“Brethren, I count myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things
where are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14
“It is not in good taste to remind God of something that He has forgotten.”
Quote from Kenneth Hagin
“We will never reach our future destination in Christ if we continually drive through our life while looking through the rear view mirror.” Quote from Tracy Hurst
As I think back upon 2008, I am cognizant not only of my good choices and blessings, but also my failures and disappointments. And that is why the scripture above is so important to me as I embark on the New Year.I have a choice of life and death before me and so do you…it is a decision that only we can make ourselves and it will greatly alter our destiny in Christ. The choice is this:Will I allow the enemy to hold me in bondage to the sins and failures of my past or will I embrace Philippians 3:13-14 and move forward to what God has for me in 2009?
Even if we are not proud of our past, the truth is that when we repent to God – we are forgiven. Period. I love what Kenneth Hagin Sr. has said, “It is not in good taste to remind God of something that He has forgotten.”Selah (pause and think about that for a moment).You will either believe the Word of God or the voice of the enemy concerning your future.It is because of the Cross of Jesus that nothing can hold you in your past, but YOU!The enemy was defeated, your destiny was made secure and IT IS TIME for you to move forward.
God has made His plans for you very clear in Ephesians 2:10 (NLT),which states,“For we are Gods masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” The year 2009 will be full of adventure and blessings if you choose to let go of your disappointments of the past and grab onto God’s grace and truth concerning your future.
Just as a trapeze artist must let go of one swing so he can grab onto the next one which leads him to his ultimate destination of the other side, we too much let go of 2008 in order to grab onto 2009. It is time for us to stop swinging back and forth and move forward in the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Prayer:
“Lord, I choose life this day by letting go of my past and grabbing onto my future in You. Thank you for giving Your life on the Cross so that I can receive Your love, acceptance and forgiveness. I rebuke the enemy and his pack of lies concerning my future! I will no longer entertain my past and its failures, but I will press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I declare that 2009 will be the greatest year of my life! Amen.”
“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.” Isaiah 30:18
As the Christmas season beckoned at my door, I could not help but reminisce about the memories of Christmas past. A lot of my flashbacks revolve around running to abuse shelters from my stepfather who was physically abusive. Even when things seemed calm on my home front, I could always count on the never-ending drama within my family to spice up the holiday season. Holiday drama and my family seem to go together like macaroni and cheese. While the majority of my early memories could put anyone in therapy, I did think about one Christmas that still puts a smile on my face even to this day.
It was the Christmas that my aunt, uncle, and cousins drove 12 plus hours in the sleet and snow to be with us during the holidays. I was in sixth grade and I still remember the smell of burning wood in the fireplace and the amazing meals my mom prepared. But, the best part of that Christmas was a present I received. To the outward eye it appeared that my aunt gave me a game, “Stop Thief” by Parker Brothers, but it was much more than that.
You see, that evening my family gathered around the dining room table and played until the wee hours in the morning. The entire room was filled with laughter as we chased the fictitious thief all over the game board. As an abused child who later nearly took her life at the age of 15, I held onto the laughter of that night during some of the hardest times in my life. The memory of that Christmas is still with me today. I am not sure when it happened or which state I lived in at the time, but I lost my most prized game, “Stop Thief.”
Now in my thirties, I decided it was time to replace my favorite game. My research uncovered that Parker Brothers no longer makes the game, and to my dismay, “Stop Thief “ is now considered a vintage game! My husband suggested that I attempt to locate the vintage game on E-Bay. I held my breath as I typed in the words “Stop Thief” on the E-Bay website, and there it appeared before my eyes, not only one, but several “Stop Thief” games were being sold that very day. I placed my highest bid, and to my surprise, won the game. I eagerly anticipated its arrival, and just three days later it was placed at my front door in Atlanta, Georgia. I opened the package, pulled out the game and saw my very own handwriting on the front cover that stated, “I love Michael Jackson” in red ink. The memory of using my brand new ink pen with multiple ink colors flooded my mind and I remembered choosing red because Michael Jackson wore a red leather coat in his Thriller video. Tears filled my eyes as I realized that I had not just received any “Stop Thief” game, but my original game from my childhood.
It was a miracle and I knew who had done it for me- my sweet Jesus. I had known of His love for me, but the fact that He found my original game that I had lost a long time ago is beyond amazing. God led a stranger in Illinois to end up with my game, sell it years later on E-Bay, and then have it delivered several states away to my front door. That shows me the restoration power of God! Joel 2:21-26 talks about how God will restore the years the locusts have eaten. I don’t know what you may have lost over the years; maybe the locusts of life have stolen from you as well. I encourage you to ask God to restore unto you things that you have lost. God is able to not only restore former things, but He always brings things back with increase beyond its original state. Jesus truly is the restorer of all things lost. After all, we once were lost, but now we are found.
Prayer:
Lord, I declare that the enemy must give back everything he has stolen from me! I proclaim that 2009 will be a year filled with the restoration power of God. I ask that you restore my body, my mind, my spirit, my relationships, my family, my reputation, my finances and anything else needing the restoration power of God. I love you Jesus and it because of your love that I believe 2009 will be the best year of my life.” Amen.
Tip #2 On how to keep Christ in Christmas:Helping those less fortunate.
TWT Reader, Gracie shares her idea, “my grand daughter wants to give Jesus a present, when my daughter asked me how I thought she should do that, I explained that Jesus would love to use our hearts and hands to do something really nice for someone that has no one. They are taking socks to a nursing home to give to residents. They have decided to “gift” Jesus every year.”
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manager. Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:11-14
Our tree is up, our lights are twinkling and the joy of Christmas is finally here! My daughter, Alyssa loves rearranging all the ornaments on our tree, making crafts and cookies for family and friends and I am experiencing the wonders of Christmas all over again through the eyes of my precious little girl!
Everyday, Alyssa and I find ourselves singing, “Happy Birthday to Jesus” in anticipation of Christmas morning. We often read books about the true meaning of Christmas and I am teaching her about giving to those who are less fortunate…but then it happened…she saw a guy in a bright red suit named santa claus. Her response was priceless; with a puzzled look on her face, Alyssa turned to me and said defensively,“Whose that mommy…..Christmas is Jesus’ Birthday!”I laughed out loud and thought to myself, “Wow Alyssa, you are right, who is this guy sneaking into our homes on Jesus’ Birthday anyway? Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with playing the“game”of Santa Claus, but our children need to understand that Santa is just a GAME and that Jesus is REAL!
We live in a world that wants to take Christ out of Christmas, but my prayer is that all of us will respond with a loud shout, “Not on our watch.”Let us all enjoy the festivities of this Holiday season, even play the game of santa claus, but not forget what Christmas is about – to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. After all how would you feel if someone else took all the attention away from your birthday?
How can we keep Christ the focus? I would love to hear all of your ideas. One way that we are able to focus on the birth of Jesus is every Christmas Eve, we make Jesus a birthday cake. I asked my daughter what Jesus’ favorite kind of cake is and she replied, “Chocolate!”
Prayer:
Lord, help us to always celebrate Your birth on Christmas morning! Forgive us for allowing the world to replace Your miraculous birth with business and gift buying. You are the greatest gift we could ever receive. As I enjoy the parties, games and joys of Christmas, help me to remember that You are the Reason for the Season! I will declare proudly everywhere I go, “Merry Christmas!” This is Your special day and we wish You a very Happy Birthday! Amen.”
Tip #1 on how to keep Christ in your Christmas:
Make Jesus a birthday cake on Christmas Eve. Alyssa and I are going to make Jesus’ Birthday cake together and she is going to decorate it with her favorite treat, M&M’s! Our plan is to wake up Christmas morning and sing “Happy Birthday to Jesus” and then eat a piece of cake for breakfast (now how much fun is that)? ? If you have ideas on how to keep Christ in Christmas, please click on the comment button and share them – I may even post your idea in the comings weeks!
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.
“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!
“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
“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.”
“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 onATL LIVE (channel 57, WATC) this Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.with National Speaker & Author, Shelley Hendrix.
“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.”
“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.”
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.
