Thursday, January 31, 2019

My Determined Life of Worship ~


 Hello to you my dear readers and friends!
As I'm sitting here by the fire writing this post
I can't help but think of those of you who live in a warmer climate, 
here it is {{freezing}} outside! 
Some of you are experiencing frigid temperatures so
be very careful as you venture outside. 
I was talking with my Chiropractor (who is from Minnesota) and he shared 
of a year when there was below freezing temps with a wind chill of below 50 
that would cause frost bite if you were outside for any length of time.
Oh be very careful!
I will soon be headed to Arizona for some warmer days
as I spend time with my dear mom. 
Donatella and I will be traveling alone, I'm driving this time so
I would much appreciate your prayers ~ and thank you so much!

♡ ♡ ~ ~ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ~ ~ ♡ ♡

With each New Year many of us have goals that we set for our lives.
While I'm not one for resolutions per se I usually have a goal that I 
prayerfully lay before the Lord that I desire to work on in order
to better my life in some way or another.  
Spiritually there is always something that I long to do better
and this year the desire of my heart longs to block out the noise
that seems to find its way into my worship time with God. 
I'm finding noise to be the enemy of my soul, 
so it's time to examine the area of my worship time with God. 
Life just seems to find a way of becoming cluttered 
with all sorts of activities and things that rob us of the one essential thing
we need most in our lives, the worship of God.
Often times I find myself rushing through my quiet worship time, 
how sad is that!?

♡ ♡ ~ ~ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ~ ~ ♡ ♡

We enjoyed having our three oldest grandsons through the New Year
so I was not able to pray in the New Year quietly
as I have in the past years.
After their return home I sat down and focused on a plan for having a
determined life of worship making notes of the things that would
benefit me in my daily time alone with my Savior. 
As I said earlier, noise seems to be the enemy of my soul;
therefore, I had to be honest with myself and ask the question, why?
Well... now that I'm home and not having to leave early
for work and other activities that would cause me to rise early,
I now try and have that precious "Quiet Time" much later in the day. 
For others that works great, but for me, not so much.
So...
Get out of bed Debbie!!
Now it's not that I'm sleeping until noon, I could never do that, 
but it's those early and I mean early hours of the day
when I found such quiet and alone time with God.
I will say, I have enjoyed staying in bed just a little longer these days, 
but if I am going to be honest with myself, it's not a good thing. 
I've now experienced both sides of the coin and I like being a 
Perky Patty over a Sleepy Head.
"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. "
~ Proverbs 8:17 ~
 I must get back to what I know works best for me,
seeking God in those early hours.
"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee;
my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee
in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is."
~ Psalm 63:1 ~

♡ ♡ ~ ~ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ~ ~ ♡ ♡

I must worship God in spirit and in truth.
"But the hour cometh, and now is, 
the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth;
for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. "
~ John 4:23 ~
God is Spirit ~
 The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God; therefore, 
the Spirit is the only one properly to lead
my heart to worship God acceptably.
My prayers need to be with all sincerity, with honesty,
with simplicity and from the heart.
I need to return to my quiet little corner early in the morning 
before the noise and activities of my world creep in. 
With my Bible outspread before me, I will be still and wait on God.
"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
~ John 8:8 ~
While I'm alone with God, the Scriptures assure me that
as I draw near to God I will begin to hear Him speak to my heart.
Awww...that still small voice begins to speak
and in the quietness of my morning, God meets me.
As a follower of Christ, I have a responsibility to maintain
my worship time alone with God on a daily basis
and the effect of all my love and devotion to God will be this:
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, 
even by the Spirit of the Lord. "
~ 2 Corinthians 3:18 ~


Take Joy!
Debbie

23 comments:

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Good Morning, Debbie. I love your determination to seek God early, before the noise of the day sets in. That is my goal as well. We do not turn the TV on until after we have had our devotions, morning walk and breakfast. I am finding that even then I do not really want to see what the daily news will bring. I know we have to keep up with what is going on in the world, but I'm finding that lately it has been so upsetting that I am physically affected by it, and cannot allow myself to keep being bombarded by the evil of the world. And yet, we as believers are supposed to pray for our nation and our leaders and be ready to take a stand for truth. More and more I want to just withdraw from the world completely and wait on the Lord's return! But we are to be salt and light in a dark world. Our blogs are one way of reaching out. Thank you for your faithfulness to God's Word here, and for being a strong witness. Praying for you as you drive to your mother's home. May God go with you and before you and make your paths straight and safe all the way. Have a blessed time together...and enjoy the warmth! Even here in Florida it is freezing this morning. But we know it won't last long, so we are thankful. Praying for those who are truly suffering in the icy blast. Have a blessed and beautiful day, my friend. Thank you for your comment on my blog (the one in the "fog") earlier.

Kerin said...

You have some wonderful goals.
Putting our Savior first and foremost in our lives makes all the difference!
I like quiet times when I can reflect and ponder the scriptures, and increase my testimony.
Prayers for your safe travels. Enjoy your time with your mom, and warmer temperatures.
We too are cold here in Utah. My heart sure goes out to those in the states that are having bitterly cold temperatures.
Thankful that January is ending and each day brings us closer to spring :)

Warm wishes.
~K.

Anonymous said...

Oh Debbie... seeking our GOD first is how HE is able to speak to our hearts before the noise of the everyday infiltrates. I have done the same here. I tend to just keep it quiet due to my daughter’s condition... but those quiet times in the presence of our Father are just precious. Have a safe trip dear lady. Here in the mountains we are at -10 at the moment. 💙

Creations By Cindy said...

Dear Sweet friend, I just love everything you have written! The beautiful scriptures of God's precious Word is so comforting this morning. I love how you are determined to seek Him first thing in the morning. Oh my friend, it takes discipline too. I can always tell when I am in a rush to talk with my Lord because it seems my day isn't the same. But, when I truly spend that time with Him then whatever the day holds I seem to be able to handle it all better. I am one of those that when I get up and grab my coffee I go to my favorite chair and that is where I sit for at least 30 minutes. I always try to pray and be mindful about it. Some mornings I do a short devo. Some mornings I will admit that I am just sitting there thinking about life in general. But oh those precious mornings that I do purposely spend with the Lord are so sweet. Thanks for sharing your heart. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Chas' Crazy Creations said...

I'm so glad you had a wonderful time with your family. I can also understand a little extra snuggling in bed - especially this time of year when it's colder. Thank you for sharing your experiences and love the verses. Sending hugs

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

A beautiful post. For me it is so much better to have my quiet time with Jesus, early, early in the mornings, before the traffic starts out front. I started getting up later and my devotional time just wasn't the same, too many distractions.

Jesus is our comfort and He longs for us to seek Him above all else.

I pray that your trip to and from your Mom's will be safe and that the two of you have a wonderful time together.

Love, hugs & prayers for you dear Debbie ~ FlowerLady

NanaNor's said...

Dearest Debbie, I bet you've got more snow than we do down here. It's still cold, but I'm thankful it isn't worse. I will definitely be praying for His angels protecting you as you head to your mom's. It is such an uncertain time in our state and our country, we need to constantly be in prayer for where this country is going. My heart grieves for New York and also for what is before the lawmakers for our state. We must pray mightily. Sending you lots of love and prayers; please stay in touch as I haven't been blogging much-just no longer have that desire to do so.
Blessings~
Noreen

Anne Payne said...

Debbie, You are such a sweet encourager. Through your lessons I learn so much. I, too, need to quiet my mornings. My distraction comes from my phone; apps are a killer! Thanks for sharing your dedication and strong love for our Lord. Stay warm and have a blessed week ~ Anne

Evelyn Bray said...

I definitely need to work on getting back into my early morning quiet times. I have been so tired for so long I just don't get up soon enough. I hope your trip goes well!

Debby Ray said...

Oh yes, dear Debbie...I do love to rise before the sun and take advantage of that precious quiet...in fact, it is my most favorite time of each day. This world is such a noisy, noisy place and sometimes I just can hardly bear all of that noise! I love how you have shared your beautiful heart here. The Lord surely knows how much I am lacking when it comes to spending quality time with Him. Thank you for this inspirational post and have a wonderful and safe journey with Donatella!♥

Ruth Hiebert said...

As the Lord brings you to mind,I will be praying for you.Hope you will have a wonderful time with your Mom.I am an early riser and prefer to have my devotions before I get busy with the day. I have had many people ask why I get up so early.When I say it is in part because I want to have time for my devotions,I get a strange look. That's ok, they just don't know what they are missing.

Amelia said...

Oh Debbie, I know just what you mean. For me, I must awake before everyone else to get that glorious quiet time. I try to get out of that bed before the sun finds me there. Ha! : )

The need for quiet before the Lord reminds me of the Steven Curtis Chapman song, 'Be Still and Know That He is God' form his 'Speechless' cd. I think many people can't stand quiet anymore these days, and how are they supposed to hear from God like that? We recently cut the cable, even the conservative political station, fox was cutting into just sweet family time. Now, watching a good old fashioned movie where we can sit and enjoy, talking with each other instead of the brash music and everything else is just a huge blessing to us now, we have bought a 'channel master' to tape the old programs (free!) and fast forward commercials and it is much more intentional. We get our national political news now from the conservative radio like when our girls were little, we get our info and turn it off, perhaps putting some nice music on instead or good old fashioned Christian radio...Or quiet.: )

I'll pray for you and Donatella! Psalms 91. I hope the visit goes well, you are a brave gal! I hope all is well with your mom and that you have a pleasant time.

Godspeed to you dear Debbie, one of the sweetest bloggers out there. 'Let the noise and clamor cease...Be speechless...' (Steven Curtis Chapman)

Much love, Amelia

hobbyloes said...

It is also cold Debbie here, not frost but rain.
In the early silent morning hours, it is best to contact the Lord, otherwise than later in the day when it gets busy.
Have a blessed weekend!

Tanza Erlambang said...

Glad to know that you have some wonderful goals.
have a great day

Brenda said...

Hi Debbie,
I have many quiet times with the Lord in my workroom, and sometimes I will pick up my guitar and sing to Him, but I have to say that He is constantly in my mind wherever I am.
Your times sound lovely and I pray that you will have a lovely time, with the Lord with you and keeping you safe on your journey, with your mum.
God bless

M.K. said...

I agree, Debbie. I'm not a typical "morning person," but I found years ago that I had to spend time with the Scriptures and with God first thing in the morning. I'd get a cup of tea, go back to my room, close the door. If I went and did anything else first, I found it would distract me and I'd forget, or my mind would not really be focused on my time with God. Even with all the kids out of the house now, it's really still the same. After I get going in the day with all my various projects and things to do, I can't regain that quiet that comes with the morning. I pray your year with the Lord is a big blessing!

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

I am so happy that you found what is best for you for your quiet time with Our Lord. The "noise" in my mind is what I have to fight with, Debbie. Sometimes for me, praying out loud is what works best, to keep my mind focused on what I want to say to God. Of course, reading God's word, and reading devotionals is wonderful for me. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. Prayers for you, always, and especially in traveling to your dear Mom. Enjoy the sunshine and warmth in Arizona. Love, hugs and blessings to you!

Anonymous said...

This seems to be a problem for me, as well. Homeschooling 4 kids, I am NEVER alone! And by the time my husband and I ARE alone at night, we are literally falling asleep! The only way I could find--like you--was to get up earlier. So I get up at 5 am and do my Bible reading/praying/etc then. Some mornings are harder than others, I'll admit. ha, ha. I've been doing this since July, and it definitely helps! I hope you find a good "groove" for yourself, as well. :)

We have had that bitter cold/wind here, as well. We had several days of being stuck inside, except for doing the chores. I cannot WAIT for summer! lol. Stay warm!

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

I am right there with you on all of these things! I often find that I have such good intentions when I sit down with the Word and then . . . the 'noise' begins. Sometimes it's a distraction outside of my window, or the puppy etc. but often it's a distraction in my mind (that I know Satan is doing). I begin to think of all kinds of things and then struggle not to act on them right then. I have to tell myself it can wait. And let's not even TALK about the awful weather! Haha! Take me to AZ with you! I spent almost five days on St. Simon's Island, GA last weekend/week and while it was only in the 60's . . . it felt heavenly to sit outside and feel the warm sun on my face (and not have to "suit" up in layers just to go outside! Enjoy your time with your mom - looking forward to hearing how she's doing!

Debbie Nolan said...

Dear Debbie I so understand about the noise. I am an early riser and definitely a morning person so my time with the Lord is each morning early. I really look forward to it...the best part of my day.

May you once again have that quiet time in the early part of your day as well. Hugs!

Sue said...

Such sweet encouraging words you have shared, Debbie, each day Dh and I gather early in the morning and have devotions together, one of the great perks of retirement. But there is just something so special when I am alone with my Lord, and we have sweet communion, The intimacy shared by a believer and their heavenly Father is immeasurable, I can hardly find the words to describe this. I think know just what I am trying to say. Thank you for sharing.
Praying for a safe and blessed journey to Arizona, May you find sweet freshness and a renewal of spirit, mind and body!.
Blessings,
Sue

Roosterhead Designs said...

Hi Debbie, I almost missed this post; so glad it jumped out this second visit.
Thank you~ Your thoughts are so spot-on. Our daily time alone with Him is our foundation. Daily and even hourly connection will keep our hearts and minds close and safe~ Paul said 'his life was HID in Jesus Christ' I like that :) Wishing you blessings and peace. karen o

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

I just love your heart of worship Debbie, and how you eloquently share just how deeply the Lord is moving in your life, wooing and calling you to come up higher with HIM. Isn't it so true that little habits, while not harmless in and of themselves (sleeping in a bit), can distract from our walk with the Lord. I agree with you that there is just something about getting up while it is dark, and sharing that time with the Lord before daily distractions start. It does take determination and purpose. I love my morning time with the Lord, there is just nothing like entering into His presence early in the morning, and to carry that with me throughout the day. May the Lord bless your determination to abide and worship Him, and take you to deeper and greater heights in Him! Enjoy your time with your mother! And safe travels home! Blessings and hugs :)

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