Giving Thanks is Everyday

 

CUSTOM STAMPED KNIT BRACELETS IN MY SHOP!

As I see Jesus’ life, He lead a life for others not for himself. He needed no one but the people needed Him.  He gave in secret and prayed in secret with His Father. 

Yesterday was what the world called “Giving Tuesday” and I thought about this and remembered this Greek word “Eucharisteo”  meaning “I give thanks”. 

I wondered how I could give back to others and meet the needs of my brothers and sisters. 

First I think this what giving is not. 

It’s not about getting the credit or a pat on the back. 

It’s not begrudgingly giving because it wasn’t your idea. 

Giving is closely tied to love and how we love people is how they will see Jesus. 

Jesus meets our needs and as His people we can meet others where they are too. 

Giving is loving people and meeting their needs. We honor God by honoring our family, church, friends and neighbors.  Nurturing a relationship with them, loving them and understanding their needs. 

What is the need? Immediate or just because? 

This may be the worlds day to “give back” but everyday in the Kingdom of God is a day to “give thanks and “give back!”

Bless you friends! 

Am I pursuing God or the world?

         

           Relentless Pursuit Custom Stamped Bracelet

 As I flip my phone screen on this morning all I see is the endless shopping deals shouting at me to look their way. 

I am like most of us scrolling my phone and probably without any plans of buying I have the overwhelming desire for all kinds of things I would love to buy that I had no intention of buying. It’s a problem. I lay my phone aside and reevaluate my thoughts and realize without scrolling my phone I wouldn’t desire those things.  I didn’t need any of those things. 

If this is how I feel after scrolling on my phone then how can I reignite the desire to flip my bible open and look to God more?  

It starts with knowing Jesus. Knowing He is the only one who will satisfy the longing for more. He is the only thing we do need. Our desire to seek anything starts with where we focus our gaze. There is a battle for our mind going on whether we see it or not. Phones only want more and more of our focus but they will never satisfy us. 

Are we looking into a device more than into the Word of God? I have been the shopper of deals and been left with a emptiness afterwards because it still didn’t fill the longing for something more. 

I have checked my phone and then looked up at the clock to see that I sat there scrolling for hours with absolutely nothing accomplished except the feelings of comparison and less than. 

My life changed when my focus was to pursue God more than shopping or the seemingly perfect life to watch on any screen.  I wanted my mind and heart to be filled with Truth instead of the world. His beauty abounds in us and His Truth is the only way the fight the enemy. 

He has relentless love for me and is always pursuing His beloved.  I want more of my desires to be filled with His will not mine.  Through prayer and time spent with God He will reignite our desire for more of Him and fill our hearts with the best of things. We will never have a perfect life or all the materialistic dreams we see on screens but Jesus fulfills all our longings for more if we relentlessly pursue Him! 

Here is what has helped me get into Gods Word more than anything else.  

1. Pray- for Gods help and He will show you what you need to do, stop doing, and then do it. 

2. Prepare- get your Bible and any supplies (pen, scripture plan or study) where you can read it at a set time. Bring it with you to work, in the car or lunch breaks. 

3. Show up- this is where you have to learn a new discipline and show up for God. He is always waiting so let’s honor Him and pursue His goodness. 

Let me know in the comments how you prepare your time with God. 

Have you had a God Moment?

 These wee little hands closed up tight and each finger interlocked as if she were going to pray when really she was desperately wanted her bottle. LOL

My heart completely melted when I saw these hands and of course I had to snap this picture like any Grandmother would right? I can see my own hands clasping together in prayer and God speaking to my spirit. God holding me and telling my spirirt the desires of my heart are from Him. I need to walk by faith and not sight. To not look at how long it will take to happen but to just take one day at a time walking in by the Spirit.  

God moments happen like that when you are least expecting and maybe even when your heart is weary and broken. Many of us are weary, sad and fearing the unknown and can’t hear anything except a noisy world. Noise can stir up anxious thoughts and I don't think God is in the business of stirring our hearts toward fear. He sends abundance and His goodness awaits us. We need to find a way to block the noise and take time to slow down, listen, and see what God is saying instead of the noisy world. 

You might find this happens..

God sends an angel to put a smile on your face, or to remind you that He is there with you and the love is so overwhelming you might become a puddle of tears from it.  Listen closely for God’s whisper, it’s going to be okay. 

Faith is a muscle that we will need to continually stretch in our life and I am so grateful for God's reminders of His goodness through pain and healing.

May we hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ like these tiny hands pictured for nourishment of our hearts and souls everyday!  Bless you friends! 

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭CSB‬‬ 

What my gray hair is teaching me

 

‬‬ “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭90:12‬ ‭CSB

As I looked in the mirror after working out this morning, I saw it. I saw the dreaded gray hair poking out from my natural hair color. I looked at my husband and said, you look good with gray hair growing in but me no way.  I think a lot of us want to hide from those dreaded signs of aging don’t we?  It’s the message the world tells keeps feeding that we can stay young and hide from signs of aging with medicine and we can look younger longer if we use these products. 

I began thinking about why does this gray hair bother me. It’s signs of days gone by and wisdom I have learned from my faith in God through some very tough days I’ve the years.  Even the book of wisdom says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”  Proverbs 16:31

Is this how God wants me to embrace my life dreading the gray hair and wrinkles? 

I don’t think so. We can all agree death is emanate for us and sadly this year death has been all over the news as well as in our communities daily. You can’t escape it it.  Death is something we probably would rather not think about in the immediate but we must if we believe God is in control of my life.  God created us from the dust and the dust we shall return to dust. (see Genesis 3:19)

If you have had an encounter with death or maybe you are staring it in the face because of a diagnosis. If so you already know we must look to the author and perfector of our faith Jesus Christ to find joy in His presence not in the decay of this world or our aging bodies that will never save us or satisfy us. We instead should look at our bodies as a living and good sacrifice to God. (Romans 12:1) 

Praising Him for another day to breathe in His grace, exhale and resting in Him. 

So with a new perspective I want to embrace those gray hairs and embrace this life God has blessed me with.  Let my praise ever be in the Lord for I know my salvation is in Him. 

“Lord, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39:4‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Searching God’s Goodness

 “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘯?”⁣

‭‭𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸‬ ‭𝟼:𝟸𝟽‬ ‭𝘕𝘈𝘚𝘉

As a new week begins, I am looking forward to the goodness of God once again because if I don’t then I end up looking inward and worry can take over.  I have worries just like you with family and circumstances I will never be able to change. I gave up a long time ago, even though there are days I still want so desperately to change things. Sometimes because I want the world to see a tidy life right? It’s not and I wonder sometimes why but if God made everything easy then why would we even come to Him or depend on Him in the first place? 

The only hope to see change is to pray! 

-Pray for the person, issue or circumstance. 

-Repent and ask for forgiveness for us as them. 

-Pray God leads the heart to change. 

-Pray Gods mighty hand will take the issue and leave it at the feet of Jesus. 

-Praise God in all the messy and hard parts and honor Him everyday.

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”⁣

‭‭𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸‬ ‭𝟼:𝟹𝟹‬ ‭𝘕𝘈𝘚𝘉

So today I am looking at my rabbits being born this week! I am working on y’all orders and gearing up for the Advent Hymns Study in the FB PRIVATE GROUP #knitthegospelintoyourheart I can’t wait! Y’all -it always excites me that you will be joining a study and we can encourage each other in the Word! 

Bless you friends! 

How can we discover God’s redeeming love?

I viewed my life differently after I had read and studied books of the Bible over the years and saw over and over Gods redeeming love deliver His people, save His people and ultimately die for us. The people whom God loves and wants to be in relationship with. 

I saw through the scriptures myself as the disobedient Israelite, the adulterous wife, Gomer and the faithful sojourner, Ruth who was looking for a Savior.  I wanted to learn from the many parables Jesus spoke in the New Testament and be more like Mary than Martha. I long to see the gardens that Jesus went away to be alone with the Father.  My heart loves the garden so I know how much tending and weeding it takes a fruitful one.  

I had to rid my life of the guilt and shame. These were titles that I lived with for a long time. I couldn’t reconcile how to leave 

the past in the past. 

It wasn’t until I learned who I am in light of Jesus Christ that revealed to me the Truth of my identity.  If I am new creation in Jesus Christ then I am no longer under the weight of shame and guilt.  It seems easy but our minds need to learn Truth through the scriptures or the enemy will continue to deceive us. 

Isaiah 44:22 “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” 

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4

The lies were a barrier that I had to overcome through prayer and bible study.  God will fight our battles if we bring them to Him in prayer and seek Him through scripture. 

By Gods grace and mercy, He showed me through the scriptures how He uses messed up lives to bring redemption and show us His redeeming love. 

My hope is that you discover Truth for yourself through the pages of the Bible like I have and will continue to do. The scriptures are a never ending treasure for us and they will continue to teach us as we keep seeking Jesus! 

I would love to hear your personal stories below in the comments of discovering Truth. 

blessings ~tracy 

Leaving a Legacy of Faith

Being a mom of three kids and now a grandmother, I can see more than ever how much God has entrusted me to live a life of faith not only for my children but now my grandchildren.  I have special memories of my being with my grandma. 

Don’t you? 

I want them to see me trusting and loving God with all my heart and soul.  I want to leave a legacy of memories at my home  praying and sitting together for meals. I want to linger and listen to them just like the Father does with His children. 

I want to reflect the image of God so that they will want know Him like I do.  I would also love to leave my well loved Bible behind one day.  I know it sounds weird to think about something like that but I do because I wasn’t raised with a legacy of faith.  There wasn’t a great emphasis on church, faith, or God in my home life. It is amazing the plan God had and even though we all don’t grow up learning about God. He doesn’t stop teaching for us. So starting with me it can change! 

We can change the trajectory of our families by being the first.  My husband was the first college graduate in both our immediate families and now we can leave a unwavering faith in an amazing God who loves us. 

Have you thought about leaving a legacy too? Or something special for your family? 

I would love to hear your stories or comments below! 

Bless you friends! 

Tracy 

God gives Hope to our Weary Souls

                         

                        Give Me Jesus Bracelet

“And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

After I read this verse I am in awe of how God gives hope to our weary souls. Pouring out our souls before the Lord empties us of the despair we can feel in our difficult situations doesn’t it? Like Hannah I went through times of sadness when parenting a strong willed child was hard and all I felt was despair. I felt the thoughts of people wondering why our child was the outsider and how we must of messed up in our parenting. I couldn’t change the situation but I could pray.  

God meets us there and leaving our burden with God and truly believing Him for the outcome is where our faith is strengthened.  Raising our children is kingdom work and I believe we keep fighting the good fight for our children daily giving them back to the Lord. 

He is the perfect Father and will bring joy into our lives through difficult times! 

My takeaways from 1 Samuel 1-2 this week are:

•faith is believing God hears my prayers

•faith is living like God has already answered me

•faith in Christ the Lord guards my heart from what others think of me 

Accepting Forgiveness

 I couldn’t forgive her. 

I knew what she had done. 

She had confessed and by the grace and mercy of God she was set free. She was forgiven. This is our free gift of grace when we pray and confess our sins to God. 

If there is unconfessed sin in our life then there is a barrier between us and God. 

I knew this barrier too well. God hears the prayers of the righteous of the man (Prov. 15:29)  meaning living in obedience.  There is also another part of forgiving others including ourselves. 

My barrier was I couldn’t forgive myself for my sin but God had already. I had to understand the mercy bestowed on me was to be believed not doubted and shared with others. I had to learn the love and forgiveness of God surpasses my human understanding.  This the beauty of the gospel that says, Jesus will save you when you ask Him, Jesus will forgive us when we confess our sins and continues to sanctify us as we dwell in Him. 

Maybe you have struggled with this too? 

It isn’t naturally in us to forgive but Jesus is calling us to a higher standard. We are called to abide in His righteousness and when we pray confess our sins so that there isn’t any barriers between Him and us. Pray for forgiveness for yourself and for others and believe Him friends! 

Bless you friends! I would love to hear your testimonies below

Tracy  

Faith and Prayer

 “Because of your little faith,” he told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭17:20‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Our faith is always being tested. Prayer requires our faith, trust and submission to God.  God said nothing is impossible for Him but my faith hasn’t always displayed that belief.  A big part of prayer is believing God. 

There has been a heaviness lately on my heart and I couldn’t believe God would ask such a hard thing of me but God does ask us hard things of us sometimes like leaving the closeness of family, the comfortable home/job or to be a caregiver to someone. 

All these things can stretch us emotionally and be super hard but Jesus is who we are to trust and follow. He is where our loyalty lies in the face of decisions.  Come to Him in faith, believe and our joy will be made complete. (John 16:24) 

Today may my heart believe God. That He has my best in mind even when I don’t see or understand but that I will follow and may our mountains be moved today because we trust in Jesus name, amen! 

Bless you friends! 

Waging War Against the Enemy

 

For although we walk in the flesh, we don’t wage war in fleshly way, since the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. 

1 Corinthians 10:3-4

I feel like we can see and feel the spiritual war going on around us more than ever. Can you see it too?  

It’s always been there and even in my life I feel it.  Spiritual dryness has crept in since March and I have struggled to keep doing what God wants of me.  I have questioned why are bad things happening around us and found looking for the goodness of God amongst all the bad we can easily see helps my attitude and helps me to lift my eyes upward instead of down and inward. 

Strongholds of sin and spiritual dryness can be demolished by picking up the armor of God. (See Ephesians 6)  It is this discipline of going to God even when we don’t feel like it and waging war against the enemy who wants to keep us away from seeing the good.  God will reward you and you will see the faithfulness of God around you as we in His strength seek Him. 

His Word is living and active and it will fill us up like fuel and soften our hearts toward Him and others. Praying will give us power and hope that only comes from Christ!  

Pray: 

Lord, arm me with your words today that I will hear them louder than the enemy. 

Forgive me where I have been lazy in seeking you for help when I don’t feel like it.  It is in my weakness you are magnified. You are my strength and I have hope because of you Lord💜 amen

Blessings 

tracy 

Lessons from Jude

This week I reread the letter Jude and it reminded me that the same things that the believers faced back then in the church we still face today. Fighting for our faith and being aware the ungodly who deceive us. ⁣

⁣

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞: ⁣

•To walk by the Spirit is looking at the Word of God more than I do anything else for guidance. Be in prayer so God can guide me. ⁣

⁣

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 : ⁣

•inner strength⁣

•conviction of sin⁣

•energy to move in love⁣

•the voice who calls to excellence ⁣

•how we can forgive supernaturally ⁣

•a faithfulness that can only be explained by God ⁣

⁣

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵.””⁣

‭‭𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯‬ ‭𝟹:𝟾‬ ‭𝘕𝘈𝘚𝘉‬‬ ⁣ 

Bless you friends! 

tracy 

The love of Jesus is powerful

⁣

Boy has my past week been full. God has blessed us with a grandchild and my heart just expanded in love.  God is amazing in timing because in a crazy time we live in He turns our eyes to this perfect little baby and I am so thankful.  Thankful for the love of Christ bestowed to us to open our hearts toward Jesus. ⁣

⁣

God’s timing is always good isn’t it? ⁣

⁣

Can you think of a time when God showed you so much love, grace, and mercy in your life? I can. ⁣

⁣

I remember my life deep in sin with so much rejection of Jesus in my life BUT God never turned me away.  I would have never saw that sin and how much it was drawing me away from God without the love of Jesus shown to me through faithful believers of Jesus Christ.  Everyday God cleanses me of my sin. It is not about coming to Jesus when I get myself cleaned up or in my own strength trying to change. It is the love of Jesus that shows us how unclean and sinful we are without Him.  For me it was eye opening to see God work in my heart. ⁣

⁣

I pray His glory surrounds you today. I hope that your heart is blessed by Gods timing as I have been. ⁣

Blessings - tracy 

⁣ “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

#knitthegospelintoyourheart 

Finding Security

As I think about my security, I admit by nature I fall into feeling secure when my health is not in jeopardy, money is coming in to pay my bills, and all my children are doing okay.  I think a lot of us can relate to this. Right? ⁣

But when any of these things change which for most of us it has or it will at some point, my security seems lost.  It’s not.  I have seen God’s faithfulness in my own family and God always provided. Our human comfort levels are challenged but we grow closer to God through these times of trials. 

 The security Jesus Christ provides is wisdom, guidance in this life and an 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 in His 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴.(Deuteronomy 33:27)  I know I love to sink right into those arms when my “feelings” have a hold of me.  God wants us to 𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 in Him not in our circumstances. ⁣

⁣

If you need to find that security again or if you like me have found yourself finding security in the wrong things at times. ⁣

⁣

𝘚𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 ⁣

⁣

•𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 (John 10 is a great chapter) ⁣

•𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲? ⁣

•𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲⁣

•𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 ⁣

⁣

Bless you today friends

💛 Tracy 

P.S. You can find me on Instagram and say hi! 

Who am I trusting?

Praying the Psalms Series 

Day 3

It’s okay if anxious thoughts and worry has entered your mind right now as the world is changing before our eyes.  I have had them too. ⁣

Does this mean I don’t have faith? No, our human emotions can take us over if we rely on them. As a believer, we have to check our hearts with Gods Word. I believe this is testing of our faith.  Who are we trusting? ⁣

⁣

We are called to 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 so many times in scripture.  In Psalms 62, God is called our refuge, stronghold, and our rock.  So we don’t have to be shaken by emotions that will arise with the shifting of this world.  God is in control! Our faith is built stronger as we rest in the peace and hope He brings to us. ⁣

⁣

Does this mean we won’t get sick? I don’t know but God is the healer and our salvation. ⁣

Does  this mean we won’t go through some hard days ahead? I don’t know but God is walking with us to the end of it. (Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 12:2)⁣

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I am praying for our faith to be unshaken and our hearts secure in 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞! 

Faith Over Fear Hand Knit and Hand Stamped Bracelet 

What Keeps You From Attending Bible Study?

Custom Hand Knit and Hand Stamped Bracelets in my shop!

Hey there friends! 

This question I am asking myself and maybe you can relate too. 

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯? ⁣

⁣

So much of my life I was so afraid to speak up and say too much in bible study. The fear of being “found out” made me so shy. The anxious thoughts in my head said, “you don’t know enough”, “you don’t have the right answers” and “you will never know the Bible as well as they do.” All these thoughts made me shrink back into myself for so many years. It wasn’t until God took circumstances out my control in my life and showed me my relationship with Him was more important than fear of the unknown and sharing how Gods faithfulness, grace, power and mercy is greater than my heart feels. ⁣

God is who leads us into understanding. He leads us out of sin. He leads us into a greater faith and greater trust of Him when we come with a humble heart groaning to know Him more not just what He can give us. We reach closer to Him like a knitted blanket and you just want to stay there, safe in the arms of our Father. ⁣ ⁣

As my relationship grows deeper with Jesus Christ, I have realized Christ confidence is boldly proclaiming His promises and praising Him for all He has done in my life not fearing what I don’t know or keeping what I do know to myself about my Savior Jesus Christ. ⁣

-blessings 

tracy 

The Lord will Fight for us!

Peace Hand Stamped & Hand Knit Bracelet 

Prayers through Psalms Series

Day 2

Read: 

“The thief come early to steal and kill and destroy. I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly.” 

John 10:10

If we know that there is a enemy trying everyday to destroy our life, our family and our marriages then why would we not be on guard?  I ask this question knowing I am guilty of being comfortable in life and forgetting that there is evil fighting against the good.  A enemy fighting to steal my family, sense of security and peace. 

God wants to remind us that He is working for us.  We shouldn’t go around in fear but God gives us the armor to suit up with everyday.  

His Word to read and gain knowledge against the enemy. 

His Spirit to listen to and guide us. 

His righteousness and peace in Christ. 

(See Ephesians 6:10-18 for more about the armor of God) 

There is strength and power in prayer. Knowing God is on our side to fight the battle is powerful. Don’t let the enemy steal your peace, joy or your mind from God.  Take a hold of the Father today in prayer!  He will fight for your marriage, children, and you! 

Prayer: 

“The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? “

Psalms 27:1

Lord, today keep in your light. We know the thief is lurking by us but you have the victory. Thank you for salvation of our sins. We ask forgiveness from any sin separating us from you. We want to live in your light.  We want to shine for you! Let nothing take a hold of us but you. Be our stronghold Lord Jesus! 

Amen

Blessings -tracy 

Are you in Awe of God?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalms 110:10

As I pulled out my old journal, I read an entry from 2014.  I read these words. “God is more visible to me when I am in awe of God.” 

So many years of searching who I was suppose to be and how I fit into this place God had set me in. 

All I saw then was my hard circumstances and evil seeping in and I let it. 

I see now the evidence of the “letting.”  Letting myself be scared and stuck by strongholds. So many things blinding me from seeing God at work.  I wanted to people please and trust in myself.  I was and still fight pride pride. Pride wants to hear the messages in the world like these we hear, you can do what you set your mind to, hustle hard! 

That will only get you so far but leave you empty. There will still be a God sized hole.  I have done my fair share of hustling but if God isn’t at the center it won’t last.  The joy and fulfillment will fade. 

I fit into this place God had put me in because He said so not because I was good enough. For so long I didn’t “feel” good enough, qualified or likable. LOL! 

Wisdom came when I began to love God more than anything else.  God showed me that there is No room for Him in me when I let pride, anger, self love be bigger than Him. 

His Spirit can’t lead and I wanted to not be blind any longer.  God can use anyone He wants to lead others to Him. I didn’t think so for so long.  I began to see the fear and awe Abraham and Moses had for God.  I began to see God as a Father who said you go and share the good news too. This is why I placed you here and stop being pleasing to the world and please me!  

I tear up reading old entries and seeing the hand of God even then stirring in me what I couldn’t see then. I am grateful for who God is and showing me who I am to be. 

~tracy

Delighting in the Lord Instead of Self

Prayers through Psalms Series 

Day 1 

Definition of the word delight means to please or take pleasure in. 


Delighting in God was far from my mind when thinking about when I was living in sin although there was delight. It was in self gratification and what made me feel good. It was in hearing words that tickled my ears or put a smile on my face. There was part of my life that was hidden. It wasnt hidden from God though.  I had let myself be given over to my temptations. I was living a life for self satisfaction. I use to seek love in the wrong places and long to be noticed. I sank to be bottom of the pit slowly and I needed rescuing.  In my soul I heard the Spirit leading me out and I finally  followed. It was painful and a sad time but nothing lost compares to the gain of confidence, forgiveness and love that I will never earn but receive in abundance from Jesus Christ.  

All this to say, God made a way for me and He will do jt for you too. Find your delight in the Lord not in self, in love from others, money, or your kids.  Our heart will deceive you and people will disappoint you at some point BUT Jesus will never fail. 



To delight in God is to meditate on His instruction.

but his delight is in the law[a] of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2

When we are living in sin and turned away from God then we cannot take delight in Him. We are not hearing His instruction.  I was that person before I turned away from sin and toward God.  God wants His children back. He is waiting for you always. 

Read: Psalm 18:16-19 

16  He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

17  He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

18  They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my support.

19  He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he  delighted in me.

PRAYER

Pray that God would weaken what is holding you or your loved one in sin. Pray that God would draw you or your loved one out of the many waters that billow over them. Praise God you delight in us even we are not delighting in you, Lord.


blessings -
tracy

Let’s Study Psalms Together!

Are you ready to start reading Psalms with me?

I hope you are because I believe God has something to teach us as we pray and read through this book leading us into Easter.

Here is the Reading Plan.  It explains how we will read through the entire book of Psalms these. Ext 5 weeks.  You can find the discussion and videos in the Private Facebook group Here 

Let  me know if you are joining in the comments. I would love to welcome you!

Bless you friends

-tracy

Redeemed be His Grace

Redeemed Bracelet

What this words means to me...

𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 brings to mind the life I lead before Christ was empty. I was self seeking and lost. I struggled with the bondage of guilt and shame.  It honestly crippled me from most things.  ⁣
I heard this quote that resonated with me about sin and I am paraphrasing because I couldn’t find it again to share with you. ⁣
⁣
“𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥.”  𝘛𝘪𝘮 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 ⁣
⁣
Is that why I confessed my sins but never left the shame and guilt behind?  I think so. It took me years to leave it all at the feet of Jesus.  Trusting God is daily dying to self and a surrender.  My natural bent is to take control but God has walked beside me and shown me that I have no control. It is all Him in my life redeeming it and holding me together and my family together by His grace. ⁣
Satan like a thief is still trying to destroy what God is doing in our life But Jesus is greater!  ⁣
When I pray now I believe God. I know that He has taken all of my sins yesterday and everyday and is continuing to sanctify me for His kingdom.   ⁣
This scripture from Corinthians is a reminder that when we repent and rid our heart of pride we will be free and saved!  Don’t let pride or surrender keep you separated from Gods goodness. ⁣
⁣
“𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.”⁣
𝟸 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝟽:𝟷𝟶 ⁣
⁣
Bless you friends! ⁣
~tracy  ⁣

Ready to Start a New Bible Study?

Handmade knits by tracy

Hello friends!

 I have missed discussing a book of the Bible with you. It has been awhile. So lets start this year by walking through the book of Psalms together. I have the Breathe study from Well Women Co and its a lovely study. It walks through Psalms and I thought this time of Lent leading us into Easter would be a perfect time to do this/  

All 150 chapters of Psalms are praise and prayers to God and points us to Him.  

I think most of us women can relate to the emotional side of Psalms too. As we read and pray through this book, let us write out our feelings and any thing we may be going through. I believe God has something good for each of us this month as we read together. 

You may be wondering, how do I start? 

 Here are the details to join us on the Facebook page  and the start date is March 1st

This study will take place in a private facebook group HERE, Knit the Gospel into your Heart

(Please answer the questions when prompted because this will let me know you want to be added.)

If this is your first time to dig deep into studying a book of the Bible. Then let me share alittle how I like to study.  It is easy to feel stuck when reading scripture but when you have a few questions to ask and answer it leads to more questions right. Then before you know it you have learned so much more about the context.  

Here is a Link the printable for some guidance into inductive bible study method that has helped me!

I am excited to start this study with you friend. I hope you are too! 

See you in the group! 

Tracy

God the Master Gardener

handmade knits by tracy

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east and there He placed the man He had formed.  Genesis 2:8 ESV 

This verse spoke volumes to me as I have been gardening for about a year now.  The garden is planted and then the gardener nurtures and tends the soil for growth.  

God is the master gardener. He planted those first seeds for growth.  We were planted to grow into His image bearers. The seed is planted in us and if we seek the Living water, Jesus Christ, we will grow in spiritual maturity in Christ.  

I realize we all are in different paths of our faith walk and for a very long time I was seeking bad soil and running away from the light.  Maybe you are too? Maybe you are wondering how to grow? 

Let me share today that God the Father who created the world in 6 days is the God who desires for us to still walk with Him.  So no matter the place of maturity you are in just come to Him.  He isn’t disappointed in you. 

Growing means seeking God daily in relationship. How? 

Read His words. They are the only truth in life. 

Pray for guidance and let His Spirit lead you. 

Wait.  Wait for the sprouts of fruit to fill your heart like the joy knowing God loves you no matter what, peace knowing even when you don’t understand God is with you and is all knowing and the love that doesn’t leave you or condemn you.  

Our lives were made for growth and to share it with those around you.  

Do you see the Gardener in your life planting seeds?    He wants to tend to you and nurture you too.  

Have a blessed day friends😘 

-Tracy