by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“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.
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“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.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
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 while driving down I-285, I was pondering the difficulties in my life and those around me. 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 hopelessness, but then the Holy Spirit whispered ever so quietly to me, “Tracy, you may never know why these situations are going on but you know “Who” 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:
- 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 bed – He is the Lifter of my head.
- When I am afraid – He is my Perfect Love that casts out all fear.
I look forward to being with Cumberland Community Church on Mother’s Day! God has put a message on my heart and I am confident that He will show Himself faithful. Be encouraged today that no matter what you are going through, God is everything you need. Run to Him and as the scripture states, “your body will glow with health and your bones will vibrate with life” (Proverbs 3:8)!
Got Faith? Promo from Cumberland Community Church on Vimeo.
See you Sunday!
by Tracy | Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” Proverbs 29:5
“Many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not con-fess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” John 12:42-43
There was a time in my life when I longed for the approval of man. I wanted to be a person of great importance. I drank in the praise of man and became intoxicated with what people thought and said of me. Yet my approval addiction was never satisfied and thankfully so because it brought me to the place of brokenness and total surrender to God. I have come to the place where I no longer desire the praise of man, but only to hear my Father say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
In our society we are encouraged to glorify the accomplishments of man. Many strive to achieve titles, positions of power, wealth and to be deemed by the world as a noteworthy person. And although we are promised much favor and success as children of God, a lot of individuals believe that the praise of man alone will bring them a sense of worth. They crave to hear man say of them, “Wow, look at them and what they have accomplished.” This is true even in the Christian culture. There is often a mixture of longing to glorify God while also enjoying the seduction of the praise of man.
Let us be reminded today that the praise of man is temporal and it will never bring true satisfaction. The only true satisfaction in this life is a relationship with God. And friend, God has already deemed you worthy! Through the Cross of Jesus, you are the righteousness of God and He loves you – the real you!
You can rest your head tonight knowing that no matter what man may think or say about you, God loves you! It is my prayer that each night you will fall asleep pondering God’s amazing love for you. Oh how He loves you! Jesus gave His life for you, what more could He give? Oh how He loves you and me!
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for loving me. I acknowledge that there is nothing this world can offer me that will bring me true peace or satisfaction but You! I will choose this day forward to meditate on what You say about me. No matter what man may say, I am the righteousness of God, I am the head and not the tail and the blessings of the Lord will chase me and overtake me (Deuteronomy 28). Amen.”
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him with a shield.”Psalm 5:12
Did you know that you are blessed with God’s favor today? You can rest in the fact that God is the Blesser and the One who gives you the capacity for living a full, rich life. You and I are simply the recipients of His favor and there is nothing that can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). It is through the love of Jesus and the power of the Cross, that we are deemed righteous, blessed, and highly favored of God.
No matter what you are going through at this time, God will surround you with favor like a shield. When you walk into a room, God’s blessing is with you. When you walk through a dark valley, God’s favor will go before you and enlighten the way to victory. When your enemies are out to eat you for lunch, God will surround you with His favor like a shield and none of their plans will prosper.
It has been my experience that God’s favor is not only seen upon us by man but that God can even shield our areas of weaknesses in order for His favor to be manifested toward us on earth as it is in Heaven. God is the potter, we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8) and man’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1).
Is there a place in your life where you need the favor of God? I want to encourage you today to declare Psalm 5:12 over your situation. As you declare God’s Word, you can wait expectantly for God to move on your behalf. You, my friend are the righteousness of God and He will surround you with favor like a shield this day. I declare that no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for surrounding me with favor like a shield. I can never repay You for what You did on the Cross, but in return, I willingly give you my life, my dreams, my desires and I ask that You alone be glorified through me. I declare Your Word over my life and I wait expectantly for You to move on my behalf. Amen.”
PS: Ladies – Thank you for your recent prayer requests. I am agreeing with you in prayer that God is willing and able and I look forward to hearing your praise reports! If you are in need of prayer today, please click here, it would be my honor to cover you and your need in prayer. Blessings!
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of GOOD REPORT, if there is any virture and if there is anything PRAISEWORTHY – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8, NKJ (Author’s emphasis added)
Have you ever had one of those days when all you seem to hear is bad news? Maybe it was a telephone call, an email or your local news that brought these dreadful reports to your attention and before you knew it, you were sinking into a state of hopelessness! And although it would not be wise to totally ignore such issues, Paul clearly states in the verse above that it is in our best interest not to meditate on the worst, but on the best of things.
Every day it is important for us to guard our minds and find at least one good report to meditate on. It may be the testimony of a friend who got a breakthrough, a family member who received a raise or you may have gotten a good report from your doctor, but even if you can’t seem to think of anything praiseworthy on earth, you can always meditate on God’s Word. I have found that just one Word from God can not only change your day but your life!
In honor of thinking upon what is true, noble, reputable, compelling and gracious, I am going to share with you a few scriptures to meditate on when you are longing to think upon the best and not the worst:
My God can take me higher than my circumstances:
“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For you have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah.” Psalm 61:1-4
If God is for me, who can be against me:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall keep her, just at the break of dawn.” Psalm 46:1-5
When I speak the Word of God out loud, it will move mountains on my behalf:
“For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Let’s make a choice to think upon good things this day. Even when we are dealing with difficult circumstances we can have joy within our heart as we meditate on things worthy to be praised.
Prayer:
“Lord, I lift up every concern on my heart to You today. I ask that while I think upon the good things, that You would move on my behalf. I declare that You are above every circumstance in my life and I will not fear. You tell us in Psalm 46, that we do not need to fear because You are our refuge and strength and our very present help in trouble. I love You and I choose today to think upon what is true, noble and praise-worthy. Amen.”
