Got A Light?
Please welcome our guest writer for “Tuesdays With Tracy” today, Carol Abersold. Carol is the best selling author of “The Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition.” She is currently traveling throughout America signing books and bringing smiles to children everywhere. Please check out her wonderful website at: www.elfontheshelf.com. My daughter, Alyssa goes onto her website daily to make cookies for Santa. I know you will be blessed by Carol’s devotional today. Does anyone have a light?
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give praise to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Although I had tried to faithfully serve the Lord for more than fifty years, my light, for all intents and purposes, was out. I found myself in the blackest of pits mentally, physically and spiritually. I had been physically suffering with three herniated discs in my neck, my husband’s business was failing, and my in-laws let me know how much they disliked me after thirty-four years of pretense. I found myself curled up in a ball weeping and crying out to God for help, healing and deliverance. All hope seemed gone. Why was I, a Sunday school teacher, amateur Bible scholar, a word believing, walking, talking Christian suffering from hopelessness?!! My usually strong husband was suffering from his own worries ( I was one of them), and I “turned to God” but He seemed to be on vacation. What was the deal!
My oldest daughter came over to pray for me. She took action and made an appointment for me to get professional Christian counseling, and she encouraged me to start writing. My Eeyore-like reply was, “I have nothing to say.” Determined child (adult) that she is, she looked up on a shelf in my kitchen where my little pixie elf from childhood still remained even though the holidays were past. “Why don’t we write a book about the elf tradition?” she said. My reply was, “Oh, Chanda, nobody would want to read that……Okay.”
And so we began writing what turned out to be The Elf On The Shelf: A Christmas Tradition. While we were in the process of writing the story, I received the professional help I needed from Tracy Hurst. These two women, Chanda and Tracy, let the Lord use them to shine His light upon me. He graciously healed me from my pain, the source of our financial drain was revealed to us, and most importantly… I got my light back. The point is this: a Christian woman’s light never completely goes out, but it can grow extremely dim. Perhaps, you, like I, need someone to shine their light on you until you can get your “batteries recharged.” Don’t be afraid, just receive it. In turn, when darkness seems present in another’s life do not hesitate to shine your God-given light.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, let me be equally as willing to be set alight, as to shed light. Let the Holy Spirit remind me not to lose heart, because I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Let me not be ashamed to seek proper help when my light seems to dim, and let me be a beacon shedding Your light on everyone I meet today. Amen.
Give Thanks
“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
In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a video with you that I made and published on youtube last year titled, “Give Thanks.” May we all be reminded of our many blessings and I pray that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Blessings,
Tracy Hurst
Check This Out: I will be doing a Book Signing in Bluffton, SC at Penelope’s Gift Boutique on Saturday afternoon, November 29th
Never Give Up
“People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; He may have to give up all the substance of his house.” Proverbs 6:30-31
Spiritually speaking, the enemy is a thief that continually tries to steal from God’s people. In the verse above it states that we will not despise a thief who steals to satisfy himself when he is starving, but trust me when I tell you that the devil is not starving! Therefore, according to our scripture above, the devil has to restore back to you sevenfold what he has stolen from your life. Maybe he has stolen the innocence of your childhood, your bank account or your peace of mind, but no matter what he has stolen from you, he must give it back in abundance!
We serve a God of total restoration and no one can steal God’s dream for your life. I believe from the bottom of my heart, that whenever it seems that God is withholding something good from us, He is only setting us up to be blessed. He takes what the enemy meant to destroy us and uses it to propel us into our destiny.
I want to encourage you today to never give up on God’s dream for your life. It may look impossible, but ALL things are possible with God. It may appear that the enemy has won, BUT God isn’t finished yet! Hold on because your greatest days are yet ahead.
Prayer:
“Lord, I acknowledge that the devil has stolen from my life and I declare “no more” in Jesus Name! I rebuke the devourer and command that he must give back sevenfold what he has stolen from me. I declare that I will never give up on my dreams. God will bring them to pass as I trust in Him. I wait expectantly for vindication, restoration and promotion. I ask for God’s Spirit to blow through my life this day. Amen.”
Check this out: “Tips With Tracy” airs every Monday morning at 11:45 on The Dottie Coffman Show For Women, 1300 AM or on the Internet: www.bigstickradio.com
Overcoming 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 today? If we place our hope in our nominee and he is not chosen, what then? If your choice for 2008 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 in 2008, 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 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 today – but again, no matter who wins this election, you can remain in perfect peace. God knew who would be President in 2008 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. Whoever wins today, we are called by God to uphold him 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 His will for the United States of America and for us.
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.”
Prayer Changes Things
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28, The Message
There is not enough room on my website to share with you how prayer has changed my life, but I would like to share a few examples of how prayer has impacted me personally.
During my teenage years I was lost in depression and low self-esteem, but several of my family members prayed for me. I gave my life to Jesus just a few years later and my life turned around 360 degrees! Do not give up on your lost family members and friends – Prayer changes things. During my senior year of college I was diagnosed with liver failure and my doctors were concerned about keeping me alive. I was placed on Asbury College’s prayer list and I was miraculously healed. Stand fast in praying for those who are sick, Jesus still heals – Prayer changes things. I lost my voice the day of a speaking engagement and my friends covered me in prayer. When I went up to the platform my voice returned and I was able to tell of God’s goodness. My voice immediately left after I was done speaking. God cares about you and He loves to bless you – Prayer changes things.
If you are reading this right now, then rest assured that I am praying for you. I am agreeing with you for God to move in your circumstances. I don’t know how God does it, but He takes what the enemy meant to destroy us and He turns it around for our good!
We serve an amazing God who is always looking out for us. He is longing to move in your life today, the question is will you let Him? Will you believe that prayer changes things? I encourage you to pray (talk to God) and tell Him everything on your heart. Ask Jesus to carry your burdens and allow you to rest in His perfect peace. No matter what is going on around you, you can rest assured that prayer changes things!
Prayer:
“Lord, I am so thankful that prayer changes things because I could use some assistance in my circumstances today! I run to You today with every burden and care. I am so grateful that You hear my prayers and that prayer changes things! I will no longer worry or allow fear in my life, but instead I begin to thank you for making what the enemy meant to destroy me and declare that today You are turning it around for my good. Amen.”
Check this out: I will be on ATL LIVE (channel 57, WATC) this Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. with National Speaker & Author, Shelley Hendrix.
Run To God
“My souls finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2 NIV
When you are discouraged and don’t know what to do: Run to God. When you are not able to pay your bills and you cannot figure out how you are going to make it another day: Run to God. When you are battling in your body or mind and you feel utterly alone: Run to God. When the economy is tanking and you are full of fear: Run to God. When you find yourself angry and irritated at those you thought you could trust: Run to God.
No matter what is going on in your life at this time, I can tell you in confidence that your answer is always to Run to God. He is the One who holds every solution within His hands. God is our healer, friend, protector, provider, wisdom, counselor, advocate, vindicator, lover and everything we need.
When times are good, we need to run to God with our thanksgiving and praise. When times are bad, we need to run to God for direction and thank Him in advance for moving on our behalf. Lets run to God today and know that with Him on our side, everything will be a-okay!
Prayer:”Lord, I choose to run to you this day. I give you all my fears, worries and concerns and place them at the Cross. You are my solution and I run to You! I give thanks in advance for making steams in my desert and making every crooked place straight. You are an awesome God and I will always run to You! Amen.”
God Will Exonerate You
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:5-6
Have you ever received the cold shoulder or silent treatment from a friend and had no idea why? When someone you care about behaves this way, we have a few choices to make. We can either chose to not let their behavior affect us, accept that this is probably their issue and not ours, or we can try to figure out why they are treating us this way. No matter your response, I have found that when people mistreat us, we simply need to hold on because our God will exonerate us in due time!
I will never forget a precious woman walking up to me after I shared my testimony in church one morning. She proceeded to tell me that she needed to ask me for forgiveness. I was perplexed with her request because as far as I knew she was a friend of mine. I immediately said, “yes, I forgive you” without even knowing why. Then she told me that someone in the church had spoken badly of me and that she believed what they said to be true, yet now she realized they had their own agenda at hand and it was untrue (I will add here that this news really hurt my feelings because I had been nothing but nice to the women who spoke wrongly of me, but I chose to forgive and trusted God to exonerate me).
As a counselor, I am quick to tell my clients that 2% of the population just won’t like you! Isn’t that a burden lifting fact? For no apparent reason, 2% of the people you meet throughout your life will not like you. Period. But, let me ask you the same question: Do you like everyone you meet? Selah (pause and think about that for a moment.
We serve a God who will exonerate us in due time. The truth is, I didn’t even know the issue above existed, but God did and He exonerated me! A nugget I want us to chew on today is that God is always moving on our behalf. All we need to do is be who God created us to be and He will take care of the rest.
Today, let’s grab onto good and shun evil. Speak life and not death. Let’s choose to forgive and not hold offence. And let’s trust that God will always exonerate us in due time!
Prayer:
“Lord, I rest in the fact that You will always exonerate me. I don’t have to try and prove my worth or value to anyone because I am accepted in You. You love me so much that You went to the cross on my behalf. I choose to bless those who have cursed me. I ask for Your grace to follow me all the days of my life. Amen.”
A Safe Leader
“You are my cave to hide in, my cliff to climb. Be my safe leader, be my true mountain guide. Free me from hidden traps; I want to hide in you. I’ve put my life in your hands. You won’t drop me; you’ll never let me down. I hate all this silly religion, but you, God I trust.” Psalm 31: 3-6, The Message
Family, friends, circumstances and even our church may disappoint us, but we can rest assured that our God never will. I love the scripture above because it clearly states that when others fail us, God will never drop us or let us down. When we are unsure of which way to go, God is our travel guide and shelter from the storms of life.
If you are weary and tired today, I want to encourage you to give your circumstances and life completely to Jesus. We may never understand why we are forced to walk a treacherous path at this time, but you can rest assured that God will take care of you and everything that is on your heart and mind. The truth is, God cares more about you and your situation than you do! He is longing to be your safe leader and mountain guide. He knows just how to get you from point A to point B; all you have to do is ask for His help and He will show you the right path. God can give you His heavenly viewpoint and free you from hidden traps of the enemy. He is a cave that you can always run to for shelter.
I know that many of us are walking through personal struggles at this time, but I want you to be encouraged today my precious friends – Hold on, because your breakthrough and greatest hours are just ahead in Jesus Name!
Prayer:
“Lord, I choose to run to You today. I feel lost and alone and I need You to be my guide. Show me which way to go and give me the grace to walk out Your will for my life. I acknowledge that You are the One that I can always trust. You will never let me down and I run to You for help and wisdom this day. Amen.”
Check this out: I will be on The Dottie Coffman Show LIVE (1300 AM) on Monday, October 6th from 11:00-11:30, tune in if you can!!!) I will be talking about my new book and how as women, we can move from overwhelmed to overflowing in our everyday, ordinary life.
Hours or Minutes – It Doesn’t Matter
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me.” John 16:13-15
Just a few years ago you would have found me on any given morning studying God’s Word for hours at a time (and I mean hours). I would arise early with my Strong’s Concordance in hand and delve into God’s Word, looking up the Greek and Hebrew to better understand the context and the root meaning of each precious word. Ah…those were the good old days. And although these hours of study were rich and powerful, I am on a new journey – the journey of motherhood and boy has things changed concerning my quiet time!!!
Now a day, you will find me asking for supernatural help just to get out of bed. Sometimes I hit my elliptical machine with my Bible and devotional propped on its stand and other days you will find me sipping coffee and thanking God for just twenty minutes of quiet to be with Him! And although I used to think that the former days of deep study were better, I have sense changed my mind.
You see, there is a time to study, but there is also a time to rest – can I get an Amen from someone? I have come to an amazing revelation that God loves me whether I spend hours with Him or just ten minutes! Spending time with God is not for His benefit, but it is for my benefit alone. And whether I have hours or just a few minutes to spend with Him, my time can be rich and powerful because my sweet Jesus will meet me where I am in life. God knows just what I need and in His omnipotence He surpasses earthly time.
Trust me, I know that our lives are hectic and that finding time with God can be a challenge, but let me encourage you that just a few minutes with God can change your day and your life! Jesus longs to be with you and all you have to do is acknowledge His Presence and spend a few moments praising Him and welcoming Him into your everyday, ordinary life. Hours or minutes ladies, it doesn’t matter, just inviting God into your daily schedule will transform you inside and out.
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for Your grace and meeting me where I am in life. I choose this day to find time to spend with You, whether it is hours or minutes You will meet me when I acknowledge Your name. I need You each day. I ask for a windfall of Your Presence and Peace to fill my mind and spirit as I walk through each day with You. I love You and I will worship You all the days of my life. Amen.”
This is just a test!
“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.”
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.
