by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Tuesdays With Tracy
“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commands or not.” Deuteronomy 8:2
“This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears our complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us, but against the Lord.” Exodus 16:8
When the challenges of life seem to be piling up around us to the point that we can barely breathe because of it’s weight – hold on – because it is just a test! The truth is that all of us will be tested on this side of heaven, but it is important to remember that this world is temporal and heaven is eternal! No matter what we are going through on earth, it is just a test and God will see us through.
Lately, my husband and I have been tested in areas of integrity, giving, and false responsibility. And although these tests may seem trivial to you, they have been huge for us. Yet, God has reminded me that this is just a test and that with His grace we can overcome every obstacle that comes our way!
Could it be that your current struggles are just a test? I declare to you today that what you are going through is temporal and that your true destiny is to reign forever with God in heaven where there is no sorrow or lack! What you are going through at this time is just a test!
So, if your situation is just a test then I have to ask you, how are you responding to it? Are you freaking out and complaining to yourself and everyone around you or are you grabbing onto Jesus and His Word. Are you deep in discouragement or praising Him before you see your breakthrough? Are you doubting and questioning God’s faithfulness or are you rehearsing all that God has done for you in the past and choosing to praise Him in advance for moving on your behalf? Are you running away from God or running to Him? Are you allowing bitterness and envy to poison your heart or are you rejoicing with those around you who are in a season of prosperity? Selah (pause and think about this for a moment).
My prayer is that we continually remember that EVERYTHING we encounter on this side of heaven is just a test and if we stay close to Jesus, we will pass with flying colors! Let’s choose this day to keep our eyes toward heaven and declare: “This is just a test and I am goi
ng to pass in Jesus Name!”
Prayer:
“Lord, forgive me for grumbling and complaining. I have been so earthly-focused. I choose this day to look toward heaven and declare that what I am going through is just a test! God is faithful and with His help, I will pass this test with an A! I give you my life God and I ask that You strengthen me at this time. May Your goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. Amen.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. 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: 16-20
You may be wondering how the scripture above can be applied to your everyday, 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 the mundane tasks of your day. 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!
May I just add here, that no one would have known if she chose 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.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” Psalm 16:5-6 NLT
I think all of us have heard the phrase, “When someone mimics or copies you, it is the best form of a compliment.” And although this statement may be true, when someone imitates us in one way or another, we have a choice to make: Will we become fearful and insecure or will we remain confident that our destiny is secure in Christ and speak blessings over them?
It is sad to say that many times without even realizing it, we can give into the spirit of fear and begin to speak badly of these individuals. We can fall prey to gossip, slander and even vengeance, all of which stem from our battle with doubt and fear. Yet all the while God has promised to guard all that is ours! Selah (pause and think about this for a moment).
Our destiny is not in the hands of men; the King of Kings is guarding our destiny! Psalm 16 clearly states, “You (God) guard all that is mine.” Your life is secure in Christ. Isn’t that a breathe of fresh air to your weary soul? We can rest assured that we have a good inheritance and that Jesus is our cup of blessing.
Remain close to God in this season. Talk to him, spend time in His Word, and choose to bless and not curse. And let us continue to meditate on this truth: “My life is secure in Christ and He guards all that is mine.”
Prayer:“Lord, I am so grateful for the Blood of Jesus and for that fact that I am forgiven, healed and made whole through the power of the Cross. I declare today that I have a good inheritance. You guard all that is mine and the land that you have given me is pleasant land. I choose to give freely to others because You have freely given to me. You have not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power and a sound mind. Thank you for a wonderful inheritance! Amen.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Tuesdays With Tracy
“My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. The Father and I are one.” John 10:27-30, NLT
As most of you know, it is a great passion of mine to encourage others to fulfill their destiny in Christ. Yet recently I have battled feelings of inadequacy in that particular area. I began to wonder if I am truly impacting others for eternity and I even considered stopping Tuesday’s with Tracy.
But before I made any rash decisions, I decided to take my questions and concerns to God. I needed to hear His thoughts for my life. Within twenty-four hours of running to God, He showed me that I had been listening to the accuser of the brethren (the devil) rather than Him. God also pointed out that the discouragement I was battling was due to the fact that I had entertained a pack of lies from the enemy. The Bible clearly states in John 10:10 that, “The devil has come to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to bring life and life more abundantly.”
With this revelation from God, I immediately rebuked the devil and his pack of lies. I ran to the truth of God’s Word and my spirit lifted as I encouraged myself through scripture. God even provided encouragement for me through an email to stay the course with all that God has called me to do at this time.
Now you have a choice to make: whose voice will you honor today? It is a choice that no one else can make for you. If you listen to a pack of lies from the devil you will feel overwhelmed, defeated, depressed and discouraged, but if you listen to the Truth from your heavenly Father, you will rest in His peace, love and encouragement, as you trust in Him.
Prayer:
“Lord, I take authority over the voice of the enemy this day. I want to hear only Your thoughts concerning the direction of my life. I bind confusion and call forth clarity in its place. Thank you for leading me in Your peace that passes all understanding today and forevermore. Amen.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!” Proverbs 3:5-8, The Message
One morning last week I was pondering the difficulties of my own life and those around me while driving down the road. And needless to say, my heart was extremely heavy as I could not figure out “why” these challenges were going on or “what” to do about them. These thoughts led me to feelings of helplessness, but then a thought came across my mind, “I may not know why these situations are going on or what to do about them, but I know who my God is.” Within an instant I began to feel better. I got my eyes off the problem and onto God – The Solution.
The truth is, we may never understand “why” we are walking through dark times, but we know who our God is! He is faithful and He is everything we need! Join me today in declaring who God is:
When my body is sick – He is my Healer.
When I cannot pay my bills – He is my Provider.
When my mind is filled with worry – He is my Peace.
When my family forsakes me – He is my Father, Mother, Sister and Brother.
When my heart is filled with anger – He is my Forgiving Father.
When strife is all around me – He is my Protector.
When my friend betrays me – He is my Loyal Companion.
When I am rejected – He is my Acceptance.
When I don’t know what to do – He is my Wisdom.
When I do or say the wrong thing – He is my Grace.
When I can barely get out of the bed – He is the Lifter of my head.
When I am afraid – He is my Perfect Love that casts out all fear.
No matter what you are going through, God is everything you need at this time. Run to Him and as the scripture states your body will glow with health and your bones will vibrate with life!
Prayer:
“Lord, You are everything I need today. I give you every situation on my heart. Please be my healer, provider, peace, protector, wisdom, grace and lifter of my head. I choose to get my eyes off of the problem and onto You – the Solution! I love you and I plead the Blood of Jesus over me, my family and those I love this day! Amen.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Tuesdays With Tracy
“But me, I’m not giving up. I’m sticking around to see what God will do. I’m waiting for God to make things right. I’m counting on God to listen to me.” -Micah 7:7, The Message
Does it ever seem like the unrighteous are continually prevailing over God’s people? Do you often feel like giving up? Well, hold on tight because although there are many upsetting things in this world, we have a God who loves to perform miracles on our behalf! Let’s stick around to see what God will do – shall we? I have personally experienced God’s restoration power and I have seen the wicked tremble and repent before God. And I am waiting expectantly for God to make things right on behalf of His people today. Remember that it is God who always gets the last word! Selah (pause and think about that for a moment).
“Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.” -Psalm 37:1-3
Just the other day I was thinking about all the “wrongs” done by the unrighteous in my life, and I heard the Holy Spirit ask me, “What if your step-father had not abused you, what if your parents had stayed together and not divorced before you were one years old?” As these questions ran through my head, I realized that if these “wrongs” had not occurred, I would not have experienced the first hand power of God in my life, nor would I have my testimony of grace to share with you and others! Let me be clear with you today: whenever you see killing, stealing and destroying, the author of this is the devil, but whenever you see abundant life and restoration, the author of this is Jesus Christ (John 10:10). What the enemy meant to destroy you, God will turn it around for your good. The truth is, we would not be the person we are today without the difficulty of our past. It is through our pain by the unrighteous that Jesus can became OUR EVERYTHING!
I love our scripture today. No matter what you are going through at this time, you have an important choice to make that can alter your destiny: Will you choose to give up or will you choose to trust in the faithfulness of God? If you choose to wait and see what God will do on your behalf, then God’s best is just ahead of you!
Prayer:
“Lord, I will not give up. I choose to stick around and see what you will do on my behalf. Thank you for listening to my heart’s cry and making things right for your people. I will not fret over evildoers, but I will trust in You and feed on Your faithfulness. You are an awesome God and I set my eyes upon you today. Amen.”
