. I continue to pray for you and am so glad to see you posting. I am very behind in my emails and posts, but I have had a good week so far. And it's been a very long time since I could say that. So I praise God. Sending hugs and love...and continued prayers! xoxo

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...