don’t ever be fooled

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

Psalm 14:1 (NIV)

 

A long time ago I was challenged by someone because they did not like what I had written in my “daily bread” and posted on Facebook.

Instead of coming to me to talk about it and maybe getting my point of view, that person instead reported my post to Facebook, and well, we all know how Facebook jail is. 
The fool says there is no God.

According to the dictionary, atheist is “a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods”  agnostic is “a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God”.

Every person out there has the right to choose what they believe.

What is it about God that people find offensive?

Maybe I don’t have all the answers, but I am willing to talk.

Maybe we will leave the table and that person still won’t believe.

Maybe we will leave the table and that person will start a relationship with Christ.

I am still deeply moved by the quote “I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is.” (attributed to Albert Camus)

You know what? I am going to continue to spread the word of God because that is what I do.

That is what He made me to do.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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patience for real

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

- James 1:12 (NLT)

 

I am probably the least patient person in the world.

When I want something done, I want it done now and without excuses!

But I do believe that God has a sense of humor and sometimes likes to make us wait for the good things.

Hurry up and wait – that is how I feel much of the time whether it is for test results, a big purchase or even the tiniest piece of good news to come my way.

I have found though that the longer I must wait for something, the harder I must work to get what I want, the more I appreciate it.

We all know of someone that has never had to work for any thing their entire life and we watch those people treat their stuff like it means nothing, then we watch the young woman that has saved every penny to buy herself a car and how she treasures that car because she worked hard for it.

I don’t have patience for worldly things, but I hope that I have shown patience for the gifts that we are promised from God.

At the end of the day, those are the gifts that matter.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

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perfection is not me

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

- 1 John 1:9 (NLT)

 

Everyone has a past of which they may not be particularly proud.

I have a past that is not pretty, I have been strong through some things that would break others and there were things that broke me that others sailed through with grace and their dignity intact.

But my past does not define me - I know that I sinned and that I still sin, but that sin does not describe the person I am.

I can admit my mistakes and own my sin, I am human and while I know that I have disappointed people, I also know that there is forgiveness.

If we can admit our mistakes and ask for forgiveness, then we should be able to forgive those who have hurt us.

Sometimes when people hurt us, they hurt themselves just as much and when we forgive them, we set ourselves and them free from the burden of sin.

I will never claim to be without sin because the truth is much better, the truth will set us free, free in the One who died for us so that we can be forgiven.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167248103736801

no worries

Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

- Psalm 55:22 (NLT)

 

The last two weeks were pretty rough for me, I have come to the conclusion that I do not like the month of March because so many bad things have happened in March in my life.

A year a go I was dealt a crushing blow that nearly destroyed me yet here I am today stronger than ever.

Last week another ghost from the past moved in to take away everything that I thought I had under control and still I have persevered.

We can all give up when we are facing difficult things, but where does that leave us?

We can throw away everything that we have worked for our whole lives when one thing breaks, or we can mend that one thing and continue to build our happiness.

It can happen to you, you can be in the best spot on the mountain to have a mudslide wipe out your home.

You can let that destroy you or you can lay your burdens down and let God take care of you.

I’m not letting the devil win this, I will never stop fighting for what God has given me and I know He will take care of me.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167248103736801

 

revenge is not ours

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.

- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 (NIV)

 

Memes are so much fun.

I especially like cat memes (imagine that!) but there is one that is kind of troubling to me.

KARMA.

No need for revenge.

Just sit back and wait.

Those who hurt you will

Eventually screw up

Themselves & if you’re

Lucky, God will let

You watch.

This particular meme is listed as “Daily Inspirational Quotes Facebook.com/D.I.Quotes”

It doesn’t feel very inspirational.

Sure, it is in the Bible that we should not seek revenge because that is God’s option but no where does it say we get to sit back and watch, nor should we seek revenge on our own.

Sometimes it is hard when we have been wronged especially if that wrong adversely affected our lives but remember that it is not up to us.

God knows what we are going through and He will protect us and avenge us.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167248103736801

rooted in trust

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)

 

Trust is a hard thing to give sometimes, especially if you are trusting in someone that others cannot see.

I like that this verse compares confidence in the Lord like a tree planted by the water.

If we are the tree, and the Holy Spirit is the stream, when  we fill our souls with the Holy Spirit, we too will have no worries and we will never fail.

What does an outsider, a non-believer or even someone that is not in a close relationship with the Savior see when they see us?

It is our personal responsibility to be sure that people see the right thing.

We are all going through a lot, even those of us who are really good at hiding our emotions, every single one of us is going through something.

The world wants to make us victims of our tragedies, and when we become a victim, we become ineffective Christians.

We are warriors, warriors fight, warriors train and we are called to refuse the victim status and not become neutral in a very polarized world where intolerance is acceptable and the refusal to allow any other opinion than your own is the norm – we must fight to show God’s love, to stand in the truth of who God is, of what God says.

We need to take our thoughts captive and act counter-culturally, to stop being in judgement of others because when we judge others we are setting them up for failure.

It is not an “us against them world”, it is us against the powers of darkness and we are called to be bold, to be brave, to press in, to be firmly rooted in Christ, to dig deep and grow.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167248103736801

the real hero

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

- 2 Timothy 4:18 (NIV)

 

As children I think we all had those moments where we were very frightened, whether it was the monsters under the bed or the strangers in the store.

For most of us we had a trusted adult that we could run to for safety.

Did you know that we still have our Heavenly Father that will rescue us?

Here is a cool Zach Williams song:

There I was empty-handed

Crying out from the pit of my despair

There You were in the shadows

Holding out Your hand, You met me there

And now where would I be without You?

Where would I be, Jesus?

You were the voice in the desert

Calling me out in the dead of night

Fighting my battles for me

You are my rescue story

Lifted me up from the ashes

Carried my soul from death to life

Bringing me from glory to glory

You are my rescue story

You are, You are

You are my rescue story

You are, You are

You were writing the pages

Before I had a name

Before I needed grace, oh

Singing songs of redemption

'Cause every time I ran away

You were louder than my shame

And now, where would I be without You?

Where would I be, Jesus?

You were the voice in the desert

Calling me out in the dead of night

Fighting my battles for me

You are my rescue story

Lifted me up from the ashes

Carried my soul from death to life

Bringing me from glory to glory

You are my rescue story

You never gave up on me

You never gave up on me

You are my testimony, oh, oh-oh

You never gave up on me

You never gave up on me

You are my testimony, oh, oh-oh

You never gave up on me

Oh, You never gave up on me

Oh, this is my testimony

Oh, You were the voice in the desert

Calling me out in the dead of night

Fighting my battles for me

You are my rescue story

Lifted me up from the ashes

Carried my soul from death to life

Bringing me from glory to glory

'Cause You are my rescue story

You are, You are (You are my rescue story)

Oh, You never gave up on me, never gave up on me

You are, You are

Yeah, You are my rescue story
I hope that we all find comfort in the words of this song and more importantly in the words of our Father.

He is our rescue story for sure.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1167248103736801