by Tracy | Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
Traffic. It is a word none of us like, and if you happen to live in a big city, such as, Atlanta, LA or NYC, the very word “traffic” alone can raise your blood pressure and bring frustration to the surface within seconds.
Traffic is noisy, chaotic and out of our control. Yet, we all have “traffic” in our lives, and I am not just talking about cars blocking our way, I am talking about mental and emotional traffic that gridlock us from getting to our desired destination of peace and joy.
For many of us “mental traffic” is worry, fear, anxiety, control, stress, depression or busyness and while these mental horns are blowing….our peace slips away. But, today we can make a U-turn today by soaking in Psalm 46:10 (Message translation) where God tells us to:
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
Loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything.”
First David tells us to “step out” of the emotional traffic. We do this by opening God’s Word. The traffic will still be there, but the noise will lessen and eventually leave as we look into God’s Word concerning our life. I am continually amazed at how just a few minutes in God’s Word can supernaturally open a lane of peace to our hearts and minds.
Once we take the time to look up at our ALL-POWERFUL, MOST-HIGH, LOVING, CONSISTENT, FAITHFUL God, we are able to breathe again (go ahead and take a deep breathe now – just breathe in Jesus and breathe out all your cares and worries). For, as we breathe in God’s Word, our mind will begin to rest in His promises. We can rest in the truth that God is above everything, everyone, and that He knows how to get us where we need to go. For He holds all provision, healing, breakthrough, hope, restoration, and promise needed to get us through the traffic of life.
And let us remember that our High God is above POLITICS. He is above the Presidential Election, the media, a doctor’s report, favoritism at our workplace, disagreements within our family, trouble within our marriage or any “political” issue we may be facing. He is above everything. Period.
Prayer:
“Father, help me step out of the traffic and take a long, loving gaze at You today. I lay down every concern and issue on my heart and I thank you that You are above it all. I pray for President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump today and ask that Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You are above every person, every position, and You are Ruler of all. I chose to step out of worry and fear and I place my life in your capable hands. Thank you for being above everything in my life and in this world. 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 | Bad Day Blues, Inspirational, Tuesdays With Tracy
“For His (God’s) anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime and in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5, Amplified
For years, I placed my hope in my circumstances. When things were going well, I would experience happiness, but when difficulties arose, I would give myself over to anxiety and discouragement. All the while, JOY was waiting for me.
At that time, I did not know the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is temporal, fleshly and dependent on “things” in the natural world – how much money we have in our bank account, how many items of clothing we have in our closet, how we look, how well our children perform at school or how much acknowledgment we receive from our peers and the list goes on and on! Now, don’t get me wrong, all of these “things” can be wonderful and feel fabulous, but the happiness we receive from the things of this world are temporary, and can be taken away from us at any moment.
Joy on the other hand is stable, unmoving, and can stand solid in the most difficult of situations. While happiness is based on outward circumstances, joy is based upon our belief in God and the condition of our heart.
Nehemiah 8:10 states that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Another word for strength is endurance, which is the Greek word “hupomone.” “Hupo” literally means under and “mone” means to remain. Therefore, endurance can be defined as the capacity to bear up under difficult circumstances, not with a passive complacency, but with a hopeful (joyful) fortitude that actively resists weariness and defeat!
Joy is supernatural, it gives us the strength we need to actively resists weariness and defeat. Joy is always above what the world has to offer. You see, God’s joy is solely dependent on His Word and what He says about our situation. No matter what you are currently going through – you can experience joy as you wait expectantly for God to move on your behalf! I encourage you to take your eyes off of your situation and place them on the Solution – God. As you do this, God will fill you with His joy and you can rest assured that your victory is at hand.
Prayer:
“Lord, forgive me for allowing my circumstances to dictate how I feel. I ask for You to fill me with supernatural joy. I need endurance. I long to bear up under difficult circumstances with a hopeful fortitude. Help me to resist weariness and defeat and receive Your supernatural joy. I declare that as I fix my eyes on You, the Author and Finisher of my faith that you will perfect that which concerns me this day (Psalm 138:8). Amen.”
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