Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.30.14

All you who are faithful, love the Lord! The Lord protects those who are loyal, but he pays the proud back to the fullest degree. All you who wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage.

Psalms 31:23, 24 CEB

Pray
Father I pray for the courage to stand against evil and injustice. I pray for the courage to stand up and stare down the enemy. I pray for the courage to stand for and tell the truth always. I pray for the courage and mind to always protect my family from harm and from the enemy’s attacks. Father give me the courage and strength to pick up Your shield and block the daily attacks that attempt to defeat and destroy me and my family. Father please strengthen and give courage to my family so that they are equipped and confident in this battle. In Jesus’ name I pray to You this day and every day. Amen.

Reflection
Today I not only pray for my strength and courage to stand against evil, injustice, dishonesty, and the attacks of the enemy—but I also pray for my husband’s strength and courage. As a team we are only as strong as our weakest link, so iron must sharpen iron, and we must work individually and collectively to protect ourselves and our family. Our actions or lack thereof can deeply impact our family unit. Our inability to see an attack coming and prepare for the showdown, can leave us fully exposed and vulnerable.

My husband and I said vows to each other and God before family, friends, and associates. The enemy was also listening, planning, and plotting. We are never off of its radar. But together with God’s protection, we can fight and beat down the enemy on its best day and on our worst day. But we must be willing, trained, prepared, and working together.

“A family that prays together stays together”.

People say this phrase a lot but how many of us are actively and passionately doing this each day? How many of us are committed to keeping our families protected and together? How many of us are actively fighting off the enemy’s attacks and securing any openings that it may access to harm us? How many of us pray for discernment to see when an attack is being organized, and when it is being launched against us so that we are prepared to defend?

The enemy does not always come with full scale assaults against us. It also comes with small doses, small packages, small insertion points that grow exponentially over time. It uses weak-minded and egocentric people the same, manipulating their minds to do its dirty work. It preys on the lonely, exposed, antsy, and attention deprived. It preys on those who are constantly looking for more, better, and bigger. It’s the ultimate predator and its goal is to snatch you up, tear you down, and make you curse God’s name.

Of the numerous attacks on family that we see and hear each day on the news, there are countless more taking place in our neighborhoods and homes. It’s just that the wealthy, famous, and salacious are more newsworthy than what’s going on in Joe and Jane Blow’s household. But all families are of importance to God, every marriage, and every person.

God wants us to resist, rebuke, and fight evil and sin. He wants us to turn our backs on fear, hate, adultery, greed, murder, rape, slavery, domestic abuse, drug use, alcoholism, addiction, sexism, chauvinism, racism, and discrimination of all kind. The root of all of these issues is the very first word I mentioned—FEAR—and the culprit behind fear is the enemy. I don’t mean the same fear as in fearing God, which is our love for Him. I mean in the negative sense, fear that paralyzes our minds and bodies and has us react negatively. This fear causes pain within and a dark projection outward that inflicts pain upon others. This environment is the enemy’s playground. We must resist, rebuke, and fight it!

Today pray for your courage and strength to protect yourself and your family. Pray for your family members and their ability to stand strong against the attacks of the enemy. Pray that you come together as a unit under the force field of God, led by our true and only shepherd, Jesus Christ, and seen in the actions of God’s soldiers and prophets since the beginning of time. We can protect ourselves and our families from the enemy. Yes, we can!

Resist. Rebuke. Fight!

Questions of the Day
1. Can you tell when you are being attacked by the enemy?

2. Can you discern when an attack is being prepped for a launch against you?

3. What do you say to God just before, during, and after an attack?

4. What has today’s message made you think and focus on most?

5. In what ways do you think you can be better prepared against the enemy’s attacks?

6. In what ways do you think that your entire family unit can be better prepared against the enemy’s attacks?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.29.14

Good insight brings favor, but the way of the faithless is their ruin
Proverbs 13:15 CEB

Jesus matured in wisdom and years, and in favor with God and with people
Luke 2:52 CEB

Pray
Father I pray for a balanced life between work and play, between serving You and being in service of Your children. I pray to always be faithful to You, to Your Kingdom, and to my mission and purpose. While I also pray to be faithful to my family, whom You brought to me so that we might all be in service and gratitude to You.

Father please continue to nurture my insight and discernment, and mold my level of patience through observation and an understanding that in time all things will happen as You plan. Block my enemies from standing in the way of fulfilling my mission in Your Kingdom. Block my enemies from their attempt to dissuade, manipulate, deter, or cause me to fail. I humbly pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reflection
I fear God. Period. I do not fear what man or woman may or may not do, as much as I fear God being saddened, displeased or angered with me. In my moments of desperation to cling to humans or gain their approval, I sacrifice my relationship with God. It is not through them that I reach and form a relationship with God, but it is through God that I form connections with humans.

There are people around me who I know seek to see me fail, and I am fine with that. There are people who want what I have, envy does that to weak and misguided people. I understand this. They do not know I know what’s on their mind. They do not know that I see them. It is not my purpose or plan to boast to them that I know their intent and desires. That is a waste of time and not what God has called on me to do, nor is that how He tells me to live my life. He tells me to sit, watch, observe, listen, and obey Him—for He directs my steps. I get antsy at times and want to react, but instead I remain still and obey.

I have been betrayed countless times in my life and will be betrayed many more in my lifetime. I understand that through my faithfulness to Him, the weakest links attached to me will fall off because their faithfulness is to self first and foremost.

One thing that I do know is that every single person who has done me wrong has never had to feel the wrath of my revenge, because in my wisdom and maturity I have learned that God handles all, balances all, corrects all, and all I have to do is continue living well and remaining faithful to Him.

Satan has tried to and succeeded at uppercutting and roundhouse kicking me plenty of times, including recently, and in my experience all I can do is laugh (sometimes through my tears), and say, “you won’t break me you liar. My Father comes with a force that you can never contend with you coward!” With that the pressure subsides, and then I prepare myself for the next round of tricks, games, lures, and attacks—all the while, focused on what I must do as a servant for the Lord.

Today I share two scriptural references from the Bible, this was not an accident, but very intentional. They work well together and bring balance to today’s message.

People oftentimes reference Jesus and the sacrifices he made when they want to excuse themselves from their responsibility to their family—the family that was a gift from God. These individuals do not understand the life and legacy of Jesus Christ, nor do they understand the examples that he set for us to follow. What they know are the often regurgitated catchy sayings and verses, but they do not put into context his life and lessons that are compromised in and throughout the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. They also fail to see his connection and closeness to family—look closely to those individuals, besides his disciples and followers, that were always with him for the most part.

Read and then let’s have a discussion.

Let us not confuse doing good work for the least of these as our only proof of servitude and faithfulness to God. Our first and most important priority is Him. If we are faithful and obedient to Him then we will not only find but receive balance in our lives. When we are confused and busily working at trying to play Him, and do His job, we then see a life filled with chaos, despair, and ruin—the playground of satan.

Do not attempt to hide from God by doing good deeds in His name. Either you form and nurture a genuine relationship with Him built on obedience and faithfulness, or not, but unlike the rest of us, there is no faking it with Him.

Your mission when properly aligned with God, His mission, and purpose for you, will always lead to a life of greatness—and especially within your family. You must ask God to show you the way, and then you must obediently follow.

Learn to have first a fear of God, then work to balance this fear while upholding your responsibility to family, and then by gaining favor from friends and associates from work, church, and the community.

God first, family (which includes self) second, career third. In that order is balance, out of order comes chaos—satan’s playground. Which will you choose?

Questions of the Day
1. How do you normally prioritize your life when it comes to God, family, and career?

2. Does your fear of God and faithfulness to Him outweigh your fear of worldly pressures and commitments? Why or why not?

3. Do you at times feel as though your mission and purpose conflict with God’s plan? with societal pressures? or your family’s plan?

4. When you say the phrase, “doing God’s work” what does it mean to you? How does it make you feel?

5. Are you conflicted by the term “doing God’s work”?

6. Describe your relationship with God. Is it genuine and faithful? Or is it fake, forced, and conditional?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.28.14

Both yesterday and today I’ve felt myself really tune in to God. I’m cognizant when I am intentionally blocking out other sounds, voices, and influences to focus solely on His voice. When I hear God’s voice and obey, I’m calmer, more relaxed, and patient. I’m also more likely to not do or say something because I am obediently focused on Him.

So to see today’s message and to take note that the scripture is also the date of my birthday, all I could do was smile and share. Enjoy!

~Natasha

Tune in to Him

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
(John 10:27, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Right now, there are hundreds of radio frequencies in the air, hundreds of television signals all around you. But, you don’t hear them all. The reason is that you’re not tuned in. If you tune a radio or television to one of those frequencies, then you would pick up the signal.

In the same way, God is constantly transmitting to us. He wants to lead us, guide us, protect us and give us insight. But too often, we’re not tuned to His frequency. You have to pay attention to Him and learn His voice. God doesn’t speak to us most of the time out loud. He speaks to us through subtle things. He leads us by peace inside.

The best way to “tune in to His frequency” is by reading and meditating on His Word. The more you know His Word, the more you know His voice. It’s like when you constantly tune in to a radio station and learn that DJ’s voice, you’ll recognize that voice when you are in a restaurant or at the mall. It’s the same idea. Tune in to God’s Word, tune in to Him and let Him lead you and guide you into victory all the days of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for leading me and guiding me in Your truth. I choose to tune in to You, I choose to tune in to Your Word. Help me to hear Your voice so that I can follow Your leading all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

Questions of the Day
1. How many times today were you cognizant of God’s voice?

2. In what types of environments or situations do you find yourself more capable of hearing Him clearly?

3. How will you work on developing stronger skills to hear Him no matter the environment, situation, or conditions?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always your sister in Christ,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

All Joel and Victoria Osteen messages are Copyright Protected by Joel and Victoria Osteen. None of their messages have been modified by Natasha Foreman Bryant.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Saturday Recap: Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4/21/14 to 4/25/14

Happy Saturday family!

Be grateful for this day because it wasn’t promised, and neither is tomorrow, so live each day to the fullest and with gratitude for your blessings.

Today I honor the life and legacy of David Mitchell, who was promoted by God on April 15, 2014. Today his funeral service will be held in Inglewood, California. I pray that my friend Carman (his daughter) and her daughter, Keilana (his grand daughter), his wife Eloyce, and the rest of their family stays lifted up by God’s love and their memories of David. Please say a prayer for the Mitchell family.

If you missed any of this week’s messages or you want to go back and re-read any of them, here’s your opportunity. Below please find a recap of this week’s posts. Please share these posts with others, and also take a few moments to provide me feedback. Thank you.

Love,
Natasha

Monday- 4/21/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/21/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-21-14/

Questions of the Day:
1.How long did it take for you to count more than 10 blessings?

2. Did you have to take a break in counting because it was ‘interfering’ with work or something else?

3. How do you feel after considering all that you have been blessed with each day, even in bad times?

4. How does it change your perspective and outlook on life, and how you should be living each day?

Tuesday- 4/22/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-22-14/

Questions of the Day:
1.What has your journey revealed about you so far?

Wednesday- 4/23/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-23-14/

Questions of the Day:
1.While grieving the spiritual promotion of a loved one, where did/do you turn for comfort?

2. How are you (or how have you) dealt with guilt, doubt, emptiness, and anger during your grieving process?

3. What activities have you picked up (or resumed) to help keep you focused on healing and living, and not grieving?

4. What things are you focused on accomplishing to make you and the promoted loved one proud of you?

5. What is your plan for living (or how have you lived) your life to the fullest in a positive way?

6. What negative vices, habits, and relationships have you discarded so that you can get the most out of life?

Thursday- 4/24/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-24-14/

Questions of the Day
1.What do you currently do to de-stress, unwind, and relax?

2. Which area(s) of your body do you carry most of your stress (felt as soreness, tightness, and knots)?

3. When was the last time you took a vacation and went somewhere to relax?

4. Do you truly relax on vacation or is it just a change of scenery and pace? Why?

5. How do you spend your weekends or off-days from work?

6. Are you willing to submit your schedule to God? Why or why not?

7. When you visualize relaxing in God, what do you see and feel?

Friday- 4/25/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/25/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-25-14/

Questions of the Day
1. What were the first things that came to your mind as you read this message?

2. How do you feel, what emotions are stirring up inside of you as you reflect on the scripture, prayer, and reflection?

3. Does seeing yourself as a child born into privilege make you feel a certain type of way? Does it make you see your life and circumstances differently?

4. What are your expectations from life now after reading this message?

Don’t forget that tomorrow is Sunday Sermon Share Day. If you hear or take part in an awesome sermon, please share your notes, highlights, scripture, or reflections with the rest of us. I don’t care if it’s a sermon from an online or televised broadcast, please share with us. Just post it as a comment or send a message to my new email at: BreakingBreadWithNatasha@gmail.com Thank you.

God bless you all and happy Saturday!

Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.25.14

Happy Friday Breaking Bread Family!

Have you ever read a message that just went deep inside and you could feel the power and joy through your bones, joints, and muscles? Have you ever stopped and said, “I have to share this message with others. I can’t keep this to myself“?

Well that is exactly how I felt yesterday when my friend Juanita Bryan texted me this amazing message from Joel and Victoria Osteen. I had already posted my message to my blog for the day, so I told myself that I would share Joel and Victoria’s today. But I have to admit, I was so anxious to share it with someone that I forwarded it via email to my mother, aunt (her sister), my sister, and a cousin (my aunt’s daughter). I couldn’t resist getting this soul-stirring message out immediately. It’s just that awesome!

So without anymore delay, below please find this message I call a declaration, this message that I claim for my life—and I hope that you do the same!

Born into Privilege

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared…”

(1 John 3:2, ESV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
What if you had been born to the Rockefeller family? You’d expect to have some advantages, wouldn’t you? If you were born into the Kennedy family or the Bill Gates family, you’d probably get preferential treatment. You’d expect things that other people may not expect.

The good news today is that when you receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you are born again into the right family! You come from a royal bloodline. Your Father owns everything. He has special connections. Now you need to hold your head up high and start expecting to stand out from the crowd. Start expecting good breaks, divine connections and opportunities to come your way. You have favor because of who your Father is. You are born into privilege, so expect His abundant favor on your life today!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You for receiving me into Your family. Thank You for pouring out Your abundant blessing on me. I love You and bless You because You are good and Your mercy endures forever in Jesus’ name. Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

Questions of the Day
1. What were the first things that came to your mind as you read this message?

2. How do you feel, what emotions are stirring up inside of you as you reflect on the scripture, prayer, and reflection?

3. Does seeing yourself as a child born into privilege make you feel a certain type of way? Does it make you see your life and circumstances differently?

4. What are your expectations from life now after reading this message?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always your sister in Christ,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

All Joel and Victoria Osteen messages are Copyright Protected by Joel and Victoria Osteen. None of their messages have been modified by Natasha Foreman Bryant.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.24.14

You teach me the way of life. In your presence is total celebration. Beautiful things are always in your right hand.

Psalms 16:11 CEB

Pray
Father I seek joy and peace in my relationship with You. In my down times and most hectic times, I seek to submit my schedule to You, so that I can relax in You. I pray that my loved ones and even those I have never met, also seek and find joy and peace in their relationship with You. I pray that they also yearn to have a strong and healthy relationship with You. May we all find the harmony within that creates the harmony throughout our lives. In our greatest times of stress, I pray that we will be comforted by You, and joyful in this peace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Reflection
Many of us lead stressful, hectic lives. Many of us are exhausted by day’s end, and sometimes even on days when we did more busywork than work. Some of you, like my husband, have chaotic travel schedules where you go from city to city, and country to country monthly or even weekly. Many of us don’t get enough sleep, don’t eat clean enough as often as we should (or at all), and we’re not getting adequate exercise or wellness check ups to keep the temple we’re borrowing from God in tiptop shape.

When we feel physically, emotionally, and mentally beat up what we need most is God. Imagine the ability to learn how to relax in God, to find joy and peace in our relationship with Him. Now imagine surrendering your schedule to Him. What if before we make time commitments with others we instead stepped back and let God dictate what is best for us? He speaks to all of us. That small, faint voice that warns you, directs you, stops you,and reassures you—that’s God.

While in the process of over-committing you have heard the voice, and you probably even paused for a moment to contemplate your decision, and you either listened and obeyed (releasing some of your load), or you listened and ignored (taking on the added burden). If you took on the burden then you chose to grip tightly your schedule, and then voluntarily took on the added stress and chaos. If you released your schedule to God, life seemed a little lighter and more airy. That’s the peace within that only God can deliver.

Around the world, and especially in the United States people are battling weight issues, health issues, financial issues, and family issues. What if we surrendered ourselves and our issues to God?

Questions of the Day
1.What do you currently do to de-stress, unwind, and relax?

2. Which area(s) of your body do you carry most of your stress (felt as soreness, tightness, and knots)?

3. When was the last time you took a vacation and went somewhere to relax?

4. Do you truly relax on vacation or is it just a change of scenery and pace? Why?

5. How do you spend your weekends or off-days from work?

6. Are you willing to submit your schedule to God? Why or why not?

7. When you visualize relaxing in God, what do you see and feel?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.23.14

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.

Revelation 21:4 AMP

Pray
Father today I pray for every person mourning the passing and promotion of their loved one. I pray for those who have been struggling with this transition for years, and those who are only days, hours, or minutes into their grieving.

Take away their grief and comfort them with the vision of peace that their loved one is now surrounded in each day. Help those left behind to heal and grow through this experience, and to see that inside each of us we can find and feel Your love. Expressing it is the challenge.

Help us to see, feel, know, accept, and embrace this fact Father. Help us to see that Your plan is never flawed, even when the youngest or healthiest are torn from our arms. Help us to mature, touch our hearts to always be warmed, mold our minds to never give in to doubt, and keep our feet pointed in the right direction.

Help those who are transitioning to the next life to see it as a promotion, to make peace with others during their remaining days (so that there is no bad blood, guilt, or shame), and to make peace with the life they have lived no matter how long. Comfort all of us Father. I pray to You as a believer and follower of Christ. Amen.

Reflection
No one wants to “lose” a loved one. Adult children feel they should be promoted before their parents, parents feel that their children should never go before them, and many of us have a difficult time comprehending and accepting the passing of a child and baby—the younger a person is the harder it is to accept. What purpose was served by bringing them into the world, just to leave moments, days, weeks, months, or a few years later? It seems like and feels like torture to the parents and other family members.

These moments, just like the others, are times that we should grow closer to God, pray to Him, praise His love, and know that His plan is never flawed. For the mother carrying that child in her womb, this may seem illogical, absurd, foolish, and cruel. Our plan may not be His, and we shouldn’t see it as punishment, but grow to understand that God has something planned. If for some reason you can’t shake the feeling that losing your child was punishment, then grow closer to God to be healed of this guilt that you carry, and made whole in His eyes.

For those of us who have lost parents, take what you have been taught, and learned the hard way, and hold on to those memories shared with your parent(s). Hold on to the smiles, laughs, moments of chaos, and memories of coming together despite the odds. Remember the stories shared, your parent(s) voice and mannerisms, and their favorite things like food, books, art, colors, fragrances, music, movies, sports, celebrities, historical figures, and vacation spots. Those memories keep them by your side. When shared with others, their legacy continues to grow. You have been charged to keep their legacy going strong. You can’t do it wallowing around in gloom and misery.

Questions of the Day
1.While grieving the spiritual promotion of a loved one, where did/do you turn for comfort?

2. How are you (or how have you) dealt with guilt, doubt, emptiness, and anger during your grieving process?

3. What activities have you picked up (or resumed) to help keep you focused on healing and living, and not grieving?

4. What things are you focused on accomplishing to make you and the promoted loved one proud of you?

5. What is your plan for living (or how have you lived) your life to the fullest in a positive way?

6. What negative vices, habits, and relationships have you discarded so that you can get the most out of life?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.22.14

For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving]!

Psalm 84:11, 12 AMP

Pray
Thank You for another blessed day. Trusting in You Father. Amen.

Reflection
The most blessings received, acknowledged and embraced comes to those who trust without fear or hesitation in God. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss out on my blessings being fearful or ignorant.

Questions of the Day
1.What has your journey revealed about you so far?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.(www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.21.14

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:1-5 HCSB

Pray
Father I praise You, believe You, and trust in You through every circumstance of my life. Even in bad times let me see and appreciate the blessings. Let me always realize and acknowledge that there is always someone in the world worse off than me, so why should I walk around as though my circumstances are unique only to me, and that I’m alone to figure it out or be succumbed by the pressure. Father help me to see and count my blessings each day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Reflection
Stop right now and begin counting your blessings. Don’t be surprised when the pile grows bigger and bigger. Matter of fact you may have to take a break because your counting is now interfering with work or other obligations. If you think that’s not possible, try and see. Take note of every single thing, no matter how small, that you are blessed with and grateful for, and watch how your joy grows within. God is awesome!

Questions of the Day
1.How long did it take for you to count more than 10 blessings?

2. Did you have to take a break in counting because it was ‘interfering’ with work or something else?

3. How do you feel after considering all that you have been blessed with each day, even in bad times?

4. How does it change your perspective and outlook on life, and how you should be living each day?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Saturday Recap: Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4/14/14 to 4/18/14

Happy Saturday family!

Tomorrow is Easter. There is so much more to be grateful for and reflective of than food and Easter eggs. Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for all of us should be celebrated this weekend, and every single day.

If you missed any of this week’s messages or you want to go back and re-read any of them, here’s your opportunity. Below please find a recap of this week’s posts. Please share these posts with others, and also take a few moments to provide me feedback. Thank you.

Love,
Natasha

Monday- 4/14/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-14-14/

Questions of the Day:
1.When you read the verse from Psalms, how do you see yourself?

2. How would you like to evolve from your current view of yourself?

Tuesday- 4/15/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-15-14/

Questions of the Day:
1.Would you consider yourself a person who is stubborn, easily swayed, naive, or fearfully obedient?

2. The majority of times do you knowingly walk with darkness, or do you find yourself naively on that path?

3. When do you normally realize that you have strayed, and what has commonly been the end result?

4. Do you share your learned lessons with others with a desire to help them avoid making the same (or similar) mistakes?

Wednesday- 4/16/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-16-14/

Questions of the Day:
1.How have you traditionally dealt with change?

2. Have you ever asked God “why?” when things go wrong in your life?

3. How do you ‘snap out’ of your ‘funk’ called sadness/depression?

4. How have you grieved and then celebrated the passing of a loved one?

5. When you read today’s message what were your initial thoughts? What do you think now?

Thursday- 4/17/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-17-14/

Questions of the Day
1.What is your biggest obstacle blocking you from praising God and showing gratitude in every situation?

2. How confident are you in your ability to let go and trust God in everything?

Friday- 4/18/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-18-14/

Questions of the Day
1. Do you have a testimony to share about how you allowed God’s light to shine through you instead of allowing darkness to overcome you, tear you down, and allow you to act like your enemies? If so, please share.

2. Please share any testimony of when God helped you through a dark moment in your life, and you know that without Him it would not have been possible.

Don’t forget that tomorrow is Easter and Sunday Sermon Share Day. If you hear or take part in an awesome Easter sermon, please share your notes, highlights, scripture, or reflections with the rest of us. I don’t care if it’s a sermon from an online or televised broadcast, please share with us. Just post it as a comment or send a message to my new email at: BreakingBreadWithNatasha@gmail.com Thank you.

God bless you all and happy Easter!

Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.18.14

Today I share with you this amazing message from Joel and Victoria posting. I hope that it helps you through life struggles. I hope that it helps you make it through those storms when the closest people to you hurt, disappoint, and betray you.

I have grown to not seek revenge but to live my life well, as God intends, and allow God to work on those individuals as He sees fit. I won’t lie it can be very difficult, especially when the person is so close to you, but the only way that we can gain and live in peace is to do exactly this. This is what Jesus taught us and this is how we are supposed to live. Let us remember Jesus and what he sacrificed for us every single day and not just during the holiday seasons. Practice and application lead to a fulfilled and changed life.

~Natasha

Sunday is Coming

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
(1 Corinthians 15:3–4, NIV)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
As we celebrate the resurrection of Christ this Easter season, I think about when they crucified Jesus. On that Friday, it was the darkest, most painful, discouraging day of His life. In fact, it was so bad that He sweat drops of blood earlier. It looked as if His enemies had gotten the best of Him. But, God had other plans. They put Him in the grave on Friday, celebrating their victory, but Sunday morning was a different story. The grave could not hold Him. Death couldn’t contain Him! The forces of darkness couldn’t stop Him! On the third day, He came out of the grave and said, “I was dead, but now I am alive forevermore!”

One principle that the resurrection teaches us is that God will always finish what He started. No matter how dark it looks, no matter how long it’s been, no matter how many people are trying to push you down, if you will stay in faith, God will always take you from Friday to Sunday. He will always complete what He started in you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You for completing what You started in my life. I trust that no matter how dark things may seem, You are my shining light of hope. I thank You for working behind the scenes to carry me through to the place of victory in every area of my life in Jesus’ name! Amen.
— Joel & Victoria Osteen

Questions of the Day
1. Do you have a testimony to share about how you allowed God’s light to shine through you instead of allowing darkness to overcome you, tear you down, and allow you to act like your enemies? If so, please share.

2. Please share any testimony of when God helped you through a dark moment in your life, and you know that without Him it would not have been possible.

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.17.14

For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.

Romans 1:21 HCSB

Pray
I know that I don’t always praise You Father. I know that when life drags me through the mud, I’m not praising You. I know that when a loved one passes, I’m not praising You. Father I want to praise You during good times and bad times, through sunshine and storms. Touch my heart so that I praise You always. Touch my heart Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reflection
Yesterday I shared a message about rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks each and every day, in and through every situation. We must constantly pray for this change to take place within our hearts so that it becomes our reality, our every day, our life.

We must pray for our spiritual weaknesses to become our strengths. Only God can make that happen, and only after our commitment to the process. Pray that He touches your heart so that you can benefit fully from His blessings, and so others may benefit from their interaction with you.

Questions of the Day
1.What is your biggest obstacle blocking you from praising God and showing gratitude in every situation?

2. How confident are you in your ability to let go and trust God in everything?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.16.14

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t suppress the Spirit. Don’t brush off Spirit-inspired messages, but examine everything carefully and hang on to what is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-21 CEB

Pray
Father I am grateful for today, grateful for my life, and grateful for all that You have given me. I’m grateful for my family and friends, my experiences, and the lessons that I have learned.

Father the hardest thing to do is rejoice, pray, and give thanks always and for every situation, because in my weakness I am oftentimes blinded by how something painful can also be a blessing, and necessary for my growth.

Lord I pray to You to help me. Mold me Lord. Help me to accept pain, ‘death’, and disappointment and see the reality that through You there is no pain, death, or disappointment. Help me to see that change, when not embraced, is painful, and that my best experiences will come when I openly embrace all change while praising Your Holy Name.

Help me to see the opportunities and amazing lessons each day and in every situation. I humbly pray to You in Jesus’ name, as a believer in Christ. Amen.

Reflection
Last night my dear friend, Carman, called me and painfully muttered the words that I knew would come one day, but never knowing when—she told me her father David had just passed away. David had been fighting Alzheimer’s for several years now and it was taking its toll on David, Carman, and their family.

But in David’s passing I don’t see things as though he ‘lost the battle’ to Alzheimer’s, instead I see things differently. I see that David had the opportunity to spend time with his family and be cared for by his family. During his battle his family was faced with the option of embracing change or resisting it, and they were faced with a reality that they definitely weren’t prepared for or desired. David’s battle challenged his family. David’s battle has strengthened my friend Carman, and their family. They may not see it right now because the reality of him not physically being here is clouding the reality that he will always be here, and that not physically being here means he is no longer suffering, but forever living in and with peace.

I pray that in their mourning they seek out God and seek to rejoice, pray, and give thanks for God and for Him not only bringing David to them, but allowing them to spend as much physical time as they have with David. I pray that they rejoice, pray, and give thanks for the challenges, the battles, and the pain over the years because with these things they have grown stronger and more resilient. I pray that David’s life brings them closer together, helps them overcome past issues, and prevents future ones.

I pray that they don’t see David’s passing as a loss, but as a gain, because David has been promoted to his next level of existence. David has gone on to bigger and better things, experiences, and realities. He physically cannot be seen or touched, but through memories and laughter, he will always be felt and seen spiritually. David was a physically fit man who loved to exercise and roller skate, his condition prior to being promoted didn’t allow for him to do the things he loved—but now he can.

I know what it’s like to ‘lose’ a loved one, I have ‘lost’ many. I know what it’s like to ‘lose’ a parent, my dad was suddenly and without warning promoted by God in 2001. I had so much guilt built up because I didn’t return his phone call ‘in time’ that day, because I didn’t get the chance to say, “I love you dad” and “see you later”, and because I didn’t pay attention to earlier signs of a heart attack. I had nightmares because I would flash back to the moment I found him in his office. I couldn’t shake the image.

I was torn between embracing his sudden promotion and wanting to disconnect for awhile from the world. So I found a reasonable middle ground. I knew my dad would not want me to mourn him because he lived such an amazing life, flaws and all, and he had such a giving heart, so why wouldn’t I celebrate his life, legacy, and promotion to eternal life?

My middle ground was living my life, growing comfortable speaking about his, doing everything and anything I could to be a great student of Christ and servant leader, and doing what I could to make him proud and to make myself proud. I have spent the past 13 years growing, healing, and celebrating life—mine and my dad’s. I have failed and succeeded, fallen but always gotten back up. I know dad is proud of me. Yes, there are times I cry because I miss him, because I want to see and hear him experience the great things that are going on in my life, and because I want to ask him for professional, personal, and spiritual advice. Then I eventually smile, thank God, tell my dad I love him, and talk to him anyway, knowing he can’t interrupt me [smile].

I pray that my friend Carman and her family find a comfortable middle ground that they can eventually grow and mature into a higher ground of acceptance and celebration, because honestly, David wouldn’t want them to be constantly mourning him, depressed that he’s not physically around, and falling short of the greatness that he challenged himself and them to reach each day. David always wanted the best for his family, and flaws and all, David did his best to provide what he could when he could to his family.

I hope by sharing David and Carman’s life and experience, and by sharing my own, that each of us take this time to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. I hope that we make this a natural habit each day. Life as we know it has a time limit, and we don’t know when that time will end, but what we can do is live our lives to the fullest each and every day, forgiving ourselves and others, shaking off depression and guilt, pushing ourselves to greatness, so that we and our families are better prepared for the day when we too are promoted.

Carman I love you and your family. You all are a part of my extended family and I want you to know that you can thrive and shine brightly because God has equipped you to do so, and your dad gave you many examples of how to do it here and now. Don’t let the enemy convince you that life can never be good or better because David isn’t physically here. David is in each and every person that he encountered, embraced, and spent quality time with. Just as we are to look for Jesus in others, look for your dad in others—then smile, laugh, and say, “thank You!”

I share these same words with and for all of you reading this. We must be selfless during change. We must embrace the change in order to grow and see the rainbow after the storm. The longer we resist the longer it takes for us to breathe and be free. Rejoice. Pray. Give thanks.

Questions of the Day
1.How have you traditionally dealt with change?

2. Have you ever asked God “why?” when things go wrong in your life?

3. How do you ‘snap out’ of your ‘funk’ called sadness/depression?

4. How have you grieved and then celebrated the passing of a loved one?

6. When you read today’s message what were your initial thoughts? What do you think now?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.15.14

Prudent people see evil and hide; the simpleminded go right to it and get punished.

Proverbs 27:12 CEB

Pray
Father Mother God I pray to You today and ask for insight, discernment, and vision to see, rebuke, and avoid all evil. Help me to quickly recognize good from evil so that I can avoid the pain that comes from associating with evil. Place Your ‘glasses’ over my eyes so that I can see Lord. I pray for these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reflection
There are people and places where darkness dwells and if you do not have discernment to distinguish light from dark, you will easily gravitate towards darkness. Ask God to put your ‘glasses’ on so that you can see.

There are people who are misguided that have negative ulterior motives, and if you can’t see this you run the risk of being harmed. Ask God to reveal these people to you.

Sometimes we naively walk with darkness, and sometimes through rebellion, we willingly take that stroll—either way the end result is some level of pain. Ask God to show you the way.

Questions of the Day
1.Would you consider yourself a person who is stubborn, easily swayed, naive, or fearfully obedient?

2. The majority of times do you knowingly walk with darkness, or do you find yourself naively on that path?

3. When do you normally realize that you have strayed, and what has commonly been the end result?

4. Do you share your learned lessons with others with a desire to help them avoid making the same (or similar) mistakes?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture taken from the Common English Bible®, CEB® Copyright © 2010, 2011 by Common English Bible.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “CEB” and “Common English Bible” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Common English Bible. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Common English Bible.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.14.14

Let your acts be seen by your servants; let your glory be seen by their children.
 
 Psalms 90:16 CEB
 
 Pray
 
 Mold me to live right in Your eyes Lord. Help me to lead by example. Amen.
 
 Reflection
 Be the change that you want to see in the world. The best servant leaders are the ones who lead by serving, and they practice what they preach. It’s most irritating to see the hypocrite “leader” who says one thing, does the other, but expects their “followers” to do as they said.
 
 Oftentimes, followers simply model what they see, and it the model is corrupt then eventually the foundation and infrastructure collapses. This happens in communities, businesses, churches, and families—if the leader isn’t stable and right, his/her followers eventually won’t be either.
 
 Ask God to mold You as He sees fit, and then live accordingly.
 
 Questions of the Day
 1.When you read the verse from Psalms, how do you see yourself?
 
 2. How would you like to evolve from your current view of yourself?
 
 
 Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com
 
 Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.
 
 Love always,
 Natasha
 
 
 Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com
 
 
 
 

Saturday Recap: Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4/7/14 to 4/11/14

Happy Saturday family!

Below please find a recap of this week’s posts. Please share these posts with others, and also take a few moments to provide me feedback. Thank you.

Love,
Natasha

Monday- 4/7/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-7-14/

Questions of the Day:
1. What have you thanked God for today?

Tuesday- 4/8/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-8-14/

Questions of the Day:
1. When do you feel most conflicted about reflecting God’s amazing Light?
2. How do you resolve the conflict?

Wednesday- 4/9/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-9-14/

Questions of the Day:
1. Can you honestly identify the areas where you are spiritually weak compared to the areas where you are strong?
2. Are you ready to focus on your spiritual strengths and turn your weaknesses over to God?
3. How will you turn your weaknesses over to God so that He can strengthen you?

Thursday- 4/10/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-10-14/

Questions of the Day
1. Can you recall a time, recently, when you said or thought something that you know wasn’t God-like?
2. How did you feel immediately after saying/doing what you did?
3. How did you feel later that day, or later that week when you reflected upon your actions?
4. If you could repeat that day would you do/say the same thing or would you put more thought in being and expressing more love?

Friday- 4/11/14

Read the daily message here:
https://breakingbreadwithnatasha.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/natashas-daily-scripture-prayer-and-reflection-for-4-11-14/

Questions of the Day
1. What did God bless you with today?

Don’t forget that tomorrow is Sunday Sermon Share Day. If you hear or take part in an awesome sermon, please share your notes, highlights, scripture, or reflections with the rest of us. I don’t care if it’s a sermon from an online or televised broadcast, please share with us. Just post it as a comment or send a message to my new email at: BreakingBreadWithNatasha@gmail.com Thank you.

God bless you all!

Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.11.14

 

Happy Friday Family!

Now I try not to make it a habit of sharing a verse multiple times, especially since there are thousands to choose from. But today’s message from Joel and Victoria Osteen could not be edited, just to adhere to my non-rule, so I share with you the amazing fullness of the message. I know that someone will benefit from these words, these declarations, and these truths. Someone reading this needs to read, pray, reflect, and speak this into their reality. Enjoy and please share this with others.

~Natasha

---

Now Faith

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:1, KJV

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Are you hungry for more of God in your life today? The scripture tells us that faith opens the door for Him to move on our behalf. Faith is what pleases Him. It gives substance to the things we hope for and makes them tangible. We’ve all been given a measure of faith, but it’s up to each of us to put it into action. Notice today’s verse starts by saying, “Now faith.” It’s not “later” faith or “one day” faith. We have to have faith for today, right now.

Do you believe that God has blessings in store for you right now? Do you believe He wants to pour out His favor on you today? When you step out in faith and declare His Word, you open the door to His abundant favor and blessing in every area of your life!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for the gift of faith. I choose to believe Your Word which is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Show me how to continue to grow in faith so I can be pleasing to You in every area of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen

Questions of the Day

1. What did God bless you with today?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email. Don’t forget that tomorrow is the Saturday Recap. Have an awesome day family!

Love always,

Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.10.14

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds.

Deuteronomy 6:5, 6 CEB

Pray

Thank You God for today. Thank You for my past experiences and for those yet to come. Thank You for the opportunities that You have given me daily. I pray today for the strength and courage to always put You first in every decision, before I open my mouth to speak, when I’m thinking about others, and while thinking about my circumstances. To love You is to obey You, and I want to prove my love through my obedience, never doubting, hesitating, second-guessing, or side-stepping. Help me Father. I give You all of the glory. Amen.

Reflection
To love Him we must obey. To love Him with all of our heart, our being (soul), and strength, we must obey Him each and every time. We must put God first always. He is to be the beginning, middle, and end of each decision, discussion, thought, and action. Ask the Holy Spirit to “go before me” before going places, doing things, and speaking to others or about others.

If when you open your mouth you do not hear God’s loving truth, and the recipient of your words do not feel God’s Light, then that is not God speaking through you. Think about that and then pray for better from yourself.

Questions of the Day
1.Can you recall a time, recently, when you said or thought something that you know wasn’t God-like?

2. How did you feel immediately after saying/doing what you did?

3. How did you feel later that day, or later that week when you reflected upon your actions?

4. If you could repeat that day would you do/say the same thing or would you put more thought in being and expressing more love?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.9.14

You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf. He left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, nor did he ever speak in ways meant to deceive. When he was insulted, he did not reply with insults. When he suffered, he did not threaten revenge. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He carried in his own body on the cross the sins we committed. He did this so that we might live in righteousness, having nothing to do with sin. By his wounds you were healed. Though you were like straying sheep, you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your lives.

1 Peter 2:21-25 CEB

Pray

Father please forgive me. Forgive me for giving into fear, for focusing on my weaknesses and not my strengths, for allowing the enemy to have moments to sway my attention and my steps. Forgive me for my sins, insults, deception, lies, and those times that I forgot I am not the judge. I humbly pray to You as a servant who wants to do right by You. In Jesus’ name I ask for Your forgiveness. Amen.

Reflection
Consider this fact, Jesus never was deceptive, never lied, never allowed the enemy to gain a foot hold in his life, never considered his weaknesses, never attacked others or sought revenge. God was his strength, his voice, his guide always. Think about that.

So instead of us beating ourselves up over our weakness to give in to the very things Jesus didn’t tolerate or succumb to, let’s focus on our areas of strength and ask God to heal our weaknesses, so that we can prevail as His ambassadors.

I think that we get so overly twisted in ‘knots’ about being sinners that instead of refraining from sin we continue down that tunnel, because we are consumed by our spiritual weaknesses. We should instead look at our strengths, what we are confident in, and continue protecting those areas from ‘attack’, while asking God to help rebuild and restore what we have destroyed through our sin.

As we repent and atone, God molds us to become stronger in those weak areas—-and as a result we rebuke the sin—we stop telling lies, being deceptive, judging others, coveting, committing adultery, etc.

Make sense?

Questions of the Day
1. Can you honestly identify the areas where you are spiritually weak compared to the areas where you are strong?

2. Are you ready to focus on your spiritual strengths and turn your weaknesses over to God?

3. How will you turn your weaknesses over to God so that He can strengthen you?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com

Natasha’s Daily Scripture, Prayer, and Reflection for 4.8.14

Not at all! The word is very close to you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart, waiting for you to do it.

Deuteronomy 30:14 CEB

Pray

Father, speak through me, work through me. Mold my heart, control my tongue, direct my feet, shield my mind, protect me Father. In Jesus’ name I humbly pray.

Reflection
All that we need is within us and outlined in the Bible. Seek and the answers will be revealed. Seek and the path will surface. Once we let go of our naive sense of control, we will be exposed to more than we could ever imagine. We don’t need special training or degrees to speak God’s Truth or to share His Love, all we have to do is seek Him, and then speak.

Questions of the Day
1. When do you feel most conflicted about reflecting God’s amazing Light?

2. How do you resolve the conflict?

Feel free to share your answers, prayers, comments, and reflections in the comment section below. You can also send me an email at: breakingbreadwithnatasha@gmail.com

Please also feel free to share this post with others. We’re never quite sure who needs to hear and see what, and when! It would be awesome if whenever you run across a prayer, message, or scripture that moves you, you would kindly share it with the rest of us. You can post it on this blog or send me an email.

Love always,
Natasha

Copyright 2013-2014. Natasha Foreman Bryant. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha Foreman Bryant, unless otherwise noted. Prior posts from 2009-2013 are copyrighted under the name Natasha L. Foreman. breakingbreadwithnatasha.com