by Tracy | General
The faithful readers of Tuesdays With Tracy, have picked the devotional below as one of their “favorites.” Read & enjoy – It’s that time once again to…. Seize Your Summer!
“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 preparation and that I have three main goals: (1) Word (Spending time with Jesus and reading my Bible), (2) Workouts (walks and weights) and (3) Quality time (spending time with those that I love). 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 getting up early to spend time in God’s Word, I can see Alyssa and I taking walks and I can imagine enjoying precious time with family and friends! With this new vision 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.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret – it only causes harm.” Psalm 37:7
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:9-10
What if I were to tell you that there was a place of rest for you today? Rest for your mind, rest for your body and rest for your spirit. It is in this place where peace and hope abide and where earthly trials cannot touch you. It is a place where you are above every circumstance, emotion, thought and accusation of the enemy. This place is the Presence of God.
When a situation arises in our life, we have a choice to make – we can either rest in God or be tormented through worry. When we choose to rest in God and what He says about our situation – we are immediately swept under the shadow of His wings and no evil can come near our dwelling (Psalm 91). It is in this resting place where the great exchange occurs. We exchange our life, concerns, thoughts, emotions and plans for Christ’s life of peace, favor, strength and wisdom.
Our ability to rest in the Presence of God is freely given to us through the life of Jesus. Jesus conquered death, sickness, lack, unrest and so much more on the cross. Resting in God is by no means an excuse to live a life without purpose, or to become lazy, but it is a place of protection provided by our Heavenly Father through His covenant with His children.
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for providing a place of rest for me. I am so grateful that I do not have to live in fear, worry, doubt or condemnation, but I can go boldly to Your throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in my time of need. I ask for the great exchange today – my life for Your life. I choose to rest under the shadow of Your wings and declare that no evil shall come near me. Amen.”
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by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“Mommy, I’m scared,” cried my daughter from the back seat of our van after I announced that we were headed to a swimming lesson. With her reaction, you would have thought I was taking her to get a set of shots at the doctor’s office! But I quickly realized that my daughter was struggling with fear. With each tear that fell from her face, I was overwhelmed with compassion and I almost cried myself – LOL! I tried to console her by telling her that Jesus would be right there with her and I immediately began quoting Psalm 91. I prayed for God to remove her fear and to replace it with His power, love and a sound mind.
The instructor had to literally pry my daughter from my arms that day. And as I sat and prayed in the waiting room, I thought about how many times in my own life I had to do it afraid. There was a time in my life when I had to overcome fear by digging into God’s Word. I had to continually meditate on index cards filled with scripture throughout my day. I had to do it afraid while holding onto God’s Word within my heart.
Maybe you are struggling with fear today and if so, I have good news for you. Romans 8:15 states, we do not have to live in bondage to fear but we can cry out, “Abba, Father.” You see, the moment you gave your life to Jesus, you had access to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy, grace and help in time of trouble (Hebrews 4:16). You do not have to live in the torment of fear any longer – you can cry out “Abba, Father” and receive mercy, grace and help in time of trouble. Just as I was moved to compassion on behalf of my daughter, God is moved into action on your behalf when you cry out to Him. God loves you. He longs to comfort, encourage and give you His power, love and a sound mind.
It does not matter what you are afraid of because God is greater. Jesus conquered fear on the Cross and His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). You can rest in the fact that God loves you and is moved to compassion when you cry out to Him for help! I am thrilled to share with you that my daughter did it afraid! She not only swam beautifully in her lesson, but she did it with a smile. She left the pool that day with a sense of joy and fulfillment. And the truth is that we can ALL do it afraid as we hold onto God’s Word within our heart.
Prayer:
“Lord, I come boldly to Your throne today to obtain mercy, grace and help. I do not want to live in fear another day. I declare fear is no longer welcome in my mind, body or spirit and I ask that You fill me with your power, love and a sound mind. I will do it afraid while holding Your Word within my heart. Amen.”
Copyright, This entire site © 2006-2009, Tracy Hurst
This site is only for your personal use. You may not distribute, exchange, modify, sell or transmit anything you copy from this site, including but not limited to any text, images, audio and video, for any business, commercial or public purpose without permission.
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“For His (God’s) anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime and in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5, Amplified
For years, I placed my hope in my circumstances. When things were going well, I would experience happiness, but when difficulties arose, I would give myself over to anxiety and discouragement. All the while, JOY was waiting for me.
At that time, I did not know the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is temporal, fleshly and dependent on “things” in the natural world – how much money we have in our bank account, how many items of clothing we have in our closet, how we look, how well our children perform at school or how much acknowledgment we receive from our peers and the list goes on and on! Now, don’t get me wrong, all of these “things” can be wonderful and feel fabulous, but the happiness we receive from the things of this world are temporary, and can be taken away from us at any moment.
Joy on the other hand is stable, unmoving, and can stand solid in the most difficult of situations. While happiness is based on outward circumstances, joy is based upon our belief in God and the condition of our heart.
Nehemiah 8:10 states that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Another word for strength is endurance, which is the Greek word “hupomone.” “Hupo” literally means under and “mone” means to remain. Therefore, endurance can be defined as the capacity to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with a passive complacency, but with a hopeful (joyful) fortitude that actively resists weariness and defeat!
Joy is supernatural, it gives us the strength we need to actively resists weariness and defeat. Joy is always above what the world has to offer. You see, God’s joy is solely dependent on His Word and what He says about our situation. No matter what you are currently going through – you can experience joy as you wait expectantly for God to move on your behalf! I encourage you to take your eyes off of your situation and place them on the Solution – God. As you do this, God will fill you with His joy and you can rest assured that your victory is at hand.
Prayer:
“Lord, forgive me for allowing my circumstances to dictate how I feel. I ask for You to fill me with supernatural joy. I need endurance. I long to bear up under difficult circumstances with a hopeful fortitude. Help me to resist weariness and defeat and receive Your supernatural joy. I declare that as I fix my eyes on You, the Author and Finisher of my faith that you will perfect that which concerns me this day (Psalm 138:8). Amen.”
Copyright: This entire site © 2006-2009, Tracy Hurst
This Site is only for your personal use. You may not distribute, exchange, modify, sell or transmit anything you copy from this site, including but not limited to any text, images, audio and video, for any business, commercial or public purpose without permission