Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.31.12

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'”

Matthew 4:10

Pray
Father I will only worship and serve You. I bless Your children through service as Your ambassador, but I serve only You as You are my Ruler, Master, and Father-Mother. I work each day to resist the enemy’s plot to tear me down, manipulate me into doing its work, and convince me to destroy myself. Each day I try to watch and control my words, thoughts, and actions. There are moments I may slip and say or think something negative, or react negatively, and I try to catch myself immediately to make right the wrong.

Father help me to shield myself with Your light, to protect myself from the darkness. I pray for Jesus’s guidance to show me how he consistently rebuked the enemy and forced it to get out of his way. I don’t want anything or anyone distracting me from reflecting Your love and light. Touch my heart and mind Lord. Remove all darkness and fill me only with Your light. Amen.

Reflection
There is no room for fixation, worship or service of anything or anyone but God. We cannot be consumed by our material possessions or the desire for them. We cannot worry or contemplate about what we have or had, what we lost or gained. Each moment of each day we are told by God, Jesus and the Bible, should be centered around and on God.

No, I don’t want to lose my car, go bankrupt, or be homeless—at the same time I am learning to pray and leave things to God, rather than obsess and still get nothing accomplished. Worry won’t stop the bill collectors, repo man, or banks attempting to foreclose on your property. But prayer and unwavering conviction and faith in God’s ability to do all and resolve all, can change your circumstances for the better. God can get rid of the bill collectors, repo man, and foreclosure by supplying you with the resources you need to get those debts off of your back, and silence the enemy who calls you a failure. God can place you in a position where you can provide for yourself and your family, without added struggle or sacrifice.

The blessings in many forms will come through disciplined service and worship of God. But if we invest our time and energy in the material and not the spiritual, we will surely lose those things we possess and admire–and never gain those things we are focused on attaining. The material is and always will be temporary, but the spiritual is everlasting and boundless.

I have lost more material possessions than some people will ever have. It was a crushing blow each time, but it also humbled me and reminded me that I put more value in what I possessed materially than my spiritual relationship with God. I valued things more than I valued Him. I had to be reminded that there are no ‘things’ without Him. There are no cars, jewelry, furniture, clothes, art work, accessories, home, high-balance bank accounts, investments, or anything else—without God.

Just as He gives He can take away, and believe it or not, He does both with love. We cannot benefit from Him and then serve another. It is all or nothing. I choose to dedicate my life to serving God, to work each day to purge my body and my life of impurities and live transparently for Him so that He may fill me with His goodness—and bless me accordingly.

What are your thoughts? Where do you see yourself in your walk? Have you been struggling with speaking, thinking, and doing right? In what areas can you improve so that you can be a better ambassador for Christ?

Love your sister in Christ,

Natasha
P.S. Enjoy your last day of May, reflect on the obstacles you overcame and how God guided and protected you. Then embrace the possibilities that June can bring! Think of all the ways you can be open in service to our Father. Isn’t that an awesome feeling?

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.30.12

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

2 Thessalonians 3:3

Pray
Father for thousands of years You have kept Your promises, and You have protected Your children. You have taught us lessons, humbled us, restored us, and provided for us. For my short lifetime so far You have done the same for me more times than I can count.

I pray for continued strength, for faith and belief that I can overcome temptation and the luring of the enemy. I pray for absence of worry because You have never failed me and I know that even in my guilt, You never will fail me. I do not need to battle my enemy, for You will handle every issue that arises. Thank You Father.

Reflection
Today I finished reading 2 Chronicles and the book of Ezra, and I’m still shaking my head because numerous generations of God’s children continued to sin, doubt, and disobey Him even though He proved countless times His power and His grace.

He freed the children of Israel from Egypt and blessed them abundantly, yet for hundreds of years after, they continued to do ignorant things that would lead to painful outcomes for them. Under one kings rule they would be obedient to God, and then under the next king’s rule they would act up and go back to worshipping other gods. A king would convince himself out of fear that since another land of people were supposedly saved from disaster and annihilation by their god, that maybe it was best to worship that god for protection.

Somehow God wasn’t doing His job consistently to their satisfaction. Sound familiar?

Then after one or two kings would reign, the new king and the people would repent and swear allegiance to God again. More than once they had even misplaced the Book of Moses that clearly outlined God’s commands to them; so that means they were basically ‘winging it’ and trying to recall the laws from memory. They thought they knew it all. Their pride and arrogance took over and pushed away their humility.

It wasn’t until they were enslaved again for maybe the third of fourth time (I lost count), this time by the Persians, that they found the Book and saw how far that had slid backwards. But it wasn’t long before these exiles were breaking the rules, and doing their own thing again.

How is this any different than what we are doing today? We ride with God until something happens and we convince ourselves that we can do things on our own. We convince ourselves that our successes are our doing, and some of us even ignorantly go through the motions of ritualistic religion—failing to live spiritually–failing to commit fully to serving God and His children. It is our conditional relationship that we have established with God that has perpetuated for these thousands of years, and will continue to our demise, until we stop and obey. Imagine how life would be if we only surrendered to and obeyed God.

The Bible shows us where we were, our successes and failures, where we could be, and how this cycle will continue to repeat unless we get it, seize it, and do what God has commanded—consistently, every second of every day. It truly is that simple. Each day let’s take the step towards living right and doing right, and then let’s do it!

Love your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.29.12

Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this [hope] as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.

Hebrews 6:17-19

Pray
Father You never break a promise and I am humbly and eternally thankful for this fact. I wish that I had the grace, wisdom, strength, and fortitude to make promises and keep them no matter what. I know there have been times when I said I would do something and I failed to follow through. I know there have been times when I didn’t keep a promise made even after You blessed me with what I desired and needed. Please forgive me Father.

As You mold me I pray that my fears and insecurities are molded out and replaced my integrity and honor for all situations and circumstances. Father as You mold me I pray for the ability to tune out the enemy and only tune in to You. Show me how to block out mortal mind and stamp out its nothingness in my life. Show me how to give all that I hope to receive. These things I sincerely pray to You. Amen.

Reflection
We want so much from God, yet what do we give in return for our prayers, pleas, and promises? Do we praise Him even when results don’t seem to appear when we had hoped, or do we only praise them when they are perceived by us to arrive right on time? Do we praise Him in the roughest of times or only when times are good and bright? Do we praise Him when we face tough challenges in relationships and in our careers, or do we only praise Him when things are going great?

What one promise can you keep to God? He keeps millions of promises to each of us, but what one promise do you know you can keep to Him and never break it? Keep it.

Love your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.28.12

Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Matthew 7:20

Pray
Father let my mind, heart, hands, and body be used to serve You and to put in the heavy work expected of me. Let me not be shiftless, lazy, and slothful. May I always be hard working, determined, committed, passionate and excited about what I do. When my hope is waning, restore it Father. When I feel beat down by life and people, pick me back up.

Give me courage to face the worst situations and the most difficult people. Give me grace and dignity to handle all situations with an appearance of ease and never with a charge of negativity.

As I work diligently keep my eyes affixed on the present with a vision for greater opportunities in the future. May I always give You the honor and glory for all of my successes and achievements. For if it weren’t for You I would have absolutely nothing. I know this and that is why I’m grateful for all things large and small in my life. Thank You Father!

Reflection
Hard work that is appreciated and respected by the worker always pays off. Hard work that is motive-driven gets dismal returns. Hard work that is coupled with complaints and whining, is a missed opportunity for greatness. You can’t sincerely praise God while you are complaining. You can’t seriously be grateful for your blessings if you’re bad-mouthing the process that led you there. You can’t possibly genuinely appreciate what you have if you don’t treat is as though it is priceless.

God wants to see what we will bear and He rewards us for putting in the work, enduring the challenges, and doing so with minimal complaint and absolutely no regret. God wants to see how grateful we are for all things big and small.

You may be in a sucky job or situation right now, but what are you doing to make it bearable? What are you doing to demonstrate God’s goodness? What are you doing so that you can be used best by God? Are you showing up each day putting your best foot forward or barely doing enough to get by?

There may be numerous opportunities for you to get out of that situation or job, and get a better position or improve your current one, but if you are showing up each day with dread in your mind and a lack of hope in your heart then you can’t possibly see the doors, windows, and pathways that God has set before you. Are you looking and listening for all opportunities for a better job? Are you hitting the pavement each day before or even after a long day at work seeing what is out there for you? Are you introducing yourself to people and asking around about various positions? Or are you sitting around complaining and whining about how miserable your life is and how awful your job is? How miserable and awful would you be if God removed them from you and left you with nothing?

God won’t bless us for mismanaging and mistreating our body, mind, money, cars, homes, and other resources. He already does more than He should by blessing us with life and the material possessions we have. Without us doing our part we won’t see and benefit from the abundance of blessings that are waiting nearby. Let’s do our part and put in the work each and every day. Let’s do our part to complain less and praise more!

Love Always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.25.12

There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Pray
Father You are always on time. Thank You.

Reflection
Stop expecting for God to do things on Your schedule. Stop thinking He’s too early or too late. God is always on time. Praise Him for His perfection and for doing things and delivering things right on time. Have an amazing weekend! Happy birthday to two of my Godsons!!!

Love Always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.24.12

Therefore the Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God. All who wait patiently for Him are happy.

Isaiah 30:18

Pray
Father I pray that all of Your children could show mercy and compassion to each other as You show to us. I pray that we could be as patient and loving as You. Father touch our hearts. Touch the hearts of those who call themselves Christians, Believers, and Your servants—-yet, they have so much darkness in their hearts that they turn their noses up towards Your other children, they curse those who differ them, and they refuse to accept what they don’t believe in. You told us that You are the judge and ruler of all, yet millions of Your children spend the bulk of their days judging and trying to rule over others. Help us Father!

Reflection
We are hypocrites. We call ourselves Christians and then pass judgment. We call ourselves Christians as we call others sinners—even after and while we sin. We call ourselves Christians yet pick and choose whom we want to embrace and love.

God said love all. Jesus showed us how to love all and said that it was the most important of all the commandments; yet we fail repeatedly each day to do this simple thing—to obey this simple command—LOVE EVERYONE.

Don’t just love so-called Christians. Don’t just love people who do, think, look, and speak as you want them.

Love regardless of their religious or political affiliation. Love regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, or sexual preference. Love regardless of the color of someone’s skin. Love regardless of someone’s geographic location. Love regardless of someone’s educational or socioeconomic background.

Just LOVE!!!

While you’re busy telling other people they are going to hell, map out your itinerary…and you may want to opt out of getting a window seat…and no, they aren’t even serving peanuts or pretzels on that trip! You never know—you might already be in your own internal hell!

Love Always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.23.12

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

Pray
Father thank You for sending Your son to us to prove Your presence, Your power, Your reach, Your Truth, and that Your children are spiritual beings having a human experience.

Thank You for sending Jesus to demonstrate that there is no death, just a transformation and transition to another level of existence with You.

Thank You for sending Jesus to carry the cross so we could see what our responsibilities are and have the best example to model.

Thank You for sending Jesus to teach us how to heal, love, forgive, be patient, and be free from sin, disease, and death. Thank You Father.

Reflection
God sent His son to us to show us the way to Him, to show us who we truly are and what we are truly made of. We are walking around in human flesh, but when the day comes that we must leave this level of existence we will leave behind the flesh and fully embrace the Spirit.

We are made up of mostly water and energy and the way we respond to circumstances impacts our energy either positively or negatively. Too much negative energy leads to self-destruction, while there can never be too much positive energy. The abundance of positive energy only leads to everlasting life with our Father, and our shepherd Jesus.

God said we are in His image and likeness. We must learn to embrace our reality. Do not get caught up in this temporary falsehood of humanness, when our true mission is to see who we are as God’s spiritual beings. How we treat each other and how we treat ourselves is a grand measurement of our understanding. Either we will get it or we won’t.

Love Always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.22.12

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.

Proverbs 4:25-27

Pray
Father guide my thoughts, words, heart and feet. I will work each day to follow and obey. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Reflection
No matter what happens in life we must not allow ourselves to be sidetracked. God has a plan for each of us and we must do our part to reach the goals ahead. We don’t have time to look back and ponder. We don’t have time to contemplate if the direction is the right way, we must go where God points us. Follow and obey.

Love Always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.21.12

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:2, 3

Pray
Father as I go through life’s ups and downs, sometimes battle the belief of illness, endure the faulty behavior of others, fight off the negative words of the enemy, and resist the ways of the world, let me always be reminded that You are more than a conqueror—You are my protector, my shield and my strength.

When I’m not feeling well I can pray to You for healing. When I’m hurt or upset I can pray to You for peace to blanket me. When I feel like my hope is teeter tottering, I can pray to You for stability and reassurance that all is well.

You send Your angels to redirect me, to warn me, and look after me. You send Your son to show me how to be the best servant that I can be. I thank You Father. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Reflection
David sang this song (the verse above) after God rescued him from Saul and a slew of other enemies that were out to get him. I love this story and this song because it reminds me that as long as we believe, put our trust in God, and proactively move in the right direction, He can and will rescue and protect us from any situation. There can be no doubt or hesitation on our part; no fear or desperation—just pure trust and belief.

You may be having problems with your job, your business, your family, your personal relationship, your health, or your finances—or with all of it—and you may feel overwhelmed, confused and conflicted seeing no immediate solution. The answer is simple if we just believe and take the step. The answer is to seek God. Seek out God to heal your circumstances, to right the wrongs, to make straight the crooked, to rebuild the damaged, and to restore what has been lost.

When you turn things over to God you will have a sense of peace that falls over you like a blanket. It is that moment when His son Jesus is carrying you. When you reach that moment, don’t be scared and sabotage it so you can fall to the ground. Instead embrace Jesus and keep your eyes forward looking towards where he is taking you next.

Love Always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Spiritual Quotes of the Day: Hope

“You may be experiencing an extremely painful or difficult moment in your life right now, and you aren’t sure what to do, what to say, where to go, or who to turn to—I encourage you and pray that you would turn to God for strength and restored hope”- Natasha L. Foreman

“In those desperate times when we feel like we don’t have an ounce of strength, He will gently pick up our heads so that our eyes can behold something—something that will keep His hope alive in us.” -Kathy Troccoli

“The choice for me is to either look at all the things I have lost or the things I have. To live in fear or to live in hope…Hope comes from knowing I have a sovereign, loving God who is in every event in my life.”- Lisa Beamer (her husband Todd was killed on flight 93 on September 11, 2001).

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.18.12

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Pray
Father I disconnect from the world each day to reconnect with You on a deeper, more intimate level. I channel my heart and mind in silence to seek out Your voice and to be comforted by Your presence. Even if I lack the human contact and touch that normally soothes me, I know that Your touch and our talks are more than sufficient—since all positive energy comes from You.

I want a closer relationship with You Lord. I want to feel You even in the most chaotic of times. I want to hear You through thousands and billions of voices. I want to feel Your embrace even in the coldest and darkest of hours. Show me how Father.

Reflection
Ginny Luedeman, a Christian Science lecturer (not to be confused with a Scientologist), spoke in a podcast of her childhood and how her family would sometimes go to the drive-in movies for $1.00 (that lets you know how long ago that was). Ms. Luedeman shared that during these outings, if she woke up during the ride back home she would pretend to be asleep so that her Father would carry her inside the house. She was comforted by his presence and warm embrace.

Years later tragedy hit her family and her father left one night never to be seen again. Soon after she began studying Christian Science and God’s Word and a new sense of Fatherhood was understood. She realized that although absent a human father, she is always with her Father, always being carried, protected, and embraced.

I immediately thought of my own human father and mother and how I too used to love being carried into the house and to my room. I too would sometimes pretend to be asleep, or I would tell them I was too sleepy to walk. Now although I wasn’t a child (age-wise) when my dad passed away, I know the pain and feeling of loss when he was no longer there to laugh with, spend time with, and contact at my leisure—I had established a relationship with my dad that had lasted over 25 years, and then it was “gone”.

But it wasn’t. It isn’t. And I also never lost the Father-daughter relationship that I have with our Heavenly Father. No, I can’t feel the physical embrace of my dad anymore, but every second of every day I can feel the embrace of God. I can reflect on my memories shared with my dad and our family, and know that God’s love overflowed in our household—even during tragedy.

It doesn’t matter if you have never known your mom or dad, if they passed away, if they were cruel and abusive and you wished they weren’t your parents, or if they abandoned you when you were a child—there is no greater love, no sweeter kiss, no warmer embrace, no deeper relationship than the one we have with our Father-Mother God. Fatherhood and Motherhood is established by our Creator. The example comes from Him, and the deliverer of this example is our Savior Jesus Christ.

You can miss and/or desire the connection with a human parent, but even that love and emotion is only a small fraction of what you gain and maintain in a relationship with God and Jesus. Embrace that love, protection, warmth, peace, and light.

Love always your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.17.12

For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The LORD always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.

Psalm 145:13

Pray
Father thank You for keeping Your promises to me, even when I forget, am impatient or think that You have forgotten. You always come through, You are always on time, and I thank You.

You bless me abundantly, and I am more cognizant of all You do when I am obedient and silent. I’m keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus as he leads me where You want me to be.

Reflection
Obedient and silent, those are two of the most difficult things for us to do as humans. We think we know it all (or most things) and we feel entitled to speak our mind to whomever will listen or is in earshot. But what we don’t realize is that what we know or think we know means absolutely nothing to God.

How do you question, judge, suggest, or talk back to the Creator? How do you question your Father who gives you the knowledge you possess? How do you tell Him where to go, what to do, and when to do it?

Our egos are overinflated, but God—the ultimate Mind and Power—will lovingly deflate it for us.

Obedient and silent….let’s work moment by moment each day on accomplishing this!

Love always your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.16.12

Praise the LORD!
How joyful are those who fear the LORD and delight in obeying his commands.

Psalm 112:1

Pray
Father I look forward to the days when I no longer resist Your will and when I give my all towards obeying Your commandments. I know those days will bring me more joy, satisfaction, success, and abundance than I could ever imagine.

Each day I work towards releasing the ‘steering wheel’ and allowing You to drive and be the only driver. Each day I work towards resisting the urge to tell You and Jesus how things should go, and when they should happen.

I’m working Father to do right by You. I know You know it and I’m so humbly grateful that You are patient, loving, caring, and tender in Your approach and relationship with me. I’m so grateful for You Lord. Thank You!

Reflection
Each day let’s take the next step towards fully letting go with both hands. Yes, the pinky and ring fingers must release their grip also. Nothing of ours should be attached to the ‘steering wheel’ of our life ‘vehicle’.

We have to trust that Jesus will lead us to where we need to be with God, and that God will handle everything. When we finally realize that we don’t know, can’t tell, and have absolutely no control—hopefully it won’t be too late to seize life and truly experience what God has in store for us!

I don’t want to miss out on God’s blessings, do you?

Love always your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.15.12

but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Proverbs 1:33

Pray
Father I pray that my eyes are open to realize the need and importance of always putting You first, of starting my day connected to You through prayer and worship, and not making excuses for why I’m too busy with ‘life’ to give You all of my time.

Re-prioritize me Father. Prioritize my day and my life as You see fit. Show me how to put the most important first. Show me how to take time even during my busiest of days to serve You, and to share my love with others.

I want to hear You in the chaos just as clearly as I do in the silence. I’m listening Father!

Reflection
We need to stop trying to ‘pencil’ God into our schedules and our lives. We need to stop juggling Him into our life and instead put Him first, and leave things to Him to sort out and deliver for us. Throughout our days we should converse with Him, but make sure to remember that the beginning and end of each day should also be about Him.

Today I allowed other things to trump my time with God. The time I devote to reading and reflecting on His Word, and praying to Him for guidance and strength, was put on the back burner for other priorities—lower priorities. The longer I delayed the heavier my heart became and the more overwhelmed I began to feel. That was my guilt. I knew better. I know better.

Before I begin working on other things for myself or other people, I am to start my day worshipping and thanking God and His son Jesus. Afterwards I can tend to my human responsibilities. But my first priority is and always should be God. Who is your first priority? How is your life prioritized?

The late, great, Mary Kay Ash said, “put God first, family second, and career third…” because in that order all things are possible; in that order there is balance. I seek balance. I will get balance. How about you?

Love always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.14.12

Should we accept only good from God and not adversity?

Job 2:10

Pray
I accept all things big and small, success and failures, triumphs and setbacks, and I trust that You are always here and protecting me Father–every step of the way. I pray to learn from my past but not live in it, and see where I could have made better decisions, but not dwell on them. I want to live in today with a hopeful outlook for tomorrow.

Father because of my humanness that creates limitations in how I process my experience here on Earth, I oftentimes turn down paths You have not chartered for me. Please forgive me Father. In those moments of weakness I lean on fear rather than Your strength. You are the only God and source who loves me unconditionally, and I thank You Father for that priceless gift. I pray to return this love to You. Amen.

Reflection
We can only move forward when our head, feet, heart and mind are aligned in the forward position. We sometimes find ourselves dwelling in the past or stagnant because we’re too consumed by the future. Like each breath we hope to receive we must let go and let things naturally unfold. Just like when we breathe in and breathe out, we take in what we need and release what we don’t–this is how our lives must be. Are you ready?

Love always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.11.12

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

Pray
Father I know that there will always be tests, challenges, setbacks and failures in life. I accept these things as necessary steps to make me greater, stronger, wiser, more courageous and even more compassionate.

I accept my role on this planet and in Your Kingdom, and through both joy and sorrow I gladly and humbly carry my cross. I know that I can always turn to You, seek comfort in You, and direction from Your son Jesus.

Thank You Father!

Reflection
No matter what happens in your life God can help see you it through, help heal your wounds, help push you up the mountainside and up out of the valley. God can erase your tears and fears, remove the pain, and restore your joy.

You must open up and let Him in. You must walk holding the hand of our Savior, Jesus Christ—following his lead, every step of the way.

Whenever you forget, just stop and pray—and you will remember!

Love always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.10.12

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

1 Peter 3:8

Pray
Father before I encounter one of Your children touch my heart so that it is warm. No matter what issues I may be dealing with I don’t want other people to be negatively impacted. Let me always be compassionate to others needs and feelings. I want other people to always feel respected and appreciated by me. I want people to leave feeling good and feeling Your love that came through me.

Father let me listen more, speak when necessary and only with Your guidance. Let me forgive and let go rather than say I have forgiven, only to rehash the issues later, or be devoured by the internalized poison.

Humbly I pray to You. Amen.

Reflection
None of us are God. Only He can be Judge, King, Master, and Ruler of all. We also don’t love unconditionally as our Father loves us. We have so many conditions that we have even placed conditions on our relationship with Him. The servant has conditions for the Master, and we wonder why we have so many problems.

None of us are Jesus, and this is clear since none of us have the compassion and willingness to forgive and let go immediately the sins of another. We forgive with conditions. We forgive yet hold on to the issues. We forgive until we have an excuse to stop forgiving. None of us listen with the ear and heart of Jesus. We listen just to reply, and reply just to have a position. Our hearts have a thermostat on them that is regulated by us because we don’t want to release control to God.

We say we want to be more like Jesus, that we want to be righteous Christians and servants of our Father, yet daily we make choices to the contrary. Daily we place conditions on our relationships with others. Daily we say, “I will love you if…” and that “if” is a condition of us seeking to control the relationship and that person. Basically, some of us are saying, “I love you if you obey me” and we forget that we are not God. We don’t obey Him so who are we to expect or demand obedience from others?

We fail in our attempts to be good sheep when we dump our issues and insecurities on others. When we lash out at others, demean them, curse at and to them, yell at them, and make them feel less than worthy of praise and compassion.

Pray to God to release you from the darkness that would have you feel as though you are more superior and entitled than others based on your religion, looks, race, gender, title, family name, address, car, material possessions, credit score, social affiliation, the balance in your bank account, or anything else.

No one should be treated as though they are a creature, as though they are a pet to be used for enjoyment and control. Remember that God is looking at how you treat all of His children. He could care less how much you donate to charity or volunteer in the community. If you spend the rest of your time disrespecting His children, then you have cancelled out the good that you have done.

If you disrespect your spouse or significant other, cheat on them, treat them as though they are only here to serve you and make you look and feel good—then God has a response for that action.

If you talk down to people, treat them as though they are less than, as though they are their title or their circumstances, then God has a way of dealing with that also.

God balances out the darkness with His light. He balances out the bad with good. God always makes things right.

We are all servants, none of us better than the other, and none of us guaranteed a spot on the right side of God. It is our daily walk and how we treat ourselves and each other that determines how our life on Earth will be, and how our life will be in the next level of existence.

We all have a choice.

Love always,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.9.12

“I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

John 15:11

Pray
Today I am thankful for the joy You have given me and the joy in my heart. I pray for those who seek comfort, peace, and joy in their lives. I pray for balance through You both in my life and theirs. Amen.

Reflection
May God’s peace blanket you and bring you a sense of calmness that gets you through the roughest of times. May His love bring you joy even in times when you want to give in to the pain and chaos.

To fully embrace all of what God has in store for us and all of our blessings, we must show our thanks each day for what He has already given us and for what He plans to provide. Let us show our thanks because what He’s done so far is actually all that we ever need. He has done enough already, yet He says He still has more if we allow Him in. Will you give Him full access to you?

Let’s praise Him now, and remember don’t forget to smile today at everyone you encounter–it’s contagious!

Happy birthday to my uncle Ricardo. I love you Ricky!!!!

Love,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.8.12

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

Pray
Through the most troubling of times please always place warmth in my heart where I can always smile, laugh, feel joy, and praise You Father. Let me still laugh even while in pain. Let me find humor even when I’m scared.

When days get dark, let me always find Your light. Let Your energy flow through me so intense that I still want to dance and sing, even in the rain. I ask these things with a smile on my face and joy in my heart. Amen.

Reflection
They say laughter is the best medicine. It can heal and help you even in your darkest hour.

Ever laugh so hard it hurts? Ever laugh so hard you cry? That kind of laughter makes you temporarily or sometimes permanently forget reasons for pain, discomfort, sadness and disappointment.

Every day you should find yourself in moments of laughter. Find humor in things and in life. Those people you see who look much younger than their age are oftentimes blessed with a great sense of humor.

Laugh today. Make someone else laugh today. Watch what happens!

Love,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer and Reflection for 5.7.12

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Pray
Father I will pray about a situation and then leave it in Your more than capable Hands; to not worry about, fret over, contemplate, or question.

I say I trust You, so now and every day I must prove this declaration to be sincere.

Pray
We have to decide whether we take the step forward in faith, a step back in fear, or remain stagnant in doubt. Only one of those choices leads to growth, peace, joy and abundance.

Choose.

Love,

Natasha

Copyright 2012. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.blogspot.com
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