by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Quiet strength, Discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
Colossians 3: 12-14, The Message Translation
Ask any woman and she will tell you that a simple black dress will take her just about anywhere in life. For example, throw on a black dress, add a pair of high heel shoes and ‘hi-ho-hi-ho’ off to work you go. You can run errands around town by sliding into your favorite pair of flip-flops. You can enjoy a formal evening out by placing a strand of pearls around your neck. Not to mention that as you dash around town in this all-purpose black garment, you will look simply elegant! Every woman needs a go-to black dress.
However, when we enter our closets each morning, we typically select our outfit based on a mood, habit or inspiration. Psychologies Magazine states, ” Clothing choices are rarely neutral, and our inner secrets can be read in our choices.”
What many of you may not know is that God is interested in what we wear, spiritually speaking that is. He has picked out some articles of clothing that He believes are essential for every believer’s closet. So, let’s do some inventory shall we? Would I find the following items within your spiritual closet: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, even tempered, content with second place and quick to forgive?
I will admit to having most of these, yet I seem to wear the same things over and over again! For example, I regularly wear a shirt of compassion, slacks of forgiveness and shoes of kindness, but I often pass by the jacket of discipline! If we are all honest, there are probably a few of the mentioned garments listed above that we have a hard time putting on…which one is it for you?
But, there is one all-purpose garment (like that essential black dress), which God states we are NEVER to be without:
LOVE is the one piece of clothing we need to be wearing at all times – no matter the season, predicted weather forecast or agenda of our day. The garment of love is to be extended to others, ourselves and to God. It is the garment that will bring success our way no matter what. So go ahead and wear your black dress, but don’t forget to put on some LOVE to go with it! I promise you that with that combination – you will look fan-tab-ulous!
Prayer: Lord, I want to wear what you have picked out for me today. I choose to place upon myself this day: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, I desire to be even tempered, content with second place and quick to forgive, but importantly I choose to walk in love. By choosing to wear the articles of clothing listed above – I am dressed for success. Thank you for loving me this day. Amen
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
“God will show me the path of life; In His Presence is the fullness of joy; At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 NKJV
*Lately, I have been on a quest to add more fun into my life. I realized that I needed additional fun when my husband and I went to see a romantic comedy at the movie theater and after the movie I could not control the tears that ran down my face. My husband looked at me totally perplexed (ladies, you know the look), he assumed that after viewing a fun, romantic comedy, I would feel encouraged and uplifted, but instead a deep sense of sadness filled my heart. I felt as if I was “missing out,” that everyone else was having fun, except me (do you hear the violin playing? LOL). And so began my quest for FUN!!!
The next day my husband and I sat down and made a list of the things we considered, “fun.” Of course, our lists were completely different! My husband, who is a ex-paratrooper and Golden Knight for the Army, listed various adventures, such as: jumping from planes, mountain biking, getting his pilots license, watching Brave Heart and Blackhawk Down. My list consisted of things such as: more girlfriend time, dinner parties, buying new shoes and travel.
So my husband began watching his war movies, doing his “guy stuff” and I bought some new pair of shoes (sorry honey), met girlfriends for coffee and together we hosted a few dinner parties, but these activities DID NOT SATISFY our desire within.
Finally, one morning during my quiet time with God, I asked Him why we were having such difficultly implementing fun into our lives?
Then God led me to Psalm 16:11:
“God will show me the path of life; In His Presence is the fullness of joy; At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The truth is, nothing on earth will bring us eternal joy. Don’t get me wrong, a mountain bike and new shoes are great, but both will eventually end up in the junk yard!
The truth is, we were looking for fun in all the wrong places! Only the Lord can provide the JOY that can satisfy your soul. Fun is fleeting, but JOY is eternal.
EXTREME JOY is only found in God’s Presence, JOY is seeing God bring breakthrough and healing into people’s lives, JOY is telling people about Jesus and how good HE is!!
As Psalm 16 sank into my spirit, a smile spread across my face. I found what I had been longing for in the Word of God. My quest had been fulfilled! That following weekend, my husband and I hosted a Bible study and I sensed God’s Presence in our home. As I looked around the room I thought to myself, “NOW THIS IS FUN!”
Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for looking to the world to bring joy and satisfaction into my life. Nothing this world offers can bring me eternal peace. It is only in Your Presence that I am filled with supernatural joy. And this joy is not dependent on my circumstances. I choose to no longer look for fun in all the wrong places, for it is only in Your Presence that I am filled to overflowing! Amen.
*A Published Article by Tracy Hurst, “Atlanta Christian Chronicle”, June, 2004
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 | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
Listen, O’ daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house. The King (God) is enthralled by your beauty; Honor Him for He is your Lord.” Psalm 45:10-11, NIV
Why is it that we dwell on the negative things said about us more than the positive? Maybe this is not a struggle for you, but I think most of us tend to FORGET the uplifting words spoken over us and meditate on the destructive ones. BUT NOT ANYMORE! God clearly states above that we are to FORGET what people and even what our own family may have said about us! God declares that He is enthralled with our beauty and that we can honor Him by choosing to think and meditate on what He says about us.
We give “honor” to people when we allow their opinion of us to influence the way we feel about ourselves. The problem is that we often “honor” the wrong people, all the while, God tells us – we are the apple of His eye and that we do not need to be afraid for He has ransomed us and called us by name – God declares to us today, “YOU ARE MINE” (Psalm 17:8, Isaiah 43:1).
So, let me ask you, “What will your Valentine’s day be like if you only think about what God says about you?”(Selah – pause and think about that).
Today God gives you something better than roses or candy – He gives you His eternal love and attention. Let’s answer, “yes” to God’s invitation to “Be HIS” this Valentines Day. Choose to honor God by meditating on the fact that He is enthralled with your beauty and deeply in love with you!
Prayer:
“Lord, forgive me for honoring the wrong people in my life. I choose to honor You by meditating on what You say about me. I desire to give You my heart today. I will “be Yours” forever. I ask that you remove from my memory hurtful words spoken over me. I believe that You are enthralled with my beauty today. Thank you for being the best valentine any woman could ever have.” Amen.
by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Behold I will do a new thing, and it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:19.
*When I was a little girl, I loved stuffed animals. I had so many on my bed each night, that I barely had any room for me! I named them all one by one and if any of them fell off the bed during the night I would apologize to them and purposefully place them closest to me the next night. While my obsession of having hundreds of stuffed animals has lessened with my growing age, I will admit to having one stuffed animal, named “Brian” during my college years. He was a fluffy white bunny with long ears and a smile. I loved him deeply and my bunny saw me through the best and worst of times. I would hold onto him tightly each night and snuggle with him, especially after a long day. During the hard times, he would absorb my tears into his mangled fur as they fell from my face. Needless to say, what started out as a beautiful bunny began to resemble a tattered lamb.
When I married my husband, Michael, we each selected one thing we wanted the other person to get rid of prior to our honeymoon. And can you believe that he chose for me to get rid of my beloved white fluffy bunny?!! While letting go of Brian was not any easy task, I felt consoled because I would soon hold tightly onto my new husband in this new season of life. I was counting on him to perform all that my bunny had these past eight years.
Unbeknownst to me, with the letting go of my beloved bunny, I shifted my hold onto my husband and also my best friend, Kelly. This was all well and good until Kelly moved into her beautiful new home – in Egypt (okay, so maybe it wasn’t literally in Egypt, but it sure felt like it – LOL)!! Don’t get me wrong – I was thrilled for her, but to my dismay her new home was fifty minutes away from mine! I would never have thought of myself as someone who held tightly onto things. After all, I did move every few years and I considered myself very adaptable. But Kelly and I had planned to get pregnant at the same time and that she would watch my children when I worked a few days each week and her recent move upset our beautiful plans.
It was at this point that God began to speak to me that I had been holding tightly onto things throughout my entire life. God graciously revealed to me that the only thing I am to hold tightly onto is Him. People will move, relationships will change, but God never does!
I finally told Kelly of my struggles and asked for her forgiveness for being selfish. She of course was wonderful, and reaffirmed that no one could ever replace me in her life. Our heart-to-heart talk was a blessing and we made a pact to work hard at getting together even with the new distance between our homes. I then hung up the phone with her and prayed for the Lord to bless her new home and our friendship.
Next, I had a heart-to-heart talk with God.
He showed me that by holding onto things tightly, He wasn’t able to bring new blessings into my life. Tears filled my eyes as He spoke this truth to me. Then I happened to look over at my little Maltese dog, Noah, and it hit me just how much he looked like my old bunny “Brian.” He was soft and white with fluffy ears. Yet, I love Noah so much more! I also found out that a new friend of mine is moving into a neighborhood down the street from me. I began to realize that God has many new blessings to bring my way, if I will just let go and trust Him to bring them to me.
We can let go and grab onto Jesus because He is already holding onto us!
Truth be told, I still miss my mangled bunny and I will forever miss the close proximity of my best friend, but I now know that I must let go and “Behold, I (the Lord) will do a new thing, and it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).
You see, if we will just let go and grab onto Christ, a new thing will appear.
So, let me ask you, Is there anything you are holding onto tightly? If so, I encourage you to let go and hold tightly to God’s Word and His promises for you this New Year because if you do -The best is yet ahead!
*Update since article was written in 2003- Kelly and I got our hearts desire to have children together and are still best friends today even with the distance between us. God continues to teach me to hold tightly onto Him for He is the one holding me and He is forever faithful. As we enter 2014, I believe that God wants us to “Expect Him to do the unexpected in our lives.” God has many NEW things He wants to bring into our lives in 2014!
**Above Article was my very first published Article in the Christian Chronicle, 2003.
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
Description: The continuation of our Be Healthy discussion with guest Tracy Hurst. This week we explore how our emotions affect our physical health, and how our bodies affect our emotional health…and how to truly BE healthy in mind, body and soul.
Click here to listen: BE Healthy Part 2 (www.bestillbefree.com)
THIS WEEK’S VERSE:
“My beloved friend, I pray that everything is going well for you, and that your body is as healthy as your soul is prosperous.” (3 John 1:2)
(If you haven’t listened to Part 1, click here!)
A Message from Monica:
Whoops. We were so excited to continue our talk with Tracy about physical health that we didn’t discuss a verse at the top of the show. But I (Monica) found the above verse in The Voice translation the other day, and it’s as if it leapt off the page and took root deep into my heart.
At the core of these two weeks on Be Healthy is this verse, you know? We want our souls and bodies to be healthy and prosperous! Because at the end of the day, we aren’t going to be able to DO all that God has called us to do (and face it, all that we have to do in a day), if our bodies are operating at 50% and we feel run down, sluggish and consistently down.
We have to BE healthy before we can DO what God has ordained for us to do.
So confession time:
I haven’t been healthy lately. My soul and my heart and emotions have been pretty healthy (relatively speaking…there’s always room to grow). But my body — my physical health — is pitiful. The past few months in particular, I’ve felt run down, lethargic, on-edge, headachy and generally feeling like I’m in a fog.
I hate feeling tired after just going up the stairs in my house, you know?
The frustrating part was that I’ve been exercising regularly and watching my food intake. However, I just realized I was watching the calories of the food I was eating, but not the food itself.
Don’t laugh — but I will always sacrifice real food calories for Cheez-Its calories.
Always.
And Cheez-Its calories — while delicious and satisfying in the moment — are not enough to fuel my body.
I’ve listened to this unpublished podcast episode no less than four times in the past two weeks, because I need help here. And I kept remembering what I said in the podcast about Michael Hyatt and his discipline in regards to physical health. And then I came across that verse from 3 John,
“…and that your body is as healthy as your soul is prosperous.”
And suddenly, one night last week, I had enough. I’m not even kidding — I went to bed determined to make a change, and on Tuesday morning at 5:30 am I made one. And for the past six whole days in a row, I’ve cut out most sugar and processed food. Because my body (at FORTY) operates best on a clean diet.
(I’m not saying this is what everyone should do — I’m not a nutritionist or expert whatsoever.)
(And I haven’t throw out the Cheez-Its yet.)
(The kids…you know.)
I say it to commiserate with you that we are all struggling to be healthy!
Just because discuss a particular topic on the podcast, it doesn’t mean we’ve learned it and mastered it. It’s always a process. And someone might be doing awesome when it comes to physical health, but struggling emotionally. Or kicking butt with spiritual health, but fighting with mental health.
We are all in the same race, running toward the same goal. Let’s just be real about it and cheer each other on, you know? (tweet that)
So Tracy shared some incredible insights with us this week about how our physical health can be affected by our emotions…and how our emotions can be affected by our physical health. There is such great content in this podcast — you have to make time to listen!
Here are a few highlights:
- What we think impacts how we feel, and how we feel impacts our body.
- Our bodies will tell us when something is wrong! Stomach pain, headaches, etc. may be symptoms of emotional issues that need to be addressed.
- When your body is speaking to you through back pain, headaches, stomach pain, etc…it’s God’s way of telling you to slow down and BE.
- Medication helps our bodies feel better, but our emotional health might not be where it needs to be if we don’t process our emotions and change our mind and the way we think.
- Even in the Bible, God brought health in mind, body and soul to many people (example: Elijah).
- God wants you to be whole — mind, body and soul.
- Women need more sleep than men, like 7-8 hours! (Tracy said it so it’s true.)
- We need to be able to recognize when to say no, so that we can nourish our bodies and our souls.
- Our bodies need to operate at full capacity so that we can fulfill the destinies God has for us!
- 30 minutes of physical exercise a day can have the same effect on your body as taking a low-dose antidepressant.
Isn’t that all so rich?? You have to give yourself 30 minutes to listen to it if you haven’t yet. I promise, you’ll be so much healthier for it!
Monica Steeley: www.elevateideas.com
by Tracy | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy, Warfare
Good Morning Ladies!
I want to introduce you to an amazing Podcast started by 3 ordinary women who love their extraordinary God. I personally start my week off with them & I would love for you to listen, comment & subscribe to their podcast.
Today’s focus is: “Being Emotionally Healthy.”
I am their special guest today (pinch me)…..so please leave a comment in their comment section if you can: because maybe-just-maybe they would have me back!!! Lol!!
Now, YOU REALLY NEED TO GO LISTEN….Click on the logo below and push play:
Much love to you!!!
Tracy
by Tracy | Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
Good Morning and Happy All Saints Day!
I have had the privilege of being on “The Dottie Coffman Show” talking about the “History of Halloween.” No matter what your personal belief is, Halloween has become a beloved holiday in America. But where did its origins come from? How did the church try to redeem this day in 690 AD with the help of a Pope? And how has American made Halloween it’s own? If you enjoy history, knowledge and want to learn more about Halloween, then you will love this show – it’s unbiased, factual and just plan interesting….. Just click on the link below:
Dottie Coffman Show
Click here: 31 Oct 13 DCS WIMO final
Thanks for tuning in and Part 2 will air next week which gets interesting and moves from history to “The pro’s and con’s of Halloween.”
And check out Dottie Coffman: www.dottiecoffman.com, like her page on Facebook and sign up for her newsletter! Dottie Coffman is a Talk show host, speaking about real life issues, with real people
Blessings,
Tracy Hurst
by Tracy | Inspirational, Practical, Tuesdays With Tracy
“Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7, New Living Translation
Do you find yourself battling anxiety and fear over various issues in your life? If so, I have good news for you! You no longer have to worry about anything. I realize that you may have trouble believing that worry-free living is possible, but I was once a “professional worry-wart.” I will never forget the day I read the scripture above. I also didn’t think this was possible. I meditated on Philippians 4:6-7 for years (and yes, I said years). Needless to say this will take time but worry-free living is possible! Today I want us to take a deeper look into Philippians 4:6-7:
First, notice that Paul did not just tell us to “not worry.” Paul proceeded to tell us what to do in its place. He gave us the following steps for worry-free living:
1. Paul tells us to: Do not worry.
When worry begins to fill my mind, I try and catch myself and make myself STOP! In the beginning it took me hours to stop my worrisome thoughts because worry was a normal part of my day. However, by just simply recognizing these thoughts and choosing to STOP – I began to break the cycle. In order to STOP worrying, we must choose to STOP the thoughts and do the next step in its place.
2. Paul tells us to: Pray and tell God what you need.
What is it that you need in this particular situation? Instead of focusing on all the negative aspects and allow fear to take over – focus on the solution. Do you need Godly wisdom? Peace within your relationships? Do you need protection from the enemy? A raise to pay your bills? What is it that you really need to overcome this situation and then “tell God.” Be specific with God. If you are unsure of what you need, simply ask God for wisdom. He will show you exactly what you need in this particular situation. Ultimately, Jesus is our solution to every problem in this world!
3. Paul tells us to: Thank God for all that He has done.
What exactly has God done for you? Has He saved you? Rescued you? Loved you when you were still deep in sin? Healed you? What exactly has God done for you? Once you answer that question, begin to thank Him. When you begin to thank and praise God, your problems gets smaller and your God gets bigger! He is the same God that saved you, healed you, rescued you from hell and loved you when you were unlovable. He is the God who will take care of you and the situation you are facing today. Begin to thank Him for victory in that trial you are currently facing. He is a God who promises in Psalm 138:8, to perfect that thing which concerns you.
4. The result:
Peace, peace and more peace. Peace for your mind and heart that is more wonderful than you can even comprehend! It’s a peace that surpasses all understanding! You do not have to live the rest of your life in worry and fear. You can live in God’s peace. I encourage you to walk out this scripture everyday. If you do – you will daily walk in the peace of God! It may take time (from one former worry-wart to another – it took me a few years to totally conquer this) but praise God I am free as long as I choose to stop my fearful thoughts, tell God what I need and thank Him for ALL that He has done!
Prayer:
Lord, please help me to recognize when I am entertaining worry and fear in my mind. I want to live worry-free and experience Your peace. Give me the discernment to stop anxious thoughts and to tell you what I need. I long to be focused on The Solution: YOU! I recognize that when I tell You what I need and thank you for Your answers, that I will experience a peace that surpasses all understanding. I know this may take some time Lord, but I want to live my life worry free! Thank you Jesus for providing these steps to receive Your wonderful peace! Amen.
