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 | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6
Has God given you a dream that has yet to come to pass? If your answer is “yes,” then I am sure you are aware that a God-inspired dream can be fulfilled in just 20 minutes or it can take up to 20 years! The problem is that during our waiting season, we often get anxious and try to fulfill our God-given dreams without God! But our self-effort only leads to frustration and failure!
Lets face it, if God gives us a dream; it is ridiculous for us to think that we can do it without His help! Zechariah 4:6 clearly tells us that it is not by might (wealth, position or prestige) or by power (our own physical strength and intelligence), but it is by the Spirit of God (His supernatural movement) that our God-given dreams will be accomplished here on earth.
Just take a moment right now and think about the dreams and desires God has placed within your heart. Go ahead and think about it and I will wait for you right here. Okay, now let me ask you: Have you given up on your dreams? Have you tried to fulfill them on your own? Are you waiting expectantly for God to bring them to pass? No matter your response, I want to encourage you today that your God-given dream is worth the wait! It is time for you to dream again. It is time for you to wait in anticipation of your dreams because they WILL come to pass in due time. Whether it is twenty minutes or twenty years for you to see the fulfillment – God is faithful and He will fulfill His promise!
Prayer:
“Lord, I give you the dreams that you have placed within my heart. I declare that You will bring them to pass in due time. You are faithful and I trust that I will see the fulfillment of my dreams according to Your Spirit. No matter how long I must wait I declare that it will be worth it! Amen.”
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
The Lord make His face to shine upon you and enlighten you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace and they shall put My Name upon them, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:25-27
*Mid-summer I found myself singing the familiar lyrics to one of the Go-Go songs from the mid 80’s: “vacation all I ever wanted, vacation have to get away…” After singing this song consecutively for a few weeks, my husband came downstairs from his office one night and suggested we get away the following weekend. We began looking on line at last minute deals and stumbled on an unbelievable package for Bermuda. We booked our flight and hotel and literally left four days later!
Prior to leaving, I heard a minister preach about the favor of God and how we need to proclaim God’s favor over our lives each day. He stated that when we see the favor of God, we should proclaim it OUT LOUD. So, while packing our clothes and necessities for our trip, my husband and I also began spiritually packing by praying for God’s favor. We prayed for the littlest things – such as favor with the flight attendants and beautiful weather. We also prayed about the big things, such as, an upgraded room upon arrival and safe travel to and from the Atlanta airport. As we headed for the airport the morning of our flight, we were amazed that there was no traffic and we immediately proclaimed “that is the favor of God.”
We landed on the beautiful island of Bermuda right on time and found our transportation to the hotel with no trouble and we proclaimed our new mantra – “that is the favor of God.” When we arrived at our hotel and gave our name to the clerk, she gave a troubled look and stated she would get the manger to assist us. My husband and I looked at each other and both wondered what God was up to. The manager apologetically told us that the hotel had been overbooked and therefore we would need to stay at their sister hotel. At this point I would normally be gravely disappointed and upset, but because we had covered the entire trip with prayer, I decided to go with the flow and see what God had in store for us. The hotel agreed to pay for our moped rental and the manager personally took us to the sister hotel. We felt as if we were on an adventure just waiting to see what the favor of God was about to do.
As the manager showed us our room, our mouths dropped! It wasn’t just a typical hotel room, it was an executive suite with an ocean view! After we received our keys and calmly stated “the room would be fine,” we literally closed the door and jumped up and down proclaiming, “This is the favor of God!” There isn’t enough room to tell you about all the favor we had on our trip, but let me just add that even upon arriving back on a Friday afternoon during typical Atlanta rush hour traffic, we sailed home in amazement (all of you who live in Atlanta know this was the greatest miracle of all) and as we pulled into our driveway we thanked God for His abundant favor on our trip from the beginning to the end!
I encourage you to pray for the favor of God upon your life today. As you begin proclaiming God’s favor upon your life – wait expectantly – you never know what God might have in store for you!
Prayer:
“Lord, I declare the favor of God over my life. Open my eyes to see Your favor everyday! Once I see it, I will proclaim, “This is the favor of God!” Thank you for all that You have done in my life. Thank you in advance for all that is yet ahead! I give you my life Lord and I know that your favor and grace will follow me wherever I go.” Amen.
*Revised Article, “The Favor of God,” by Tracy Hurst, Christian Chronicle/2004
by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
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.
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
” 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.”
