All Things Skin, Wellness & Faith
Take A deep dive into skincare and wellness with Natasha Dias, Licensed Holistic Esthetician & Wellness professional. Learn key tips to care for your skin from the inside out while making overall health improvements and deepening your faith walk.
All Things Skin, Wellness & Faith
BREADCRUMBS OF FAITH DEVOTIONAL 36: Building Your Personal Direct Line To God
Many believers find themselves in a pattern of spiritual dependency – always seeking out the "prayer warriors" or spiritually "strong" people when crises arise. While community support remains valuable, this episode challenges listeners to develop their own direct line to God that doesn't require intermediaries. As we navigate increasingly challenging times, having confidence in our personal prayers becomes not just spiritually enriching but practically essential.
Drawing from James 4:8 ("Move your heart closer to God and he will move closer to you") and Jeremiah 29:12-13, Natasha shares from her own spiritual journey about transitioning from someone who once doubted the power of her own prayers to developing an intimate, ongoing communion with God. She provides practical insights on prayer posturing, heart positioning, and developing a relationship with God that goes beyond seeing Him as merely a cosmic emergency service we call on when things go wrong.
Whether you're already confident in your prayer life or still developing your spiritual footing, this episode offers heartfelt encouragement and practical guidance for deepening your personal relationship with God. Reach out to prayerwithnatasha@gmail.com if you need support on your journey toward spiritual self-sufficiency.
Hey, there you're tuned into another episode of All Things Skin Wellness and Faith, a podcast where you'll learn simple ways to implement skin care and wellness techniques from a holistic approach. On this podcast, we'll explore practical ways to address skin health and overall holistic spiritual well-being, while deepening your faith. I'm your host, natasha Diaz, a licensed holistic esthetician, day spa owner and a faithful believer and follower of Christ, and it's time to get ready to get encouraged and empowered as we dive into all things skin wellness and faith. To all things skin wellness and faith. Hello, fellow listeners, welcome back to this week's episode of Bread Crumbs of Faith by All Things Skin Wellness and Faith. This is Natasha. Welcome you back to this week's episode where we give you a little bit of encouragement for the middle of the week, sometimes end of the week.
Speaker 1:Things change around here a lot, but one thing you can be sure of is that you will always receive a timely word from the Lord, god himself. I want to do a little impromptu jump and then dive in on this week's episode. This is just something that I was reflecting on and I kind of wanted to use for this week's breadcrumb, because I don't know, whenever the Lord speaks to me, I like to you know, ponder on it for a minute and make sure that you know it's something that he wants me to deliver to you. But honestly, the more time I spend with him, the more it's becoming easier and it's becoming more clear on what he wants to say to his people, to his sons and his daughters, and it's like right now we are really in a time frame where we're definitely in the last days and it's like I know those of us who are, like you know, longtime believers are probably thinking oh, we've heard that you know for so long it's been, you know the end days for such a long, long time. But I think that you know we're really drawing nearer and nearer and I think that the fact that you know we're not there yet it's like the Bible says you know, christ is coming back and he's coming back for a spotless bride Number one we are the bride of the Christ, a bride of Christ number two and number three. It's really the truth of the matter is, is that it's not the will of the Lord that any of us will perish, and there's just so many people out there that I don't know.
Speaker 1:I can't really sugarcoat this. I have to be upfront and honest with you guys. There are so many people out there that are lukewarm believers. There are so many people out there that I come in contact with that. Yeah, I believe in God, I know God, I pray, but this is not, you know, what we're going to need as far as our belief, you know, to help us sustain and, to, you know, make it through the last days and he's really given us some time to get it together to, you know, really get our faith, you know, truly rooted and grounded in him, and to really, for those of us that say, yeah, I believe in God, it's a little bit more than just I believe in God. It's like you believe in God but do you know God. And so today we're just going to dive into a little, like I said, impromptu discussion, taking over from last week's episode where we talked about intimacy with God, but just more on a deeper level, and I am doing this one without notes, so please excuse me from jumping all over the place. This is more so from my heart, and not even my heart, I want to say, more so from, like I said, the spirit of the living God, and he is calling us to, you know, be more in alignment and to have, you know, an intimate relationship with him.
Speaker 1:And lately, you know, I've been pondering. I've been doing a lot of ministry work lately and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm doing a lot of, a lot of, you know, of ministering. As far as to the unsheltered, the homeless community, I'm doing some work with some teenagers that are in the custody of the department and just really getting my hands out there and just seeing what's going on in the community and just really seeing that people are really lost, people are hurting and people just down outright. You know that people are really lost, people are hurting and people just down outright don't know God. And I really feel that I have an assignment in this area and I have a job to do.
Speaker 1:And as far as business goes, it's been a little bit hard for me to kind of focus on business, because I don't want to say that my business is not important. But sometimes, you know, sometimes when you go out and you see people in these dire straits situations, it's really hard to come back and work with someone on wellness or work with someone in a day spa and then have all these things kind of lingering in the back of your mind as to what's going on out there, with people that are really down and out. And so I've been going back and forth and I've been pondering with the Lord, and, you know, just kind of talking to him a little bit and just, you know, kind of seeking his direction as to what he wants me to do in the future. Where is my calling? Am I to be, you know, completely still in this day spa situation, in this health and wellness situation? Am I to venture out with more of those that you know are hurting in the communities? And I was just really not sure, you know where I should be putting my focus and my efforts. And it seems like, you know, the Lord has me split in all three directions.
Speaker 1:As I was working with some of my clients this week, I was just chatting, I think, with, I think, a good three or four of them and I was kind of seeing, you know, that the hurt and the pain is not just going on out in the communities, with the people that are lost per se, but even with some of us believers and I do have clients, you know, that are believers and it seems like, you know, we are all going through somewhat of a time of struggle. I know in my personal life that I've had some areas that you know, I've really had to buckle down and hone in with the Lord and just really get deeper in my word. And it seems like, you know, life is life and we do go through battles, but it seems like you know that this is a season where we just really have to, you know, hone in and go deeper. And it's interesting because what I'm seeing is in the midst of these battles. You know it's not his wish that any of us would perish, but I can see how he's using it and the just shows me how strategic he is with his plan and how he uses things to the greater good for his glory. So, as we have these situations that we go through, it does allow us to draw closer to him, and that's actually one of the scriptures that I wanted to reflect on today, which is James 4 and 8.
Speaker 1:I've been in the book of James what the past few days or so, doing my personal time and studying devotion in the book of James, and this is one of the scriptures that had really stuck out to me, which was out of the TPT draw closer to him and he will draw close to you. That's not the TPT version, the TPT which is the Passion Translation, which I love so much, but that one reads for that specific area to move your heart closer to God and he will move closer to you. And what I see right now is that he is really using these heartaches, these situations, these transgressions, these tough moments that we are going through to allow us to draw closer to him, to allow us to dig in deeper. And I think that if we utilize these situations and I did speak about this a little bit on the last episode if we utilize these situations to kind of, you know, dig into our word deeper, then we can grasp more than just, you know, dig into our word deeper, then we can grasp more than just, you know, getting out of a dark situation and coming back into the light. But what we can do is we can really work on our intimacy with him, we can really work on having a firm foundation in Christ and ultimately, that is what he's looking to do is to draw us closer to him and it's like really the way the Lord works, whatever the means are. You know, like I said, the Bible says my ways are not your ways, he's going to utilize it. And so, in these situations where we have, like you know, hardships and we have all these things going on, I think it's very important that we not just you know look at them like, oh, I'm going to pray and, you know, I just want God to see me through it, but what is it, or what else can we use these situations? That's not exactly what I wanted to say. How is it that we can use these situations to strengthen us? So, basically, what I'm seeing is these situations are more so spiritual exercise, I guess, would be a good way to put it, A good way to exercise our spiritual muscles.
Speaker 1:And, as I'm dealing with clients this week, I was really going back and forth with what my role is right now, especially with how I'm ministering to people. And it's funny because, like I said, I was kind of wondering, you know, is there really so much a need of ministry you know, within a day, spa or health and wellness business situation, or should I be out, you know, more in a community? Should I start to focus on doing more outreach and more ministry work? Am I being a little bit, you know, self-absorbed and you know, superficial with, just you know, helping people with their wellness and taking care of their skin. And it's funny because what the Lord showed me is how he can use me in any of these situations, as long as I'm available to him. There's situations where people will need ministry in any situation, whether you're out in the community serving at, you know, say, a food pantry, or you're in a day spa doing a facial, or you're helping someone with their health and wellness. Basically, the Lord can use you because he's so strategic with how he works in any of those situations.
Speaker 1:And so I had to repent. I really had to repent, because I found myself I don't want to say I was complaining, I was complaining a little bit and I was just kind of like, oh, I don't know if I really want to do this. I feel like you know, like I'm not really being used to my full potential. I feel like there's so much more you could do with me, god, if I was out doing more outreach. And the truth and the matter of what he showed me this week is that I am using you. I have a need for you, wherever I placed you.
Speaker 1:So there's a couple of key points that I want to make with this week's breadcrumb, and one of them is that if you make yourself available to him, he will use you wherever you are. He has a need for each and every one of us believers and every situation that he puts us in. And I've fallen into this situation before where I've been like, oh, you know, I'm not a preacher, I'm not a pastor, you know, am I really helping people? You know, just as working in a day spa and it's like, yes, whatever he has placed you is whatever he has a need for you and he is helping you. And there's been three, a few situations this week where I have been in my day spa setting and I've had people, just like, come into the day spa, come in for, you know, their facials or whatever skincare service that they need, and within three minutes or even two minutes of coming in, they immediately have, just like you know, unleashed problems to me in an indirect way, asked me for prayer, and I've been allowed to be used in a way that I may not normally get used or another person wouldn't normally get used in the day spa setting, just because of who I am, just because who he's called me to be.
Speaker 1:And then I had to think about it. I mean, some of these people are believers and then some of these people are like you know, oh, I believe in God. You know, not so much, you know into it, like kind of just say it because they feel bad. But the bottom line is, whenever we're in a bad situation, whenever something comes up really bad, all of a sudden, everyone knows, you know, to call on God. And so it's so interesting that he has me placed in a situation like this, because people that don't normally resort to prayer, people that don't normally resort to church or go to church, know me, know who I am, know my faith, know how I'm grounded in my faith, and because of that, felt comfortable coming to me for prayer. And I just thought it was so interesting because I had to say, you know, wow, god, like if it wasn't for me being in this position, these people may not have a chance to reach out to anyone, to have a connection to you. So I just thought that that was really interesting and I just thought it was really awesome how he used me in that sense.
Speaker 1:And what I really wanted to talk to you today, guys, is really about your relationship with the Lord and your intimacy with the Lord and where do you stand in your faith? Because, although I'm thankful that I'm here and I was able to be there for these people and these people, you know, it's definitely okay to cry out and to ask a brother or sister you know in Christ for prayer, but there needs to come to a point that you are able to stand on your own faith and your own prayers and you are able, and you are pretty much able, to know that you have the right to go before the Father. You have that divine connection that you don't have to wait till you get to your Christian friend whose faith is on fire or really believes in that stuff or really believes in the Lord. But there needs to come a point in time where you need to know that this situation has arrived in my life and so I have the same authority as Natasha or pastor or anyone else to go before the father. And that's the real point that I want to drive home today.
Speaker 1:Where do you stand in your faith? Are you at a point that you are able to be confident and know that your prayers are sufficient and your prayers will suffice? And if you are not, what's it going to take for you to get to that area. Because if you are in a situation where you don't believe in your prayers and you have to wait and say, oh well, I know she prays really good or I know that she's really into that faith thing, then you're not going to be able to ride off of that In the days and the times that we're in right now. You have to be firmly rooted in Christ for yourself. Yes, I to myself I'm firmly rooted, and there are times where you know I'll ask brothers and sisters to come in agreement with me on certain situations.
Speaker 1:But bottom line is, I know that when I go before the father, I know without a shadow of a doubt that he's going to lead me, he's going to direct me, he's going to guide me. I know that you know there's no hindrance to my prayers. I know how to go into, you know into prayer with a proper, you know prayer posture. I know that you know you need to acknowledge who he is, you need to repent, you need to have all these things you know laid out so that you know you can go before him, like the Bible says, with a clean heart, with clean hands and a pure heart. And what I want to say to you guys is that you really need to be at a point in the day and the time that we're in and the dark days that are already here and that are certainly going to get darker, you really need to be at a point that you understand that I can go before the Father myself, and if I need some people to support me, yes, they can come in agreement with me, but I am the driver of my prayers because of the relationship that I have with the father.
Speaker 1:You can't be in a situation where you're always riding or relying off of someone's faith, and so that is, like my main point, what I wanted to drive home today. If you are in a situation like I always say on here, there's no condemnation in Christ and of course, you know I was not always at the level of faith that I am now, and everyone is not at that same level, but we absolutely need to strive to get there. If we're not there, then we need to have the thirst and the desire to get to know him and to be intimate with him, to the point that we know, if my husband has a problem, if my daughter's in trouble, that I know that I don't have to wait till I see my esthetician, or I don't have to wait until I go see such and such at church that I can drop to my knees the way into. You know I go see such and such at church that I can drop to my knees, that I can go to my secret place and I can go before the father. So if you're not in that place, that is absolutely fine. But what I want to encourage you is to strive to get to that place. And if you don't know how to get there, certainly I'm here for you guys. Like I've always said before, you can reach out to me. I have my email, which is prayerwithnatasha at gmailcom. Certainly, you can go on any social media platform, which is pretty much for me it's just Instagram and Facebook. I will do a Zoom call with you, I will have a phone conversation. Whatever is needed to help grow your faith and to help get you to the next level, to build that relationship with the Father. I will do all that I can prayerfully to help get you there.
Speaker 1:But the main thing you're going to need is the desire and the heart posture. If you're not there yet, then you need to want it. The Bible says as a deer pants, and thirst for water is how I thirst for you. This is how I mean it pretty much started for me. There was a time where you know I would just be like, oh, I don't pray like her, I can't, you know, do that. I need you to pray for me. And of course you know we all start off like that. But after we have that desire, he sees that desire and it's just like that scripture says. You know, as we move closer to him, he moves closer to us.
Speaker 1:Another scripture that I love and I think I referenced this scripture last week too was Jeremiah 29, 12 and 13. And that scripture is that you will call to me and you will come to me and pray and I will listen to you. You will seek me and you will find me when you search for me with all your heart, when you search for me, certainly the Lord will meet you exactly where you're at. But you can't always ride off the coattail of someone else's faith. That will definitely work for a little bit, but we have to grow, we have to continuously strive to want to know him more and more. We have to have that deeper intimacy, because there's going to come a day and a time and I think, like I said, with the perilous times that we are in, the dark times that we are in, we are pretty much there, guys. So this has got to be a time that you know, as the world says, when stuff hits the fan, that you know that you can go before the Father yourself and, like I said, I'm certainly know that you can go before the father yourself. And, like I said, I'm certainly thankful to be the person that people think of, that people go to, but, most importantly, I also want to be the person that can help people grow into that intimacy and that relationship with Christ. So I really hope that this encourages you to strive for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. I pray that you get to know him as the Holy Trinity, god the father, god the son, god the Holy spirit. I pray that you begin to get to know him and all of his names, all of his characteristics Jehovah Jireh Adonai, which is the God who rules. Jehovah Jireh, which is God the provider. There's so many different names to him because there's so many characteristics to him and it's very important. I'm actually in a study and it's now just studying the names of God, just always striving to know him and to get to a level of deeper intimacy.
Speaker 1:Think about it If you have a boyfriend, or if you have someone that you just met early on in a relationship, what do you want to do? You want to know all about that person. That person is so good and so interesting to you that you just want to know everything about them. This is how we need to be about the father. We need to basically comb through him, get to know every single aspect of him. There is so much to uncover about him, there's so much goodness to him, and we need to know him. Just not as God, the magic genie that we just run to when someone's sick or our finances are short. We need to know him as someone that we commune with throughout the day, as someone that we just check in with every so often and we're just like, oh thank you, father, I've gotten through this day. Or look at this delicious piece of fruit, this is really great. Look at your creation. We really need to know him intimately. So, guys, I really hope that this encourages you.
Speaker 1:Like I said, if you need any help in this area, definitely feel free to reach out to me. Actually, in the show notes, I'm not sure if it's on all the platforms, but I know, for those of you listening on Apple, that there's an area that it says that you can text. You can text the show. I see all those. Whatever area that you need to work on your growth, or whether you just want prayer, or whatever it is that you need to grow in Christ, I'm definitely here for you. So, all right, guys, quick, short prayer.
Speaker 1:Father God, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for this podcast platform. I pray, god, in the name of Jesus, lord God, that you help people to deeply desire to know you and to know you intimately, lord God. I pray, lord God, that they would just see you, lord, that it's not just a genie, not just a God that can bail them out in a tough situation, but a God that is all-knowing, a God that is all-relational, a God that you know, fights for us, that wars for us, a God who heals, a God who is righteous, a God who is just and a God who is Emmanuel, always with us. Father God, in the name of Jesus, lord God, I pray, lord God, that you help this podcast to be delivered to those who need it. I pray, lord, god, that the seeds of this podcast fall on good soil and that people begin to grow deeper. Fall on good soil and that people begin to grow deeper in you.
Speaker 1:All right, in the name of Jesus, I pray and I say amen. All right, thank you, guys, so much for lending me your ears once again, as always. Bye for now. Please remember that we are blessed to be a blessing to others. God bless you all and I love you. Bye.