Happy Monday! Have you ever been in a situation where you said or may have heard someone say, “I need a fresh start”? Sometimes in our heart it is easier to pick-up and move on, but there are times when we are called to do the self-assessment and workout the details of our heart to discover the why – ‘why do I need a fresh start?’, and prayerful proceed. May the Lord bless and keep you today as you proceed with His guidance.

BIBLE VERSE – Matthew 5:21-26 NLT
“²¹ “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ [Exodus 30:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17] ²² But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. ²³ So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, ²⁴ leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. ²⁵ When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶ And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.”

REFLECTION

In these verses, Jesus was sharing from the 10 commandments, but he went beyond just the words, he also discussed:

• the condition of our heart, the inward attitude of the very act
• the other warning includes our thoughts of being superior over anyone else.

Our heart and our attitude are critical to the life we live in Christ. In order to have a heart for God we must continue to seek the Lord to keep it pure. If we are angry, we need to seek the Lord and his guidance to remove bitterness and hate from our hearts, to remove bias against another person and seek forgiveness not only from the Lord, but those who have offended us.

Don’t let someone else’s actions or life prevent you from living your full life in Christ. Allow God to help you get a fresh start today.

Questions:

Are you ready to ask the Lord to check your heart condition? _______

Will you allow Him to repair brokenness, anger and dissension in your life? ________

Sisters and brothers, I know some of our wounds require greater work, so do not hesitate to seek God and find a licensed Christian counselor to help you work through things.

PRAYER
Father God, thank you for loving us and for your willingness to forgive us when we humbly come to you for forgiveness of our sins. Lord, our hearts get tainted by the news, social media, conversations, past hurts and rejections, and at times by those we have put our trust in. Lord, forgive us for harboring anger and bitterness in our hearts and minds. Lord, break our hearts of all bitterness – remove every tart piece, then mend our hearts to be better than before. Lord, extract the bitter roots that have grown in our hearts that have blocked our ability to be a blessing to others and ourselves. Remove all anger, evil, and bias thoughts toward others so that we will be fully reconciled to you and able to hear from you. Lord, we want you to use us, remove those things including our attitudes that hinder us from living a full life in you. Lord, align our expectations with yours, teach us humility of heart and love for one another. Help us to pray for those we have been offended by instead of holding anger inside our hearts and minds. Help us to pray for our nation and our churches. Lord, we need you, our world is lost and does as it pleases without consulting you. Lord, restore our relationship you. Lord, rekindle the fire and passion in our hearts that we once had with you but make it greater. Lord, help us to seek you and not run away from you or your desire to use us. Lord, remind us of your power and might. Heal this land. Change our hearts and minds, Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

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SAVE THE DATE

Virtual Women’s Retreat – Saturday, November 13, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. -12:15 p.m. 

• Amazing Speakers
• Event Activities
• Music, and more

PRAYER REQUEST
Do you have a prayer request? We would love to pray for you. Send your prayer request to: contactus@maryewhiteministries.com

SUMMER NEWSLETTER

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