Religion will keep you in the wilderness, relationship will take you into the Promised Land!

This morning I was in prayer and I was praying for the young people,  teens – twenties, the Joshua generation as some people have called them. The first time I heard that name given to that generation it resounded in my heart. They are a generation of people that embrace God’s direction, and will follow Him anywhere, no matter what it looks like. They are a generation that is bold and courageous. They are visionaries, they can see the big picture instead of what’s just right in front of them. They are a powerful generation!

As I was praying for them God showed me that like Joshua they are ready to go and possess the land. However many of us in the generations ahead of them are still stuck in our ways and don't want to move. We are stuck in religion and tradition and like the children of Israel stuck in the wilderness and if we don’t want to change and move then that’s where we will die. But the good news is that we have the choice to move with this Joshua generation. They need guidance and wisdom and God wants to raise us up to be able to give them those things, but if we are in the wilderness and they go into the promise land we can’t reach them there from where we are at.

Please know that Religion and tradition will not and cannot impact this generation, and the generations to follow. We have to be willing to step out of our comfort zones, out of what we’ve known all of our lives or grew up in. We cannot keep doing what our parents did, or our grandparents, or our great grandparents just because that’s the way it was always done.

It’s like the story of a woman who wanted to make a roast, she always cut big chunks off both ends and only had a small piece left to cook. One day her daughter asked her why she did that, she replied, “because that’s the way my mom did it and her mom did it, and my mom’s mom as well.” The question got her to thinking and she did some research to find out why they cooked the roast that way. Her great grandmother was still alive and she went to her and asked, “Granny why did you cut off the ends of the roast before you cooked it?” She said, “Child because I only had a small pan and I had to make it fit.”

This example goes to show you that just because something was done a certain way it doesn't mean it was the right way. God gives a grace and understanding to each generation. He continues to build upon and mature each generation and give each generation more wisdom, knowledge, and revelation. If each generation stays in the same place as the one before then we become stagnant and will not have the impact that we are supposed to have on the world. In the past generations religion got us saved, got us to know about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but it didn't teach us about relationship,  and it is relationship that will set us free. 

So I implore you people of God, especially you leaders in the body, pray to walk in freedom. Pray that if there is any religion and tradition in you that God would take it out of you. Ask God to show you a true walk with Him in the Kingdom. I promise He will bust some stuff wide open, and it may not be easy because you are going to have to in a way start a fresh in some of your thinking, but it will be so worth it and you won’t get left behind in the wilderness.

God bless!

~Tracy Houston

Rest

This morning I was watching Pastor Joseph Prince on TV while I was getting ready for work and he said something that caught my attention. He said, “The more you rest, the more God performs.” When I heard this my spirit literally leaped. I was like, “Wow! Daddy that is so true!”

When we are trying to make things happen and figure things out on our own. Trying to piece the puzzle together ourselves, we are working and toiling and wearing ourselves out. We are not allowing God the room to move in our lives and in our situations. But if we stop, take a breath, and decide to trust God with whatever it is, then that’s when we enter into the place of rest, and that is when we see things start to happen. God wants us to live continually in that state of rest, not in and out of it. He wants us to literally lay it all at His feet and climb into His lap and allow Him to do what He does best and that is take care of us.

Just think about it, He’s always taken care of His children. In the beginning He provided a garden for Adam and Eve with everything they needed. When they fell He clothed them. When the Children of Israel were enslaved He made a way out by parting the Red Sea. When we were bound to sin and separated from Him, He had a plan to set everything right by sending His Son to die for us so we could be free and walk with Him again as Adam and Eve did in the garden. He always has and He always will take care of us no matter what we do or where we are at, if we allow Him to.

So make the decision today that no matter what you are going through, you are going to relinquish it to the Father and begin to live in His rest.

God bless!

~Tracy Houston

Correction

So as you all know I like to share with you all the lessons God teaches me because it’s always good and it might help someone else. So today I’m going to be transparent about a struggle I was having. I recently got upset about something where I felt people were throwing dirt and stirring up trouble on purpose. I am not going to lie; I wanted to throw some dirt back their way because I really dislike seeing people do wrong to others, and when they take no responsibility for their actions, act like they are the victim themselves, or act like they are not doing anything wrong, then I get really fired up. But although I was so fired up about this, God is so loving, so kind, so merciful, and so gracious that He stepped right on in to correct me…

“Tracy, they might be throwing dirt, but if you throw dirt at them your hands are just as dirty as theirs are. In the end no one wins and everyone comes out looking a mess.”

Of course His statement resounded in my heart and brought me back from a place I shouldn't have been hanging out at. Then God reminded me of His Word…

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” ~Matthew 5:44

“Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” ~Luke 6:28

"Be angry, yet do not sin." Do not let the sun set while you are still angry,” ~Ephesians 4:26

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.” ~Romans 12:19

So be open to His correction people of God. We all miss it, we all go off on tangents, but allow Daddy to pull you back so that you can release these things. If you don’t you will begin to grow bitter and spiteful and can get stuck. If you are in that space now where you've allowed bitterness, anger, or spitefulness to grow in your heart then know God’s Grace is right there to pull you out. It’s never too late, even if you've been stuck in this mindset for the last 30 years. All you have to do is tell Him you are ready to let go and He’ll step right on in and help you.

God bless!

~Tracy Houston

Protected

Yesterday afternoon I was walking to the parking ramp at work to go home and I started feeling like there was danger around me. It wasn’t a warning feeling that I got, it was fear that came upon me. I looked over my shoulder and immediately Daddy spoke to my heart…

“When the King’s children leave their palace, they are surrounded by palace guards on every side. In the same way when Barack Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha leave the White House, they are surrounded by Secret Service Agents. They are protected from harm because of who they are and whose they are. So why would it be any different for a child of mine? Don’t you know you are surrounded on every side with angels? So don’t be afraid, just know whose you are, who you are, and what you are entitled to as my daughter.”

The weight lifted and my step got lighter. It is so amazing all of the blessings we have just because we are The King’s kids!! So put your trust in Him, He has got your back, your front, and your sides J!

Psalm 91

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, ¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. ¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; ¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. ¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

God bless!

~Tracy Houston

Favor

Recently I was praying and asked God to continue to reveal to me the fullness of who He is, who I am, and what He’s done for me. I really want to have a full heart connection to all of His truths. So this morning as I was talking to Daddy the subject of “favor” came up.

He made it real plain to me, He said, “Think about it like this... Kim and Kayne West had a baby. Their little girl will always have doors opened to her and be constantly given to by the people she encounters in her life all because of who her parents are. She didn’t have to do anything to earn it, she was just born into it. In the same way you are favored because you are my daughter. You didn’t have to do anything to earn it, all you had to do is accept what My Son did for you and step into the family! ” Now some of you might be laughing and saying “Tracy for real! Did God really break it down with Kim and Kayne???” Yes He did, that’s why I love Him so much!! Because He keeps it real and helps us to understand things in a way that we can get it!

So many times I’ve heard people beg God for favor, and cry out for it, but all that is not necessary. All you have to do is receive the truth, you are His child and by being His child there are benefits that come with that. You don’t have to flaunt it or be prideful about it. Just receive it, know it, and walk in it and the doors will continually open ahead of you!

God bless!

Tracy Houston

Surrender

As I was sitting here at work today the word "surrender" floated through my mind. I was like, "Ok Daddy" what are you saying, and this is what He spoke to me...

My children this day I am calling out to you.

My heart to your heart

This day I am asking for all of you

There is so much I want to do in and through you, but the walls you have up are in the way

You think you know, but you haven't experience the fullness of My Spirit

Surrender my child

I won't hurt you

My desire is to help you

My desire is to show you everything that I have for you

But you must yield to me

You must give relinquish  control

It's time to let go little one

Stop trying to make it work on your own

Stop trying to figure things out on your own

Let Me do it

Let Me show you who I AM

Empty out your vessel so I can pour into you

I want all of you

Let go my child

It's time to surrender

I hope this blesses you and you really hear the Father's heart!

God Bless!

Tracy Houston

FREEDOM

Last Sunday in Church my Pastor asked for a few people in the congregation to stand up and say what The Resurrection meant to them. I stood up and said FREEDOM. For me everything Jesus did is wrapped up in that one word. In John 8:36 it says, “Who the son sets free, is free indeed”. Ephesians 1:7 says, “He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” Through Jesus we are FREE, it’s already done!

What we've been given by Jesus’ sacrifice:

FREEDOM from a disconnection with God and access to a relationship with Him!

o Romans 5:10-11, “10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

FREEDOM from death. Because of what He did we have eternal life!

o John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

FREEDOM from condemnation. You no longer have to carry around guilt and condemnation. He forgave you of everything you've ever done!

o Romans 8:1, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

o Col 2:13-14, “13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”

FREEDOM from sickness. You don’t have to be bound to sickness anymore!

o 1 Peter 2:24, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”

FREEDOM from sin. No longer does sin have power over you!

o Romans 8:3, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”

o 1 Peter 3:18, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.”

o Romans 6:7, “For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.”

FREEDOM from unrighteousness. Through Christ you have right standing with the Father!

o 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

o Romans 3: 2, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile.”

FREEDOM from the power of the enemy. The enemy doesn’t have any power over you, the only power he will ever have is the power you hand over to him!

o Hebrews 2:14, “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.”

o Luke 10:19, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

FREEDOM from lack. Jesus wants our lives to be filled with more than enough!

o 2 Corinthians 8:9, “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”

o John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

FREEDOM from the curse. You are no longer bound to the curse!

o Galatians 3:13, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

And FREEDOM From so much more!! There is so much that happened when Jesus gave His life for us. I have just picked a few points here, but go to your Word and discover the beauty of what He did for us for yourself.

He loves each one of us so much that He gave all of Himself for us! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you at right now no one is every too far from the Father. His arms are always open to all of us all we have to do is make the choice to step into them. Receive your FREEDOM today! Confess Jesus Christ as Lord, ask Him to save you and to forgive you for your sins (where you missed the mark), let Him know you believe that He died and rose for you to bring you FREEDOM in all areas of your life. I promise your life will change, you will change forever!

Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

If you need prayer or have questions please send us a message at lifeword@kingdomvizion.org.

God bless!

Tracy Houston

Praise, Worship, & Relationship

This week I’ve been having fun with the Lord in my praise and worship time. I’ve loved on Him and He’s loved on me. I’ve danced around with Him and He’s danced around with me, it’s been such a fun time of love and celebration of who He is. What I’ve learned from this time is that our praise and our worship stems from our relationship and intimacy with the Father. When we are close to Him and have an on-going relationship with Him then we are able to easily worship Him in spirit and in truth. When we live in that space with God, our worship flows out of us naturally like water easily flows out of a faucet.

Growing in your praise and worship comes from growing in your relationship with Christ. It’s like when you meet someone for the first time, your conversation might be kind of shallow and superficial because you don’t really know the person, but when you grow closer to that person your relationship grows deeper and you are able to share more freely with them. This is what our Daddy God desires from us. He wants us to know Him more. He wants us to grow closer to Him so that we can deepen our relationship with Him.

 

So please stop and take time out to develop and deepen your relationship with God. As you do that and get to know Him more you will feel free to worship and praise Him without restraint. As you grow closer to Him you will gain more wisdom & understanding.

 

Remember everything you need in this life was already given to you when Jesus gave His life for you on the cross, but everything in you can only be birthed out of you based upon the depth of your relationship with the Father.

God bless! 

Tracy Houston

A Word for 2014

Happy New Years everyone!! A few days ago before church the Lord gave me a word for 2014. After reading it, Daryle pointed out that it was exactly 365 words, God is truly amazing!  

The year of the choice…

In 2014 God is looking for His children to decide which way they would go. He is saying come and follow me down this narrow path, a path that many won’t travel, that many choose not to travel. He is saying follow me down this road. He is calling each of us in His body to make a choice, will we walk the narrow path and follow Him or will we choose to stay on the wide and comfortable path. The wide path may look good, and it may look easy, but it is not my will for you my children says the Lord. My children, my will for you is to be different, to go where most won’t go, to follow me and trust me. It is down this path that you will see the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is down this road that you will see doors of opportunity that you’ve never thought possible, it is down this path that you will see my glory manifested in this earth. It is down this path that you will be able to show off my glory. Yes, sometimes this path will be hard, and for some it might even feel lonely, but it is all for the glory of the Kingdom. It is for the glory of my son, so that many will know and recognize the sacrifice that He made for the world, so that many will know and recognize My love. This is the year you will have to choose if you will allow yourself to be led down this path. If you will be willing to be rejected by men, thought of as outcasts by some, all for the glory of the Kingdom. This path my children, this path will lead many to Me. You will be able to harvest and reap the lost along this path. You have to decide what is worth more to you. What you think of as comfort and coziness, or a path that will lead people out of darkness and into light. You have to decide… is your life your own, or are you willing to give it to me?  

He is talking to Believers and we have a choice to make, will we lay down our lives to follow Him? Will we put aside our will for His? This is not about salvation, we've already received that free gift. This is about the next step of giving yourself fully to the Kingdom. It's about walking out the purpose and calling He has put in your life. It's about not being lukewarm, but being passionate and radical for Him. It's about being willing to be led outside of your comfort zone. It's about being willing to stand out for Jesus no matter how crazy you might look. Its about getting outside of yourselves, realizing that this life you are living is not about you, but about others. It's about being God's love in the earth. Will you make the choice this year and be willing to leave our "comfort" aside and follow Him, or will you choose to be like the rich young ruler that walked away sorrowful because He wasn't willing to follow Jesus's direction and sell everything and follow Him? I know this isn't a fuzzy and warm New Year's message, but it is what God is saying to His body, and the fruit will be seen all over the world as Believers heed the call. My prayer is that this year the world will be impacted in a mighty way for the Kingdom. That many will be led to Jesus, and know His love, His power, and His grace! God bless!  

Tracy Houston

To The Wives

This morning I was asking the Lord what to read, and He had me go to Proverbs 21. After reading there were two scriptures that stuck out to me…  

Proverbs 21:9, 19 “9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.…. 19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”  

Can you say OUCH! Even the Lord points out how difficult it can be to have to live with a woman that has some issues! It’s in His Word so even though it might hurt, it’s obviously important. Lately God has been dealing with me about dealing with my husband like he’s my child. Now I wasn’t aware I was addressing him like that until he told me one day a few weeks ago. Can you say OUCH again! It was not something I wanted to hear, but when I stopped and thought about it and he gave me examples and I can see that I do “mother” him a lot. I think it can be a natural extension of who we are as women, and I know I grew up watching over my brother and sister a lot so it’s been ingrained in me. However the Lord was showing me it’s good for your children, but not for your husband. I know now that I have to be very aware and very intentional concerning my conversations with him so that I don’t continue down that path.  

I think God wanted me to bring these scriptures out today to all the wives out there to help us to a self-check. Are there things your husband has told you about yourself that you’ve brushed off? Do you see your husband withdrawing and not communicating well with you? Does it seem like your husband doesn’t trust you with his heart, thoughts, and most intimate feelings? Etc… Ask the Lord if there is anything you need to look at changing as a wife. Now don’t get mad, God will deal with your husband, but today He is dealing with you! As I said yesterday God is cleaning house and he wants us to be a sweet smelling fragrance to our husbands, and not smell like hot garbage. So I want to really challenge you to look deep today, to call out to the Father, and to accept that which He reveals to you.  

God bless!  

Tracy Houston