by Tracy | General
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.” Proverbs 3:27
I found this in the archives and I thought it was fitting to share it with you once again as we prepare to celebrate the gift of Motherhood this Sunday!
In honor of Mother’s Day, I have asked “My Moms” to share some words of wisdom with us. Their messages are timeless and great reminders to us all. Whether you are single, married, divorced, with or without children – these pearls shared below are priceless! So sit back and enjoy hearing from these Godly women.
A Message from my Mom, Penny Kenton:
As funny as it may sound, my daughter, son and I all have fond memories of a vacation-on-a shoestring we shared when they were young. I was a single mother at the time and did not have extra money for a vacation, but as my mother had taught me, you can have fun on a shoestring budget!
Instead of eating meals out, we went to the grocery store and bought food. For breakfast we would eat cereal out of little boxes. For lunch we ate peanut butter, bananas and honey on pitas. As we munched our lunch on the beach, a sandstorm came along and our gourmet delights now included a crunch of sand with
every bite. In the evening as we watched movies on TV and ate snacks in our motel room, we laughed and talked and just shared time being together.
It’s hard to believe but that was 16 years ago. Even though in subsequent years the three of us shared more extravagant vacations, I think we all agree, the shoestring trip holds precious memories.
My message to mothers is this – don’t be afraid to be creative and adventurous. It’s not about how much you spend or how luxurious things are when you do things with your child or children, it’s all about creating precious memories. You may be surprised how some of them can be created on a shoestring budget.
A Message from my Mother-in-Law, Linda Hurst:
When I was a young mother with three small children I asked the Lord, “What special things do I need to do in raising my children?” The answer came softly in my mind – “Just be.”
“Just be” – That seems so simple, I thought. Looking back I realize that to “just be” is not as simple as it sounded. The world we live in does not encourage one to “just be.” The world is constantly telling us we need to do this, we must have that and we should never be satisfied with the status quo – whatever that means. Many voices call us to get involved in various activities that take our time away from our families.Being involved in activities is important and beneficial, but should not be a priority over our family. As a mother, I feel that it is very important that we are there for our children and to always be in prayer for every aspect of their lives.
A Message from a Spiritual Mom, Ann Platz:
I am glad that I’m now sixty years old. So much of life is trial and error. Rearing two daughters alone for seven years taught me a lot. That I needed
the Lord in my life! I also learned that His love is stronger than anything else. That in time God will restore everything that you allow Him to.
My ambition as a child was to be a wife and mother. That was it! When my first marriage ended it was catastrophic for me. What I did not see at that
time was that God was unfolding a plan for me that would supercede my wildest imagination! What He did was bring my husband John into my life.
Along with John came a new stability in the home. I was able to come back to my early desire to be a mother and a wife. A miracle? Yes!
Celebrate being a mother! And to every single mother, I pray for hope, grace and love.
A Message from my Step-Mother, Rosemary Randell:
“TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO; AND WHEN HE IS OLD, HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT” – PROVERBS 22:6
As I was watching my young adult child walk away from the Lord, this verse was going through my mind often. I felt guilt as only a mother can.
What could I have done differently? This was a child that had loved Jesus so much when she was a young, but now she was saying that she didn’t think God’s Word was true.
After a couple years of tearful prayers and continuous feelings of false guilt, the Lord gave me peace. One morning as I was making breakfast, not really thinking about anything in particular, the Lord said to me, “Rosie, you take care of others and I will take care of her.” I just sat down and cried a peaceful and grateful cry. I didn’t understand what the Lord completely meant, but I knew that He was in charge, not me, and that she would eventually be alright. One year later, as I looked over and watched her singing to the Lord on a Sunday morning, my heart was full of love for my Lord. Thank you Jesus!
Happy Mother’s Day and may the blessings of the Lord chase you and overtake you this day!
Love,
Tracy
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
Dear Tuesdays With Tracy Reader: I have had difficulty with my feedblitz account, therefore the past few weeks you have not been getting my devotions on Tuesdays – I am truly sorry and we are working on getting this fixed. Thanks for your patience! I pray blessings upon each of you!
“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26, NKJ
“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, beauty, 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 God-centered friendships are priceless and a gift from Heaven above!
Just a last week, I met a friend for a cup of coffee. We shared what God was currently doing in our lives. We laughed, we cried and most importantly we filled one another up with God’s Word. I left her presence that morning energized and ready to conquer my day – as the scripture states above, this reliable friend was a cool drink to me on a hot day! You see, I can talk to anyone about today’s weather or the hit show American Idol, but when I can share of my love for God with someone – I leave that conversation truly refreshed!
Don’t get me wrong, I believe we need to spend time with those who do not know Christ, but we need to be the one affecting them rather than vice-versa. As Joyce Meyer stated in one her teachings, “I can hang-out with anyone as long as I affect them and they do not infect me.” The people we hang out with regularly will affect our destiny whether we realize it or not.
The truth is, if we have just one God-centered friendship – 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 a few 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.”
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34 NIV
“Lord, thank You for taking care of me and everything on my heart because You love me.” This has been my personal mantra the past few weeks. When worry or fear would try to plague my mind, I would rest in the fact that God will take care of me simply because He loves me!
As I think about my daughter, Alyssa, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. If she had a sniffle, I would be right there to wipe her nose. If she became hungry, I would fix her a snack. If she woke up scared, I would pray over her until she fell back asleep. And I do these things simply because I love her! There is nothing my daughter could do or not-do to change the fact that I love her. And this is how God loves you and me. Selah (pause and think about this for a moment).
My friend Kelly recently shared with me that “it is not our trials that get God’s attention, but it is our cries that brings Him to action on our behalf.” Isn’t that good? When God hears your cries, He is moved to action simply because He loves you! God longs to wipe your tears, fight your battles and draw you to Himself today because He loves you.
God loves you so much that He gave His only Son on the cross for you. The precious blood of Jesus was shed so that you and I could cry out, “Abba –father.” And according to the scripture above, Jesus is currently interceding for us! Romans 8:35-39 goes on to tell us, that nothing can separate us from God’s love – not trouble or hardship or persecution or famine. We are more than conquerors because God loves us. Neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers will be able to separate us from the love of God. Isn’t this amazing? We can rest in the fact that God loves us.
Will you receive this simple truth today? Will you say this with me, “God loves me. I can rest in His awesome love for me. I may not know what my future holds, but I know that my God will supply all of my needs because He loves me.” My friend, it is time to drink in His love for you. You may have come to my website empty, but after you leave this post, I know that God will fill you to overflowing as you rest in His great love for you!
Happy Easter!
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for loving me. I take authority over worry, fear, depression, doubt or anything trying to keep me from resting in Your love for me this day. I declare that You are Lord over my life and You are sitting at the right hand of God! You are alive and I will tell the world of Your amazing love! Happy Easter Jesus – You have Risen, You have Risen indeed! Amen.”
Set your DVR and watch Tracy on The Babbie Mason Show – airing Monday, April 13th at 5:00 on Channel 57 (WATC) & Nationwide on Sky Angel
- Also, don’t miss “Tips With Tracy” which airs every Thursday at 12:40 on The Dottie Coffman Show –1300 AM or online @ www.bigstickradio.com. April Series: “Turning A New Leaf: The New You with Boundaries”
by Tracy | Tuesdays With Tracy
“For God so loved the word, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3;16, KJV
One evening last week, we were hanging out in our living room, when Alyssa ran up to us with her newly drawn picture from Sunday School and stated, “Let me read this to you Mom & Dad: Dear God, be in my heart.” Immediately we stood up and applauded and with our prompting she proceeding to “read” it again and again. It brought tears to our eyes knowing that our two-year-old daughter was now on the beginnings of her own path to salvation.
Isn’t it amazing that God, the Creator of the Universe, made the gospel so simple that even a child could understand it? Let me ask you, when did you ask God into your heart? Can you remember where you were? What you said? And how your life changed from that moment forward? I want to encourage you to take time this week to reminisce when you asked God into your heart and ponder all that He has done since that day. With Easter approaching, there couldn’t be a better time to thank Jesus for the gift of Salvation through the Cross.
Let me also state that if you can’t remember asking God into your heart – no worries -because you can ask Him into your heart today and I will be your witness! The truth is that it is never too late to surrender your life to God. God loves you so much. God sent His own Son to the cross to pay the price for your sin. The Blood of Jesus was shed for your forgiveness, righteousness and eternal life. Romans 10:9-10 tells us that all you need to do is confess Jesus with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you are saved. Let’s pray this together, shall we? “Jesus, I ask You to come into my heart and I believe that You were raised from the dead and You are the Son of God who now sits at the right hand of God. I confess that I am a sinner in need of Your grace. Please take my life and transform it for Your purposes. Amen.” My friend, you are officially saved and I celebrate with you! If you prayed this prayer, please click on my contact page and let me know – I want to pray for you and I declare that the best is yet ahead for you!!
Prayer:
“Lord, with Easter approaching I cannot help but thank You for the Cross. May I never take for granted the precious Blood that was shed for me. You are an amazing God. Thank you for making the gospel so simple. I give you my life and ask that I bring You glory each day. Amen.”
by Tracy | General
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright.” Psalm 20:7-8
Are you currently in a battle? Or have you recently thought to yourself, “we are living in strange times?” If so, I have some good news for you today. A few weeks ago during my quiet time, I heard a still small voice say, “anti-nuclear missile.” Then God directed me to Psalm 21:11-13 and it states, “Although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed. For they will turn and run when they see your arrows aimed at them. We praise you, Lord, for all your glorious power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.” What this scripture tells us is that although there may have been an attack sent against you and your family, it will not succeed.
My husband, a former US military paratrooper, shared with me how and when our military would need to launch an anti-nuclear missile. He explained that this type of missile is only needed when a nuclear attack has been launched from enemy territory and is headed toward us. What the anti-nuclear missile does is cause the enemy’s missile to explode in the heavenly atmosphere, therefore disarming it and having no affect to us on earth.
Isn’t this good news? No plot or scheme of the enemy will succeed over you – instead an anti-nuclear missile (arrows of God) will be aimed at the enemy thus causing them to turn and run. Just hold friend because when an attack is launched against you from the camp of the enemy, God will launch an anti-nuclear missile on your behalf and their schemes will never touch you! All we need to do is aim God’s arrows toward the enemy through our weapon of praise and worship as we focus on God’s glorious power!!
Prayer:
“Lord, I give you my life. Some trust in money and fame, but I trust in You. I acknowledge that I am under attack at this time, but I declare that no plot against me will prosper. I praise You Lord for all Your glorious power. I celebrate Your mighty acts and will continue to stand in faith as you launch an anti-nuclear missile on my behalf this day. Amen.”
