Cathi Fortner

Cathi Fortner � Beauty - Lifestyle - Faith �

07/21/2026

Aren’t you just grateful for the presence of God this morning?

As I was reading the Verse of the Day on the Bible App, which is Jeremiah 31:25 and in it says in the AMPC:

“For I will [fully] satisfy the weary soul, and I will replenish every languishing and sorrowful person.”

As I read this verse, I found myself simply sitting in His presence, praising Him and thanking Him for how good He is. There is such a refreshing that comes from being with Him. The world cannot give what His presence gives.

The Bible tells us, “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11), and it also reminds us that “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). What precious promises! His presence fills us with joy, and that joy becomes the strength we need for each day.

One of my daily prayers is that His presence would surround me at all times because I know I can’t do this on my own. I need His strength. I need the joy of the Lord overflowing in my life so I can serve my family, fulfill my responsibilities, and do everything He’s called me to do with excellence—not in my own ability, but through His.

So today, I want to encourage you: take a few moments—even if it’s only five minutes. Maybe you’re stealing a quiet moment before work, sitting in your car, or even hiding in the bathroom from your kids (which is exactly where I’m writing this from 🤭).

Just sit in His presence.

Let Him satisfy your weary soul.
Let Him renew what feels drained.
Let the joy of the Lord strengthen you.

Then begin to praise Him. Thank Him for who He is, for His faithfulness, for His goodness, and for the countless times He has carried you. He has never left you, and He never will.

His presence changes everything. ❤️

How has God’s presence refreshed you this week? I’d love to hear what He’s been doing in your life.

07/15/2026

This morning I woke up feeling heavy. As I was getting the kids and myself ready for work, I felt anxiety starting to creep in. The tears began to well up, and the uncontrollable shaking started. As I recognized the signs of anxiety and a panic attack, I turned to the Scriptures that have become my anchor, especially in this season.

Matthew 11:28–30 (AMPC) says,

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. [Jer. 6:16.] For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.”

And Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV) says,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

I wanted to share these two Scriptures that I meditated on this morning because they helped steady my heart, and I pray they encourage someone else who may be struggling today.

The truth is, everyone is carrying something. Life can be heavy, and some days are harder than others. But praise God that greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Praise the Lord that we have the Holy Spirit living within us. We are born again, and although we are in this world, we are not of this world.

I think we sometimes forget why we need a Savior. We were never created to carry every burden on our own. That’s exactly why Jesus says, “Come to Me.” He knows our strength is limited, but His is not. He doesn’t expect us to bear our burdens alone—He invites us to lay them at His feet and trust Him with them.

There is a reason the Word tells us to renew our minds daily with the Word of God. Our minds are constantly being bombarded by fear, worry, anxiety, bad news, and the cares of this life. If we are not filling our hearts and minds with God’s truth, the voices of this world will become louder than His. But when we meditate on His Word, it renews our thinking, strengthens our faith, and reminds us of who He is and who we are in Christ.

I know what I felt this morning was real. The anxiety was real. The tears were real. The shaking was real. But God’s Word is more real. His promises are true whether we feel them or not, and His peace is available to every child of God who will come to Him and trust Him.

If today feels heavy, don’t run from Him—run to Him. Open your Bible. Spend time in prayer. Meditate on His promises. He is faithful. He is our refuge, our strength, and our ever-present help in times of trouble.

Whatever you’re facing today, don’t carry it alone. Jesus is still saying, “Come to Me.” 🤍

06/30/2026

I know it’s been a while since I’ve shared a mini devotion on my page, but this morning there was something stirring in my heart that I felt led to write. This devotion is one the Lord first used to speak to me, and I pray it encourages someone else who may be walking through something similar.

Yesterday, I was made aware of a negative and hurtful comment that was made about my family by someone we considered a close family friend—someone we’ve known for most of our lives. This is someone who has been in our home, shared meals with us, fellowshipped with us, and someone we have loved and helped over the years.

When I heard what had been said, it hurt deeply. If I’m being honest, I was angry. I replayed the words over and over in my mind. Every memory of fellowship and kindness came flooding back, and I kept asking myself, “How could someone do this?” Even after I went to bed, I couldn’t sleep because I was so disturbed. I was doing my best not to allow offense or unforgiveness to take root in my heart.

While I was awake, I decided to look at the verse of the day. It was exactly what I needed.

Luke 6:28
“Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”

The moment I read those words, it was as if the Lord spoke directly to my heart.

The truth is, people will fail you. People will hurt you. They’re human. We all fall short of the glory of God, and sometimes we forget that. If we keep our eyes on people, we’ll eventually be disappointed. But if we keep our eyes on Christ, He will never fail us.

Don’t allow someone else’s negativity to steal your peace or your joy. It’s simply not worth it.

Forgiveness isn’t saying that what they did was right. Forgiveness is choosing to obey Christ and refusing to let bitterness take root in your heart. It sets you free.

So bless them. Pray for them. Give them to the Lord and move forward.

The Bible reminds us in Romans 12:19 not to take vengeance into our own hands, because vengeance belongs to the Lord. God is a just Judge. He sees every word spoken, every motive, and every action. He is fully capable of dealing with what we cannot.

Our responsibility isn’t revenge—it’s obedience.

Choose to love with the agape love of God, even when it’s difficult. Choose forgiveness, even when your flesh wants to hold on to the hurt. Trust the Lord with justice and keep your heart clean before Him.

Don’t let someone else’s sin become your temptation. Protect your heart, guard your joy, and keep walking with Jesus.

Sometimes the greatest victory isn’t proving you’re right—it’s choosing to respond the way Christ would.

04/09/2026

This morning as I was putting my makeup on, I had the Bible playing and was listening to the book of Psalms. One of the chapters that came on was Psalms 121, which says in the NLT:

“I look up to the mountains
does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.’’

As I listened, it felt like God was speaking directly to my heart.
Yesterday, on my way into the office, I was crying out to God saying, “Lord, the word you gave me for this year was that it was going to be a year of victory and triumph. Right now, it feels like the exact opposite.” It was one of those days where the weight felt heavy, and I didn’t really have the words to pray. So I spent most of my day simply praying in the Spirit.

If I’m being honest, yesterday was just hard.
Last night I didn’t sleep well because I had another nightmare. I was awake from 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep. So again, I just kept praying in the Spirit, quietly, in the stillness of the early morning, trusting that even when I didn’t have the words, God understood my heart.

Romans 8:26-28 in the AMPC says:
“So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will. We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.”

I truly believe that because I made the choice to pray in the Spirit yesterday, even though I didn’t have the words and honestly didn’t feel like it, the Spirit interceded on my behalf and gave me exactly what I needed to hear this morning.

It made me think of Psalms 30:5 that says, “weeping may endure for the night, but joys comes in the morning.”

For me, that is exactly what happened.
This morning felt like a gentle reminder from the Lord that He sees me, that He is watching over me, and that He has not left me in this season. There was a quiet peace that came just from hearing His Word, the kind of peace that only He can give.
I am so grateful for a Father who loves me, cares for me, and hears me. He knows exactly where I am and what I need, even when I can’t fully express it myself.

I want to encourage you today, press into Him. Even when you don’t have the words. Even when it feels hard. Even when you don’t understand what you're walking through. He will meet you right where you are and give you the encouragement and strength to keep going.
Sometimes joy comes in different ways, sometimes it comes as a quiet reminder, a scripture, or a moment where you simply feel His presence. But when it does, you’re reminded that He was there all along.

03/29/2026

They really trusted mama with this one😭😭😭 This was supposed to be funny/cute but just ended up being a fail 😂😂…
ahhh we tried our best tho🫶🏼✨

03/23/2026

This morning, I was spending time with the Lord, and He really began to press something on my heart… offense and forgiveness.
And I’ll be honest with y’all—this isn’t something I’ve “arrived” in. This is something I’m walking through right now, in real time.
The Lord has been gently dealing with my heart, teaching me, growing me, and showing me what it truly looks like to walk in His love… especially when it comes to forgiving people.
Right now, I’m currently reading The Bait of Satan by John Bevere, and the Lord has really been using this book to open my eyes and deal with hidden things inside of me that I thought I had already worked through.
It’s been one of those seasons where God is lovingly pulling things up from the root—not to shame me, but to heal me.
And offense… will do exactly that if we let it.
In Luke 17:1, Jesus says:
“It is impossible that no offenses should come…”
So offense is going to happen. People are going to hurt you. Misunderstand you. Say things they shouldn’t say… or not say things you needed to hear. They may even what you perceive as betray you.
And I want to share something personal that the Lord corrected me on…
Over the last year and a half, I experienced some of the most heart-wrenching hurt I’ve ever walked through. It felt like one thing after another. If I’m being honest, it left me in a place of depression and anxiety.
I truly thought I had dealt with the hurt I was feeling… but one day, as I was crying out to the Lord, He began to reveal something deeper.
I remember talking to the Lord, telling Him all about who had hurt me and how I didn’t want anything to do with them anymore. I was frustrated. I was done.
And in that moment, I heard in my spirit:
“Stop looking at people the same way you look at Me.
Stop putting them in the same category as Me.
People are not perfect—and they will mess up.
Stop holding them to the same standard as you hold Me.”
Whew… that checked my heart.
Because the truth is—God is perfect. People are not.
And sometimes we get offended because we expected something from people that only God can truly be.
God gave us all free will. People have the ability to choose—and sometimes they choose out of hurt, out of flesh, or out of places that aren’t healed.
That’s not God trying to hurt you… that’s just the reality of living in a broken world.
But what we do with it—that’s where it matters.
We don’t get to control what people do… but we do get to choose how we respond.
And that’s where forgiveness comes in.
Matthew 6:14-15 reminds us that if we forgive others, our Father forgives us. Forgiveness isn’t just a “nice idea”—it’s something God calls us to walk in.
And I know firsthand… it’s not always easy.
But holding onto offense? It doesn’t hurt them—it weighs you down. It keeps you bound in something God never asked you to carry.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean it was okay.
It doesn’t mean you trust them right away.
It just means you’re choosing to release it to God instead of holding onto it.
Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us to let go of bitterness, anger, and resentment—and to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving… just like Jesus forgave us.
So that’s what I’m choosing today.
And if I’m being honest… I’m choosing it daily right now.
So I want to encourage you—if you’ve been carrying something, if someone hurt you, if there’s offense sitting in your heart…
Take it to the Lord.
Ask Him:
“Is there anyone I need to forgive?”
And when He shows you—because He will—trust Him enough to release it.
I know forgiveness is hard. Your pain is real, and it is valid. But we are called to walk in forgiveness and in God’s love.
I want to challenge you today—seek God. Lean on Him and lean on His Word. God is true to His Word, and He will heal your wounds.
There is so much freedom on the other side of forgiveness 🤍

03/19/2026

Alright yall, ya girl decided to start posting so here is my first video✨🫶🏼
Come cook with me while I make some gluten-free beef tips & mashed potatoes the way I like it..
simple, hearty, and sooo good😋😋😋

Address

00000
Dallas, TX
000000

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cathi Fortner posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Cathi Fortner:

Shortcuts

Share

Category