I’m not stopping

Pray without ceasing.

- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV)

 

Pray without ceasing?

That can be and is once of the biggest challenges that some of us face.
It is hard to pray continuously. 

But being consistent with our prayer is key.
Matthew West even wrote a song about it this year called Don’t Stop Praying (what else?) here are the lyrics:
What's your impossible? Your "I need a miracle"

What's got you barely hanging by a single thread?

What looks so hopeless now? What weighs down your heart with doubt?

You beg for a breakthrough, but no sign of breakthrough yet

[bridge] When you've cried, and you've cried 'til your tears run dry

The answer won't come, and you don't know why

And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time

[chorus] Don't stop praying

Don't stop calling on Jesus' name

Keep on pounding on Heaven's door

And let your knees wear out the floor

Don't stop believing

'Cause mountains move with just a little faith

And your Father's heard every single word you're saying

So, don't stop praying

He's close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

The Alpha and Omega knows how your story ends

[bridge][chorus]

Oh-oh

(Don't stop, don't stop praying) oh, don't stop praying

(Don't stop, don't stop praying)

Oh-oh

Don't stop praying for the prodigal

Don't stop praying for the miracle

Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen

Don't stop praying that addictions end

Don't stop praying for deliverance

Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen

Oh, don't stop praying for the sickness healed

Don't stop praying for His power revealed

Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen

No, don't stop praying for the Kingdom come

Don't stop praying that His will be done

Hallelujah, hallelujah, and amen

[chorus]

(Don't stop, don't stop praying) hey, don't you give up now

No, don't stop praying

I was doing great until I heard these lines: Don't stop calling on Jesus' name, Keep on pounding on Heaven's door, And let your knees wear out the floor, Don't stop believing

Let your knees wear out the floor.
When was the last time you got on your knees to pray? 
One church taught us that you can pray in any position, I often pray while I’m driving, but when there is something weighing really heavy on me, I return to my knees.
God may not answer our prayers immediately, that is why we pray without ceasing.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

nothing at all

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord. Without you, I don’t have anything that is good.”

- Psalm 16:2 (NIRV)

 

Do you ever look around you and think about everything that you have?
Maybe even think about how far you have come? 
I remember a time in my life when I didn’t own a thing. 
I lived in a rented house, made payments on a car that the bank owned, made payments on furniture that I bought.
And I didn’t have God. 
Fast forward years into the future, I have a lot! 
But now, I don’t just count the material things, because I have God. 
Because of God, I have a wonderful husband and an amazing extended family. 
Because of God, I wake up every morning, breathe with my own lungs, stand on my own feet, see with my own eyes.
None of this would be possible without my Lord. 
True security comes when God is the center of all that we think or do.

Circumstances shift, jobs change, and people can come and go, yet it is God who keeps us safe in the midst of change.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

things that I’m afraid of

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

- John 16:33 (NIV)

 

I am afraid of a few things.
Spiders, storms, darkness, snakes, just to name a few. 
People tell me that snakes are more afraid of me than I am of them. 
I doubt that but, maybe they are more afraid of God than I am afraid of them. 
Josh Wilson released his song Things That I’m Afraid Of in 2022:

When I am shaking

And my heart's pounding

You always take me

Make me lie down in

Peaceful fields where

I can clear my head

'Cause I get so overcome with anxiety

Like there's an enemy livin' inside of me

Like a mocker yellin' out, tellin' lies to me

And I don't feel brave, but I don't have to be

'Cause I walked through the valley of shadows

And it scared me half to death

But You're with me everywhere I go

So I won't give up yet

My fears would surely kill me

If I didn't know the truth

The things that I'm afraid of

Are afraid of You

When my emotions

Turn against me

Not faith nor reason

Could convince me that

You have patience

Left to fight for me

When my depression is affectin' every ounce of me

I can get the medication and the counseling

Still I can hear the fear callin' out to me

And I don't feel brave, but I don't have to be

'Cause I walked through the valley of shadows

And it scared me half to death

But You're with me everywhere I go

So I won't give up yet

My fears would surely kill me

If I didn't know the truth

The things that I'm afraid of

Are afraid of You

You prepare a table for me

Right in front of my worst enemies

You're as calm and relaxed as can be

There's no place where

My demons can't find me

But just wait 'til they see

Who's standing behind me

I walked through the valley of shadows

And it scared me half to death

But You're with me everywhere I go

So I won't give up yet

My fears would surely kill me

If I didn't know the truth

The things that I'm afraid of

Are afraid of You

The things that I'm afraid of

Are afraid of You

The things that I'm afraid of

Are afraid of You

I googled what this song was about, and Josh Wilson said this in an interview:
“I used to think that being a Christian meant that life should be easy, but Jesus himself said, ‘In this world, you will have troubles.’ Sounds pretty discouraging until you read the next part, where he says ‘but take heart, for I have overcome this world’ (John 16:33).”

Wilson adds, “Life isn’t easy for anyone. We’re all fighting a hard battle. If you’re facing addiction, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, or any other mental health struggle, you’re not alone. Whatever you’re going through, whatever you’re struggling with, Jesus promises he will never leave or forsake you. Here’s my favorite line in the song: ‘There’s no place where my demons can’t find me / But just want till they see who’s standing behind me.’ Our troubles are big. Our God is bigger.”

Y’all.
Every day we face challenges, some of them are harder than others to endure, but you know what?

We can overcome because Jesus gives us His peace.

There is nothing about life that is easy or perfect.

Sometimes every day is a struggle.

For many people that struggle is very, very real.

First and foremost, let me reiterate what I have said over and over since I started my blog – You. Are. Not. Alone.

You do not have to do life by yourself.

If you are reading this, somewhere along the line we have crossed paths.

That means that someone felt like we needed each other.

What we really need though, is God.

In this world we will have trouble – there are some really bad things that happen out there – but you don’t have to deal with it by yourself – Jesus was sent to bring you to God the Father.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

the right road

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

- Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

 

Not every path in life is straight, that is for darn sure.

Every day we face decisions and must determine which road is going to take us where we want to be.
Jeremiah was known as “the weeping prophet” because more often than not the message he conveyed was that of gloom and doom.
He often expressed grief for the people of Jerusalem.

In Jeremiah 6,  Jerusalem was under siege and Jeremiah was telling the people to flee.
Yet some people did not flee, instead they chose to stay and ended up falling rejected.
Jeremiah tried to show them the good path, and they refused to walk on it.

When we are at a crossroad in our life, trying to decide which path we should take, let’s always turn to God.

He will lead you in the good way.    

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

faith and hope

Because of Christ, you have put your trust in God. He raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great honor. So now your faith and hope are in God.

- 1 Peter 1:21 (NLV)

 

There are a lot of things that we hope for in our lives.
We hope we pass that class. 
We hope we get that job. 
We hope we can accomplish everything we set out to do. 
And then there is faith, we need faith to know that we will pass that class. 
Faith helps us be confident in getting that job. 
Faith keeps us grounded when what we are trying to accomplish is overwhelming. 
Where do we find our hope and our faith? 

In Christ, in God.
There are so many things that could go wrong in a day, but our trust in God keeps us believing that He knows what He is doing and it will all be ok.
Put your trust in God, along with your faith and your hope. 
You’ll find there is no better place for those things to be. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

same God

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

- Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)

 

I like doing crafty things.
Some things I am rather good at, others not so much. 
It’s like I have an image in my head of how I want the end result to look and, well, have you ever seen “Pinterest fails”?
Yeah, some of my crafty creations are that bad! 
If you look at all creation, you have to agree that God is good at His crafts.  
He made everything!  
Hannah Kerr says it beautifully in her sone from 2021 Same God: 

The same God who makes the planets spin

Tells the tide when it should rise

Put the color in my eyes

The same God who makes the seasons change

Knows the number of the stars

Every secret in my heart

All my doubts, all my questions

In every fear I have about what might happen

You're the same God

You're with me in the middle of it all, God

You're catching every tear as it falls

I know You'll never change

Even when I'm feeling far away

You love me the same, God

You love me the same, God

You love me the same, God

You love me the same

You're a God of grace and empathy

You know how it feels to cry

'cause You lived a human life

You're not afraid of anything

Even darkness is a light

There's no reason I should hide

All my doubts, all my questions

In every fear I have about what might happen

You're the same God

You're with me in the middle of it all, God

You're catching every tear as it falls

I know You'll never change

Even when I'm feeling far away

You love me the same, God

...

Even when I'm running

When I feel ashamed

Even when I'm breaking

Still, You love me

Even when I'm lonely

When I lose my way

When I don't believe it

Still, You love me

the same, God

You're with me in the middle of it all, God

You're catching every tear as it falls

I know You'll never change

Even when I'm feeling far away

You love me the same, God

I love this.
No matter what I am going through, God loves me the same. 
The same God that created everything, created me. 
And He loves me. 
The same God that created me, created you. 
And He loves you, too. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

believe

Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.

- Psalm 106:12 (NKJV)

 

We have a promise from God that His love will never fail and that He is faithful in every way.

No matter what happens in our lives, His love for us is unending and unbreakable.

And since God is eternal, His love for us will last for eternity.

That is worth praising Him!
In 2006 Chris Tomlin released “How Can I Keep From Singing” it’s got a catchy swing to it in my opinion:

There is an endless song, echoes in my soul

I hear the music ring

And though the storms may come, I am holding on

To the rock I cling

How can I keep from singing Your praise

How can I ever say enough, how amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name

I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing

I will lift my eyes in the darkest night

For I know my Savior lives

And I will walk with You, knowing You'll see me through

And sing the songs You give

How can I keep from singing Your praise

How can I ever say enough, how amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name

I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing

I can sing in the troubled times

Sing when I win

I can sing when I lose my step

And I fall down again

I can sing because You pick me up

Sing 'cause You're there

I can sing 'cause You hear me, Lord

When I call to You in prayer

I can sing with my last breath

Sing for I know

That I'll sing with the angels

And the saints around the throne

How can I keep from singing Your praise

How can I ever say enough, how amazing is Your love

How can I keep from shouting Your name

I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing
I believe His words, that is why I sing. 
I hope you’re singing too. 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible