by Tracy | Tuesdays With Tracy
“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
“The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.” Proverbs 29:25, The Message
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 her and what she has 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, hence why you continually see Hollywood and sports stars turning to drugs, alcohol, affairs and such. The only true satisfaction in this life is to have 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!
Friend, 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 | 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 | Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life. I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns. Hold tight to good advice; don’t relax your grip. Guard it well – your life is at stake!” Proverbs 4:10-13, The Message
Last week we discussed how a wrong association or friendship would eventually bring destruction to your life, but did you know that even a right association at the wrong time would still bring wrong results? Think about this with me for a moment. You can have a right relationship, but if you embrace this relationship in the wrong season, it will bring frustration and self-destruct. Friendships change yet as women we often struggle with letting go of friendships that are no longer fruitful. Not letting go is rooted in fear and fear always leads to torment. Letting go allows us to trust God with our friendships, and when we are willing to let go and let God, He will either bring the friendship around in due time or bring in new friendships that will propel us forward into our destiny.
Here is what God has shown me:
A right association in a right season = right results
A wrong association in any season = wrong results
And a right association in a wrong season = wrong results
The word “season” in the Greek is “karios.” “Karios” is defined in the Strong’s Concordance as, “an opportune time, set time, appointed time, definitive time, proper time for action and tells us of special happenings that are to occur during a certain time frame.” It is important that we know the season we are in and whom we are to associate with for such a time as this.
There are seasonal places to live, positions of employment, hobbies, and friendships, which in the right season are a huge blessing. This is why we need God’s supernatural wisdom in every area of our life…including our friendships! Proverbs 7:4-5 in the NKJV states, “Say to Wisdom, you are my sister, and call understanding your nearest kin, that they may keep you from *wrong relationships, from *wrong associations who flatter with their lips.”(*Words changed from immoral woman and seductress to wrong associations/relationships by author).
We are entering a season where it is vital that we heed God’s wisdom in our lives. Our obedience is vital to the Kingdom of God. It is time for us to let go of the childish things and grab onto Jesus with all of your might. Jesus is the Right association all the time!!!!
Prayer:
“Lord, I cry out for Wisdom this day. I give you permission to show me any wrong associations in my life. Help me to let them go in order to grab onto You and the right associations for such a time as this. I want to go higher in You and I declare that You are the Right association at all times! Show me the times and seasons. Amen.”
by Tracy | General, Tuesdays With Tracy
After traveling out of state the past few years, I am finally in Atlanta again & I’d love to see you there.
Faith in Action
“Looking Up and Looking Out”
First Baptist Church of Smyrna
Saturday, February 12, 2011 8:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
A day full of blessings waiting for you with:
MAIN SPEAKER FOR GENERAL SESSIONS:
TRACY HURST
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
BREAKOUT SESSIONS OF VARIOUS TOPICS
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
A simultaneous event for preschoolers and children of participants will be offered.
$15 Registration due by February 6th
Call for information: 770-435-3231
For those of you near Highlands/Cashiers, North Carolina…Hurry, Registration is due by January 31st: call: (828) 526-4685
Contact me if you have any questions and I hope to see you soon! More Conferences are coming and I will try and keep you posted.
Blessings,
Tracy
by Tracy | Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
For years I have studied the book of Proverbs, but every time I came to Chapter six and the “Warning On Adultery,” I would simply skip over this portion of scripture as I felt it did not apply to me. After all, this was not an area of temptation for me and and I am not a man. And isn’t it men that God warns about a seductive female and her tactics to pull a him into her bed? But recently I approached this normally skipped over portion of scripture by praying, “Lord, I ask you for Wisdom to show me how I can apply this to my life.” Within an instant, I heard a still small voice say, “Tracy, an adulterous woman is a wrong association.” With this revelation, I immediately replaced all the words of warning about adultery to that of having a wrong association or friendship in my life.
So buckle your seat belts because what I am about to share with you is God’s wisdom concerning wrong associations (friendships) and how they can destroy you! The scripture below is taken from Proverbs 6:20-33, The Message Translation and the words of warning about an “adulterous women” was changed to “wrong association” by me:
“Good friend, follow your father’s good advice; don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings. Wrap yourself in them from head to foot; wear them like a scarf around your neck. Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you; wherever you rest, they’ll guard you; when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next. For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path.
They’ll protect you from wrong associations, from the ‘to good to be true’ talk of a wrong business adventure. Don’t lustfully fantasize about the worlds deemed ‘beautiful people,’ nor be taken in by gossip or dishonest ways to obtain money. You can buy an hour with a fortune teller with a few dollars, but these wrong advisors will eat you alive.
Can you build a fire in your lap and not burn your pants? Can you walk barefoot on hot coals and not get blisters? It is the same when you become entangled with wrong relationships which pull you away from God and seeking HIs Wisdom. Come into contact with them and you’ll pay for it. No excuses. Hunger is no excuse for a thief to steal; when he is caught he has to pay it back, even if he has to put his whole house in hock.
Holding onto unhealthy relationships is a brainless act, but can be soul destroying, self-destructive; expect a bloody nose, a black eye, and a reputation ruined for good.”
Isn’t this good? I wonder just how many times I have overlooked a passage of scripture thinking it didn’t apply to my life, all the while, God longed to show me His Wisdom? I know more than ever that EVERY scripture can be applied to our lives – we just need to seek God for His Wisdom. I pray God’s blessings over each of you. May God give you wisdom on any wrong friendships in your life and I declare His strength to help you let go of them. Jesus is the only One we are to hold tightly onto – He is the right association at all times!
Prayer:
“Lord, keep me from wrong associations that will pull me away from You. I give you permission to show me any wrong associations and what I need to do about it. I long for Your Wisdom and counsel. Keep me from turning to anyone other than You for Wisdom. Surround me with godly counselors and those who have my best interest in mind. Thank You for giving me Wisdom this day and protecting me from relationships that would bring destruction to me and my family. Amen.”
