Throw Open The Doors

by | General

“We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.”  Romans 5:1-2, The Message

For years I feared that if I surrendered my life to God, He would call me to live in a tent in a tropical forest, marry a man that I was not attracted to and birth twenty plus children  – all of which are not wrong by any means – but I had no desire for any of these things.  The problem was that I did not know the character of God at that time. I believed the lie that if I gave my life over to God that He would ask me to do things that I was not equipped for nor would I like, but this could not be farther from the truth!

You see, when I threw open the doors of my heart to God, I discovered that God had already thrown open His doors of grace to me as the scripture above states. God had been patiently, lovingly, waiting for me to give up and to let Him have control.  Sweet surrender. I recognize that It is God who blessed me with a wonderful, good-looking husband.  It is God who blessed me to be a mother and it was God who knew that I was not called to live in the  jungle, but instead He gifted me to help His people through Counseling.  Many marvel that I enjoy being a Counselor, but it was God who put this desire within my heart and I experience great joy when I Counsel.

Before Christ, I struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, rejection, worthlessness, and  more.  Yet, when I came to the end of myself and cried out to God, He filled me with His life, joy and peace. Over time I began to see who God really was – a loving, giving, compassionate Father who placed talents and abilities within me to glorify Him.  I cannot boast of anything in my life, for it is God and God alone who blesses me.

Now, there are circumstances in each of our lives that we would never willingly choose to go through, but with God we can be confident that He will lead us to victory in every place .  We can stand firm that God will work all things out for His good when we are called according to His purpose.  God does not waste anything.  He will not waste our pain, trials, talents, abilities, desires or anything in life.

I want to encourage you to surrender everything to God today.  It is only through surrender that we can find peace and joy.  I pray you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and may we both experience sweet surrender this season!

Prayer:  ”Lord, I give my life and I declare that You are good and gracious and will lead me to wide open spaces as I surrender to You.  You have amazing plans for my life and I no longer want to keep You at arms length.  I want to fully surrender to Your will and not my own.  You have placed desires and abilities within me for Your purposes and I long to fulfill my destiny on earth.  May Your will be done.  Amen.”


Reliable Friendships are a gift from God

by | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy

“Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat – refreshing!” Proverbs 25:13, The Message

Many of us are longing for so many things in life – money, healing, recognition, a clean house or maybe your like me and would just love an occasional nap!  But no matter who you are or where you come from, I think we can all agree that reliable friendships are priceless and a gift from Heaven above!

The truth is, if we have just one reliable friend – we are truly blessed. When the trails of life come knocking at our door, it is important for us to know whom to call upon for prayer and support.  I often think about when Jesus himself asked three of his closest disciples to come and pray with him at the Garden of Gethsemane.  Isn’t that amazing?  I mean, just think about this for a moment…even Jesus needed his most dependable friends near him during the darkest hours of his life. This fact has given me a new freedom.  When the storms of life begin to blow, I immediately run to the shelter of God’s Word and I also know it is okay for me to call upon a few reliable friends to stand with me in prayer. We don’t have to fight the battles of life alone.  We can call upon God and His people to stand by our side.

My prayer for you today is for God to shine a light on your reliable friends – those He has called to stand with you.  And do not forget that YOU can be a reliable friend to those in your life!  In Christ you have the power to offer a cool drink to a person in need today – now that’s refreshing!

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for always being with me.  You are with me at every mountaintop and valley throughout my life.    Please help me to be a reliable friend to those in need today.  Shine Your light on the individuals You have called to stand with me for such a time as this.  Thank you God for always being my most dependable friend. Amen.