What does worshiping God look like in our daily life? How can we worship the Lord with our life?

Because we often limit it to church services. 

We went to worship this morning. Join us Sunday for worship.

Or it becomes about music intended to lead us into God’s presence. These are both good, good things.

Gathering with the family of God for corporate worship is biblical and powerful. And anointed music that speaks directly to our hearts, carrying us before God’s throne room in awe? It helps our soul and points us to the Holy One.

But do we realize the Almighty is worthy of our daily worship? 

Are we faithful to give Him praise and thanksgiving every day, not just on Sundays and special holidays?  

Do we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, an act of spiritual worship? (Romans 12:1).

Because it’s easy to allow the world and the enemy to distract us from worship in our daily lives. Instead, our hearts worship our desires and ways, and what the world has to offer, like people, things, self-worship, fame or fortune.

So let’s look at some ways to worship God in daily life.

Worshiping God: the Creator 

All of creation shows us how to worship the Creator. It’s simply recognizing the beauty surrounding us.

Every time we gaze at a sunset, see a glimmer of light shining through the window, stand in awe at the twinkling of stars or the ebb and flow of the ocean, and admire the autumn foliage, let it remind us, all of creation worships our glorious God.

Worship the Creator, not His created beings.

Worship Through Holiness

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” Psalm 24:3-4 (ESV)

The imagery here both makes my soul leap and causes me to pause. David knew what it meant to stand in God’s presence. And he knew how sin separated him from God.

The Lord created our souls to desire the ascent up His hill and to stand in His holy place. But it requires we submit to the Lord’s holiness in our lives and allow Him to cleanse us from sin.

Clean hands and a pure heart is surrendering to God’s Word and asking Him to cleanse us from sin. This is worship. This is worshiping God with our life.

Clean hands and a pure heart is surrendering to God’s Word and asking Him to cleanse us from sin. This is worship. This is worshiping God with our life. #worship @karen
Click To Tweet

Worshiping the Lord’s holiness and offer Him thanksgiving and praise for making us holy.

Worship God by Seeking Him

“He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah” Psalm 24:5-6 (ESV)

The Bible encourages us to seek the Lord’s kingdom and righteousness in Matthew 6:33. To pray, seek God’s face, and turn from wicked ways for forgiveness of sin and healing of our land here on earth in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

And Hebrews 11:6 tells us God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 

What we seek, we worship. What we worship, we seek.

• Am I seeking to please people or God? (Galatians 1:10)
• Do I seek things or seek God’s face about how I spend the resources He gives me?
• Do I seek my own kingdom or God’s Kingdom in my life?
• Am I seeking notoriety, position, beauty, knowledge or fortune? Or, am I seeking the God seated on His holy throne, spiritual riches, treasure in heaven and wisdom from above?

What we seek, we worship. What we worship, we seek. #worship
Click To Tweet

Daily Worship

We practice worshiping every day with our life. 

I listen to worshipful music Sunday through Saturday. Also, I pray daily offering worship to the Lord for who He is and thanksgiving for what He has done. I strive to make it a daily habit to read the Bible and devotionals. 

And I desire to walk in the Spirit, repenting of sin, and seeking God’s face. 

But remember, it’s about the heart and not a checklist. Yes, we will have days we fail to worship God with our lips, heart, and life. But we ask the Lord to help us.

So, you see, worship is not only singing at church, but also a daily surrender to the Lord.

Featured image taken when filming for our YouTube channel, Friday’s Forever.

Also see, Never Underestimate the Power of Prayer.

LINKUP PARTY opens on 07/27 at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is open! Join @FridayKaren for a look at how worship is not only singing at church, but also a daily surrender to the Lord. A spiritual act of worship. Share your blog! #blog #worship
Click To Tweet

The post Worship Beyond Music and Church {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Alexander the Great had three dying wishes. At the age of 32, this man had conquered the world and had unimaginable prestige and wealth as the most powerful emperor of the ancient world. Yet, when he died, his wishes reflected the realization of a life filled with victories and empty in eternal significance: Doctors could not save him; his riches could only follow him as far as his grave; and lastly, he was leaving this world the same way he entered it: empty-handed.

Alexander is not alone in the long list of sanguine leaders, who conquered kingdoms and enforced their reign through war or manipulation throughout the centuries. From Ramesses II to Julius Caesar, from Cleopatra to Adolf Hitler, these men and women marked history and made their names immortal by defeating their enemies, subjecting nations to their reign, accumulating great wealth and living as if they would never die.

It seems as if Alexander’s dying remarks are the typical realization of most people on their deathbed. One never hears of a dying man or woman wishing that they had accumulated more wealth… or found more prestige. You won’t hear a dying person wishing they had added another degree to their resume or that they had lived in a bigger house. Their regrets have nothing to do with their possessions. Dying regrets have to do with the things neglected while pursuing the biggest and greatest.

I have to wonder how different the world would be if we would live as if we were dying tomorrow. What if you had but a day on planet earth? Would you say goodbye to your child the same way you do every morning? Would you pray more? Love more? Forgive more? Would the economy still be an issue — or what is happening in the Middle East? Would you worry about what people think about you as much?

I didn’t think so.

I wonder how different the world would be if we would live as if we were dying tomorrow.
Click To Tweet

These are the things in my heart as the sun shines on my keyboard as I type these words today: I am grateful for another day to live and for the people surrounding my life. No, my house is not perfect, and I am also often guilty of spending more time “conquering” than playing with my children. But I choose to live with the realization that life is but a vapor and each day is a gift from God. I want to learn to pause more often to look at the stars that He made, realizing that if He directs their orbit in perfect harmony, He is also directing my life. I want to hug more and fuss less. I want to learn to be content with fewer material things and seek to fill my cup with those things that rust and moth won’t destroy, nor thieves will ever steal.

I want to learn to pause more often to look at the stars that He made, realizing that if He directs their orbit in perfect harmony, He is also directing my life.
Click To Tweet

Alexander’s hands and heart were empty as his casket descended to his resting place. May we learn to fill our hearts with eternal possessions — that our legacy may live on to the next generation, not as people whose feats are to be praised, but men and women whose faith in God and love and devotion to those around them cannot be forgotten.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Find a copy of the article HERE.

LINKUP PARTY opens on Wednesdays at 6 am!

Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:

1. Add your Link.

2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.

3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page

LINKUP is open. This week, Alexander the Great's dying wish made me think about the importance of focusing on what truly matters. Join us and share your blog! #RechargeWednesday
Click To Tweet

The post A Dying Man’s Reflection On What Really Matters {Recharge Wednesday} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Originally from Brazil, I was used to the “Réveillon” celebrations, widely famous for parties that last through the morning hours, while beautiful people glamorously dressed in white crowd the beaches to watch magnificent fireworks.

As it happened, my husband announced that he had to be in bed by 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. As an inventory control manager for a factory, New Year’s Day was the most critical time of the year, and he intended to retain the record of highest inventory accuracy among all the plants of the corporation for the seventh year in a row. He had to be on site at 3 a.m., therefore, our lonesome party ended at 9 that evening.

As much as that experience made me resent inventory control that night, I later realized how vital his commitment to excellence and accuracy had become for his employer.

When he took the job years before, the inventory control department of that particular factory was in disarray. The company was losing millions of dollars in raw materials, as well as finished goods. In one year’s time, my husband was able to change that scenario by implementing daily check points, monthly thorough inventory control counts and standard operating procedures, which the company uses to this day, over a decade after he left that particular job.

I remember him describing how simple daily checks corrected serious production line leaks, and small changes in operating procedures allowed the company to save millions of dollars every year. I was proud beyond measure, and never resented our early bedtime on New Year’s Eve again.

“Take Inventory.” That was the thought that came to my mind on Jan. 1 this year, when I sat down early in the morning with a cup of coffee, my bible and a notebook in hand, ready to write down some objectives for 2017. However, rather than starting a new list without looking back, I felt compelled to take inventory of the year that ended just hours before.

My husband’s conversations about the importance of inventorying “finished and unfinished goods” before starting a new year came to mind. And I realized that I could not expect a successful 2017, unless I took an honest look at where I succeeded and, more importantly, where I failed in the year that ended.

Not long ago, I read the testimony of a compulsive overeater who participated in the “Twelve Steps” recovery program, which is patterned after the Alcoholics Anonymous’ Plan. On step Number Four, the participants are confronted with a different type of inventory:

“(We) make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”

The inventory I felt compelled to take had nothing to do with the list of things that I had set to accomplish in 2016. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even have one. This inventory would involve searching my heart, while honestly evaluating less tangible items than a to-do list: my walk with God, my relationship with family and friends, my words, attitude, and my desire to serve others.

More than checks on a to do list for the New Year, God wants me to seek first His Kingdom in 2017.
Click To Tweet

While spending a long time inventorying my previous year, I was able to realize that more than successful accomplishments and checks on a to-do list, God is calling me to, as Jesus said, “store up treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

With that sobering thought forefront in 2017, I realize that, if only I “seek first his kingdom and righteousness,” God will guide me and help me accomplish even more than I could think or ask for in this brand-new year.

This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, January 7th.

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author, blogger and international speaker. Her book, “Twelve Inches,” is on sale at Barnes & Nobles, Amazon and retailers worldwide. Visit her website www.soaringwithHim.com. For speaking engagements and comments, email pholbrook@soaringwithHim.com.

The post Take Inventory Before Planning the New Year {Atlanta Journal Constitution Column} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.