Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. (I Chronicles 16:11)
Thought for today – Allow God to amaze you with what He can do for your situation.
Welcome back to Renew Inspiration! How often do you seek God’s face? For some, seeking God’s face is done on a daily basis and for others seeking God’s face is done on an as needed basis. What does it really mean to seek God’s face? Well, I believe seeking God’s face simply means to seek God’s presence in your life. Presence is a common translation of the Hebrew word “face”. Literally, we are to seek his face throughout our lives.
Here’s some ways for us to seek God’s face throughout our lives:
• Read God’s Word, study it and meditate on it
• Fasting and praying regularly
• Confessing your sins and repenting to God regularly
• Reading daily devotions
• Singing praise and worship songs
• Attending church services regularly
When you think that everything is against you remember God is always with you.
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Journal Prompts – Time for Reflection
Let’s spend some quality time seeking God’s face while writing in our journals.
• What is on my mind right now?
• What do I need to meditate and/or pray about?
• What feels like a struggle in my life right now?
• What advice do I need to receive from God?
• Am I prepared to receive God’s advice?
• How can I strengthen my relationship and faith in God?
• How much time do you spending reading God’s Word, praying or meditating?
As you travel throughout your spiritual journey, there are always obstacles that we encounter while living our lives on Earth, but we must work around them in order to seek God’s face and see him clearly. It is always important to stay away from anything and anyone who blocks us from being in the presence of God. Through this spiritual process, remember to seek God’s face by calling and pleading for Him to fill your presence with His anointing from on high. Only then will you receive the necessary peace, comfort, security and healing from God. Be peaceful, be happy, be whole.
Believe in yourself today, tomorrow and forever!
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
How much time do you spend seeking God’s face? Challenge yourself and spend some quality time reflecting on the answers to the journal prompt questions noted above. Please share your thoughts and comments. Renew Inspiration is a participant in the Target Affiliate Program which is an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Target.com
The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen. – Rumi
Welcome back to Renew Inspiration! I hope you enjoyed your 4th of July holiday to my United States readers. I don’t know about where you live, but it was humid and in the 90’s. No grilling here! I cooked some steaks and hamburgers in the Air Fryer which makes for less cooking time and less mess to clean up in the kitchen. Well, enough about cooking and food. I want to discuss a very important topic today related to our mental state, relaxation and total well-being. The topic is called meditation.
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Did you know…
• Meditation reduces stress?
• Meditation helps with clearing your thinking?
• Meditation increases our capacity for empathy and compassion?
Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It’s a way of entering into the quiet that’s already there. – Deepak Chopra
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Thought for today – I am in perfect balance. I am physically and emotionally connected and healed. I am free of worry and I am at peace with who I am. Every day I grow stronger and more relaxed. I love myself and life.
The goal of meditation isn’t to control your thoughts, it’s to stop letting them control you. – Unknown
Alright, let’s be honest here. Do you practice meditation daily? weekly? monthly? or never?
Meditation, when practiced regularly, can bring about a true personal transformation from the inside out. As you allow yourself to experience your inner peace and security, you will naturally begin to discover aspects of yourself that were previously hidden due to stress. Keep in mind, when practicing meditation, your body undergoes a structural change, which demonstrates the profound impact of simply sitting down, perfectly still, with your eyes closed, breathing deeply nice and slow. Meditation relaxes the entire brain and places your entire body in a calm way of living. Simply put, meditation is spending quality time with your soul and not allowing anything or anybody to distract you.
The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness. – Sakyong Mipham
Physical Benefits of Meditation:
• Lowers high blood pressure
• Lowers the levels of blood lactate, reducing anxiety attacks
• Decreases tension-related pain
• Increases serotonin production that improves mood and behavior
• Improves the immune system
• Increases the energy level, as you gain an inner source of energy
If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place. – Lao Tzu
Mental Benefits of Meditation:
• Anxiety decreases
• Emotional stability improves
• Creativity increases
• Happiness increases
• Gain clarity and peace of mind
• Problems become smaller
• Sharpens the mind by increasing focus
As you can see, meditation is your time to relax, unwind, and practice your deep breathing techniques. Even though you are free to meditate anywhere, it would be nice to create your very own personal space in or around your home dedicated to meditation.
Tips to Create Your Personal Meditation Space
Tip 1: Choose a location with nature in mind. For example, lush green trees, soothing blue water, beautiful flowery garden, next to a window, on a patio, porch, empty room decorated with nature colors and pictures, etc.
Tip 2: Keep the space clean. If the environment around you is clean, your mind can also be relaxed during meditation. Less clutter is better.
Tip 3: Invite lots of fresh air. An airy and well-ventilated room is surely going to make you enjoy your meditation better.
Tip 4: Light shades work better. Pastel shades give a more soothing feel compared to dark or bright colors. You may choose a room which has either white or light shade walls that helps you relax.
Tip 5: Light it up as you like. Allow sunlight to come through your windows or if it is evening you may want a specific type of lamp to help set the relaxing mood.
Tip 6: Smell the relaxation. You may choose from a variety of fragrances as per your choice. Whether it is aromatic incense sticks or essence oils, the choice is yours.
Tip 7: Think comfort. You may choose a soft yoga mat, a low-height mattress, soft cushion or a comfortable chair.
Tip 8: Play it soft. You may choose some soft instrumental music which helps enhance your experience.
Journal Prompts
Let’s make it common practice to write in your journal after you practice meditation.
• I like to practice meditation because ___________________________.
• When I practice mediation, I feel ___________________________.
• What are your daily habits?
• What is a habit you want to break?
• What is keeping you from changing?
• List 5 emotional trigger words. How do they make you feel?
• Has your mind spent more time today focused on the past, present or future?
Remember, once you get into the habit and experience the mental clarity, emotional stability, physical relaxation that the meditation practice offers, not practicing meditation seems unimaginable. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s set aside some quality time today to renew inspiration – mind, body and spirt by practicing meditation!
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you practice meditation, please share your favorite place to meditate. What is your favorite time of the day to meditate? Do you like music playing in the background when you are meditating? Were you aware of the health benefits when practicing meditation? Have you experienced any positive health benefits while doing meditation? If so, please share in the comments section. I look forward to reading your feedback!
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