by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
I have always thought of myself as a loving person, but God has been challenging my “love walk” the past few months. He has asked me to give things away that are dear to my heart. He has brought people into my life who are in need of encouragement when I needed encouragement myself. He has asked me to do things out of obedience to bless His people. He has encouraged me to give rather than receive. With all of this occurring, I realized I needed more of God’s love to flow in and through me each day. I am desperate for God to fill me to overflowing that I may be a blessing to those around me. Is anyone else as desperate as I am for God’s love?
According to 1 Corinthians 13, The Message Translation:
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut.
Love doesn’t have a swelled head.
Love doesn’t force itself on others.
Love isn’t always “me first.”
Love doesn’t fly off the handle.
Love doesn’t keep score of the sins of others.
Love doesn’t revel when others grovel.
Love takes pleasure in the flowering of truth.
Love puts up with anything.
Love trusts God always.
Love always looks for the best.
Love never looks back.
Love keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.
So, how is your love walk?
Just remember that your Heavenly Father gives you His amazing love freely each day. He will never give up on you. You are the apple of His eye and He is your Daddy:) Relish in His love today. No matter what you are going through – God’s love will see you through!
Prayer:
Lord, fill me with your perfect love this day. Forgive me of my selfishness and help me to love the people You have placed in my life. Make me more like Jesus. Help me to love myself and other people by your definition of love. Thank you Jesus for never giving up on me and for always being with me. I love you! Amen.
by Tracy | Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:20-21
In the past, I allowed my feelings to rule my life. I would be happy one minute and in tears the next. My emotions were dependent on varying circumstances around me. And no matter what anyone said, I treated my feelings as the truth! I will never forget the day that I found 1 John 3:20-21, in my Bible. I later researched the word “heart” in the Strong’s Concordance, and it means “emotions and thoughts.” So, let’s read the verse again, but this time I will replace the word “heart” with it’s Greek meaning, “emotions and thoughts:
“For if our emotions and thoughts condemn us, God is greater than our emotions and thoughts and knows all things. Beloved, if our emotions and thoughts do not condemn us, we then have confidence toward God.”
Isn’t this good? The truth is, when our emotions and thoughts contradict the Word of God – we have a choice to make: Are we going to believe our emotions and thoughts or the Word of God? For years I lived my life in double-mindedness. I would read the Bible, but then allow my emotions to rob my faith in God! But not anymore!
We must choose daily to believe the Word of God no matter what is going on in the natural! We need to often declare a scripture out loud and proclaim that our emotions must submit under the Word of God. We must choose to believe that according to 1 John 3:20-21, God is greater than our emotions and thoughts and HE knows all things! By not allowing our emotions and thoughts to condemn the Word of God, we can remain in faith and perfect peace:)
Prayer:
Lord, I choose to believe Your Word no matter what is going on around me. I declare that according to 1 John 3:20-21, You are greater than my emotions and thoughts and that You know all things. I will no longer allow my emotions to rule my life. You have good plans for me – with a future and a hope. I worship You Jesus and thank You for leveling out my emotions and giving me the mind of Christ this day.” Amen
PS: Check out a new blog by my friend Stephanie: www.broken-n-restored.blogspot.com This blog discusses everyday issues and the restoration power of God. It’s so good:)
Picture above is from: www.freefoto.com
by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
“And the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness…..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 your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us, but against the Lord.” Exodus 16:2,8
Recently, I have been under a lot of stress. God is truly blessing my family, but “good stress” – is still stress! My days have been filled with to-do lists, phone calls and never-ending appointments. I realized that I had reached my limit when I broke down crying to my friend, Angel over the phone. I was exhausted and needed rest. The next morning during my quiet time with God, I felt the Lord speak the following to me: “Tracy, I have parted the Red Sea (done a miracle) for you and your husband. I am taking you to your next promise land, but you must stop grumbling and complaining or I will have to take my hand off of you.” Immediately, I repented and asked for God’s grace and strength in order to endure the journey to reach my promise land. He was right – I was being just like the Israelites who praised God when He parted the Red Sea on their behalf, but only a few days later they began to grumble and complain about various obstacles they had to conquer to get to their Promise Land. I had fallen for an old, but familiar trap of grumbling and complaining and I needed to HALT!
You see, because I was overly tired – I let down my spiritual guard and allowed my mouth (through grumbling and complaining) to get me into trouble. As a counselor, I am aware that negative thoughts and speech cause extreme fatigue and frustration! I once heard Pastor Charles Stanley share a powerful acronym with his congregation. He stated the need to H-A-L-T whenever we are:
H-Hungry
A-Angry
L-Lonely
T-Tired.
Pastor Stanley explained that when we are experiencing any of these physical or emotional deficits, the devil will try to pull us into fleshly temptations (i.e. – fear, over-eating, addictions, worry, doubt, negativity, grumbling, etc).
No matter what you are going through at this time: H-A-L-T and take care of you! God is continually taking us from glory to glory! He is leading us each day to greater things. So go ahead, take a nap, eat a big steak, forgive the one who has offended you and ask for God to fill you with His awesome love this day. Trust me, I did all of the above, and I am in a much better place! God can meet whatever need you have today. He promises that He will never leave you or forsake you. Rest in the simple fact that His mighty hand is upon you:)
Prayer:
“Lord, thank You for Your mercy and grace. I ask that You give me wisdom on how to take care of myself. I give You my hunger and ask that You feed me. I give You my anger and ask that You replace it with a heart of forgiveness and love. I give You my loneliness and ask that You pour out Your love upon me this day. I give You my tiredness and ask that You give strength to my mind, body and spirit. Jesus, I want to reach my next promise land and with Your grace and strength, I can even enjoy the journey! I love you Heavenly Father ask that You fill me to over-flowing.” Amen.
Picture above is from: www.freefoto.com
by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
A picture of Michael & me celebrating 8 years of marriage!
“Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many against me.” Psalm 55:17-18, New King James Version
Is there a place everyday where God knows He can find you? Maybe it’s in your living room as the sunrises or in the evening just before bed. But where can God find you? I know that our lives are hectic and having a dedicated time to spend with God each day can be difficult. But, if we do not have a designated time to spend with God, life circumstances often get in the way. Personally, I love to wake up each morning before my daughter gets up (around 6:30 am). God can find me sitting on my sofa with a cup of coffee in my hand. I usually begin my time just talking and thanking God for His goodness. I lift up the various tasks of my day and I read my Bible and pray. This is my FAVORITE part of the day! There are mornings when Alyssa wakes up early and I have to re-arrange my quiet time. But just having this set time each day helps keep me on track and full of faith.
Depending on your personality type- you are either a morning person (like me) or a night owl. It is never a good idea for a morning person to try and read the Bible just before bed (trust me on this one – you will just find drool marks on your pages) and a night owls should never try and get up at 5:00 am (I have heard that this will put you in a very bad mood)! It is important to find the right time and place for YOU. You do not need to feel that you have to spend your time with God just like “Sister-Suzie-Q!” You may need to try out a few different times and places to discover what works best for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to help show you the best time and place to spend time with Him. Trust me, He will show you – He LOVES spending time with you!
Prayer:
“Lord, I want to spend time with each today. Help me to not let life circumstances get in the way. I need You desperately each day and ask that You fill me with Your grace and mercy. Holy Spirit, show me the best time and place to fellowship with You. Open my heart to the Word of God and teach me how to pray and enjoy getting to know You more. I am so thankful that You love spending time with me! You are an amazing God!” Amen.
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
(A Girls Night Out with my friend, Angela)
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19, New International Version
Three simple words can change a person’s entire day. Three simple words can communicate that you care. I think we all have been guilty of talking “on and on” about ourselves and failing to ask the person on the other end, “How are you?” Truthfully, we can become all consumed with “self” and forget that a living, breathing person is on the other end of our conversation. Who knows, maybe they are hurting or in need of encouragement. If we do get past our self-focus and actually ask the question, we then face another dilemma of getting the “AUTOMATIC RESPONSE.” I can’t tell you how many times I have asked, “How are you?” only to here the quick response, “Oh, I’m fine.” Yet, if we were honest that “automatic response” is not always the truth! Why do we insist on pretending that we have it all together when God knows that we are about to fall apart?
So let me be the first one to ask you today:
“How are you?”
“No REALLY, How are you?”
“How can I pray for you?”
“How can I minister to your needs?”
Take just a minute and answer these questions – Go ahead, I’ll wait right here until you are finished. Okay, now that you have shared you heart with me: “How do you feel?” Some of you may have tears in your eyes and others of you may be smiling. But, no matter the response – know that I genuinely care. I want to know how you are doing today. If you need a listening hear, please feel free to click on my contact page and send me an email. I would love to hear from you and I will agree with you in prayer.
My genuine care is my gift to you this day. Now it is up to you to pass it on!
Prayer:
Lord, please forgive me for being self-centered and failing to see the needs of others around me. Help me to pour into someone’s life today. I commit to tell You everything I am feeling and thinking deep within my heart. Thank you for always being available to me. And by the way Jesus, How are you today? How can I pray for the concerns on your heart and mind? Jesus, You are always there for me and I want to be here for You today. I give you permission to use my life to be a blessing.” Amen.
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” Psalm 25:5, The New Living Translation
Several months ago, I began diligently seeking God on a matter close to my heart. I began meditating on The Word of God and Psalm 25 was the passage that seemed to continually give me peace as I sought God’s perfect will. It was the scripture above that gave me confidence God would show me the right path for my family. After a few weeks of building my faith, I was expectant to receive God’s leading. God spoke to me very clearly about three steps I needed to follow in order to receive wisdom from Heaven. Today I would like to share with you what God revealed to me:
1.First, we have to WANT God’s direction for our life. When we rely on human intellect or feelings to determine our choices we are in for a rollercoaster ride! I know this from personal experience:) It is only when we seek God’s plan that we can have peace as we work through various issues in our lives. Wanting God’s wisdom is the first step to receiving it.
2. Second, we have to WAIT on God. After we begin asking and seeking, it is then time to wait for God to speak. God is an on time God. I know that it may “feel” as if He is late in answering our prayers, but God is faithful and always on time. I have learned that whenever it appears that God is with-holding something good from me, He is only setting me up to be blessed! He loves us so much that he lets the “good” pass us by in order to give us His best. During the waiting period we need to know that God is faithful and therefore we can wait in expectation. It’s kind of like when we visit a doctor. Due to the fact that we made an appointment and WANTED to seek medical counsel – it is just a matter of time before our name is called and we get the doctor’s wisdom. When you WANT God’s wisdom, it is just a matter of time before it is revealed!
3. Third, we need to be ready to WITNESS a miracle. This is the best part! After we WANT God’s wisdom and we WAIT for Him to speak concerning the matter, we will then WITNESS God’s miracle working power in our life! I am currently walking out this final step and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that God has done a miracle on my behalf. If you are currently in the waiting step – hold on and look each day for God to move on your behalf! Your miracle is on the way! No matter what you need from God this day – know that He is faithful! Do not give up. Do not get impatient and move ahead of God. All you need to do is: Want, Wait and Witness – God does all the rest!
Prayer:
Lord, I need direction in my life. Teach me Your ways and show me the right path. I WANT your wisdom. I choose to WAIT for You to make my path clear and I expect to WITNESS a miracle concerning this issue! Forgive me for getting in Your way. I completely surrender my life once again to you this day. Open my eyes that I may see You working on my behalf. Open my ears that I may hear Your voice. I let go of disappointment and frustration and I grab hold of the Word of God. I choose to believe The Word concerning all things in my life. Thank you for always giving me Your best Jesus! I love you! Amen.
Photo Above is from: www.freefoto.com
by Tracy | Inspirational, Life With Alyssa, Tuesdays With Tracy
“As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” Isaiah 62:5
It is hard for me to believe that just a year ago, I was as huge as a house and waiting for my precious daughter to arrive! She was as snug as a bug in my womb. Without the help of my doctor and medication, who knows when Alyssa would have decided to enter this world? Needless to say, Alyssa is here and more wonderful than we could have imagined. We recently celebrated her first birthday and watched with wonder as she dug into her very first “smash cake.” Although she was in a pretty pink dress, we encouraged Alyssa to eat her cake and ice cream with her hands – It was a hoot! Truthfully, we could not get enough pictures. We could not keep our eyes off of our precious daughter. And we are so thankful to be her parents. Today, I rejoice over my sweet Alyssa Lyn.
Although today may not be your birthday, I have some great news to share with you! According to the verse above, God is rejoicing over you this day. He can’t get enough glimpses of you. He can’t imagine this world without you. He is honored to be your Heavenly Father. And He is so in love with you!
While most of us only celebrate those we love once a year, God rejoices over us every single day. So go ahead and grab a sweet treat and know that while you are enjoying your scrumptious dessert God is rejoicing over you this day!
Prayer:
“Lord, thank you for loving me. I am amazed that You rejoice over me each day! Help me to drink in this truth deep within my spirit. Open my ears to hear what You want to tell me today. Please silence the voice of the world and everyone around me. I want to only hear Your voice, Jesus. Just knowing that you love me and rejoice over me is going to make this a wonderful day.” Amen.
by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.” Galatians 5:25-26, The Message Translation
Before you were created in our mother’s womb, God thought about you (Psalm 139). He dreamed up in His mind your color of hair, personality and the talents that He would entrust to you while here on earth. Did you know that God uniquely placed forty thousand pieces of hair just in your inner ear alone? If God put this much thought into the creation of your inner ear, how much thought and creativity did He put in all aspects of your life? God is The Artist and you are His glorious creation.
The problem is that instead of focusing on how God uniquely created us, we fall into the trap of spending countless hours trying to be someone else! This type of behavior keeps us from fulfilling our personal destiny in Christ. The truth is, there is always going to be someone thinner, smarter, wealthier or more gifted in different areas, but there is only one you! God made you to be an original work of art. Stop trying to copy the brushstrokes God has placed in someone else’s life!
I once told a client of mine who loved the game of tennis, to “get out of everyone else’s court and begin to play her own game!” She struggled with comparing herself to others and this type of thinking led her to continual defeat every time. My client finally realized that she had her own game to play. With this revelation, she took control of her inner thoughts and she is now successfully enjoying her life! She grabbed onto this truth and she is free! Let’s join her, shall we?
Lord,
“Help me to see myself as You see me. You had such joy creating me and I have robbed Your joy by not appreciating my uniqueness. I will no longer compare myself to others. I will no longer speak negative words about my body, personality or the way you have made me. I choose to love myself as Your beautiful masterpiece. I release others to be who God created them to be and I release myself to enjoy how God uniquely made me. There is no one else like me on earth and I celebrate my life!” Amen.
I dedicate this post to my fun-loving Aunt Shelia, who taught me to just be myself and embrace my uniqueness. Aunt She-She:- You are God’s beautiful creation and I love you!
Photo above is from: www.freefoto.com
by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
I found this in the archives and I thought it was fitting to share this once again with you as we celebrate the gift of Motherhood this Sunday! Blessings to all the Moms!!
In honor of Mother’s Day, I have asked “My Moms” to share some words of wisdom with us. Their messages are timeless and great reminders to us all. Whether you are single, married, divorced, with or without children – these pearls shared below are priceless! So sit back and enjoy hearing from these Godly women.
A Message from my Mom, Penny Kenton:
As funny as it may sound, my daughter, son and I all have fond memories of a vacation-on-a shoestring we shared when they were young. I was a single mother at the time and did not have extra money for a vacation, but as my mother had taught me, you can have fun on a shoestring budget!
Instead of eating meals out, we went to the grocery store and bought food. For breakfast we would eat cereal out of little boxes. For lunch we ate peanut butter, bananas and honey on pitas. As we munched our lunch on the beach, a sandstorm came along and our gourmet delights now included a crunch of sand with
every bite. In the evening as we watched movies on TV and ate snacks in our motel room, we laughed and talked and just shared time being together.
It’s hard to believe but that was 16 years ago. Even though in subsequent years the three of us shared more extravagant vacations, I think we all agree, the shoestring trip holds precious memories.
My message to mothers is this – don’t be afraid to be creative and adventurous. It’s not about how much you spend or how luxurious things are when you do things with your child or children, it’s all about creating precious memories. You may be surprised how some of them can be created on a shoestring budget.
A Message from my Mother-in-Law, Linda Hurst:
When I was a young mother with three small children I asked the Lord, “What special things do I need to do in raising my children?” The answer came softly in my mind – “Just be.”
“Just be” – That seems so simple, I thought. Looking back I realize that to “just be” is not as simple as it sounded. The world we live in does not encourage one to “just be.” The world is constantly telling us we need to do this, we must have that and we should never be satisfied with the status quo – whatever that means. Many voices call us to get involved in various activities that take our time away from our families. Being involved in activities is important and beneficial, but should not be a priority over our family. As a mother, I feel that it is very important that we are there for our children and to always be in prayer for every aspect of their lives.
A Message from one of my Spiritual Moms, Ann Platz:
I am glad that I’m now sixty years old. So much of life is trial and error. Rearing two daughters alone for seven years taught me a lot. That I needed
the Lord in my life! I also learned that His love is stronger than anything else. That in time God will restore everything that you allow Him to.
My ambition as a child was to be a wife and mother. That was it! When my first marriage ended it was catastrophic for me. What I did not see at that
time was that God was unfolding a plan for me that would supercede my wildest imagination! What He did was bring my husband John into my life.
Along with John came a new stability in the home. I was able to come back to my early desire to be a mother and a wife. A miracle? Yes!
Celebrate being a mother! And to every single mother, I pray for hope, grace and love.
A Message from my Step-Mother, Rosemary Randell:
“TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO; AND WHEN HE IS OLD, HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT” – PROVERBS 22:6
As I was watching my young adult child walk away from the Lord, this verse was going through my mind often. I felt guilt as only a mother can.
What could I have done differently? This was a child that had loved Jesus so much when she was a young, but now she was saying that she didn’t think God’s Word was true.
After a couple years of tearful prayers and continuous feelings of false guilt, the Lord gave me peace. One morning as I was making breakfast, not really thinking about anything in particular, the Lord said to me, “ Rosie, you take care of others and I will take care of her.” I just sat down and cried a peaceful and grateful cry. I didn’t understand what the Lord completely meant, but I knew that He was in charge, not me, and that she would eventually be alright. One year later, as I looked over and watched her singing to the Lord on a Sunday morning, my heart was full of love for my Lord. Thank you Jesus!
Happy Mother’s Day and may the blessings of the Lord chase you and overtake you this day!
Love,
Tracy
by Tracy | Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
(A picture of me & Brigette, my dear friend of 17 years)
“For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom.” Galatians 5:14, The Message Translation
What kind of a friend are you?
– Do you hold confidences or break them?
– Do you celebrate successes or respond in jealousy?
– Do you “give” in the relationship or simply “take”?
– Do you thank God daily for their friendship or take them for granted?
– Do you listen or do all the talking?
– Do you tell them how much they mean to you or assume they already know?
– Do you encourage them when they are down or pick them apart with your words?
– Do you bringing your friends closer to Christ or pull them farther away?
– Do you love at all times or just when it’s about you?
– Do you speak highly of others or gossip about them behind their back?
– Do you forgive or hold bitterness in your heart?
– Do you see the best in others or assume the worst?
– Do you judge quickly or give the benefit of the doubt?
So let me ask you again: What kind of a friend you are?
It is so easy to see faults in other people, yet fail to see the truth about us. Earlier this year, I encouraged you to do a “friend check” (click here if you did not read this blog) and give God permission to remove anyone who is a wrong influence in your life and bring new friendships, which will encourage you to fulfill your destiny in Christ. I have heard from so many of you how God is moving in your life concerning your friendships. However, it is now time to do some self-reflection and make sure that you are being the kind of friend you are expecting everyone else to be.
Lord,
“Help me to be the kind of friend I am expecting others to be to me. Forgive me Lord for gossip, jealousy, unforgiveness, assumption, selfishness and not sharing how important my friends and family are to me. I speak blessings over those You have brought into my life and I ask that goodness and mercy follow them all of their days. You are my best friend Jesus and I long to be a faithful friend to You here on earth. Open my eyes to see Your goodness and ears to hear Your voice this day. I am so thankful that I can call You my friend. I am never alone or forsaken. Thank you Lord for always being there for me. Your love is amazing and I worship you this day.” Amen.
PS:
Dear Tracyhurst.com Readers,
As many of you know, Heather from www.especiallyheather.com is having surgery Thursday at the Mayo Clinic. Please be in prayer for her and her healing. For more information and to sign up for prayer cover click here onto Kelli’s site.
