Happy Unwrapping!!
“What I am trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.” -Matthew 6:32, Message Translation
Thanksgiving
Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!”
Psalm 105, 1-2, NKJ Version
Below is a video I made many years ago but its message is timeless. Let us all remember to give thanks:
Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!!
Do Not Fear
“Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!” Psalm 42:11, NLT
Has your life ever seemed to be going smoothly, but then out of nowhere a circumstance arises and you are suddenly full of fear? Fear is something all of us battle at one time or another. I have learned over the years when fear emerges that somehow, somewhere, I began to place my hope in something or someone other than God.
Take our economy for instance. If we place our hope in the housing market right now, we are going to battle fear and anxiety. And what about the Presidential election in just a few weeks? If we place our hope in a nominee and he is not chosen, what then? If your choice for 2012 is not elected, you may be tempted to give into overwhelming fear. But if we place our hope in God -Who reigns over the housing market and Who reigns over America’s choice for President, we can remain in perfect peace!
So let me ask you, to what or whom is your hope placed in today? Is your hope placed in man, your bank account, beauty, performance or your children? If your hope is placed in anything of this world, you will be gravely disappointed. But if your hope is in Jesus Christ, then everything will be a-okay and you can rest in His perfect peace.
If you are battling fear and discouragement today, I encourage you to place your hope in God. Begin to rehearse all that He has done for you. Let thanksgiving take over your worried mind. No matter what you are going through, God is for you and fighting on your behalf. Psalm 44:8 tells us to give glory to God all day long and constantly praise His name. It’s time for us to once again receive God’s love and give Him glory all day long. God is faithful and He will never let us down.
Remember to cast your vote in a few weeks, but again, no matter who wins this election, you can remain in perfect peace. God knew who would be President in 2012 before you were in your mother’s womb. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. And whoever wins, we are called by God to uphold them in prayer. It does not matter what we think or what party we are affiliated with. God is in control and we are to rest in Him.
Prayer:
Lord, I give you all my fears this day. Forgive me for placing my hope in anything other than You. You are my God and You reign over every situation in my life. I declare faith to arise within my spirit. I rebuke every attack of the enemy and ask according to Psalm 37:14-15, that when the wicked draws their sword at me, they will in return be stabbed through the heart with their own swords and their bows will be broken in Jesus Name. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. And I make a decision today that no matter who is elected President, I will not fear and I will respect this man of authority through prayer. Amen.”
It’s not luck….it’s God’s Favor
Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” Isaiah 61:9, NLT
Ask any of my closest friends and they will tell you that one of my mantras in life is, “Go where there is favor!” In my opinion, life is too short to spend time with those who do not celebrate you and the gifts God has placed in your life. Think about this for a moment. You are God’s unique creation in Christ and even during hard times, God’s love and favor rests upon us, as we trust in His Word.
When we choose to live for God and follow His plan for our life, we cannot help but experience supernatural favor. Our scripture above tells us that not only will we be seen as God’s favored but our descendants will also be recognized and honored among the nations. And did you know that we are promised to obtain favor even with our enemies? Proverbs 16:7 states, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.”
There was a situation several years ago where I clearly was in the wrong place at the wrong time and there was no sign of favor anywhere. I felt like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Nothing I did worked, which I came to realize was a clue that I had somewhere, somehow, gotten off track. I had become so accustomed to receiving God’s favor everywhere I went that when it wasn’t there, it was a bizarre experience for me and one that I do not want to repeat anytime soon. It did not take me long before I realized that I unknowingly had stepped out of God’s path for my life. I was swayed by man’s opinion rather than seeking God for where I needed to be for such a time as this. Hence, I made a change as quickly as possible and I found myself once again living where God’s favor reigns.
I believe there are times in each of our lives when God allows us to walk through difficult places to stretch us and show us what is really within our hearts (Deuteronomy 8:2). Yet when God leads us to a valley, He promises to provide us everything we need, including His rod and a staff to comfort us (Psalm 23). The question is, has God led us to this valley or did we unknowingly step out of the path of life and lead ourselves there? Selah (pause and think about this for a moment). If this is the case, then we can run to God and trust that He is bigger than every circumstance in our life. He loves us and will show us His path of life.
It is my prayer that we continually live in God’s favor and that when people see us coming, whether at the grocery store or in our workplace, they will declare, “Surely they are BLESSED of God.”
Prayer:
“Lord, show me Your path. I long to be where Your favor is for me and my family. Forgive me for the times when I trusted in anything other than You. You are my God and when I follow Your path I cannot help but walk in the favor of God. Make every crooked place straight in my life and may everyone around me see supernatural favor on my life. Amen.”
Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.” Isaiah 61:9, NLT
We win!
“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? And are there times when your circumstances sometimes pile on top of you to the point that you can barely breathe? Well, no matter what you are facing – God will lead you to triumph in Christ!
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? If you allow Him, Christ will lead you to triumph in that very place. And as you walk out this victory, God’s fragrance will manifest around you. Whether you realize it or not – People watch you and they know something is different about you. They notice the 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 also see you TRIUMPH in EVERY PLACE!
Smith Wigglesworth (one of my faith heroes) said it well: “Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs come only out of great trials. Every stumbling block must become a stepping stone. And every opposition must become an opportunity.”
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.
Seeing Things From God’s Perspective
“And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he (Elisha) answered, “Do not fear for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:16-17
Let’s just imagine that one morning you wake up only to see your greatest enemy and his army ready to take you down. What would you do? How would you respond? Most of us would do exactly as Elisha’s servant did above – respond in sheer panic and run to someone, anyone, who could help us. We would probably also scream out, “ What should we do?” Our eyes would be so overwhelmed with the fact that this enemy army is just outside our door and ready to strike that fear would more than likely paralyze us.
Ok, maybe your home is not literally surrounded by an enemy but I bet there is something the devil is surrounding you with fear – maybe its your health, your finances or your children’s future – and you maybe asking today “what should I do?”
Elisha’s response to “what should we do?” in 2 Kings 6:16-17 was in faith. Faith requires seeing into another dimension – the invisible. Fear paralyzes us, but faith propels us to see things from God’s perspective. Notice that Elisha did not ask God to simply show his servant another miracle; he asked for his servant to see another dimension. Elisha prayed. God revealed. The Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw horses and chariots of fire all around him.
Seeing into the invisible is a key to victorious praying – discerning spiritual issues from God’s perspective rather than man’s. Instead of focusing on the the enemy’s intentions, it’s time that we focus on God’s angelic strike-force! I am praying for you right now, “Lord, open her eyes that she may see.” May God show you His perspective and may you see that there are more for you than against you. And remember that you fight FROM victory not FOR victory.
Prayer: “Lord, open my eyes to see You in every situation. I will no longer allow fear to paralyze me but allow faith in Who You are propel me forward. While fear causes me to pull back – faith pushes me forward into Your plans for my life. Your plans are always to prosper me and to do me good in the end. I may feel as if I am surrounded by the enemy today, but I declare that if You are for me, who can be against me. Open the eyes of my heart that I may see You. Send Your angels concerning me today. May You go before me today and make every crooked place straight. Amen.”
About
Tracy became a Christian at the age of 16 and her life was changed forever. She went from being a depressed, suicidal, rebellious teenager to a dynamic leader for Christ. Immediately after accepting Jesus as her Savior, Tracy fought the school board in order to begin a Bible study on school grounds at her high school in Illinois. The dramatic transformation in Tracy's life has inspired many, including her own mother, to give their lives to Christ.
