Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” Psalm 25:5, The New Living Translation

Several years ago, I began diligently seeking God on a matter close to my heart. I began meditating on The Word of God and Psalm 25 was the passage that seemed to continually give me peace as I sought God’s perfect will. It was the scripture above that gave me confidence God would show me the right path for my family. After a few weeks of building my faith, I was expectant to receive God’s leading. God spoke to me very clearly about three steps I needed to follow in order to receive wisdom from Heaven. Today I would like to share with you what God revealed to me:

1.First, we have to WANT God’s direction for our life.

When we rely on human intellect or feelings to determine our choices we are in for a rollercoaster ride! I know this from personal experience:) It is only when we seek God’s plan that we can have peace as we work through various issues in our lives. Wanting God’s wisdom is the first step to receiving it.

2. Second, we have to WAIT on God.

After we begin asking and seeking, it is then time to wait for God to speak. God is an on time God. I know that it may “feel” as if He is late in answering our prayers, but God is faithful and always on time. I have learned that whenever it appears that God is with-holding something good from me, He is only setting me up to be blessed! He loves us so much that he lets the “good” pass us by in order to give us His best. During the waiting period we need to know that God is faithful and therefore we can wait in expectation. It’s kind of like when we visit a doctor. Due to the fact that we made an appointment and WANTED to seek medical counsel – it is just a matter of time before our name is called and we get the doctor’s wisdom. When you WANT God’s wisdom, it is just a matter of time before it is revealed!

3. Third, we need to be ready to WITNESS a miracle.

This is the best part! After we WANT God’s wisdom and we WAIT for Him to speak concerning the matter, we will then WITNESS God’s miracle working power in our life! I am currently walking out this final step and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that God has done a miracle on my behalf. If you are currently in the waiting step – hold on and look each day for God to move on your behalf! Your miracle is on the way! No matter what you need from God this day – know that He is faithful! Do not give up. Do not get impatient and move ahead of God. All you need to do is: Want, Wait and Witness – God does all the rest!

Prayer:

Lord, I need direction in my life. Teach me Your ways and show me the right path. I WANT your wisdom. I choose to WAIT for You to make my path clear and I expect to WITNESS a miracle concerning this issue! Forgive me for getting in Your way. I completely surrender my life once again to you this day. Open my eyes that I may see You working on my behalf. Open my ears that I may hear Your voice. I let go of disappointment and frustration and I grab hold of the Word of God. I choose to believe The Word concerning all things in my life. Thank you for always giving me Your best Jesus! I love you! Amen.

” And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.  The servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”  So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.  And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”  Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.”  Genesis 24: 17-20

You may be wondering how the scripture above can be applied to your ordinary life, but if you will take a closer look at this story with me, I will show you how miracles can happen around you while you perform each mundane task of your day…and yes that even includes laundry! First, let me mention that Rebekah is the eldest daughter in her home and she is simply going about her daily ritual of drawing water from the well.  Upon her return she notices a foreign gentlemen approaching her along the path. He asks her for a drink of water from her pitcher and amazingly Rebekah not only agrees to draw water for him to drink, but also for his camels as well.   Today this might be equivalent to Rebekah offering to wash the laundry of a complete stranger and then topping it off by washing their car too!

And may I just add here, that no one would have known if Rebekah had chosen to deny this stranger a sip of water. Perhaps Rebekah was having a bad hair day or had a list of things yet to accomplish on her to-do list, but instead of wallowing in self-piety or self-preoccupation, Rebekah chose to serve a complete stranger for no reward or wage.

Our Rebekah is a beautiful picture of a servant who is faithful to perform not only her daily tasks, but available to serve others. Yet what she did not know was that this man was on assignment from God to select a wife for Issac. And it was her faithfulness in her everyday, ordinary life that positioned her to be God’s choice for His Kingdom purposes. The fact that she gave this stranger water from her pitcher and then went above and beyond his request shows us the integrity and quality of her character, and why God would place her in the right place, at the right time, with the right person who would unlock her destiny.

It was through Rebekah’s willingness to embrace her everyday, ordinary life that opened wide her destiny for the Kingdom of God! You see, although Rebekah was a mighty woman in her own right, she would later become the mother of Jacob and the grandmother to Joseph, who wore the coat of many colors.  Her family line and legacy of faith is still teaching and influencing our generation today.

I know that it is easy to become bored with our daily routine in life.  And many of you today may be wondering if you are making a difference for the Kingdom of God?  But I am here to declare to you today:  You are a blessing!  And if you also will be faithful in your everyday, ordinary life, God will meet you there and miracles will be revealed before your eyes.  God will put you in the right place, at the right time and in front of the right people for Kingdom purposes!

Prayer:

“Lord, help me to be faithful in my everyday, ordinary life.  I confess that I have lost my ability to expect miracles as I go about my day.  Open my eyes to see that You are always with me.  Open my ears to hear Your direction for me today.  Open my heart to have the same willingness of Rebekah to serve a stranger in need.  As I am faithful in little, God can entrust me with much.  Amen.”

Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” Isaiah 61:9, NLT

Ask any of my closest friends and they will tell you that one of my mantras in life is, “Go where there is favor!” In my opinion, life is too short to spend time with those who do not celebrate you and the gifts God has placed in your life.  Think about this for a moment.  You are God’s unique creation in Christ and even during hard times, God’s favor rests upon us, as we trust in His Word.

When we choose to live for God and follow His plan for our life, we cannot help but experience supernatural favor. Our scripture above tells us that not only will we be seen as God’s favored but our descendants will also be recognized and honored among the nations. And did you know that we are promised to obtain favor even with our enemies?  Proverbs 16:7 states, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.”

There was a situation a few years ago where I clearly was in the wrong place at the wrong time and there was no sign of favor anywhere.  I felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.  Nothing I did worked, which I came to realize was a clue that I had somewhere, somehow, gotten off track.  I had become so accustomed to receiving God’s favor everywhere I went that when it wasn’t there, it was a bizarre experience for me and one that I do not want to repeat anytime soon.  It did not take me long before I realized that I unknowingly had stepped out of God’s path for my life.  I was swayed by man’s opinion rather than seeking God for where I needed to be for such a time as this. Hence, I made a change as quickly as possible and I found myself once again living where God’s favor reigns.

I do believe there are times in each of our lives when God allows us to walk through difficult places to stretch us and show us what is really within our hearts (Deuteronomy 8:2). Yet when God leads us to a valley, He promises to provide us everything we need, including His rod and a staff to comfort us (Psalm 23). The question is, has God led us to this valley or did we unknowingly step out of the path of life and lead ourselves there? Selah (pause and think about this for a moment).  If this is the case, then we can run to God and trust that He is bigger than every circumstance in our life.  He loves us and will show us His path of life.

It is my prayer that we continually live in God’s favor and that when people see us coming, whether at the grocery store or in our workplace, they will declare, “Surely they are BLESSED of God.”

Prayer:

“Lord, show me Your path.  I long to be where Your favor is for me and my family.  Forgive me for the times when I trusted in anything other than You.  You are my God and when I follow Your path I cannot help but walk in the favor of God.  Make every crooked place straight in my life and may everyone around me see supernatural favor on my life.  Amen.”

“Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.” Proverbs 17:17, The Message

Has God ever shown you that you needed to let go of a friendship, but instead of following His lead, you intentionally held onto them too long until it resulted in conflict?  As a counselor, I often tell my clients, “When you set a boundary, someone will be hurt.” And although none of us like this truth, what we fail to see is that by not setting a boundary – we are the ones who are continually being hurt!

I have found in my life that there are three types of friendships:
1.    Friends for a lifetime.
2.    Friends for a season.
3.    Friends for a moment.

All three types of friendship are just as important as the other.  You may be thinking, “Come on Tracy, surely a lifetime friend is more valuable than a friend for a season or moment!” I beg to differ with you – each type of friendship is valuable in its own right.

A friend in the moment can impact you for eternity. I will never forget sitting in a Chapel service at Mid-America Bible College.  A young African American student presented the gospel.   I don’t even know his name, but through his message and invitation, I accepted Jesus as my Savior – he was a friend for a moment that impacted my life for eternity.

A friend for a season can also impact you more than you know. I had a best guy-friend during my college years.  He greatly prepared me for my husband.  His friendship brought healing and restoration in my life – he was a friend for a season that impacted my life for such a time as this.

The thing about friendships is that we too often try and put the wrong people in the wrong place.  Or how about this one – how many of us expect everyone we are friends with to act like our friends for a lifetime? I will never forget when my feelings were hurt because a friend failed to ask me about a recent speaking engagement.  She knew about the event, but never inquired about it.  After much prayer, God clearly showed me that I was wrong by expecting her to act like my friends for a lifetime  – who ALWAYS pray for me and ask about my speaking engagements...knowing where a friend fits into our life can not only bring tremendous peace but also keep us from frustration and disappointment.

As women of God, it is time for us to let go of the childish things (offences, jealousy, back-biting, gossip, cliques, he-said-she-said conversations and every evil thing) and grab onto God with all of our might! God is the One person I can declare is your Friend for a lifetime!  Selah (pause and think about that for a moment).  Jesus is the One who is always on our side.  He is cheering you on from heaven and intercedes for you when no one else does.  Jesus is the friend that you are all longing for – grab onto Him and trust that He will give you wisdom in all your friendships.

Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for being my friend and Savior for a lifetime.  You are always with me and I love you.  I give you my friendships and ask that You forgive me for placing my hope in them rather than in You.  Show me who my friends are for a lifetime, season and moment.  I acknowledge today that each level of friendship is important in my life.  I let go of childish things – offense, rejection, trying to defend myself, he said – she said conversations, gossip, criticism, and the such and grab onto You – the author and finisher of my faith.   Amen.”

*An oldie but a goodie.  This was originally published back in Spring of 2009 on Tuesdayswithtracy.com.

“Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here’s what you do –
Say nothing evil or hurtful; snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to do what he’s asked; but he turns his back on those who do evil things.” 1 Peter 3:10, Message Translation

Whenever I am around people who gossip, I always leave their presence feeling dirty and in need of a spiritual shower. Yet, as much as I hate gossip, occasionally I find myself listening with interest and even participating. Whenever gossip first begins in conversation, my spirit feels uncomfortable and I always try to change the subject. Nevertheless, at times I get pulled in and fall prey to this evil sin. This is why we must be careful with whom we spend time and allow in our inner circle. Our inner circle consists of individuals we socialize with on a regular basis. *The truth is: If these “friends” are talking about others with you, then they are talking about you with others! Are you hanging out with people who gossip and say evil things about others? Are you that person? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if this is true about you or the friends you associate with.

Once a year I do what I call a “friend check.” This ritual allows the Holy Spirit to show me if someone, for various reasons, needs to move from my inner circle. Although this is hard for me, I have learned to trust the hand of God. God will often remove someone who is a wrong influence in my life and bring new friendships, which will encourage me to fulfill my destiny in Christ. Don’t be afraid to ask God to do a “friend check” in your life – I’ve had the same best friends for ten plus years. But they are people who run after peace and speak well of others. God simply longs to fill our days up with good and look upon us with his approval as the scripture states. He is a forgiving God and is always looking out for our very best.

Prayer:
Lord, help me to be a woman who runs after peace and cultivates good wherever I go. I give you permission to show me if I have fallen prey to gossip and speaking evil of others. Please forgive me Jesus and cleanse me of this sin. Help me to speak only good of others and hold things in confidence. Give me wisdom about who is in my inner circle. I give you permission to remove anyone out of my inner circle and to bring in new friends for your purposes in my life. Thank you for looking upon me today with approval from heaven. Thank you for loving me. Amen.

*Today’s Devotional was taken from “Tuesdays with Tracy: Real-life Devotions that Touch the Heart of a Woman,” Xulon Press, 2008.

Point to ponder: The people you hang out with today will determine who you become in five years!

“Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing.” Psalm 126:5 Amplified

As I look back over my life, I can honestly say that God has fulfilled this scripture in my life.  Most of you who read Tuesdays with Tracy on a regular basis know of my story and how my childhood was far from perfect.  What I had to endure as a child would have put anyone in therapy – LOL!  But through it all, God has been good to me. He was the One after all, who saved me, healed me and delivered me.  And God is the One who will turn your tears which you have sown into joy and singing.

My life is not perfect by any means, but let us not confuse happiness which is earthly and temporal, with joy that is eternal. The truth is that I still remember the pain of my past and I will never forget the abuse and agony I had to endure as a teenager, but just like Jesus whose hands still display the scar from the nails that pierced His hands on the cross, the memories from my past are also a reminder of God’s resurrection power in my own life.

No matter what you have or are currently going through, hold on because Jesus will do the same for you as He has done for me.  He will take your tears and turn them into joy. I will never forget the time when I was sitting on the lawn of Asbury University, soaking in God’s Word…and then it happened, I heard a still small voice speak to me, “Tracy you have been through much pain and sown many tears, but your future is filled with great joy.” I held onto that promise and it would be years later that I would find these words written in Psalm 126:5.   The Holy Spirit spoke this to me and He is speaking this into your life today – the question is – will you listen to what He has to say to you and will you believe Him?  Friends, Psalm 126:5 is true for me and it is also true for you.  Every tear that you have sown will reap a harvest of joy and singing in your life – I declare it for the glory of God.

Prayer:

“Lord, I give you my life and I choose to believe Psalm 126:5. All the tears of pain that I have sown will reap abundant joy and singing in my future.  I will not let my past hold me down any longer but I will press on and expect Your goodness and mercy to follow me all the days of my life.  Please line up my thoughts and my words with this truth today.  I give you my pain and ask that it be sown into a bountiful harvest of joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Amen.”

“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:20-21

In the past, I allowed my feelings to rule my life. I could be happy one minute and in tears the next. My emotions were completely dependent on varying circumstances around me and no matter what my loved ones told me, I would treat my feelings as the truth! Has anyone else been there besides me?  If your days are currently filled with confusion, worry and chaos then maybe your feelings are ruling your life at this time?  But I have good news for you today!  You don’t have to live your life dependent on how you feel because God’s Word is the final authority in your life. As daughters of the King, our feelings must submit to the Word of God and what He says about our situation.  We do not have to live our lives riding an emotional roller coaster.  We can have the peace that passes all understanding as we trust in God and His Word (Philippians 4:6-7).

I will never forget the day that I found 1 John 3:20-21 in my Bible. This scripture became my daily meditation and after researching the word “heart” in the Strong’s Concordance, I found that the word “heart” in our scripture today means “emotions and thoughts.” So, let’s read the verse again, but this time I will replace the word “heart” with it’s Greek meaning, “emotions and thoughts:

“For if our emotions and thoughts condemn us, God is greater than our emotions and thoughts and knows all things. Beloved, if our emotions and thoughts do not condemn us, we then have confidence toward God.”

Isn’t this good news? The truth is, when our emotions and thoughts contradict the Word of God – we have a choice to make: Are we going to believe our emotions and thoughts or the Word of God? For years I lived my life in double-mindedness. I would read the Bible, but then allow my emotions to rob my faith in God! But not anymore!

So I have 2 questions for you:

1.  Will you choose to believe the Word of God no matter what is going on around you in the natural world?

2.  What will be the final authority in your life – your feelings or God’s Word?

Now that you have found 1 John 3:20-21, you also have a choice to make.  It may seem hard to believe right now, but you too can begin to declare and believe that God is greater than your thoughts and emotions and that He knows all things.  And even when your feelings tell you something different, you can choose to hold onto God’s Word as truth in your life and experience supernatural peace.  You and I can both live in God’s peace daily and our feelings no longer have to dictate our lives.  Now that is something to shout about…Yeah!

Prayer:

“Lord, I choose to believe Your Word no matter what is going on around me. I declare that according to 1 John 3:20-21, You are greater than my emotions and thoughts and that You know all things. I will no longer allow my emotions to rule my life. You have good plans for me – with a future and a hope. I will worship You alone.  Thank you for peace that passes understanding.  I love you Jesus and I know that my best days are ahead of me because You love me.  Amen.”

“Have the roots (of your being) firmly and deeply planted in Him, fixed and founded (in Him), being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7, AMP

It is officially summer my friends – school is out, the weather is hot, pools are open and life as we knew it, is no more (I know all the mom’s are shaking their heads in agreement with me right now:)! But, I have an important message for you today: It is important that you seize the summer and not let the summer just pass you by.

Summer is often a time of activity, rest and relaxation, but it can also be a season where the days feel like they are never-ending! I made the decision several months ago to enjoy my summer, but hadn’t yet grabbed a hold of what my summer would entail. The problem was that I had no vision for what the days of summer would hold for me. I was quickly becoming either overwhelmed with activity or feeling the dread of a new day with nothing to do! You see, I was letting the summer seize me, instead of me seizing my summer!

Just this morning, I sought God about the next few months. I heard the Holy Spirit clearly state, “Tracy, how you spend your summer will determine how you spend your fall.” I felt within my spirit that the summer (for me), is a time of enjoyment and rest this year and I desire to spend my time : (1) Reading God’s Word (Spending time with Jesus and reading my Bible), (2) Enjoying my daughter & family (Spending quality time with those that I love), and (3) Writing (Spending time on my next book and writing bi-weekly devotionals that I pray will encourage women). Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision (no redemptive revelation of God), the people perish…” With these three goals in mind, I now have a vision for my summer. I can already see myself refreshed by spending time in God’s Word.   I can see my family and I laughing and discovering new things in our City.  And I can imagine seeing the cover of my new book! With these goals before me, I know that I am going to have an awesome summer!

What is your vision for your summer? If you are not sure, then ask God. He will give you some guidance on how you can enjoy your summer and be prepared for your fall, which is also known as harvest time! What you sow in the summer, you will reap in the fall. I pray that God speaks to you today. Remember to seize your summer and do not let summer seize you! Be encouraged because no matter what your summer holds, God will use these months to prepare and propel you into your promise land!

Prayer:
“Lord, please speak to me today. I want my summer to be filled with purpose and destiny. Show me the areas of my life you want to strengthen. As You give me a vision for this summer Lord, I can see goodness and mercy following me. I see days of laughter, revelation and enjoyment! In Christ I seize my summer. These next few months will prepare me for Harvest – get me ready Lord, for my greatest days in You are yet ahead! Amen.”

*This devotional is an oldie but a goodie.  It was published 2 years ago on my site, “Seizing Your Summer” but there is no better time to publish it again!  Thanks for your continued encouragement of “Tuesdays With Tracy!”

“I run for dear life to God, I’ll never live to regret it. Do what you do so well: get me out of this mess and up on my feet.  Put your ear to the ground and listen, give me space for salvation. Be a guest room where I can retreat; you said your door was always open!
You’re my salvation—my vast, granite fortress.”  Psalm 71:1-3, Message

Did you know that God could be your “guest room?” God and His Word can be our place in which we can retreat and get some needed R&R. Psalm 16 tells us that in His Presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. He even promises in our scripture above that His door is always open for us. As one Hotel has marketed itself, “He’ll even leave the light on for ya!”

When we are overwhelmed, our earthly bodies long for a place of tranquility and today I am here to tell you that it is in God’s presence that you can truly unwind and rest from the difficulties of life. He is a refreshing drink to our thirsty spirits, He is the healer of our mind, body and spirit, and He wants us to lay in green pastures with total confidence that He loves us and will fight every battle before us.

Just as you are able to rest and receive while staying in a guest room of a close friend or family member, when you run to God for dear life, He is our guest room – our fluffy bed, luxurious sheets and soft pillows. He is our “calgon take me away” bath salts and He is everything we need.

I want you to know that God loves you and He has amazing plans for you.  Hold on because your BEST days are yet ahead.  No eye has seen and no ear has heard the plans that He has for you! And when things get difficult remember to run to the true “guest room” of Jesus.

Prayer:

“Lord, I run to you for dear life today and I declare that I will never regret it! You are my salvation and everything I need in my life. I give you every situation on my heart today and choose to find my retreat in You and Your Word. Thank you for always loving me. Amen.”

“So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts of Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pride-fully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t’.”  Romans 12:4-5, The Message

In the past I have dreaded shopping for a new bathing suit…can I please get some sisterly love on this one? I have literally walked into a dressing room with 20+ swimsuits in hand and left the room empty handed and feeling as if none of them looked nice, but this may have been because I was under a faulty delusion that somehow my size-12 body would magically turn into a size-8 body whenever I went shopping – of which I thought I could experience a “Tadah” moment. However this “Tadah” never happened and I was quickly snapped back into reality that simply putting on a new article of clothing does not cause immediate weight loss! LOL!

However, somewhere along the journey of life, I have come to the place of simply longing to be the best me. I don’t know if this revelation has come with age or by consciously choosing to love myself, but I no longer walk in trepidation at the thought of shopping nor do I compare myself to others because I just want to be the best me.

I no longer give my energy or thoughts over to what the world would say about me, (my accomplishments or lack of, my weight, my values, etc) because as our scripture states above, God excellently and marvelously formed me. This truth has become a line in the sand for me. I no longer expend precious time comparing myself to others – I just need to be the best me…whether size 12 or 8…I am fashioned and formed by God,  I am created to be a blessing to the body of Christ.

So let’s all make the choice to go ahead and be who God made us to be and lets choose to let others be who God made them to be. Bottom line:  I am free to be me and you are free to be you!

You see, God fashioned and formed you and you are vital to the body of Christ. There is no other “you” on the face of the earth.  The gifts and talents God put into your life are greatly needed by those around you. It is my prayer that today you will make the choice to no longer compare yourself to others and that you will simply be the best you!

Prayer:

“Lord, I choose from this day forward to love myself.  You tell me in Your Word to love my neighbor as I love myself.  Help me to embrace the fact that you fashioned and formed me and that You have good plans for me.  I will no longer give my time and energy to what others may say or think of me but I will honor You with my thoughts.  Help me to be who You created me to be – the best me!  Amen.”