by Tracy | Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:5
“Many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not con-fess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” John 12:42-43
There was a time in my life when I longed for the approval of man. I wanted to be a person of great importance. I drank in the praise of man and became intoxicated with what people thought and said of me. Yet my approval addiction was never satisfied and thankfully so because it brought me to the place of brokenness and total surrender to God. I have come to the place where I no longer desire the praise of man, but only to hear my Father say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
In our society we are encouraged to glorify the accomplishments of man. Many strive to achieve titles, positions of power, wealth and to be deemed by the world as a noteworthy person. And although we are promised much favor and success as children of God, a lot of individuals believe that the praise of man alone will bring them a sense of worth. They crave to hear man say of them, “Wow, look at them and what they have accomplished.” This is true even in the Christian culture. There is often a mixture of longing to glorify God while also enjoying the seduction of the praise of man.
Let us be reminded today that the praise of man is temporal and it will never bring true satisfaction. The only true satisfaction in this life is a relationship with God. And friend, God has already deemed you worthy! Through the Cross of Jesus, you are the righteousness of God and He loves you – the real you!
You can rest your head tonight knowing that no matter what man may think or say about you, God loves you! It is my prayer that each night you will fall asleep pondering God’s amazing love for you. Oh how He loves you! Jesus gave His life for you, what more could He give? Oh how He loves you and me!
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for loving me. I acknowledge that there is nothing this world can offer me that will bring me true peace or satisfaction but You! I will choose this day forward to meditate on what You say about me. No matter what man may say, I am the righteousness of God, I am the head and not the tail and the blessings of the Lord will chase me and overtake me (Deuteronomy 28). Amen.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him with a shield.”Psalm 5:12
Did you know that you are blessed with God’s favor today? You can rest in the fact that God is the Blesser and the One who gives you the capacity for living a full, rich life. You and I are simply the recipients of His favor and there is nothing that can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). It is through the love of Jesus and the power of the Cross, that we are deemed righteous, blessed, and highly favored of God.
No matter what you are going through at this time, God will surround you with favor like a shield. When you walk into a room, God’s blessing is with you. When you walk through a dark valley, God’s favor will go before you and enlighten the way to victory. When your enemies are out to eat you for lunch, God will surround you with His favor like a shield and none of their plans will prosper.
It has been my experience that God’s favor is not only seen upon us by man but that God can even shield our areas of weaknesses in order for His favor to be manifested toward us on earth as it is in Heaven. God is the potter, we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8) and man’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1).
Is there a place in your life where you need the favor of God? I want to encourage you today to declare Psalm 5:12 over your situation. As you declare God’s Word, you can wait expectantly for God to move on your behalf. You, my friend are the righteousness of God and He will surround you with favor like a shield this day. I declare that no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for surrounding me with favor like a shield. I can never repay You for what You did on the Cross, but in return, I willingly give you my life, my dreams, my desires and I ask that You alone be glorified through me. I declare Your Word over my life and I wait expectantly for You to move on my behalf. Amen.”
PS: Ladies – Thank you for your recent prayer requests. I am agreeing with you in prayer that God is willing and able and I look forward to hearing your praise reports! If you are in need of prayer today, please click here, it would be my honor to cover you and your need in prayer. Blessings!
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of GOOD REPORT, if there is any virture and if there is anything PRAISEWORTHY – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8, NKJ (Author’s emphasis added)
Have you ever had one of those days when all you seem to hear is bad news? Maybe it was a telephone call, an email or your local news that brought these dreadful reports to your attention and before you knew it, you were sinking into a state of hopelessness! And although it would not be wise to totally ignore such issues, Paul clearly states in the verse above that it is in our best interest not to meditate on the worst, but on the best of things.
Every day it is important for us to guard our minds and find at least one good report to meditate on. It may be the testimony of a friend who got a breakthrough, a family member who received a raise or you may have gotten a good report from your doctor, but even if you can’t seem to think of anything praiseworthy on earth, you can always meditate on God’s Word. I have found that just one Word from God can not only change your day but your life!
In honor of thinking upon what is true, noble, reputable, compelling and gracious, I am going to share with you a few scriptures to meditate on when you are longing to think upon the best and not the worst:
My God can take me higher than my circumstances:
“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.” Psalm 61:1-4
If God is for me, who can be against me:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall keep her, just at the break of dawn.” Psalm 46:1-5
When I speak the Word of God out loud, it will move mountains on my behalf:
“For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Let’s make a choice to think upon good things this day. Even when we are dealing with difficult circumstances we can have joy within our heart as we meditate on things worthy to be praised.
Prayer:
“Lord, I lift up every concern on my heart to You today. I ask that while I think upon the good things, that You would move on my behalf. I declare that You are above every circumstance in my life and I will not fear. You tell us in Psalm 46, that we do not need to fear because You are our refuge and strength and our very present help in trouble. I love You and I choose today to think upon what is true, noble and praise-worthy. Amen.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“For you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36
Patience…it’s a word that most of us do not like. But, today I want to show you how vital the fruit of patience is to receive the promises of God in your life. Did you know that patience is also defined as endurance and perseverance? The Greek word for endurance is “hupomone.” (Please stay with me for a moment as we define the Greek word, “hupomone” and get a clearer picture of why patience is so imperative to our spiritual life). “Hupomone” means, “constancy, perseverance, continuance, bearing up, steadfastness, holding out and patient endurance”. “Hupo” literally means, “under,” and “mone” literally means, “to remain.”
Therefore, we can define patience as: “The ability to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with a passive complacency, but with a hopeful staying power that actively resists weariness and defeat.”
This is good news, because most of us give up too soon. Once we receive a promise from the Word of God we want an immediate manifestation of that promise – like NOW! But it usually does not work that way. Just as Abraham had to wait patiently before he received his promise – so do we. There is a slice of time between the PROMISE and the PROVISION where the POWER of PATIENCE is vital. You see, during this in-between time is when the enemy attacks you the most. The devil will do everything within his power to distract, discourage and pull you off track. When the attack comes – you will need the power of patience. You need the supernatural power of endurance to bear up under the trials of this life and ACTIVELY resist weariness and defeat. The truth is YOU WIN – if you do not lose hope!
I encourage you today to ask God for the power of patience to manifest in your life. Whether you need it now or sometime in the near future – the “hupomone” power of God will help you to wait patiently and receive your promise!
Prayer:
Lord, I need the power of patience in my life. Help me to bear up under difficult circumstances with a hopeful resilience that actively resists weariness and defeat. When the enemy comes like a roaring lion, I declare the supernatural power of endurance is manifested in my life. I will not give up. I will not lose sight. I will be victorious and receive ALL the promises of God in my life. Amen.
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“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.”
by Tracy | Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!” Psalm 42:11, NLT
Has your life ever seemed to be going smoothly, but then out of nowhere a circumstance arises and you are suddenly full of fear? Fear is something all of us battle at one time or another. I have learned over the years when fear emerges that somehow, somewhere, I began to place my hope in something or someone other than God.
Take our economy for instance. If we place our hope in the housing market right now, we are going to battle fear and anxiety. And what about the Presidential election today? If we place our hope in our nominee and he is not chosen, what then? If your choice for 2008 is not elected, you may be tempted to give into overwhelming fear. But if we place our hope in God -Who reigns over the housing market and Who reigns over America’s choice for President in 2008, we can remain in perfect peace!
So let me ask you, to what or whom is your hope placed in today? Is your hope placed in man, your bank account, beauty, performance or children? If your hope is placed in anything of this world, you will be gravely disappointed. But if your hope is in Jesus Christ, then everything will be a-okay and you can rest in His perfect peace.
If you are battling fear and discouragement today, I encourage you to place your hope in God. Begin to rehearse all that He has done for you. Let thanksgiving take over your worried mind. No matter what you are going through, God is for you and fighting on your behalf. Psalm 44:8 tells us to give glory to God all day long and constantly praise His name. It’s time for us to once again receive God’s love and give Him glory all day long. God is faithful and He will never let us down.
Remember to cast your vote today – but again, no matter who wins this election, you can remain in perfect peace. God knew who would be President in 2008 before you were in your mother’s womb. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. Whoever wins today, we are called by God to uphold him in prayer. It does not matter what we think or what party we are affiliated with. God is in control and we are to rest in His will for the United States of America and for us.
Prayer:
Lord, I give you all my fears this day. Forgive me for placing my hope in anything other than You. You are my God and You reign over every situation in my life. I declare faith to arise within my spirit. I rebuke every attack of the enemy and ask according to Psalm 37:14-15, that when the wicked draws their sword at me, they will in return be stabbed through the heart with their own swords and their bows will be broken in Jesus Name. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. And I make a decision today that no matter who is elected President, I will not fear and I will respect this man of authority through prayer. Amen.”
