Breaking Bread For 12.31.21

December 31, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

“The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Now a natural man does not accept the things of the Ruach Elohim, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14‬ ‭TLV‬‬

Reflection

No matter what your days look like you should be grateful for each day that you are blessed to breathe and be loved by others—whether it’s 20 people or just one. If for some reason you can’t seem to see the love received then you need to pray on it because it’s there.

Years ago I attended a church service where a minister shared her sermon on the reality of miracles and the big question of, “Where is God?” that millions of nonbelievers and conditional believers ask frequently. She spoke about the miracles in life both large and small, the amazement of God’s power to create from nothingness and void a galaxy, with actual planets that house life forms and ecosystems.

In the Greater Context chapter of my book Seek Him: Workbook 2 [the companion to Seek Him, Volume 2] I shared a section on things evolutionists can’t explain. Check it out when you have a moment.

How can you doubt that there’s a God when you consider the process of life?

It’s because people question why God would allow both death and destruction in the presence of life, regardless of age. But one beautiful thing this minister said was that she never wants to be smart enough to truly understand all there is to know about God. She knows that there’s a reason for everything, but she doesn’t feel inclined to attempt to figure it out, because she knows that as it is written in the Bible—she will never know the ins and outs of God. She said that if she knew it all then there would be no reason to live, no reason for hope, and definitely no reason for faith.

If you can’t see and feel God’s love and presence then you aren’t truly living, you are merely existing. Who wants a life like that?

Many of us struggle in life because we’re unaware that most things require a spiritual lens to discern and reason, and we keep trying to approach things in the natural.

We all say we have five senses but those who know are also aware of our sixth sense, which I believe is the first sense given to us and the one we truly can’t “lose”. It forms as our spiritual connection that we default-recognize as our intuition or gut instinct. I believe it helps to root us to our foundation as spiritual beings. It serves as our seeing, hearing, feeling, and discerning on a spiritual level. When our senses of the flesh fail us, our leading sense guides us. It’s our direct channel to God.

Now, imagine life not embracing and developing this “sixth sense”—what are you missing, not learning or experiencing? What aren’t you hearing God say to you? What lessons do you keep repeating because you aren’t tuned in to His channel? I hope that you tune in to this gift in a healthy way, so you can see one more level of connection to God. It’s more than instinct, intuition, or a gut feeling—that’s God working in and through us. Reach out, connect, and stay connected!

May you have a healthy, safe, peaceful, happy, joyful and prosperous New Year. God willing we will all connect on Monday, and continue our Breaking Bread walk in 2022, together, as followers of Christ. I pray God uses me to expose more people to His loving Light through my Breaking Bread blog, my books, and the other ways that I try to connect with my fellow brothers and sisters worldwide. I love you all!

Prayer

Father, I thank You for this day and each day that I can live this human experience spending each moment learning to be a better servant, exploring and expanding my spiritual capabilities so that I’m best prepared for my days in Your Heavenly Kingdom.
Father, this is the last day of 2021. I pray that we savor the gift of today, being present in our awareness of what it has to offer. Tomorrow we enter a new day and new year. Please guide us as we face fear, ignorance, hate, shame, apathy, and human error. Help us to see how close we really are to You so that the reassurance comforts and strengthens us. Humbly I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Love always,

Natasha

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.

Breaking Bread For 12.30.21

December 30, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Luke 11:33-36

Reflection

Everything we put inside of us we reveal to the world. Choose wisely what you watch, listen to, ingest, and participate in—for you will ultimately reveal this as your truth in the future. But is it God’s Truth? Remember that even the enemy can pretend to be light. Don’t be fooled. It really is about finding that balance and seeking health and wellness with mind, body, spirit, and soul—to be in perfect and faithful alignment with God.

Our speech and actions reflect the type of relationship we have with God, they reflect what’s going on inside of us.

Are you a child of the world or are you God’s child? That is what we must always consider in words and deeds each day. And remember that if we entertain our thoughts they can be empowered to become words and actions. Be careful what you focus your mind on.

Do we fill ourselves with God’s loving Light and share this with the world, or do we fill ourselves with the darkness of the world and hurt others who come across our path?

Do we strengthen our bodies and senses to be of service to others, or do we allow ourselves to weaken and become lazily dependent upon others? Laziness is a trap that leads us to shrivel up and die.

Instead of waiting until the New Year, your birthday, or 60 to 90 days before a big event that you want to look good for, why not start eating and living healthier today? Instead of setting resolutions for the new year, end this year the way you want to live throughout and beyond 2022—doing and living well!

Prayer

Father, You woke me today to have yet another moment of learning experiences, another chance to grow more, and share more with others. Thank You. Father, thank You for my spiritual vision and other senses. Thank You for discernment to see right from wrong, where and when to go and when to stay put.
Thank You for revealing Your truth to me in small enough nuggets so that I may comprehend at a rate more conducive to my learning style, while also molding me to expand my capabilities beyond the limits of my comfort zone. You never leave me or get tired of me, You are patient and understanding, and I’m humbly grateful.
I pray that I may be a pure receptacle of Your light. Let me then share this light with others so that they can soak up Your love and share with others. Let my body be strengthened and healthy, that I might make many long journeys serving Your children until my last breath.
What I ingest I become, so I pray for the willpower to overcome temptation to consume things that are bad for me. I pray for the energy to get up each day and exercise without excuse for weather or time of day. These things I pray You bless me with today and every day. Amen.

Lovingly your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.29.21

December 29, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.” When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.

As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:15-17, 24-26

Reflection

When given an order, a command, a charge, to do something why do we find ourselves looking back, questioning if we should comply, or trying to figure out our own way? We ignore the blessings that we have received and those that have been promised once we reach our next destination, yet we are overly concerned with what once was, what’s going on next to us, and what someone else is doing…then we wonder and cry about our missed or reallocated blessings.

We have spiritual attention deficit disorder.

God speaks directly to us or sends His angels to relay messages that are specifically for us, telling us what to do and where to go, and for some strange reason we can’t just take these directives and follow through. He will do all that needs to be done as long as we do our small part, and yet we still drop the ball.

We complain of being overwhelmed. Have we not considered it’s because we are too busy trying to do both our part and God’s? God has Jesus to show us the way, yet we keep trying to use our own map—and we wonder why we’re lost and confused. When will we stop, let go, and walk forward, not looking back?

It doesn’t matter if Lot’s wife was looking back because she yearned for what she was leaving behind, or because she was horrified by the screams of the dying people, or because she was in shock, or just out of curiosity. The angels said to not look back. There’s a saying that “curiosity killed the cat” well it definitely killed Lot’s wife. Let’s not follow her lead. Let’s instead follow Jesus and walk in obedience. Ask questions of the angels or God of whomever He sends, after we make it to our appointed place. Keep your eyes forward so you can see clearly where you’re walking, if not you’re bound to stumble, fall, or worse.

Prayer

Father, I thank You for yet another day. I thank You for the blessings You have bestowed upon me. I thank You for Your loving kindness and patience that cannot be measured. I thank You for forgiving me even at times when I could not forgive myself. I thank You for granting me the right to live, breathe, and survive through the best and worst of times. Thank You Father.
Father, I never want to look back as Lot’s wife did. I don’t want to be disobedient. I don’t want to agree to do something and then change my mind even for a moment. I want to learn to commit fully. I want to keep my eyes forward and my mind focused on the game plan. There is no need for me to see the changes taking place behind me, because I need to be more concerned with what is going on ahead of me.
Let my feet, even in my fear, keep running. Keep my head forward so that I never get blindsided looking back. I never want my fear, ignorance, disobedience, or curiosity to be the reason for my demise. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Love always,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.28.21

December 28, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Romans 1:25

Reflection

Be careful of the things you want for in life and how you go about getting them. Are they prayed for and delivered by God, or did you take the easy way and sell out because you were impatient and couldn’t wait for your Father? Not everything quickly gained is a blessing. Not every person is sent to you by God.

Seek out the truth in all you encounter, whether person, thing, or circumstance. And remember that we’re to worship and serve our Creator, not the things and people He created.

Prayer

Father, there is no better than here, right now—the present, a gift from You. Nothing but good comes from You and there is nothing that I need that does not come from Your provisions. Know that I will not worship another being, deity, or presence but You Father. I serve You and I am committed to help all whom You call me to serve in Jesus’ Name. I will love and praise You forever. Amen.

Love,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.27.21

December 27, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:22

Reflection

Do you not believe and have faith that the waters of the ocean will return to the sandy shoreline each time they retract? Out of the hatched cocoon do you not expect the butterfly to emerge? Do you not have faith that the stop light will return to green after it has changed yellow and red? Do you not have faith that the pedestrian crossing sign will eventually signal the word “walk” after it said “do not walk”? Do you not have faith that the hands on your watch and clock will always run from right to left around in a circle?

Then why do we struggle so hard with our faith in God?

I have shown both natural, God-made examples as well as man-made, God-inspired examples that we naturally and without thought believe will occur without us having to do a thing—yet we frequently doubt what God can do and doubt His omnipresence and omnipotence in our lives.

Why do we think He’s too busy to be concerned with what we’re doing or not? Why do we think He can’t be everywhere at once even after He said it thousands of years ago? Why can’t we believe it when He’s healed people of inflictions at the same time, who were separated by distance of hundreds and thousands of miles? How can my problem be solved in one location at the same time hundreds of millions of other people’s problems are being solved?

We are ignorant to believe that it is merely our doing or even worse, a case of luck.

I don’t believe in luck. I believe in God. I believe in God making things happen when they are supposed to take place and with the depth, breadth, and intensity that He expects. I believe He brings us great fortune and wealth on all levels, not just financially.

Luck is temporal. God is eternal.

If you want to be cleansed from your impurities, from your shame and fear, then you must sincerely seek out and embrace your relationship with God. That is the purest and least complicated relationship you can ever have, yet we complicate it the most. All He expects is that we trust, believe, and obey Him. Why is it some of us are more than eager to give our all to another human but then we ration ourselves to God, who created us?

We’re all works in progress, clay that has some rough patches that God needs to add more water to and mold smoothly into the image He has envisioned. But the process is longer the more we resist. Thank God that He isn’t impatient.

Are you tired of being a mere tenth of what you can be, of what you were created to be? Let’s take the necessary steps towards reaching that level of faith and obedience we’re supposed to have. Are you ready?

Prayer

Father, another day You have given me to serve You, to share Your Word, to honor my family, to help the least of Your children, and to do so with faith that You will always see me through. Father I ask in Jesus’s name that You cleanse me. Cleanse me like the ocean waves pulling out the impurities and bringing in Your goodness. Remove my fear, guilt, shame, and doubt, and replace them with the joy, strength, and determination that comes from having total confidence in You.
Just as I have faith that as the water of the ocean pulls back from the shoreline, a new wave will roll in—I want that same faith in You and what You can and will do in my life. No matter the circumstances I want to always believe and know that You are right there with a solution, patiently waiting for me to get out of my own way. Keep working on me Father. I love You always. In the Name of Jesus I declare these truths. Amen.

Lovingly,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.24.21

December 24, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

““Master, where are You going?” Simon Peter said to Him. Yeshua answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow Me later.” Peter said to Him, “Master, why can’t I follow You now? I’ll lay down my life for You!” Yeshua answers, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Amen, amen I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times!””

John‬ ‭13:36-38‬ ‭TLV‬‬

Reflection

Tomorrow we will celebrate the birth of Jesus (some Christian countries celebrate earlier or later this month, others the first week of January) but we should not cease to celebrate and honor him after one day has passed, for every day is his birthday as it is ours.

Every day we are birthed out of experiences, we see things for the very first time, we overcome a fear that could have crippled us, and we touch someone’s life. Every day we should take the next step to be more like Jesus, and to live on purpose, with purpose, just as he did.

Merry Christmas (whenever you celebrate it) and Happy Holidays family!

Prayer

Father, You know what’s in my heart, You know my desire to grow and to develop a closer relationship with You and Jesus, and You know that each day I work harder to overcome my fears and trust that You will always see me through. I know that I can call on You to bring me calm during the darkest of times, and during the heaviest of storms.
Please keep my eyes, mind, and heart pointed in the right direction so that my feet always know where to go. Continue to bless me with discernment so that I use the best of my time living as I should, spending moments with those who are most deserving, and reflecting Your goodness even when I’m not getting it from others. Help me to always see and hear Your voice. In Jesus’ Name I pray to You. Amen.

Love always,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.23.21

December 23, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

“She will give birth to a son; and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by Adonai through the prophet, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which means “God with us.””

Matthew‬ ‭1:21-23‬ ‭TLV‬‬

Reflection

God is always with us. Through good times and in the midst of chaos, He stands beside us. Although we all know Jesus (Yeshua) wasn’t born in December, and we know that this month was selected to overshadow pagan and non-Christian festivals and holidays, we still celebrate his birth and what it represents for those who worship him and God.

Jesus served as a living, breathing reminder that God was with His people. There was so much pain, fear, frustration, and confusion. The people had been begging for a king to lead them to salvation. The people felt alone and lonely. Many sought comfort praying to idols and other gods. They were desperate. The prophet Isaiah foretold of the birth of Jesus to a human woman. God made it so. Sadly, the majority of people didn’t realize Jesus’ true identity and the salvation he brought until long after he ascended.

God has plans for you. Just like He had plans for Isaiah, John the Baptist and his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth (who conceived through God’s power), Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the disciples (who left and the ones who remained) and countless others. His plans probably differ from yours, but don’t ever think for one minute that He’s not lovingly trying to get you in alignment with Him and His plan for you. You just need to believe, obey, and follow with a grateful heart.

Just like Jesus, you may lead a life where there is great resistance and haters, you may be unappreciated and undervalued, and some may doubt you because they know the old you. Don’t worry about that, just keep focused on glorifying God in all that you do. Some people may not recognize who you truly are and appreciate you until they’re staring at your headstone. It’s not for you to convince them of your calling, of the gifts you possess, and the ways you want to bless them. Just be all that God called you to be and let Him work on their hearts and minds.

You are not alone and you can end your loneliness by simply reaching out each day to Him. Whenever you feel the need to connect, call on Him.

Prayer

Father, with You and through You all things are possible. With Your son I can find my way to perfect alignment with You. I know that I’m never alone, yet I oftentimes act out as though I’ve been abandoned. Thank You Father for your constant reminders and reassurances. In Your Name I pray and praise, as a follower of Christ. Amen.

We’re two days away from Christmas, and for many people this is a time of joy and for others it is a time of depression. We’re all struggling through “stuff” but let’s just remember that our Father and His Son, and their relationship with us are the reasons for this holiday. Be loving, kind, patient, humble, and appreciative. It’s not about the material gifts but rather the gifts of the Spirit.

Love you all,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.22.21

December 22, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:14-16‬‬ NLT

Reflection

God and Jesus made a decision to fix the weak spots of the old covenant, where sins of the flesh corrupted and perverted that which would have freed the people. Jesus would be sent to reveal to the people what they truly were, spiritual beings, and that sin had them enslaved.

This new covenant would require a sacrifice by God, which would silence the naysayers who saw their sacrifices but not His. In their eyes, He could think a thought and manifest change. But in their feeble minds, they believed He didn’t know loss, as they did. I guess no one could fathom the pain God feels every time one of His children is lost, murdered, enslaved, tormented, or chooses sin.

Let’s pause for a moment and think about how audaciously self-absorbed you have to be to say that God didn’t have skin-in-the-game, all because you endured watching generations forced into poverty, slavery, and death by human hands.

Our daily provisions come from God. The air we breath and the lungs we use to breath, come from God. How can we not see that His ongoing sacrifice is watching His beloved children suffer? But when you don’t see your value you expect to see more to prove your worthiness. So God gave more. He gave the King that the people begged hundreds of years for. He sacrificed His promised Son to save those who wouldn’t even save this Son, their Messiah. He knew that his Son would have to face torment, torture, humiliation, and physical death, at the hands of the people he was trying to save. God’s ultimate sacrifice. That’s how much He loves us. Jesus accepted this assignment. That’s how much he loves us.

Was that enough skin-in-the-game?

How are we any different today? We complain about what we don’t have, what’s wrong with the world, what we don’t like about ourselves and others, and how God isn’t answering our prayers fast enough and with the results we want. We question God why things can’t be utopian, perfect, with no sin and evil. We’re making the decisions that keep this cesspool growing.

Ironically, on the flip side, we stress over and obsess about things that only God can solve, but in our self-absorption we don’t release these issues to God, not even in our prayers. We still think it’s all about us and all on us to figure it out. We’re trying to dictate to God. Who’s the child in this relationship? Who’s the servant? Who’s the creation?

It’s obvious the influence that the enemy has had on us, sneakily sliding in to cause chaos and confusion, to convince us that God is to blame for our less than ideal life. That He is in someway subservient to us and our wishes, and to test this we’re to ask for and expect everything. God’s not a genie in a bottle.

I am driven to remove myself as a pawn in this twisted equation, and instead focus on God and Jesus. For they are the two most important variables that make all else possible. My role is insignificant, yet every single day I walk around as though the world would stop if I wasn’t doing my part. God doesn’t need me. I need Him.

Bills, debt, obligations, problems, strife—the solution to all is God, and we’re to look to Jesus and his examples to be freed from these burdens. The peace within is only possible when we let go of everything and hand it over to the Source. When we truly believe and have faith we will truly begin to live. I don’t know about any of you, but I’m ready to breathe, live, and see!

Try Something Today

Stop yourself each time you make something about you, and then see how you can shift things back to where they are supposed to be—back to God and Jesus. Sound like a plan? Let’s do this!

Prayer

Father, I know it’s not all about me, but I have internal struggles with thinking that my experiences in life truly are all about me first, the other people impacted are second, and that You and Your son are the bubble everything falls inside.
But Father I don’t truly recognize the big picture that everything happens to make me realize, embrace and live one reality—that I’m to live for You and Your son. My only mission and purpose in life is to glorify You, in all things and all ways.
So I pray that this message is molded into my mind, heart, spirit and soul, so that there is no question, doubt, hesitation, or forgetfulness. Let every move I make, every word I speak, and every thought produced be with a focus on You and Jesus.
I want to get out of this hamster wheel Lord, and I know it can only happen when I stop being consumed by self. Help me Father.

Love you all,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.21.21

December 21, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

John 13:21

Reflection

Imagine knowing in advance that one of the people closest to you is about to betray you. Imagine how Jesus felt knowing that the time, attention and care that he invested in his disciple, Judas Iscariot, would soon be leveraged against him for monetary gain and to avoid persecution.

Jesus was never blind to what was going on around him. God kept him spiritually connected to see, hear, feel, know, and speak the Truth. Jesus never doubted, took for granted, or broke that connection. The more he tapped in the more he received. Ponder that as you think of your relationship with God.

How would things have been different if Judas Iscariot had spoken up, confessed, and made things right with our savior?

Pray for those people who selfishly choose to betray or harm you because they are more concerned with their wants, needs, survival, issues, and how something will affect them. Pray for their hearts, minds, bodies, souls, and spirits. Pray that they see God’s Light and choose to follow it to righteousness than place blinders over their eyes and continue walking in darkness.

Pray that God reveals the truth about every person you are involved with and encounter. Pray that He shows you the real them so that you know what you are facing. Pray that He protects you even when you ignore His warnings. Pray that He always shows you the way out of life’s mazes, even the ones that you actively take part in creating through your disobedience.

Prayer

Father, thank You for wisdom, discernment, and an ability to forgive those who betray me and cause me harm—even when the betrayer is myself. Father, I want to keep my heart warm and open, not hardened and closed off. Keep me focused on living more like Jesus, realizing and accepting my journey’s purpose, and not being overly focused on the human elements that oftentimes distract me.
Father, touch me in a way that allows me to walk away from unhealthy situations with my dignity in tact, and with a level of grace that shows that I’m a survivor and never a victim.
I pray today not only for myself but others who have been harmed and betrayed by people they trusted. Father, free them, betrayed and betrayer, from these shackles and help them to heal and grow. In honor of all You that You are, have ever done, and will do, in Your Son’s Name I pray to You. Amen.

Have an amazing day family!

Love,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.20.21

December 20, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

John 16:21

Reflection

We go through ups and downs in life. We give birth to children and ideas. We are forced to face our biggest fears. While in the middle of the most excruciating pain we could ever imagine all we can think about at that moment is the pain and whether we will survive its wrath. But once the pain has passed, a sense of joy fills us and overwhelms us as we realize that not only did we make it through the roughest of parts, something great came from the experience. Whether it be wisdom or something tangible, there is a gift received from surviving life’s storms.

The mother giving birth, at that moment, has mixed emotions about her labor experience. But while holding her baby’s tiny body minutes, hours, or days later—she is less concerned with the pain in her belly, groin, legs, neck, glutes, and back. She is more concerned about the well being of her baby and how best to care for and nurture this new addition to the world.

We must work hard to see life exactly that way, a birthing process. Every experience no matter how intense is only temporary, and afterward comes some level of peace and joy. So are you ready to take on today? Give life your best shot and embrace these moments, for you will have great success stories to share in the future. God bless you, my sisters and brothers!

Prayer

Father thank You for this day and every day. I even thank You for those days that seem unbearable. For after I endure the pain there is joy from the growth and development. Every day life beats on my mind and body. I know that I’m being molded to see things differently, behave differently, and work through my issues in a different way. I’m being molded to put my total trust in You, that through all things You will ensure that I make it to the other end. Thank You Father. In Jesus’ Name I praise You and pray to You. Amen.

Love,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.17.21

December 17, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.

1 Peter 1:13-14 HCSB

Reflection

Peter and Silas drafted this and other letters to the churches that were in Roman provinces located in modern-day Turkey. Peter was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and he was now ministering in Rome. Silas had also helped Paul (Acts 15) and so with his help, Peter was able to address concerns that they had because the congregants were being persecuted for their faith.

The members of these other churches weren’t early followers of Jesus, so their conversion to this faith is new and not having that direct interaction with Jesus, makes it harder for them to endure the verbal and physical attacks, and isolation by others. Being gentiles they are learning both the Jewish law, history, and culture as well as the system upgrade that Jesus taught and led decades earlier. They are learning why Jesus came and disrupted the status quo of Jewish life, bringing in a new covenant with new expectations, understanding that there would be backlash and lives would be sacrificed.

But they’re also growing restless, waiting for Jesus’s second coming. It’s been decades and they’re being tempted to falling back to their old ways and patterns. Doubt is creeping in because the man they call their Messiah has not made his spiritual return to redeem them. They didn’t sign up for persecution, they signed up for salvation. They signed up for luxury not hard times.

Sound familiar?

It’s easy to have second thoughts about a decision when you’re not fully rooted and committed, when you didn’t have a deepened indoctrination, and when you don’t feel that your decision is supported. When doubt creeps in it’s easy to give in to the doubt because you don’t have a firm grasp on the truth. Just like now, there’s a desire for instant gratification; give us the miracle now, deliver our King now, we want what we want, when we want it.

The people then, just like people now, struggle with a desire to have a human leader to guide, counsel, redirect, teach, nurture them, hold our hand, and do the heavy lifting. Theres a bad habit of seeing our religious teachers and leaders as figures that do all of the studying, analysis, and thinking for us, and then we merely take in and recite the message that they deliver. We can just retweet the post. It’s easier to take part in passive membership. You can just pay your dues, show up when you want, and expect all of the benefits of membership.

This isn’t an AAA or AARP membership; you can’t pay for it and expect service when you call on God. There’s no monetary instrument that we can pay for our membership in God’s Kingdom and for the guarantee of numerous perks. Our dues are our daily commitments and actions, it’s the work that we do for God’s glory. We give our lives through daily servitude and we release and reject our old way of living. The perks of membership are immeasurable and incomparable, yet they don’t come from passive living. They come from actively rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty in the trenches.

If you call yourself a follower of Christ or any other title, then every day we’re to wear the armor of God, study and carry the knowledge of His Word, and be moved to act by the calling on our hearts. Our days must unfold through His will and not ours, through His wisdom and not our ignorance.

Yes, it’s difficult but definitely not impossible. It’s what is expected of us. This isn’t a book club, so stop treating it that way. Be hot or be cold, but stop being lukewarm. Jesus didn’t tolerate fence straddlers. He had greater respect for those who didn’t believe or those who chose not to follow, than folks who claimed allegiance yet flip-flopped whenever the wind blowed.

Let’s support each other through our walk as God’s servants; provide encouragement and pray for each other. Let’s be the light and change we want to see in the world, not be the thing that turns people away from God.

Prayer

Father, thank You for blessing me with this day. I cling to my hope that You will always care for and protect me, and that everything You have planned for me will come to fruition. I pray for more light than darkness, more moments of joy than pain, and more opportunities to share Your love with the world.
I want to be the person that You have called me to be, and to represent You to the fullest as one of Your ambassadors.
I pray for the hearts of those I know and for complete strangers, for those who believe and worship You, and for those who struggle with their belief. Lift us up Father. Help us to see, feel, and know You, and in all ways seek opportunities to glorify You. I love you with all of my heart. Amen.

Love always,
Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.16.21

December 16, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

Proverbs 15:1 HCSB

Reflection

Words do have power. They channel energy that can fuel faith or hopelessness, uplift or tear down. What we say can have a direct impact on what happens soon after, or it can linger and grow roots, and then much later it springs out boldly. Something simple can grow very complex, and vice versa. It’s difficult to mend a broken heart, especially when you’re the culprit.

Be mindful of your words and the energy behind your words. Sometimes it’s better to say nothing than say something you can’t retract. Ask God to lead your heart before and while you speak.

Prayer

Father, hold my tongue from speaking harshly towards others. Make me more patient to listen to others before speaking. Touch my heart so that even in disagreement I’m not cold and hardened. Pour into me so that I’m so full of Your love that I have no room for anything else.
Help me to see through the lens of others. Help me to assume more responsibility for how I treat other hearts. Before I judge let me feel the energy of that judgment so that I make the decision that aligns best with You. I pray this boldly with a desire to have a heart that reflects You. I love You. Amen.

Love,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.15.21

December 15, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12-13

Reflection

Some of us are never satisfied because we don’t place God first in our lives. We have Spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder (SADD) because our focus is first on ourselves and our wants of the flesh, instead of our focus being on God and what He knows we need.

Some of us will never be content, never be overjoyed because we have our eyes, minds, and hearts in the future lost without a map, because God didn’t give it to us yet; or we’re glued to the past, stuck backwards—and backwards is how certain aspects of our lives will always be until we shed our ego, pride, and arrogant thinking and lifestyle, and embrace a Christ-centered life that believes that our day begins and ends because of God’s will and grace–and that nothing gained without God is worthy of having.

As we wrap up this year in a few weeks increasingly ask yourself whether you have been living a life of contentment, full and satisfied, and focused on what you can do to serve God; or do you still feel empty and think that life was better in the past or can only get better in the future if you only skip some steps?

If you are conflicted then seek out the problem solver that we call by many names—your Heavenly Father! If you think this message is about or for you then it is!

I love you all and pray for peace, abundance, and contentment in your life. God bless you and keep you!

Prayer

Father, I am so grateful to You for all that I have, for the person I am, for the lessons learned through joy-filled and painful experiences, and for who You are molding me to be. Father, I am more than content with the blessings You have bestowed upon me, although I am not content with moments of mediocrity, procrastination, and fear that I sometimes display which blind me from being fully receptive to my gifts. But I know that You are working on me, molding me, and improving me each day. Thank You Father.
Humbly I pray that You keep my eyes, heart, and mind focused on today, this moment, and the present work You have planned for me. What I do now impacts my tomorrow. The devil is a liar and I refuse to let him tempt me to turn around or run ahead, and disobey Your loving command to keep marching forward on Your pace. The only direction I’m running is towards You. In Your Name I praise and pray. Amen.

Love always,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.14.21

December 14, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us…

Luke 1:71

Reflection

God kept His promise and demonstrated it through His son Jesus, a descendant from the line of David. This was a promise that the prophets foretold of hundreds and hundreds of years earlier. Through that promise, the people would be saved and wouldn’t have to fear their enemies. If David hadn’t been a man of God’s heart, hadn’t been committed to strengthening his relationship with God, devoted to serving Him, his name and lineage would have been of no value. God wouldn’t have chosen his line to affiliate with Jesus.

Jesus represents all that David was and a million times more, for unlike David, Jesus never sinned. Unlike most of us, he never retaliated against his enemies, he didn’t wish them harm, he never cursed them. Jesus represents and reflects all of the qualities and characteristics of God, yet in human form, giving us something and someone to relate to, to aspire to be, and believe that we can potentially do it because just like him we walk in flesh.

So speaking and walking like Jesus means going beyond our comfort zone, boldly praying to God, and not caving to the tests and temptations. It also means praying for those who wish you no good.

You don’t need to socialize with them to pray for them. You don’t need to be their friend and accept invitations to their social gatherings. It means releasing them and you from that toxic bond that enslaves you. What you hold over others is sadly also bound to you. You carry the weight of their hate and ugliness.

If you can’t pray to God to release someone of their darkness, ignorance, pride, hate, fear, self-loathing, and internal ugliness, then how can you expect these things to be released from you? And most importantly, how can we call ourselves God’s children if we don’t live as He does? Ponder that. Remember that.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the blessings. Thank You for forgiving me for those moments, even today, when I step off Your path and disobey Your commands. Father, please also forgive my enemies and those who hate me—those I know and those who cowardly hide deep in the pits of darkness.
Father, forgive them for what they do, say, and think. Their minds are tangled up and their hearts have turned, yet in my heart I believe and know that You can save them. I know that Jesus can show them the way to You Lord.
Standing confidently in this belief, I trust that those who wish me nothing but harm, pain, sadness, failure, enslavement, loneliness, and emptiness, will be touched by Jesus’s healing hand and guided back to where they belong with You. This I say with the strongest of convictions. Amen.

Lovingly your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.13.21

December 13, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

May you live to see your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!

Psalms 128:6 NLT

Reflection

God determines the calendar days we walk this Earth. Live right, seek and share peace, treat others as you would want someone to treat the person you love most, and give God and the life that He has blessed you with, your all. Give what you hope to receive. God willing, you will be blessed with longevity and abundance.

We have war and conflict because no side is willing to give what they hope to receive, or one side kept giving and the other one kept taking, until the givers said “no more”. Either way, there’s no peace. God isn’t in the center of these exchanges. Only He can be the solution. People’s lives are being snatched away leaving children as orphans and grandchildren never knowing their grandparents.

In our personal lives we struggle with internal and external conflict. We seek peace in all of the wrong places. Turn to God. Look at and follow the examples that His Son lived and taught. Don’t let that struggle and strife kill your hope and take your life.

May you live to see and spend quality time with your grandchildren and as many generations beyond, as God permits! And if you don’t have children, may you live to see the generation that follows the youngest generation that you know, and as many generations thereafter.

Today’s prayer is going to be a bold one. It’s a declaration and affirmation. It’s a pivot to realign and stay aligned with God. It’s reaching outward to our Father who has been waiting for us. When you speak the words, mean it, or don’t say it. He knows your heart. God bless you all!

Prayer

Father, thank You for another day. So much was done, so much I’ve seen, so much I have experienced and it is because of Your will that I am capable of waking each day. I am deeply humbled and appreciative. I don’t want to ever take our relationship for granted. If I do, I apologize, because that is never my intent. What I have with You I can’t have with anyone or anything else, and that means everything to me. If my mind is split and I’m straddling fences, I ask for refocus.
Father, You already know my struggles and the dreams I have. But I know that if I don’t speak with You about these things, then I’m not honoring You and our relationship. You know my heart and You know the things that I want to do to uplift my family, community, and beyond. I’ve become a slave to money, credit scores, creditors, lenders, and time.
You are not the author of this. My decisions have put me in this predicament. Choosing my way instead of Yours. I want to be the steward that You know I can be, the one You called me to be.
Father, I pray for positive abundance in all areas of my life and in the lives of my family and friends. Bless us to be free of the enslavement to things and people, free us from the debt that burdens us, heal us from the ailments that keep us weak and in pain, and provide us with the spiritual, mental, physical, and financial resources to bless and uplift others.
I know Who You are and what You have done and can do. If it is Your will then I know it shall be done, and I stand confident in that knowledge. I come to You as Your humble servant, boldly asking for the type of change that people could only call a miracle. I ask for these changes in the Name of Jesus. Giving You all of the glory. Amen.

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.10.21

December 10, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

“Then the devil led Jesus to the top of a very high mountain. He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and all the great things that are in those kingdoms. The devil said, “If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things.”

Matthew 4:8-9

Reflection

Every day we are tempted to stray from God, to leave His flock, to blindly enter a realm we may never return from—just for a life of temporary pleasure, if that. Think of how our lives would be if Jesus had given in just one time to the devil. The Son of God bowing down and worshipping the cowardly devil, imagine that. Would we exist? How would the situation be reconciled and redeemed? With Jesus being the wayshower to God, how would we find our way without him?

The enemy offered something he could truly not give. It was a lie. No matter what temptation the devil puts before you remember that he is a liar, and the author of chaos and confusion. Everything he does is to destroy your relationship with God. He wants your soul to rot not thrive. Only God can heal us, free us, and bless us. Any other source claiming to bring you abundance through worship, alliance, loyalty, or partnership is a big LIE!

Pray for the ability to see and discern the truth, and for the courage and strength to rebuke the lie and walk away.

Prayer

Father, thank You for this day. Thank You for blessing me with abundance in all areas of my life. For those gifts that my eyes don’t see, bless me to know that they are there. Lord, Your son was tempted more than once by the devil, more than once he was tempted to walk away from You and Your love, to kneel down and surrender his soul. Each time, Jesus told the devil that he worshipped and loved only You, and was wealthy beyond imagination with Your daily provisions.
Father, there are days when I want what I don’t have, to the point where I’m focused more on what I don’t have than what I do. Father, then You touch my heart and fill me to the point where my joy for life, living, and the abundance of good health, wisdom, knowledge, and love washes away my feelings of need and desperation.
Father, every time my back is against the wall and the devil tries to tempt me to turn right, Your light points me towards my left and along the path You present me with solutions to my problems, money for my bills, opportunities that I hadn’t considered, and hope for a life of balance and harmony. Father, this is only something that You can provide. I love You for always being my constant, always loving me, guiding me, guarding me, and reassuring me that through the grey skies there is sunshine on the other side.
I love You Father. I need You. With joyful praise I give You all of the glory. Amen.

I love you all and pray for only the best to come to you today and each day.

Love,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.9.21

December 9, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.

1 Timothy 3:4

Reflection

Even with my father gone physically, I know that spiritually he is and always will be with me. Each day I work a little harder, overcome one more hurdle, challenge one more fear because my father led by example and taught me that nothing can hold us back because God is the problem solver. Now I know that someone reading this may say, “Well that’s cool for you but my dad wasn’t in my life”.

It doesn’t matter whether you were raised with both parents, one parent, or none—who can you look to as ‘family’ who lifted your spirits when you were down, kept you in-line when you were straying? Who dried your tears when the pain was unbearable? That individual or those persons you are visualizing are your family, and you should thank God for placing them in your life.

Where have we made the wrong turn when parents no longer have respect from their children? Where did we go wrong where kids feel entitled to have whatever they want at their parents’ and family’s expense, regardless of their financial situation? What mistake did we make where children don’t think twice about cursing at or striking an adult in anger, seemingly knowing that there are no repercussions?

When did it become okay to disrespect our elders? When did a shift occur where women took on every aspect and characteristic of head-of-household, and the men sit by like church mice or disappear altogether? When did we lose control of our families and our children? When did the semblance of order become chaos?

How will we ever regain our proper standing in life and in God’s Kingdom, if we keep falling farther from His divine plan?

This division we’re experiencing first took place in the storyline of Adam (man) and Chavah (life giver), who we commonly refer to as Eve, we don’t know the name Adam gave himself. The family alignment that God envisioned was ruptured by their sin and refusal to take responsibility for their actions. These actions impacted their children and generations after. The first known family curse in Judeo-Christian history. We keep repeating this foolishness and not seeing it for what it is, absolute insanity. We seem to be getting worse and not better.

God designed man and woman to co-lead and govern over the land and the creatures. They were to compliment and complement each other. God commanded man to honor and respect women, and to treat and love their wives as they would themselves. She is not beneath him, she is what makes him better and more secure. In her he can feel and embrace the feminine strength and qualities of God. Or that is what she’s supposed to be and represent in man’s life.

Women are to honor and respect the man for his role in their family and in God’s Kingdom, whether he’s living in the home or not, her husband is to carry the honor as her husband. This is made possible when the man is living honorably, and is representing the qualities of God that provide reassurance, safety, and security.

Children are to always follow, obey, and be respectful of their parents and elders (with exception to those unsavory adults). A man is to maintain order within his family in a respectful and honorable manner, which means in and through love not hate or fear.

God expects man to lead in love not force, and definitely not abuse. God expects men and women to serve and protect their families, work passionately, be respectful of self and others, and lead by example. They are to be a team, a partnership, representing all sides and layers of God.

But we shifted from this. We have given into the distractions from the world. When our minds and hearts are to be focused on God, His plan, and what He has in store for our families, we’re instead chasing fleshly desires.

We have women selling and freely giving away their bodies looking for the comforts as a mother and wife, yet they are missing the valuable components necessary to be good mothers and wives. We have men misinterpreting the Bible, sowing their seed all over the place, leaving a battlefield of babies to grow up desperately wanting their fathers. We have more babies being born into this world by careless individuals who were only concerned about the short moments of passion and not the long-term responsibility of parenthood. They saw babies like puppies and kittens rather than understood the responsibility to raise those children to serve honorably as adults.

Folks want to be rich in the flesh while sacrificing being wealthy in spirit. We’re sacrificing eternal life for red bottom shoes, bling, and a fancy lifestyle. We’re blinded by the mirage. We’re believing the lie the enemy has woven.

We have turned to idols in technology, fashion, and entertainment, no different than the children of Israel turning to various idols after leaving Egypt. We are repeating a cycle. Forty years the children of Israel walked around the wilderness because they just wouldn’t listen and obey. They repeatedly faced enslavement and exilement. How many years have we been ‘lost’? How many years will we continue to walk around in this wilderness? How much more can we endure being slaves? We are in exile and don’t even know it.

We must reclaim our families. We must live our lives as God intends, living in the world but not of the world. Enjoying the blessings while not worshipping the products. We have to start getting back on track now if we ever hope to see the Promise.

The prayer that follows might be uncomfortable for those of you who didn’t grow up with parents or with loving and nurturing parents. You can rephrase this prayer to represent your gratitude for the adults in your life who served as parent-figures. Don’t let details block you from having and expressing a grateful heart.

Prayer

Father, I know that You have amazing plans for me as You willed me to see another day. You kept my heart pumping and blood flowing so that I might live fully another day. I thank You Father.
I also thank You for my parents, my family, and for my true friends. I thank You for providing me with loving and nurturing people who surround me and encourage me to be the best person that I can be. Father, Your grace placed me in the lives of parents who could command respect because they lived respectful lives, and respected others.
Father, I thank You for touching them in a way where they applied discipline and structure in my life. The rules of my childhood are still applicable to me this day, and will be applicable to my children in years to come. Thank You Father for the lessons taught for I have learned a great deal about myself, my family, my friends, and the world.
Father, thank You for being my Source of love, joy, strength, wisdom, intelligence, kindness, and inspiration. Thank You for loving me enough to never let me go. I love You Father. To You I give all the glory. Amen.

Lovingly your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.8.21

December 8, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

The person who sins is the one who will die. A son won’t suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity, and a father won’t suffer punishment for the son’s iniquity.The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him. “Now if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die. None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. He will live because of the righteousness he has practiced.

Ezekiel 18:20-22 HCSB

Reflection

God gives us all the chance to turn our lives around, make right the wrongs we have committed, forgive those who have hurt us, forgive ourselves, ask for forgiveness for the hurt we caused, and live our lives as He intends. We have the chance. We have the choice. But will we do it and continue to live that life of freedom?

Prayer

Father, I ask for forgiveness for all sins that I have committed. I repent for the wrong I have done. I am sorry for any and all harm that I have caused, and that I may have caused. I forgive those who have wronged me. I forgive myself for my wrongs. I want to be in total alignment with You. I ask for discernment and clarity, so that I can see Your path from others, and hear Your voice clearly from others. In Your Name I praise and pray. Amen.

Love your sister in Christ,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.7.21

December 7, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

So the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 10:17-18 HCSB

Reflection

The saying, “It’s not all about you” is very true, because it truly isn’t. Our abilities are directly linked to God, our gifts and blessings come from Him. He allows us and shows us how to get stronger, how to fine tune ourselves, and how to link our minds to His for greater intelligence and wisdom. Stop taking credit and ownership for what God allows and makes possible. Our lives are a gift; the air we breathe and the senses we take for granted, are all His will at work.

God gives us the strength and courage to overcome fears and challenges. He gives us the vision to pursue our dreams and missions, so that we can live our purpose on purpose. God straightens our crooked paths, clears our way so that we can see into the forest, and He protects us from attacks.

How would our experiences blossom if we had more faith in Him? What would we be capable of doing if we put all of our trust in Him? What dreams would come true if we just let go and let God do what He does best? Imagine the possibilities. They are endless.

I want to take the next step. I want to let go of both hands. How about you? Where are you in your walk? Feel free to share.

Prayer

Father, all that I am, all that I have, and all that I have accomplished is because of You. I am nothing without You. Any and all success is due to Your will and grace. Any failures were allowed so that I might learn a valuable lesson.
Father, I pray that the humbling words of gratitude for You always come from my mouth in times of victory as well as in defeat. You are the reason I rise each day and I’m so grateful that it brings tears of joy to my eyes. I praise You Father. I praise Your Holy Name, now and forever. Amen.

Love always,

Natasha

Breaking Bread For 12.6.21

December 6, 2021Natasha Leave a comment

Scripture

(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

Reflection

1 Timothy 3:5

If you can’t take care of your home, your family, and yourself, then how can you tell other people how to run their lives? How can you manage the church? Nope, this isn’t one of those scenarios where you can fake-it-til-you-make-it. If you don’t have it together then sit down, shut up, learn, and get realigned. Stop playing pretend when souls are in jeopardy.

There’s a huge difference between praying with and for each other, and prophesying to and against others.

Don’t Let the Titles Fool You

A preacher, pastor, bishop, minister, priest, nun, apostle, prophet, or monk is not closer with, more important, and doesn’t have an advantage over you when it comes to God. The same measurements He uses with you He uses with them. The fruits of the Spirit aren’t different for them than they are for you. God didn’t give them different commandments or waive them for these folks with titles. Some of them were called to serve and some of them chose to serve. The same is true of our everyday community leaders. You too may have been called to serve or you chose to.

They are still spiritual beings having human experiences just like you, so guess what? They are still exposed to many of the same temptations as you, and are attacked by the “liar” just like you. When we take on the added responsibility as servant leaders we are held accountable to and by God, and the flock of believers, as well as the nonbelievers. With that added responsibility shouldn’t they also have their personal lives in order just as they expect and preach to you?

Greater Responsibility and Accountability

They cannot ask and expect of you what they don’t accomplish and maintain themselves. They aren’t granted a pass by God because they wear a special-made robe, accessories, and other symbolic clothing. They aren’t granted a pass by God because of a fancy title that leads or follows their name. They aren’t granted a pass because they went to school and earned a degree or certificate, or isolated themselves with others like them. There aren’t passes for memorizing Biblical text and facts.

Satan doesn’t exclude them from tests and temptation. Satan doesn’t see them as untouchable. Actually they are even more vulnerable because we are more prone to egoism, pride, and greed as we become more visible and popular with congregants and members of the community.

Our Realignment

We all must take care of our mind, heart, spirit and soul, our family life, and maintain the level of goodness, joy, fidelity, honor, light, peace, and harmony that God expects. We must do this and keep this in our lives before telling others how to take care of their own lives and family. Stop giving advice you don’t and won’t take. Stop telling people what they should be doing if you don’t do it yourself. Stop claiming to have an insight when your own vision is blurred, blinded, or compromised. Stop being hard-lined about issues that you haven’t even resolved in your own heart and life.

Praying For Hypocrisy

Pray for those people who judge others. Pray for those people who judge addicts, adulterers, homosexuals, pornographers, and adult sex workers yet they also indulge and engage in supporting these acts and professions. They’re being two-faced hypocrites. You want a severe crime bill except for crimes you commit. You want a war on drugs with stiff prison sentences, except for the drugs you take and the sentences you risk serving. That sounds like the influence of Satan at work.

Pray for those people who call the adult sex industry smut, yet they have a collection of pornography in their homes and/or offices, they subscribe to or regularly view porn; or get caught with a prostitute, “escort”, or victim of sex trafficking. They have forgotten that those are God’s children and how you view them, you view Him, and how you treat them is how you treat Him. There’s no separation of the Creator from His creation. Look in their eyes and see Him.

Pray for the people who say homosexuals are “going to hell”, and then they get caught engaging in “relations” with the same sex; they’re closet homosexuals, on the “down low” yet they’re demonizing and trying to criminalize other people for living openly the life that that they choose, not lying and hiding like the self-righteous hypocrite. If homosexuality is a sin then who are you to bring judgment upon others?

Pray for the people who seemingly rebuke adultery, claiming fidelity in their own relationships, yet they later get caught cheating on their spouse. Marriage is sacred to God. We are His bride, first and always. How we engage in our human marriage should reflect our spiritual union with Him. Understandably we are flawed and mess up, that’s why grace and mercy are so beautiful. Remember that when you want to emotionally crucify people for doing the same things you are guilty of.

Pray for people who seek the death penalty, except when it affects them and their loved ones. If you want to place conditions and restrictions, then maybe you should resolve to leaving those life and death decisions to the One who created all of us.

If any of these examples reflect you and your failings, then please pray for yourself.

Because maybe it is better for us to be silent than stand on a soap box declaring one thing, yet living secretly another way. The same people who rant and rave about the “sins of the world”, and then get caught committing these same “sins”, don’t realize the negative impact they cause to their souls, their families, the congregation and communities that support and follow them. How can their families and community trust their own decisions in life, trust their relationship with Jesus and God, if the man or woman that was supposedly called to serve them has been a double-agent for the “liar”?

War For Our Souls

You can’t serve both God and Satan. But many of us are doing exactly that. Whether we know it or not. Our souls are being gambled by our recklessness. We have to choose, love or hate, grace or shame, tolerance or indifference, redemption or crucifixion, freedom or slavery, God or Satan.

If you want to turn people towards Jesus you must be more like him in your daily walk, even when no one is watching or listening. If you want to turn people away from Jesus then make your own rules and watch people’s reaction when you get caught breaking God’s rules.

If you can’t lead righteously then don’t jump to the front of the pack trying to lead the people to the promised land. You’re only leading them to Satan’s drive-thru.

Let us all work to take care of ourselves, our family, and our homes so that if we are ever in a position to give our opinion or advice, we can do so with a clean heart and no skeleltons in our closets. Something to consider in this social media narcissistic era.

Prayer

Father, thank You for today and for the past, and I humbly give thanks in advance for the tomorrow I hope to see. Father, as Your servant I strive each day to overcome temptation, and to speak and act with love. There are some people who claim to be servants in Your church, yet they serve only themselves.
Father, some of Your children live double lives, demanding of others what they also aren’t willing to do or say. They are misconstruing and misinterpreting Your Word and the messaging of Your ancient servants. They are delusional in their self-importance and it is creating more confusion and chaos.
Father, some of Your children call things abominations, yet they have been caught engaging with and indulging in these same “abominations”. Their hypocrisy goes unchecked by them and their followers. Lord, I pray that You forgive them as You forgive me. Forgive their hypocrisy and forgive mine.
Forgive us for what we do, what we don’t know, and for those things we turn a blind eye towards. Father, forgive us for our sinful ways and for betraying one another. Forgive us for those moments we follow the “liar” instead of walking on the path You have created. Forgive us for not trusting in You. Forgive us for not being merciful, forgiving, and graceful, although we ask these things of You and others.
Father, realign our minds and hearts with Yours. In Jesus’ name I humbly pray to You. Amen.

Love,

Natasha

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