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
Photo Above is from: www.freefoto.com
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing, A time to keep silence, and a time to speak…” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, 5, 7, NKJV
I don’t know about you, but I am eagerly anticipating fall and all that comes along with it! I am just about ready to put away my summer clothes and dust off my fall boots! Yee-haw! I cannot wait for cooler temperatures, jean jackets, roasting marshmallows by the fire and much more! I also believe that just as the leaves are changing in the natural realm, things are also changing in the Spirit Realm. God is up to something and it is good.
I have sensed God has been taking His people through a season of refinement. He is asking us to give Him total control of our lives. He longs for us to go deeper in Him. It’s time to re-prioritize and re-shift our ways of thinking and doing things. It is time to SLOW DOWN and LISTEN for God’s voice.
Lately, I have been hearing God say the following to me: “I want my people’s thoughts and mouths to line up with My Word, but this can only happen if they spend time in My Presence.” As I began to ponder this, I began to think about the Culinary Art of “The Marinade” When someone chooses to “marinate” something, they often put some type of meat in a sauce and they let it sit for a few hours. Usually, the longer it sits, the better it tastes:) And before long that meat begins to smell, taste and look like the sauce it was marinated in. This is what God is longing for us to do! He wants us to sit (marinate if you will) in His Presence. And the longer we sit, the more we will smell, taste and become like Him! Selah (pause and think about that for a moment).
What is God currently speaking to you about? I encourage you to spend time talking to Him about your life and where you are headed. Marinate yourself in Him. You may be on perfect track or God may want you to reorder some things, but either way He will give you the wisdom you need in order to fulfill your destiny in Christ! Man can give you his or her opinion, but God can give you His Wisdom.
The seasons are changing – are you ready?
Prayer:
Lord, I need your wisdom for such a time as this. I want to be ready for the next season of my life. I give you permission to reorder my life, my mind and my mouth. May everything I say and do line up with The Word of God. Help me to find time to sit in Your Presence. I long to be like you Jesus. Forgive me of my sin and create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast Your Presence away from me, but renew a right spirit within me God.” Amen.
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” Colossians 3: 12-14, The Message Translation
Ask any woman and she will tell you that a simple black dress can take her just about anywhere in life. For example, she can add a pair of high heel shoes to her black dress and ‘hi-ho-hi-ho’ off to work she goes. She can run errands around town by sliding into her favorite pair of flip-flops. And she can enjoy a formal evening out by placing a strand of pearls around her neck. Not to mention that as she dashes around town in this all-purpose garment, she will look gorgeous!
What many of you may not know is that God is also interested in what we wear, spiritually speaking that is. He has picked out some articles of clothing that He believes are essential for every believer’s closet. So, let’s do some inventory shall we? Would I find the following items within your spiritual closet: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, even tempered, content with second place and quick to forgive?
I will admit to having most of these, yet I seem to wear the same things over and over again! For example, I regularly wear a shirt of compassion, slacks of forgiveness and shoes of kindness, but I often pass by the jacket of discipline! If we are all honest, there are probably a few of the mentioned garments listed above that we have a hard time putting on…which one is it for you?
But, there is one all-purpose garment, which God states we are NEVER to be without. Love is the one piece of clothing we need to be wearing at all times – no matter the season, predicted weather forecast or agenda of our day. The garment of love is to be extended to others, ourselves and to God. It is the garment that will bring success our way no matter what. So go ahead and wear your black dress (or black pants for you men), but don’t forget to put on some love to go with it! I promise you that with that combination – you will look fabulous!
Prayer:
Lord, I want to wear what you have picked out for me today. I choose to place upon myself this day: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, I desire to be even tempered, content with second place and quick to forgive, but importantly I choose to walk in love. By choosing to wear the articles of clothing listed above – I am dressed for success. Thank you for loving me this day. Amen
by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you; take your everyday ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God – you’ll be changed from the inside out.” Romans 12:1-2, Message Translation
There are days when all I feel like I do is get up, read the Word, change diapers, pick up the house, make dinner and go to bed. Maybe your days are filled with driving to work, making business calls or picking up take-out for dinner. But, no matter what stage of life we are in – we can become bored with our daily routines and forget to embrace each day as a gift from God.
What stood out to me in the scripture above is the challenge Paul gives us to embrace our everyday, ordinary life as worship to God. I have found that if we choose to worship God everyday (no matter how mundane our tasks may seem) an overflowing joy will fill our hearts. God will help us see that what we do each day is not ordinary – but extraordinary! While, the world may perceive what we do as meaningless, God knows our hearts and He sees our acts of everyday life as worship to Him.
Did you know that as you go about your everyday, ordinary life, that you are changing eternal souls? You are influencing someone’s life today, whether you realize it or not. Your encouragement and heartfelt concern for a co-worker, fellow mom or a grocery store clerk can literally alter their destiny!
Maybe you are a businessperson, minister or teacher. You need to know that every client you encourage, sermon that you preach or child that you impact is shaping an eternal destiny. The truth is, there are thousands of people who need what you do mindlessly each day. It may be your smile, uplifting word or a mastery skill that you perform at your job. But someone, somewhere, is in need of what you do in your everyday, ordinary life. Choosing to worship God through your everyday life will not only change you, but everyone around you as well!
Prayer:
“Lord, I give you my everyday, ordinary life: my sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life as worship to You. I choose to fix my eyes on Jesus and what He thinks about me as I go about my daily tasks. Father, open my eyes to see how my life can be a blessing to those around me. Help me to see those who are hurting and need the gift that is within me. Someone, somewhere is in need of what I do in my everyday, ordinary life. May You use my life to glorify You. Take my ordinary and turn it into extraordinary this day.” Amen.
Photo Above is from: www.freefoto.com
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
Alyssa in her little green Crocs:)
“Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received the promise.” Hebrews 6:15
“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
“Now thanks be to God who ALWAYS leads us in TRIUMPH in Christ, and through us manifests the fragrance of His knowledge in EVERY PLACE. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among who are perishing.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15
Are there days when you feel totally defeated? Do your circumstances sometimes pile on you to the point that you can barely breathe? Well, no matter what you are facing – God ALWAYS leads us in triumph in EVERY PLACE!
Let me encourage you today: Do not give up. Do not lose sight of who you are and to whom you belong. You are the righteousness of God. You are His beloved child. You are an over-comer in Christ Jesus. No weapon formed against you can prosper. Every idle and dishonest word that is spoken against you, God will condemn! You are the apple of God’s eye. He formed you in your mother’s womb. You are not forgotten and never forsaken. You are above and not beneath. You are the head and not the tail. The blessings of the Lord will chase you and overtake you. What the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it around and use it for your good. Our God is willing and able. He is your healer. He is your Abba Father. He is your provider. He is your vindicator. He is mercy. He is grace. He is love. He is EVERYTHING you need!
What is that “place” you need victory in today? Christ is leading you to triumph in that very place. As you walk out your victory, God’s fragrance is manifesting around you. People are watching you and noticing something different about you. They see a smile on your face even through you are walking through the greatest trial of your life. They see a peace resting over you that no words can describe. And according to the scripture above – they will see you triumph in EVERY PLACE!
Prayer:
“Lord, You lead me in triumph in every place of my life. You will not leave me in the valley of the shadow of death. You send your rod and staff to comfort me and you will pull me out of the pit of destruction. Many will see my life and give praise to Your Name. You are Jesus. Your Name is above every name. This situation that I am walking through must bow its knee at your Word. I declare triumph. I declare Your fragrance be manifest in my life. Thank You for your love and mercy. I worship You Jesus. You are everything I need.” Amen.
