you’ve got to let go

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

- Mark 11:25 (NIV)

 

This theme has popped up over and over in the last few weeks, and if you know me, you know that I say there is a reason for repetition – God is trying to tell us something and we need to listen! 

I have a really big heart and as crazy as it sounds my heart is what gets hurt really easily.

Then I have a tendency to hold a grudge for a long time especially when I have been hurt badly by someone whether it was intentional or not.
I have got to let go and forgive others. 

Not forgiving someone causes us more pain than it does them (do they even know that we are mad at them??).

It is hard to forgive some things yes, but holding on to those things only hurts us.

How can we expect to be forgiven if we can’t forgive?

When will we let go of our bitterness toward those who have wounded us?

We have to ask God to help us find true peace in these situations and with that we will find forgiveness.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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broken or lost

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

- Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)

 

When I first moved to Northwest Arkansas almost twenty years ago (whoa, twenty years at the end of this month!) I had no idea what I was getting myself into here.

We did not know a soul here, it was a new house (rental) new school and daycare for our kids, new jobs for both of us.

We didn’t have GPS or google maps and more than once we got lost and the first week my vehicle broke down.

Broken and lost is an accurate description of how I was feeling.

I did not know it then, but God had a mighty plan for us in this crazy world, and I wasn’t even all that close to God at the time.

“What do I do now” was a question that often crossed my mind, but turning to Him was far from my mind.

Until one day, when I prayed.

I had gotten lost on my way to work in Fayetteville, traffic was crazy and for what ever reason I could not talk to my husband.

I remember praying that God would help me.

I believe it was the grace of God that I made it to work that day, that He saved me.

I can go on for days about the times He healed me from illness or injury or saved me from some misfortune or another, but you all know how this story goes.

God will always be there for us, whether we see Him or not, He is working in our lives and in everything there is a plan for us.

When you are broken or lost and wondering what to do, take a minute to pray.

You’ll get answers.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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it started here

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

- Genesis 1:1 (NIV)

 

We all start new things, it could be a new career, a new education goal, a new relationship, a new diet, a new phone, even a new day.

With new things we have to start somewhere (I don’t want to talk about my new phone!).

The Bible starts with “in the beginning” – that is a “where”  - and then “God created” – that is the thing.

Why not start each new thing with God first on our mind?

We are starting a new week right now!

If we start each new day, each new thing with Him we might have more peace and a better perspective.

I like peace (and I dislike new phones).

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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keep marching

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 3:14 (ESV) 

 

Movie quote: 
Oh yes, the past can hurt.

But the way I see it you can either run from it or learn from it.

~ Rafiki, The Lion King

I have heard that the past shapes us. 

While we have no control over what others have put us through or what happened in our past I do feel that it is up to us how we react to those events. 

We can let what happened turn us into hateful, withdrawn or downright evil people or we can take what we have experienced and use it to make us better and to help others.

Don’t let your past mistakes hinder you from pressing forward, from marching forth into a life with Jesus. 

One of my friends told me once that she wishes that she had my faith.

I thanked her for that, but assured her that it is not always easy.

Just like everyone, I have had terrible things happen, things that should have broken me, but my faith is what kept me going.

I may not know what will happen tomorrow, but I do know that I can’t live without God, nor would I want to. 

I urge you to let go of what is behind you to embrace what is in front of you.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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have faith

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

- Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

 

Today this verse is a challenge for me. 

It is hard to have faith sometimes. 

The world is a mess and horrible things are happening.

Some days we need to be able to turn to something for comfort.
I could talk about how we have faith in things that we cannot see all the time.

I can remind you how impatient I am.

I can go back and paste exactly what I said the last 5 times I used this verse in my “daily bread”.

I can refer to any number of songs, both Christian and secular.

Bottom line is this: without faith, we have nothing, no hope for the future, no control over our anxiety, no promise of a better tomorrow.

I may not be able to “see” God, but I know He is there.

My faith is truly confidence in Him, and assurance that He will always be by my side.

Refresh your perspective, you will be amazed at how far a little faith will get you.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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conquer your fear

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

- Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)

 

Have you ever been afraid? 

I’m not talking about a childhood fear of the dark or of monsters, but a deeply rooted crippling fear, one that literally prevents you from having happiness in a situation because you can’t get past the fear? 

I have experienced fear like this, I have fought through a lot of anxiety in my life. 

Most of you know that I very much relate to music, I find comfort and understanding in lyrics of different songs – not just Christian artists but secular as well. 
let me take a moment to share snippets of three songs: 
My Monsters Are Real by Shinedown

'Cause my monsters are real, and they're trained how to kill

And there's no comin' back and they just laughed at how I feel

And these monsters can fight, and they'll never say die

And there's no goin' back, if I get trapped I'll never heal

Yeah, my monsters are real

The Breakup Song by Francesca Battestelli
Fear, you don't own me

There ain't no room in this story

And I ain't got time for you

Telling me what I'm not

Like you know me well guess what?

I know who I am

I know I'm strong

And I am free

Got my own identity

So fear, you will never be welcome here

Fear Is A Liar by Zach Williams
Fear, he is a liar

He will take your breath

Stop you in your steps

Fear he is a liar

He will rob your rest

Steal your happiness

Cast your fear in the fire

'Cause fear he is a liar

I have many fears, but I have got to learn to place my fears at the foot of the cross, because me giving in to my fear is telling God that I don’t trust Him.

I am not willing to tell God I don’t trust Him, not after all He has done for me.

I have learned to conquer some of my fears, I am doing things today that I would have not done a year ago, pushing through my anxiety and finding myself on the other side thinking “now that wasn’t so bad”. 

What fear will you conquer when you give it to God? 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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march on

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.

- Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)

 

Happy March 1^st, 2022!

As we march on in 2022, I have to ask, what are your plans? 
Hubby and I have a lot of RV camping and motorcycle rally trips planned; it is going to be an amazing year!

People are looking at furthering their education, careers and peace of mind in 2022, but with everything we plan we need to commit these to the Lord. 

What exactly does that mean? 
It literally means to give things over completely to the Lord while depending on Him fully and completely. 

If the job search is not going well, if the grades aren’t what we’d hoped or if we are stressing out over everything, maybe we need to take a step back and fully commit to the Lord. 

Life can be difficult, isn’t it good to know that there is someone on your side every minute of every day? 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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