Every year the Lord gives me something for the upcoming year to share with other’s. This year He gave me the following scripture…
Isaiah 62 NLT
Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth.The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see— a splendid crown in the hand of God.Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City” or “The Desolate Land.”Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as his bride.Your children will commit themselves to you, O Jerusalem, just as a young man commits himself to his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth. The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength:“I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and new wine.You raised the grain, and you will eat it, praising the Lord. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed.”
Go out through the gates! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise a flag for all the nations to see. The Lord has sent this message to every land: “Tell the people of Israel, ‘Look, your Savior is coming. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.’” They will be called “The Holy People” and “The People Redeemed by the Lord.” And Jerusalem will be known as “The Desirable Place” and “The City No Longer Forsaken.”
Glory to God that is a powerful set of Scripture, and it is saying a whole lot, so please seek God for yourself and see what He is revealing to you through this Scripture. The point He has really been driving home to me the last few months is that “It’s Harvest Time,” He has shown me how many people will come into the Kingdom as they did in the book of Acts.
2008 was a year preparing us for what is ahead in 2009. It was asking the question “Is it real what you feel?” God was looking at our hearts, He was examining us, He was stretching us, He was calling us out of our comfort zone’s if we were willing, to prepare us to receive the Harvest which is coming forth. It is time no more playing around God this year was looking for people that would stand in the gap (Ezekiel 22:30), He was searching for people that were willing to walk on water (Matt 14:29), He was looking for people that were willing to give up everything and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). He was looking at our obedience (1 Sam 15:22). He was looking at these things for this time of Harvest which is approaching. The blind can’t lead the blind (Matt 15:14), He needs people that can see what is coming, people that are whole, people that are seeking Him (Matt 6:33), so that they can lead other’s into the Kingdom. That is what God was doing in 2008, did you follow His leading, or did you stay in the same place, in the comfort and safety of your situations and circumstances? Open your eyes take a look at where you are, this is not about condemnation, but about reflection, God is moving and He is calling us to do the same.
So this year 2009 be ready people of God, be ready for the Harvest, be ready to stand up, be ready to be used, be ready to obey, be ready to lead, for the end is near, but let’s not focus on the end, let us focus on what we are to do in the meantime let’s focus on the lost, let’s focus on leading them into the Kingdom. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Jesus
Jesus didn’t let you down on the cross, so why would He let you down now.
We give all the glory to Jesus for the sacrifice He made for us on the cross, and we thank Him for the gift of salvation and the gift of healing, but sometimes when it comes to things we need or desire now, we don’t completely have faith that it will be done for us. I just wanted to remind everyone this day that Jesus didn’t let you down on the cross, so He won’t let you down now. He didn’t go through all of that pain and suffering in vain. He died so that we could receive the inheritance, so that we could get everything that God has for us. So that we can have life and have it more abundantly. It’s time to open up our minds people of God and expand our thinking. It’s time to develop our faith so that His sacrifice was not for nothing. It’s time to believe, and it’s time to receive the inheritance that Jesus left us. God bless!
Tracy Willey
We give all the glory to Jesus for the sacrifice He made for us on the cross, and we thank Him for the gift of salvation and the gift of healing, but sometimes when it comes to things we need or desire now, we don’t completely have faith that it will be done for us. I just wanted to remind everyone this day that Jesus didn’t let you down on the cross, so He won’t let you down now. He didn’t go through all of that pain and suffering in vain. He died so that we could receive the inheritance, so that we could get everything that God has for us. So that we can have life and have it more abundantly. It’s time to open up our minds people of God and expand our thinking. It’s time to develop our faith so that His sacrifice was not for nothing. It’s time to believe, and it’s time to receive the inheritance that Jesus left us. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Release
RELEASE Websters 1828…
1. To set free from restraint of any kind, either physical or moral; to liberate from
prison, confinement or servitude.
Strong’s…
Figuratively to release: – deliver, pluck out, rescue; to rouse fully, that is, (figuratively) to resuscitate (from death), release (from infliction): – raise up.
Genesis 2:7 “The LORD God took a handful of soil and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing.” CEV
Look at this verse. God breathed, He released His breath into us, and what happened…we started breathing. God is calling for us to do the same for others. We were made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), it says we shall do the same works as Jesus and even greater works (John 14:12). He is calling us for such a time as this to release into others. To release the Word that He has put in our mouths into others ears. He is calling for us to release Words of life, Words that will revive the spiritually dead. He’s calling us to release words of healing that will speak life back into the bodies of the sick. He is calling for us to release people of God, to release!! As the definition says… to set free from restraint of any kind, either physical or moral; to liberate from prison, confinement or servitude. That is a mandate people of God, to help set free the captives, to help heal the sick, etc.
God is saying…
The time is here and My people have been held to long by the enemy. It is time My daughters and sons to be raised up and to go into this world and preach the Good news to all creation. Release that which I have placed on the inside of you. Release it upon this World and watch me move.
Hear the Word of the Lord people of God, hear and respond. The release is on. God bless you!
Tracy Willey
1. To set free from restraint of any kind, either physical or moral; to liberate from
prison, confinement or servitude.
Strong’s…
Figuratively to release: – deliver, pluck out, rescue; to rouse fully, that is, (figuratively) to resuscitate (from death), release (from infliction): – raise up.
Genesis 2:7 “The LORD God took a handful of soil and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing.” CEV
Look at this verse. God breathed, He released His breath into us, and what happened…we started breathing. God is calling for us to do the same for others. We were made in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), it says we shall do the same works as Jesus and even greater works (John 14:12). He is calling us for such a time as this to release into others. To release the Word that He has put in our mouths into others ears. He is calling for us to release Words of life, Words that will revive the spiritually dead. He’s calling us to release words of healing that will speak life back into the bodies of the sick. He is calling for us to release people of God, to release!! As the definition says… to set free from restraint of any kind, either physical or moral; to liberate from prison, confinement or servitude. That is a mandate people of God, to help set free the captives, to help heal the sick, etc.
God is saying…
The time is here and My people have been held to long by the enemy. It is time My daughters and sons to be raised up and to go into this world and preach the Good news to all creation. Release that which I have placed on the inside of you. Release it upon this World and watch me move.
Hear the Word of the Lord people of God, hear and respond. The release is on. God bless you!
Tracy Willey
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Habakkuk 3:19
The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!
Habakkuk 3:19
As you progress in God and grow in Him, remember that He is going to call you out of your comfort zone. He is going to ask you to do things sometimes that make your heart pound, and fear might try to rise up in you. But as those times come remember the scripture above. God is your strength and your personal bravery, He is your invincible army, and He will make you to walk, not stand still in terror, but to walk. What a promise that is! That means nothing can stop us, not even ourselves if we know and believe in Who God is. So I just encourage you to start confessing this scripture now, and get it in your system, so that in those times when the pressure comes on, the Word will flow out. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Habakkuk 3:19
As you progress in God and grow in Him, remember that He is going to call you out of your comfort zone. He is going to ask you to do things sometimes that make your heart pound, and fear might try to rise up in you. But as those times come remember the scripture above. God is your strength and your personal bravery, He is your invincible army, and He will make you to walk, not stand still in terror, but to walk. What a promise that is! That means nothing can stop us, not even ourselves if we know and believe in Who God is. So I just encourage you to start confessing this scripture now, and get it in your system, so that in those times when the pressure comes on, the Word will flow out. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Something God laid on my heart
A few weeks ago God really laid something on my heart, and I have struggled to put it out there, because a lot of people don’t like to look in the mirror, but the Holy Spirit has not backed down and it’s something he wants me to share…
Evaluation Time:
Are you still in the same place as you were a year ago? Has your spiritual growth stopped, or moved at a snails pace? I’m not talking about have you gotten involved in more ministry activities, or do you go to church twice a week, that’s all good, but it’s really meaningless if you are not growing in God. If you are not moving in God. Are you still drinking baby milk, or still eating baby food, or soft solids? Have you gotten comfortable where you are? Are you stretching, learning, and growing? Are you getting revelation knowledge, or are you just soaking up head knowledge? Have you started to put other things before your time with God, your husband, your wife? Your boyfriend, or girlfriend? Your kids, your job, even your ministry? Has your life just become a routine? Do you read the bible and go to church because it’s something you are supposed to do as a Christian, or because it’s something that you desire to do?
We have close to a month and a half left in this year. God has been trying to do somethings in the body this year, and there are those that have resisted for whatever reason, and He is laying another opportunity out for us to do those things He has asked of us. He has asked the question this year…”Is it real what you feel?” Asking us is it real what we are feeling for Him, or is it just religion, or routine. God desires to take the body back to Eden. He desires for us His children to walk with Him as Adam did in the garden. That is at all times, in all situations. We do not have to wait until we go to church to pray, or wait until we get in our prayer closet to fellowship with God. He wants to talk with us as we drive, while we are working, etc. He wants us to be one with Him, perfectly tuned into His voice. We as the body have had more relationship and give more time to out loved ones then we do our Father, our Creator, the one who loves us more then anyone else ever could. A great Harvest is approaching, and God needs those who are serious. He needs laborers to draw the people in. People that are sick, people that are broken, people that are hurting, and bound. We can not be sick, broken, hurting, and bound ourselves trying to help others. No! It is a time for wholeness in the body. We have to be whole so that we can help those that are not. The times approaching my friends are going to be like none we’ve ever seen. We always talk about trusting God, but can God trust us. Can He trust us to obey when He says do something? Can He trust us that we will pick up and go when He says go? Can He trust us to hear, speak, and DO His word? We do great at the hearing and speaking His Word, but are we consistently doing His Word? It’s time to take a serious look at yourself (myself included). It’s time to allow God to take each of us to the next level, because this is not just about us, it’s about the people that God has called us to. It’s about their minds, their bodies, and their souls. It’s one thing to do something that might be detrimental to yourself, but this is about our disobedience being detrimental to others. It’s time to put all fear and doubt aside and to JUMP! God will be the wind beneath us carrying us to where we need to go. Trust God, and show God He can trust you. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Evaluation Time:
Are you still in the same place as you were a year ago? Has your spiritual growth stopped, or moved at a snails pace? I’m not talking about have you gotten involved in more ministry activities, or do you go to church twice a week, that’s all good, but it’s really meaningless if you are not growing in God. If you are not moving in God. Are you still drinking baby milk, or still eating baby food, or soft solids? Have you gotten comfortable where you are? Are you stretching, learning, and growing? Are you getting revelation knowledge, or are you just soaking up head knowledge? Have you started to put other things before your time with God, your husband, your wife? Your boyfriend, or girlfriend? Your kids, your job, even your ministry? Has your life just become a routine? Do you read the bible and go to church because it’s something you are supposed to do as a Christian, or because it’s something that you desire to do?
We have close to a month and a half left in this year. God has been trying to do somethings in the body this year, and there are those that have resisted for whatever reason, and He is laying another opportunity out for us to do those things He has asked of us. He has asked the question this year…”Is it real what you feel?” Asking us is it real what we are feeling for Him, or is it just religion, or routine. God desires to take the body back to Eden. He desires for us His children to walk with Him as Adam did in the garden. That is at all times, in all situations. We do not have to wait until we go to church to pray, or wait until we get in our prayer closet to fellowship with God. He wants to talk with us as we drive, while we are working, etc. He wants us to be one with Him, perfectly tuned into His voice. We as the body have had more relationship and give more time to out loved ones then we do our Father, our Creator, the one who loves us more then anyone else ever could. A great Harvest is approaching, and God needs those who are serious. He needs laborers to draw the people in. People that are sick, people that are broken, people that are hurting, and bound. We can not be sick, broken, hurting, and bound ourselves trying to help others. No! It is a time for wholeness in the body. We have to be whole so that we can help those that are not. The times approaching my friends are going to be like none we’ve ever seen. We always talk about trusting God, but can God trust us. Can He trust us to obey when He says do something? Can He trust us that we will pick up and go when He says go? Can He trust us to hear, speak, and DO His word? We do great at the hearing and speaking His Word, but are we consistently doing His Word? It’s time to take a serious look at yourself (myself included). It’s time to allow God to take each of us to the next level, because this is not just about us, it’s about the people that God has called us to. It’s about their minds, their bodies, and their souls. It’s one thing to do something that might be detrimental to yourself, but this is about our disobedience being detrimental to others. It’s time to put all fear and doubt aside and to JUMP! God will be the wind beneath us carrying us to where we need to go. Trust God, and show God He can trust you. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Joy
Today’s word is “JOY”…
Webster’s 1828: A delight of the mind.
Strong’s Dictionary: Gladness, glee, cheerfulness.
Most of us want to be happy, we search out happiness to fill our hearts, but then we have days or moments of sadness, anger, etc. Times that our happiness seems to have faded away. The reason for this is because happiness is based upon the conditions of what is happening around us. Happiness is an emotion. God has not called us to be happy, He has called us to be filled with joy. As you can see above “Joy” is a delight of the mind. It is something that can not be moved by emotions. Situations and circumstances do not change joy. If you get full of joy it will not matter what comes your way, you will not be moved! The joy of the Lord is your strength! Remember the enemy can touch your happiness, but he can never steal your joy. So people of God let’s start living from the inside out where joy lives, instead of from the outside in where happiness lives. If you are ready to be filled with joy start sowing the Word (Mark 4:14 & Luke 8:11) of joy into your hearts. God bless!
Psalm 4:7-8
You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalm 9:2
I will be filled with joy because of you.I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and shield.I trust him with all my heart.He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 30:11
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and make me willing to obey you.
Psalm 68:3
But let the godly rejoice.Let them be glad in God’s presence.Let them be filled with joy.
Psalm 84:12
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,what joy for those who trust in you.
Psalm 119:1
Joyful are people of integrity,who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Nehemiah 8:10
…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Tracy Willey
Webster’s 1828: A delight of the mind.
Strong’s Dictionary: Gladness, glee, cheerfulness.
Most of us want to be happy, we search out happiness to fill our hearts, but then we have days or moments of sadness, anger, etc. Times that our happiness seems to have faded away. The reason for this is because happiness is based upon the conditions of what is happening around us. Happiness is an emotion. God has not called us to be happy, He has called us to be filled with joy. As you can see above “Joy” is a delight of the mind. It is something that can not be moved by emotions. Situations and circumstances do not change joy. If you get full of joy it will not matter what comes your way, you will not be moved! The joy of the Lord is your strength! Remember the enemy can touch your happiness, but he can never steal your joy. So people of God let’s start living from the inside out where joy lives, instead of from the outside in where happiness lives. If you are ready to be filled with joy start sowing the Word (Mark 4:14 & Luke 8:11) of joy into your hearts. God bless!
Psalm 4:7-8
You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalm 9:2
I will be filled with joy because of you.I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and shield.I trust him with all my heart.He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 30:11
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and make me willing to obey you.
Psalm 68:3
But let the godly rejoice.Let them be glad in God’s presence.Let them be filled with joy.
Psalm 84:12
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies,what joy for those who trust in you.
Psalm 119:1
Joyful are people of integrity,who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Nehemiah 8:10
…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Tracy Willey
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Compassion
The word God laid on my heart to look at to day is the word “compassion”…
Compassion:
Websters 18:28- A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration. Compassion is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow.
Strong’s Dictionary- (have) pity, spare;merciful; love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy; comfort; tender mercy; feel sympathy.
Compassionate:
Websters 1828- Having a temper or disposition to pity; inclined to show mercy; merciful; having a heart that is tender, and easily moved by the distresses, sufferings, wants and infirmities of others.
As we can see from scripture God is compassionate…
“But He, full of [merciful] compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not; yes, many a time He turned His anger away and did not stir up all His wrath and indignation.” Psalm 78:38
“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15
“The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”Psalm 145:9
In Ephesians 5:1 it says… “THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].” We are supposed to imitate God. Compassion is sometimes a characteristic we throw out the window when we get angry or irritated, or we just lack understanding, but you never know what someone else’s life is, you never know what they are going through. Sometimes if someone is coming at you with anger all they need is someone with a heart of compassion that is willing to see past that. Sometimes it will break down the walls that surround them, and by being compassionate as God is compassionate it can open the door for you to be able to minister unto them. So I just urge each one of you no matter who you encounter treat each with a heart of compassion, just as your Father does. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Compassion:
Websters 18:28- A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration. Compassion is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow.
Strong’s Dictionary- (have) pity, spare;merciful; love, (find, have, obtain, shew) mercy; comfort; tender mercy; feel sympathy.
Compassionate:
Websters 1828- Having a temper or disposition to pity; inclined to show mercy; merciful; having a heart that is tender, and easily moved by the distresses, sufferings, wants and infirmities of others.
As we can see from scripture God is compassionate…
“But He, full of [merciful] compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not; yes, many a time He turned His anger away and did not stir up all His wrath and indignation.” Psalm 78:38
“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15
“The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”Psalm 145:9
In Ephesians 5:1 it says… “THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].” We are supposed to imitate God. Compassion is sometimes a characteristic we throw out the window when we get angry or irritated, or we just lack understanding, but you never know what someone else’s life is, you never know what they are going through. Sometimes if someone is coming at you with anger all they need is someone with a heart of compassion that is willing to see past that. Sometimes it will break down the walls that surround them, and by being compassionate as God is compassionate it can open the door for you to be able to minister unto them. So I just urge each one of you no matter who you encounter treat each with a heart of compassion, just as your Father does. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Friday, October 24, 2008
Courage...Boldness
Today’s words are courage and boldness…
Courage:
Websters 1828- Bravery; intrepidity(Fearlessness;undaunted courage or boldness); that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution.
Strong’s dictionary- Be bold, boldly, have confidence, be confident; stedfastly minded, strong.
Thayer dictionary- Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech
openly, frankly, i.e without concealment
Boldness:
Websters 1828- Courage; bravery; intrepidity; spirit; fearlessness.Freedom from timidity; liberty; Confidence; Freedom from bashfulness; assurance,
Strong’s dictionary- Strength in various applications loud, might, power, strength, strong; courage.
Thayer dictionary- Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech
openly, frankly, i.e without concealment; not to dread or shun through fear; to bear, endure; to bring one’s self to; to be bold.
“So be strong and courageous,all you who put your hope in the Lord!” Psalm 31:24
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9
“Preaching to them the kingdom of God and teaching them about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and quite openly, and without being molested or hindered.“Acts 28:31
As believers these are two of the traits we must have. In the Old Testament you see over and over again where people are commanded to be strong and courageous. I believe this was not only directed at them, but that we are supposed to receive that same word. As believers we are going to be faced with various situations and circumstances where courage and boldness is required. What if you are walking down the street and the Holy Spirit tells you to stop and go talk to that lady over there on the corner and minister the Gospel to her. If you are not filled with courage and boldness you might not obey the Word of the Lord, and she might miss the very thing that she needed at that moment. I know this is an area I’ve struggled a lot with, but I know that it is a necessary because what God has called me to do is not about myself, it’s about someone else, and if I don’t react to the instructions He’s given me then I can miss the mark, and they can still walk away without knowing the saving power of Jesus Christ. So I just wanted to encourage you this morning people of God to walk in boldness and courage! If you need some help in this area I listed a few scriptures below for you to confess. God bless!!
Confess:
“But, Lord, you are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage.”-Psalm 3:3
“When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.”-Psalm 138:3
“…The righteous are bold as a lion.”-Prov 28:1
Courage:
Websters 1828- Bravery; intrepidity(Fearlessness;undaunted courage or boldness); that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution.
Strong’s dictionary- Be bold, boldly, have confidence, be confident; stedfastly minded, strong.
Thayer dictionary- Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech
openly, frankly, i.e without concealment
Boldness:
Websters 1828- Courage; bravery; intrepidity; spirit; fearlessness.Freedom from timidity; liberty; Confidence; Freedom from bashfulness; assurance,
Strong’s dictionary- Strength in various applications loud, might, power, strength, strong; courage.
Thayer dictionary- Freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech
openly, frankly, i.e without concealment; not to dread or shun through fear; to bear, endure; to bring one’s self to; to be bold.
“So be strong and courageous,all you who put your hope in the Lord!” Psalm 31:24
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9
“Preaching to them the kingdom of God and teaching them about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and quite openly, and without being molested or hindered.“Acts 28:31
As believers these are two of the traits we must have. In the Old Testament you see over and over again where people are commanded to be strong and courageous. I believe this was not only directed at them, but that we are supposed to receive that same word. As believers we are going to be faced with various situations and circumstances where courage and boldness is required. What if you are walking down the street and the Holy Spirit tells you to stop and go talk to that lady over there on the corner and minister the Gospel to her. If you are not filled with courage and boldness you might not obey the Word of the Lord, and she might miss the very thing that she needed at that moment. I know this is an area I’ve struggled a lot with, but I know that it is a necessary because what God has called me to do is not about myself, it’s about someone else, and if I don’t react to the instructions He’s given me then I can miss the mark, and they can still walk away without knowing the saving power of Jesus Christ. So I just wanted to encourage you this morning people of God to walk in boldness and courage! If you need some help in this area I listed a few scriptures below for you to confess. God bless!!
Confess:
“But, Lord, you are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage.”-Psalm 3:3
“When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.”-Psalm 138:3
“…The righteous are bold as a lion.”-Prov 28:1
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Integrity
The Word that the Lord laid on my heart to share with everyone today is the word “integrity”…
Integrity:
Websters 1828:The entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness (Purity of mind or manners); uprightness (Honesty; integrity in principle or practice); honesty.
Strong’s Dictionary: truth: – without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole; Innocence.
BDB Dictionary: One who is morally and ethically pure.
Being believers there are many people that watch us. They are watching our every step, they are listening for our every word. They see us professing what a mighty God we have and they want to see us live what we talk about. Some people might get irritated with this because none of us our perfect and we have our moments when we slip up, and you might not like people picking you apart when it’s one of those times. But as believers we have this to carry. People are watching not to be mean or to irritate you, they are watching you because they want to hope, they want to believe. If they see you talking about this thing and you are living it out, then what you are saying about this God you serve must be true.
It is by us walking upright with integrity that we can draw other’s to Christ. It won’t always be that we evangelize to people, but in our character we represent Jesus, and that is drawing more people to Christ then you might realize. They might not tell you that because of you they picked up a bible, or are seeking out a church. They might not tell you that because of the integrity you walk in they started talking to God for the first time in years. You might not see the fruit that is being produced by the seed you have planted, but believe me it is.
So if walking in integrity is an area that you struggle with go to the Word, start confessing over yourself, God’s Word is active and alive and it will work itself out in you. And if you don’t have a problem with integrity confess it anyway because you always want to keep yourself covered from all schemes and attacks of the enemy. One last thing I want to say…Please don’t get in condemnation concerning this matter, if you’ve fallen short before, repent. If you stumble along the way, repent and keep going. By getting under condemnation you allow the enemy in and you stop moving in the direction God wants you to go. In Romans 8:1 it says…
“THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.”
God bless!
“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for and expect You.”~Psalm 25:21
“But as for me, I will walk in my integrity”~Psalm 26:11
“In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.”~Psalm 41:12
“I will behave myself wisely and give heed to the blameless way…I will walk within my house in integrity and with a blameless heart.”~Psalm 101:2
“Joyful are people of integrity,who follow the instructions of the Lord.”~Psalm 119:1
“He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”~Proverbs 2:7
“For only the godly will live in the land,and those with integrity will remain in it.”~Proverbs 2:21
“The man of integrity walks securely…”~Proverbs 10:9
“The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity…”~Proverbs 10:29
“he integrity of the upright shall guide them…”Proverbs 11:13
“Righteousness guards the man of integrity…”~Proverbs 13:6
“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”~Proverbs 20:7
Tracy Willey
Integrity:
Websters 1828:The entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness (Purity of mind or manners); uprightness (Honesty; integrity in principle or practice); honesty.
Strong’s Dictionary: truth: – without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely (-ity), sound, without spot, undefiled, upright (-ly), whole; Innocence.
BDB Dictionary: One who is morally and ethically pure.
Being believers there are many people that watch us. They are watching our every step, they are listening for our every word. They see us professing what a mighty God we have and they want to see us live what we talk about. Some people might get irritated with this because none of us our perfect and we have our moments when we slip up, and you might not like people picking you apart when it’s one of those times. But as believers we have this to carry. People are watching not to be mean or to irritate you, they are watching you because they want to hope, they want to believe. If they see you talking about this thing and you are living it out, then what you are saying about this God you serve must be true.
It is by us walking upright with integrity that we can draw other’s to Christ. It won’t always be that we evangelize to people, but in our character we represent Jesus, and that is drawing more people to Christ then you might realize. They might not tell you that because of you they picked up a bible, or are seeking out a church. They might not tell you that because of the integrity you walk in they started talking to God for the first time in years. You might not see the fruit that is being produced by the seed you have planted, but believe me it is.
So if walking in integrity is an area that you struggle with go to the Word, start confessing over yourself, God’s Word is active and alive and it will work itself out in you. And if you don’t have a problem with integrity confess it anyway because you always want to keep yourself covered from all schemes and attacks of the enemy. One last thing I want to say…Please don’t get in condemnation concerning this matter, if you’ve fallen short before, repent. If you stumble along the way, repent and keep going. By getting under condemnation you allow the enemy in and you stop moving in the direction God wants you to go. In Romans 8:1 it says…
“THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.”
God bless!
“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for and expect You.”~Psalm 25:21
“But as for me, I will walk in my integrity”~Psalm 26:11
“In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.”~Psalm 41:12
“I will behave myself wisely and give heed to the blameless way…I will walk within my house in integrity and with a blameless heart.”~Psalm 101:2
“Joyful are people of integrity,who follow the instructions of the Lord.”~Psalm 119:1
“He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”~Proverbs 2:7
“For only the godly will live in the land,and those with integrity will remain in it.”~Proverbs 2:21
“The man of integrity walks securely…”~Proverbs 10:9
“The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity…”~Proverbs 10:29
“he integrity of the upright shall guide them…”Proverbs 11:13
“Righteousness guards the man of integrity…”~Proverbs 13:6
“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”~Proverbs 20:7
Tracy Willey
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
These Three Words
As I was asking the Lord what I should share with you he gave me the words surrender, submit, and yield…
Surrender:
Websters 1828~To yield; to give up one’s self into the power of another.
Strong’s dictionary~To hand safely over
Submit:
Websters 18:28~To surrender; to yield one’s person to the power of another; to give up resistance; To be submissive; to yield without murmuring.
Strong’s dictionary~Prostrate, humble self; to conform to advice; be under obedience
Yield:
Websters 1828~To surrender; To comply with; To give way; not to oppose.
Strong’s dictionary~give place to; obey; to follow; to surrender; submit self
It is an interesting time going on in the Spirit. I believe we are in a preparation phase for the things to come. For us to be ready we have to look upon the words we just looked at and be willing to do those things to God so that He can speak to us and we can hear Him clearly. If we are not willing to surrender, to submit, and to yield ourselves to God then we are not walking in the full capacity we were created for. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it is necessary if you desire to walk in the ways and purposes of God. God bless…
James 4:7~”Submit yourselves therefore to God…”
2 Chronicles 30:8~”Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.”
Psalm 37:7~”Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him…”
Tracy Willey
Surrender:
Websters 1828~To yield; to give up one’s self into the power of another.
Strong’s dictionary~To hand safely over
Submit:
Websters 18:28~To surrender; to yield one’s person to the power of another; to give up resistance; To be submissive; to yield without murmuring.
Strong’s dictionary~Prostrate, humble self; to conform to advice; be under obedience
Yield:
Websters 1828~To surrender; To comply with; To give way; not to oppose.
Strong’s dictionary~give place to; obey; to follow; to surrender; submit self
It is an interesting time going on in the Spirit. I believe we are in a preparation phase for the things to come. For us to be ready we have to look upon the words we just looked at and be willing to do those things to God so that He can speak to us and we can hear Him clearly. If we are not willing to surrender, to submit, and to yield ourselves to God then we are not walking in the full capacity we were created for. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it is necessary if you desire to walk in the ways and purposes of God. God bless…
James 4:7~”Submit yourselves therefore to God…”
2 Chronicles 30:8~”Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.”
Psalm 37:7~”Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him…”
Tracy Willey
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Healing pt 2
Now that you are ready to receive your healing you need to understand that your symptoms may linger. Some of you might say “What! If I’m healed there should instantly be no symptoms.” This is not true because healing is different then a miracle…
Miracle: a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event. Something that is instantaneous.
Healing: A restoration, an improving, a process.
Many people try to put God in a box by thinking only that he performs miracles, and then when something doesn’t happen instantaneously then they give up, or think that God doesn’t want to heal them. In Mark 16:18 it says “…they shall recover”, He does not say that it is going to be instantly. Remember “Faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.”-Hebrews 1:11. Our job is not to feel our healing; our job is to receive it by faith. We have to…
Fully believe the Word of God
Trust nothing else but the Word of God alone
Hold fast to the Word when your faith is tested
Be fully occupied with the Word of God on the matter of healing
Refuse to throw away your confidence in God’s power and ability even when the situation looks contrary to His Word.
Jesus already gave you healing as He took the stripes upon His body and as He sacrificed Himself on the cross. It is your job now to receive it, to trust fully in His Word. When the enemy tries to throw symptoms in your face you remember that it is he that is trying to kill you, steal from you, and destroy you. Tell the enemy “It is written!” Just as Jesus said to the enemy over and over again, when he tried to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4. Make this your confession when the attack comes…
It is written that with his stripes I was healed! (Isaiah 53:5 & 1 Peter 2:24)
It is written His Word is life, and health to all my flesh! (Proverbs 4:22)
Remember you have authority over the enemy…
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” -Luke 10-19
Stop letting Him steal your time with sickness, destroy your body with disease, and try to take you to an early grave. Stand up tell the devil no, and tell God yes! Receive your healing child of God! God bless!
Tracy Willey
Miracle: a deviation from the known laws of nature; a supernatural event. Something that is instantaneous.
Healing: A restoration, an improving, a process.
Many people try to put God in a box by thinking only that he performs miracles, and then when something doesn’t happen instantaneously then they give up, or think that God doesn’t want to heal them. In Mark 16:18 it says “…they shall recover”, He does not say that it is going to be instantly. Remember “Faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.”-Hebrews 1:11. Our job is not to feel our healing; our job is to receive it by faith. We have to…
Fully believe the Word of God
Trust nothing else but the Word of God alone
Hold fast to the Word when your faith is tested
Be fully occupied with the Word of God on the matter of healing
Refuse to throw away your confidence in God’s power and ability even when the situation looks contrary to His Word.
Jesus already gave you healing as He took the stripes upon His body and as He sacrificed Himself on the cross. It is your job now to receive it, to trust fully in His Word. When the enemy tries to throw symptoms in your face you remember that it is he that is trying to kill you, steal from you, and destroy you. Tell the enemy “It is written!” Just as Jesus said to the enemy over and over again, when he tried to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4. Make this your confession when the attack comes…
It is written that with his stripes I was healed! (Isaiah 53:5 & 1 Peter 2:24)
It is written His Word is life, and health to all my flesh! (Proverbs 4:22)
Remember you have authority over the enemy…
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” -Luke 10-19
Stop letting Him steal your time with sickness, destroy your body with disease, and try to take you to an early grave. Stand up tell the devil no, and tell God yes! Receive your healing child of God! God bless!
Tracy Willey
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Healing pt 1
Today we are going to talk about healing. Many of us go around for our whole lives dealing with sickness and disease, not understanding that we don’t have to. We have a covenant with God, and Jesus dies so that we may be healed. You do not have to live another day in your life sick. That doesn’t mean symptoms won’t come, they will because the devil will always be in effect seeking whom he may devour. It is our responsibility to do as James 4:7 says “…Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When we resist sickness and do not receive it, then it can not come upon us. So let’s start with first receiving our healing. There are three things that you need to realize about your healing and accept before you even start praying about it…
God is able to heal you. Able means…Having physical power sufficient.
Luke 5:17- “…the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”
As you can see from this verse God has the power sufficient to heal you.
God is willing to heal you. Willing means…Free to do or grant.
Psalm 107:19-20- “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”
As you can see the petition of the people was granted that means God was willing to heal when He heard their cries.
God earnestly desires to heal you. Earnestly means…Warmly; zealously; importunately; eagerly; with real desire. Desire in this case means…Love; affection.
1 Peter 2:24-“ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
As we see in this passage Jesus gave His own body over to torture and death so that we may not only be saved, but that we may also be healed. He wouldn’t have done this and gone through this horrendous event if He didn’t earnestly desire to see us both saved and healed. If we only take the salvation and the cleansing part of what He did and we leave the healing then we are making His sacrifice less than it was, and we are not walking in understanding of what Jesus did for us on the cross. God didn’t create man to be sick, sickness came as result of the fall, and Jesus was sent to redeem us from every curse, which includes sickness.
Let’s look at a passage that addresses the three points I just made…
Matthew 8:1-31 “When Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. Then a man with a skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!” And immediately the man was healed from his disease. “
The man came before Jesus and said “Lord you can heal me if you will.” From what this man says we can see that He knew Jesus was able to heal. He wasn’t questioning Jesus’ ability to heal, He questioned if the Lord was willing to heal him. When He questioned Jesus’ willingness, Jesus said “I will”, which in Hebrew also means to delight in; desire. So you can see Jesus was telling Him, it’s not that I am willing to, of course I am, but it is that I delight in healing you, I desire to heal you. That’s what He is saying to each one of us…
My beautiful children, I love you and I desire to give you everything. That is why I sent my son to the cross for you, so that you may have everything that I gave to Adam in the Garden. I especially want you to be healthy. I have called you to do mighty things upon this earth and if you are sick you will not be able to fulfill those purposes to the fullness that I intended you to. So I say to you this moment, hear me! I am able, I am willing, and I earnestly desire you to walk in the healing that I’ve already provided for you! Believe it is yours, receive it! Let the sacrifice of my son not be in vain, but receive the fullness of what He did for you on the cross. By His stripes, my child, you were healed. Walk in it!
Glory to God!! Isn’t that awesome. It’s time to receive what God has already provided for us. I know I am. I pray that you will as well. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
God is able to heal you. Able means…Having physical power sufficient.
Luke 5:17- “…the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”
As you can see from this verse God has the power sufficient to heal you.
God is willing to heal you. Willing means…Free to do or grant.
Psalm 107:19-20- “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”
As you can see the petition of the people was granted that means God was willing to heal when He heard their cries.
God earnestly desires to heal you. Earnestly means…Warmly; zealously; importunately; eagerly; with real desire. Desire in this case means…Love; affection.
1 Peter 2:24-“ who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
As we see in this passage Jesus gave His own body over to torture and death so that we may not only be saved, but that we may also be healed. He wouldn’t have done this and gone through this horrendous event if He didn’t earnestly desire to see us both saved and healed. If we only take the salvation and the cleansing part of what He did and we leave the healing then we are making His sacrifice less than it was, and we are not walking in understanding of what Jesus did for us on the cross. God didn’t create man to be sick, sickness came as result of the fall, and Jesus was sent to redeem us from every curse, which includes sickness.
Let’s look at a passage that addresses the three points I just made…
Matthew 8:1-31 “When Jesus came down from the hill, great crowds followed him. Then a man with a skin disease came to Jesus. The man bowed down before him and said, “Lord, you can heal me if you will.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and said, “I will. Be healed!” And immediately the man was healed from his disease. “
The man came before Jesus and said “Lord you can heal me if you will.” From what this man says we can see that He knew Jesus was able to heal. He wasn’t questioning Jesus’ ability to heal, He questioned if the Lord was willing to heal him. When He questioned Jesus’ willingness, Jesus said “I will”, which in Hebrew also means to delight in; desire. So you can see Jesus was telling Him, it’s not that I am willing to, of course I am, but it is that I delight in healing you, I desire to heal you. That’s what He is saying to each one of us…
My beautiful children, I love you and I desire to give you everything. That is why I sent my son to the cross for you, so that you may have everything that I gave to Adam in the Garden. I especially want you to be healthy. I have called you to do mighty things upon this earth and if you are sick you will not be able to fulfill those purposes to the fullness that I intended you to. So I say to you this moment, hear me! I am able, I am willing, and I earnestly desire you to walk in the healing that I’ve already provided for you! Believe it is yours, receive it! Let the sacrifice of my son not be in vain, but receive the fullness of what He did for you on the cross. By His stripes, my child, you were healed. Walk in it!
Glory to God!! Isn’t that awesome. It’s time to receive what God has already provided for us. I know I am. I pray that you will as well. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Many are Called
The last message I wrote to you all talked about being chosen. In that writing I was talking about being chosen to exist, being chosen to be you. Today I am going to talk about being chosen in your calling. In Matthew 22:14 it says…
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
This is showing us that there are many people that are called to do something great in this world, but not many people are actually chosen to do those things, not because God doesn’t want them to do it, of course He does, He wants every child of His to fulfill the purpose that He created them for, but it is because we don’t choose to fulfill that purpose, we don’t do what we need to do to be chosen.
Let’s look at an example. You are out on the basketball court and a game is about to start, you are picked as a captain to choose which ever squad members you might want on your team. You look around at all the people you can choose from. Would you pick someone that you’ve only seen on the sidelines, that might shoot around sometimes, but they don’t really work to improve their game? Or would you pick the person that you see up there everyday practicing hard for hours so that they can be the best? None of you would pick the person that didn’t put in much effort, all of you would be looking for those people that put in time, that had knowledge of the game, and that had perfected their skills. It is the same way with God, He leads you to the court, gives you the ball, and tells you that you can be great, you just have to do some practicing, but if you choose to not put in the time, you will not be ready when God comes calling. None of us can expect to walk out our purpose on this earth without putting in the time, and effort it takes to grow in that purpose. In Ezekiel 22:30 it says…
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.
God is looking to raise you up. He desires for people to stand on behalf of others, but note the first part of the sentence. It says He looked for someone who would build up the wall. “Build” that is the key. It takes time and effort to build something it doesn’t just happen by itself. God is looking for someone who is willing to sacrifice on behalf of the people. People who take time out for Him, who pray, who really study His Word, who go to church, who go out and minister to others, who volunteer, etc. There are things we all have to do to prepare ourselves for a purposeful life; we have to be willing to put in the effort. It’s not good enough to say I don’t have time, I have too much to do, or I’m too tired. You can’t say God will understand He knows I love Him, He created me for something so I know it will come to pass. That’s like having a cookie jar put in front of you and you say you want a cookie, but you never reach your hand in the jar to get the cookie out. In Proverbs 19:24 it says…
“Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.”
Proverbs 20:4 says…
“Lazy farmers don’t plow when they should; they expect a harvest, but there is none.”
God is looking for you, will you be one that builds up the wall, or will you be the one sitting on the sidelines? Will you just be called, or will you be chosen? God bless!
Tracy Willey
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
This is showing us that there are many people that are called to do something great in this world, but not many people are actually chosen to do those things, not because God doesn’t want them to do it, of course He does, He wants every child of His to fulfill the purpose that He created them for, but it is because we don’t choose to fulfill that purpose, we don’t do what we need to do to be chosen.
Let’s look at an example. You are out on the basketball court and a game is about to start, you are picked as a captain to choose which ever squad members you might want on your team. You look around at all the people you can choose from. Would you pick someone that you’ve only seen on the sidelines, that might shoot around sometimes, but they don’t really work to improve their game? Or would you pick the person that you see up there everyday practicing hard for hours so that they can be the best? None of you would pick the person that didn’t put in much effort, all of you would be looking for those people that put in time, that had knowledge of the game, and that had perfected their skills. It is the same way with God, He leads you to the court, gives you the ball, and tells you that you can be great, you just have to do some practicing, but if you choose to not put in the time, you will not be ready when God comes calling. None of us can expect to walk out our purpose on this earth without putting in the time, and effort it takes to grow in that purpose. In Ezekiel 22:30 it says…
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.
God is looking to raise you up. He desires for people to stand on behalf of others, but note the first part of the sentence. It says He looked for someone who would build up the wall. “Build” that is the key. It takes time and effort to build something it doesn’t just happen by itself. God is looking for someone who is willing to sacrifice on behalf of the people. People who take time out for Him, who pray, who really study His Word, who go to church, who go out and minister to others, who volunteer, etc. There are things we all have to do to prepare ourselves for a purposeful life; we have to be willing to put in the effort. It’s not good enough to say I don’t have time, I have too much to do, or I’m too tired. You can’t say God will understand He knows I love Him, He created me for something so I know it will come to pass. That’s like having a cookie jar put in front of you and you say you want a cookie, but you never reach your hand in the jar to get the cookie out. In Proverbs 19:24 it says…
“Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.”
Proverbs 20:4 says…
“Lazy farmers don’t plow when they should; they expect a harvest, but there is none.”
God is looking for you, will you be one that builds up the wall, or will you be the one sitting on the sidelines? Will you just be called, or will you be chosen? God bless!
Tracy Willey
Sunday, September 21, 2008
You are loved, You are chosen, You have purpose
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2
Our focus through this passage is renewing our minds. By renewing our minds we will change the way we think.
There are three things I want us to be able to renew our minds to, so that we can change our thought patterns, so our thought patterns can change our actions. The three things are…
1.) You are loved
2.) You have been chosen
3.) You have purpose
When you are able to renew your mind to those three things then you will learn to know God’s will for your life and know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him.
Let’s look at the first point… you are loved. I want each of you to know that God, your Heavenly Father, loves each and every one of you. Some of you might say, yeah I already know that, but do you really believe it? Others of you might have difficulty with that statement so let’s go to the Word and find out what it says…
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8
“This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10
Do any of you know of a person that would die for the whole world, for the good and the bad? No you don’t. Because there was only one that was willing to do that for all of us, and His name is Jesus. How amazing is that, that you are loved so much, that God sent His only son to die for you, even knowing all of the things you’ve ever done, and the things you will do. Nobody that does or will ever exist on this earth will love you that much. So now you have to start believing it! God loves you! He wants the best for you!
That brings me to point #2…
You have been chosen! What me chosen, you might say. Yes you, each and every one of you have been chosen by almighty God. Let me prove it to you…
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Ephesians 1:4
“In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.” Ephesians 1:11
“…I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1
You were not a mistake, you were chosen by God before He even made the world! He called you by the very name He chose for you even then. Glory to God! It’s time to start standing tall with our heads held high, not in pride, but in knowing that God chose us to exist.
Point #3…You have a purpose. God has created you for something in this world. Before this day you might not have believed that you could amount to anything some of you might have been rejected and out cast. People might have told you that you were never going to be anything. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 and see what it says about people that the world thinks aren’t going to be anything…
“Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.”
It doesn’t matter what people have said about you, and it doesn’t even matter what you’ve thought about yourself. Because from this day forth you are changing the way you think. This is what God says about your purpose…
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah1:5
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Before you were even in your mother’s womb God thought of you, and not only did He think of you, but He approved of you, and called you His chosen instrument. He set you apart, which means He made you different, He created you with a special purpose to fulfill on this earth! He said He has plans for you to prosper you, and to give you hope and a future. Isn’t that awesome that God has something just for you!
You will always become a product of what you think about. So from this point on I want you to know and believe that…
You are loved
You were chosen
You have a purpose
When you believe it your mind will be renewed and you will walk in the perfect will of God. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Our focus through this passage is renewing our minds. By renewing our minds we will change the way we think.
There are three things I want us to be able to renew our minds to, so that we can change our thought patterns, so our thought patterns can change our actions. The three things are…
1.) You are loved
2.) You have been chosen
3.) You have purpose
When you are able to renew your mind to those three things then you will learn to know God’s will for your life and know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him.
Let’s look at the first point… you are loved. I want each of you to know that God, your Heavenly Father, loves each and every one of you. Some of you might say, yeah I already know that, but do you really believe it? Others of you might have difficulty with that statement so let’s go to the Word and find out what it says…
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8
“This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10
Do any of you know of a person that would die for the whole world, for the good and the bad? No you don’t. Because there was only one that was willing to do that for all of us, and His name is Jesus. How amazing is that, that you are loved so much, that God sent His only son to die for you, even knowing all of the things you’ve ever done, and the things you will do. Nobody that does or will ever exist on this earth will love you that much. So now you have to start believing it! God loves you! He wants the best for you!
That brings me to point #2…
You have been chosen! What me chosen, you might say. Yes you, each and every one of you have been chosen by almighty God. Let me prove it to you…
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Ephesians 1:4
“In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.” Ephesians 1:11
“…I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1
You were not a mistake, you were chosen by God before He even made the world! He called you by the very name He chose for you even then. Glory to God! It’s time to start standing tall with our heads held high, not in pride, but in knowing that God chose us to exist.
Point #3…You have a purpose. God has created you for something in this world. Before this day you might not have believed that you could amount to anything some of you might have been rejected and out cast. People might have told you that you were never going to be anything. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 and see what it says about people that the world thinks aren’t going to be anything…
“Brothers and sisters, look at what you were when God called you. Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence. Not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and he chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose what the world thinks is unimportant and what the world looks down on and thinks is nothing in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.”
It doesn’t matter what people have said about you, and it doesn’t even matter what you’ve thought about yourself. Because from this day forth you are changing the way you think. This is what God says about your purpose…
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah1:5
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Before you were even in your mother’s womb God thought of you, and not only did He think of you, but He approved of you, and called you His chosen instrument. He set you apart, which means He made you different, He created you with a special purpose to fulfill on this earth! He said He has plans for you to prosper you, and to give you hope and a future. Isn’t that awesome that God has something just for you!
You will always become a product of what you think about. So from this point on I want you to know and believe that…
You are loved
You were chosen
You have a purpose
When you believe it your mind will be renewed and you will walk in the perfect will of God. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Saturday, September 20, 2008
A Promise
This morning as I was on the bus, I asked God what I should read for the day. As I opened my bible it opened to Isaiah and a passage I had highlighted stuck out to me. It said…
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.” ~Isaiah 59:21
That really hit my Spirit and I knew God was speaking to me, and even though I don’t have any children yet, God was promising that when I have those children I won’t have to worry. It gave me peace to know that God’s word will never depart from my Children’s mouth, and it’s not only just them it also applies to the rest of my descendants. Isn’t that an awesome promise! So for those of you that already have children, meditate this scripture and rest in the fact that God has given you a promise, no matter how things might look in the natural. For those of you like me without children, rest in the fact that when you do have them, they will always have God’s word in them. I pray this encourages all of you out there. God bless!!
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the LORD.” ~Isaiah 59:21
That really hit my Spirit and I knew God was speaking to me, and even though I don’t have any children yet, God was promising that when I have those children I won’t have to worry. It gave me peace to know that God’s word will never depart from my Children’s mouth, and it’s not only just them it also applies to the rest of my descendants. Isn’t that an awesome promise! So for those of you that already have children, meditate this scripture and rest in the fact that God has given you a promise, no matter how things might look in the natural. For those of you like me without children, rest in the fact that when you do have them, they will always have God’s word in them. I pray this encourages all of you out there. God bless!!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Patience
Today I was reading in James and James 1:4 really stuck out to me. It says…
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
I know I have dealt with the issue of impatience. I want things to happen right when I want them to happen. Some of us have given up on things because we just got tired of waiting! But look what the verse says when I looked up the original definitions of the Words…
But let cheerful endurance have her complete work, that you may be complete and whole, lacking nothing without delay.
Wow! Doesn’t that just hit you in a new way? What really struck me at first was that patience means cheerful endurance. How many of us can say that when we are waiting on something that we are really enduring the wait cheerfully? Probably not many of us can say we do. Yikes, it’s time to change our thinking regarding patience isn’t it? To me this passage is now saying that when we get to that place of cheerful endurance that patience can work in us and then we may be complete and whole, and we will receive those things we desire without delay. Isn’t that awesome that we can start to receive those things without delay, but only if we let ourselves have an attitude of cheerful endurance. So the next time you are waiting on something do it cheerfully, and let that thing work in you! God bless!!
Tracy Willey
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
I know I have dealt with the issue of impatience. I want things to happen right when I want them to happen. Some of us have given up on things because we just got tired of waiting! But look what the verse says when I looked up the original definitions of the Words…
But let cheerful endurance have her complete work, that you may be complete and whole, lacking nothing without delay.
Wow! Doesn’t that just hit you in a new way? What really struck me at first was that patience means cheerful endurance. How many of us can say that when we are waiting on something that we are really enduring the wait cheerfully? Probably not many of us can say we do. Yikes, it’s time to change our thinking regarding patience isn’t it? To me this passage is now saying that when we get to that place of cheerful endurance that patience can work in us and then we may be complete and whole, and we will receive those things we desire without delay. Isn’t that awesome that we can start to receive those things without delay, but only if we let ourselves have an attitude of cheerful endurance. So the next time you are waiting on something do it cheerfully, and let that thing work in you! God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Faith
A lot of us have dealt with issues of faith. Some of us might fall under one the following categories…
Little faith
Weak faith
Shipwreck faith
Wavering faith
We go to God and we ask Him to give us more faith. But I’m here to tell you that even if you feel like your faith is in one of those categories be assured that you have already been given all the faith you need. In Romans 12:3 it says…
“God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
That scripture shows that everyone is given the same level of faith, not one more then the other. It is not that we need more faith then we have, it is that our faith needs to be developed, it’s like a muscle. Our goal is to develop our faith into the following categories…
Great faith
Full of faith
Strong faith
Sincere faith
Rich Faith
Perfect faith
World overcoming faith
Exceedingly growing faith
So you might ask, “How do I develop my faith into one of those categories?” The answer lies in the scripture below…
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 10:17
Did you see what it said there? Faith comes by hearing. That means we must hear the Word of God. We must hear it with our ears, not see it with our eyes, but actually hear it out loud. This means that you must go to church and listen to what you Pastor is preaching. You should get the Bible on cd. Also take some time and read your Bible aloud. Make sure that you are confessing the Word! You can’t keep quiet, you can’t be content to just read the Word only, or do everything in your head. You must hear it! Get the Word into your ear-gates. As you hear the Word continually your faith will start to build. You will not go from weak faith to strong faith overnight, but if you keep hearing the Word, you will keep building, and one day you will be there. Don’t stop, don’t give up, and keep building one brick at a time. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Little faith
Weak faith
Shipwreck faith
Wavering faith
We go to God and we ask Him to give us more faith. But I’m here to tell you that even if you feel like your faith is in one of those categories be assured that you have already been given all the faith you need. In Romans 12:3 it says…
“God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
That scripture shows that everyone is given the same level of faith, not one more then the other. It is not that we need more faith then we have, it is that our faith needs to be developed, it’s like a muscle. Our goal is to develop our faith into the following categories…
Great faith
Full of faith
Strong faith
Sincere faith
Rich Faith
Perfect faith
World overcoming faith
Exceedingly growing faith
So you might ask, “How do I develop my faith into one of those categories?” The answer lies in the scripture below…
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Romans 10:17
Did you see what it said there? Faith comes by hearing. That means we must hear the Word of God. We must hear it with our ears, not see it with our eyes, but actually hear it out loud. This means that you must go to church and listen to what you Pastor is preaching. You should get the Bible on cd. Also take some time and read your Bible aloud. Make sure that you are confessing the Word! You can’t keep quiet, you can’t be content to just read the Word only, or do everything in your head. You must hear it! Get the Word into your ear-gates. As you hear the Word continually your faith will start to build. You will not go from weak faith to strong faith overnight, but if you keep hearing the Word, you will keep building, and one day you will be there. Don’t stop, don’t give up, and keep building one brick at a time. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
This is what I want to give you
The other day I was meditating Deuteronomy 28:1-14, and the Lord spoke to me and said this is what I want to give to you and all of My children, hear Me now my child…
If you fully obey Me and carefully keep all of commands that I am giving you today, through My Word, then I will set you high above all the nations of the world. This My child, means that you will be seen by many, I will place you in positions of power so that men will see what you do in My name, and they will lift their hands and glorify Me. You, My child, will experience all of these blessings if you walk in obedience to the instructions I have given you:
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. This means you will be blessed in your own city, and in other nations in which I send you. You will have influence among the leaders of those cities and nations.
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, every child you bear will be blessed, they will be a blessing to you and to others, they will not turn away from Me, and they will follow all of My commands.
The crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. The product of everything you produce will be blessed. Your ministries will be blessed, your businesses will be blessed, everything you produce shall produce beyond what you originally planted.
Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. Your bank accounts and your investments will be blessed, and flow in abundance.
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. In every place which I send you, you will be blessed as you go in, and you will be blessed as you leave them.
Any enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
I will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. In your workplace you will be blessed. You will have original ideas for your workplace, put them to use! Everything you produce in your place of work, will be blessed.
I will bless you in the land I am giving you. Your homes will be blessed!
I will establish you as My holy people, if you keep My commands and walk in my ways.
Then all the peoples on earth, people across the globe, will know you and will see that you are called by My Name, and they will fear you, this means that they will reverence and respect you.
I will grant you abundant prosperity, this means you will have in great quantity, be overflowing with, and have success —in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land I swore to your forefathers to give you.
I will open the heavens, the storehouse of My bounty, which are My gifts and favors, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.
I will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to My commands and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
Do not, My child, turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. I alone am God!
Tracy Willey
If you fully obey Me and carefully keep all of commands that I am giving you today, through My Word, then I will set you high above all the nations of the world. This My child, means that you will be seen by many, I will place you in positions of power so that men will see what you do in My name, and they will lift their hands and glorify Me. You, My child, will experience all of these blessings if you walk in obedience to the instructions I have given you:
You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. This means you will be blessed in your own city, and in other nations in which I send you. You will have influence among the leaders of those cities and nations.
The fruit of your womb will be blessed, every child you bear will be blessed, they will be a blessing to you and to others, they will not turn away from Me, and they will follow all of My commands.
The crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. The product of everything you produce will be blessed. Your ministries will be blessed, your businesses will be blessed, everything you produce shall produce beyond what you originally planted.
Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. Your bank accounts and your investments will be blessed, and flow in abundance.
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. In every place which I send you, you will be blessed as you go in, and you will be blessed as you leave them.
Any enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
I will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. In your workplace you will be blessed. You will have original ideas for your workplace, put them to use! Everything you produce in your place of work, will be blessed.
I will bless you in the land I am giving you. Your homes will be blessed!
I will establish you as My holy people, if you keep My commands and walk in my ways.
Then all the peoples on earth, people across the globe, will know you and will see that you are called by My Name, and they will fear you, this means that they will reverence and respect you.
I will grant you abundant prosperity, this means you will have in great quantity, be overflowing with, and have success —in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land I swore to your forefathers to give you.
I will open the heavens, the storehouse of My bounty, which are My gifts and favors, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.
I will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to My commands and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.
Do not, My child, turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. I alone am God!
Tracy Willey
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
James 1:22-24
So many of us go to church on Sundays, some of us even add the mid-week service to what we do. Most of us read our Word daily, and a lot of us read Christian books. Many listen to praise and worship music, and watch Christian television, but let me ask you this…Where are you in your life? Are you walking in your healing? Or are you still dealing with sickness? Are you walking in your deliverance? Or are you still addicted to things? Are you walking in courage? Or are you still fearful? Are you walking in your prosperity? Or are you still dealing with lack? If your answer is yes, and you are still dealing with sickness, or addiction, or fear, or lack, then you are missing something. You are missing the blessing of God. You might say…Well, I’m doing all the things I’m supposed to be doing! I read the Word, I pray, I go to church, I worship, I don’t get it, what is going on? Why are my circumstances still the same? The answer is right here in James 1:22-24…
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
So many of us are “hearing” the Word from all different sources, it seems as though we surround ourselves with the Word, but are we “doers” of the Word? When sickness comes up are we consistent in confessing “By His stripes I am healed.” (Isiah 53:5). When other situations come up what are you doing? Are you acting on the Word of God? That means confessing the Word, that means walking the Word out. Are you doing that in those areas of your life in which you might be struggling, or are you speaking what you are feeling, or the things you see around you in the natural? Remember you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7), so if you are sowing sickness, doubt, fear, etc. then that’s exactly what you will get. So from this point on I want each of you, when situations arise to act on the Word. Make a decision to not do what you want to do, or not open your mouth and say what you want to say, but instead do what the Word says do, and say what the Word says. Then you will be blessed, and you will see your circumstances start to change around you. God bless!
Tracy Willey
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”
So many of us are “hearing” the Word from all different sources, it seems as though we surround ourselves with the Word, but are we “doers” of the Word? When sickness comes up are we consistent in confessing “By His stripes I am healed.” (Isiah 53:5). When other situations come up what are you doing? Are you acting on the Word of God? That means confessing the Word, that means walking the Word out. Are you doing that in those areas of your life in which you might be struggling, or are you speaking what you are feeling, or the things you see around you in the natural? Remember you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7), so if you are sowing sickness, doubt, fear, etc. then that’s exactly what you will get. So from this point on I want each of you, when situations arise to act on the Word. Make a decision to not do what you want to do, or not open your mouth and say what you want to say, but instead do what the Word says do, and say what the Word says. Then you will be blessed, and you will see your circumstances start to change around you. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Proverbs 14:30
“A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are the life and health of the body,”- Proverbs 14:30
As I was praying for a loved one last night that has been dealing with a lot of health issues, God spoke to me and said, “It is not her body that is sick, it is her spirit, which is causing her body to manifest sickness in the natural.” Wow I said, and God led me to this scripture which I had heard a few days earlier by my Pastor.
Many of us have dealt with physical illness, but what God is saying to us through this Proverb is that sometimes when our spirit, isn’t “healthy”, then it can cause sickness to manifest. So the remedy for a lot of our physical illnesses is to seek God to heal us spiritually. There is a breakdown somewhere that is allowing the enemy to come in and attack your body. So if you are someone that has dealt with chronic illness or things you haven’t been able to be healed of. Look not only at your body, ask God to reveal whatever needs to be healed within your spirit, and from that healing will your body be brought back into heath. God bless!
Tracy Willey
As I was praying for a loved one last night that has been dealing with a lot of health issues, God spoke to me and said, “It is not her body that is sick, it is her spirit, which is causing her body to manifest sickness in the natural.” Wow I said, and God led me to this scripture which I had heard a few days earlier by my Pastor.
Many of us have dealt with physical illness, but what God is saying to us through this Proverb is that sometimes when our spirit, isn’t “healthy”, then it can cause sickness to manifest. So the remedy for a lot of our physical illnesses is to seek God to heal us spiritually. There is a breakdown somewhere that is allowing the enemy to come in and attack your body. So if you are someone that has dealt with chronic illness or things you haven’t been able to be healed of. Look not only at your body, ask God to reveal whatever needs to be healed within your spirit, and from that healing will your body be brought back into heath. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Monday, September 1, 2008
God is not a light switch
Now I know I usually give you all messages of love and encouragement, but today is going to be a little bit different. God wants me to deliver a message that is a little tougher, but I encourage you all even if it’s tough, chew on it and swallow it anyway, because it needs to be eaten…
Last night I went to this amazing concert full of power packed praise and worship! God was really moving in that place. As I gazed around and saw the thousands of hands being lifted in worship and it really moved me, and I said to God this is what it’s about Lord, all of us getting together unified in your name! It blew me away. After the concert ended the group I went with (members of my friend’s church) wanted to eat, and one of them had friends at Navy Pier, so we decided to go. We took a long walk to the end of the pier, and finally we had reached our destination. I looked around and saw that we were in the “Beer garden”. There was loud music, and everyone was drinking and partying. At first I thought we had walked down there to find the friends of the guy who had led us there, and then we’d go eat, but instead they wanted to party along with all of the other people. At this point my heart was grieved and I didn’t want to be there, but I had ridden with them, and there were no buses running because it was late. But God is so good and I know Heard me because He caused the guy who was driving the car I rode in to say, let’s not stay here, lets go back to one of the restaurants down there and sit down and eat and talk. I was so happy when I heard that and as we walked it just saddened me that we could go from that awesome place of Praise and Worship, and honoring God, to the “Beer Garden” at Navy pier.
Maybe some of you think I’m over reacting, but the people I went with were the Praise and Worship leaders of my friend’s church, some were in their choir, and my friend is the youth leader. They were all adults some close to 30, and some over 30, and each of them didn’t only just attend their church, they were seriously involved in their church. Don’t get me wrong they were all great people, and I could tell they all loved God, but I just couldn’t understand how they could just turn it off and on like that.
I’m telling you this story to say God is not a light switch we can turn on and off. Revelations 3:16 says “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” You can’t straddle the fence with God, either you live in the Kingdom or you live in the world. I’m not saying that we all don’t do things which cause us to fall short because we all do, what I’m talking about is a lifestyle. We have to live and conduct ourselves in integrity. We are examples of the Kingdom of God. Whether we like it or not people are watching us, and if we act as the world does, what makes us any different? How can we say to people, come and serve my God, but they see us doing the same things as them. When we do that they call us hypocrites, and they won’t draw close to God.
I want each of you to remember the church is not just four walls we worship in, the church is you. Would we drink in the church? Would we smoke in the church? Would we fornicate in the church? No we wouldn’t, so why do we think that it is ok to do some of the things we do? If we don’t do them in the church, we shouldn’t do them in the world, because we are the church. Please don’t think I’m coming down on anyone, sometimes we have to hear the tough things because we are not babies on milk, we are adults that eat meat, and I believe we all desire to grow in God. I want you all to know that this message was just as much for me as anyone else; because I know sometimes I do things that are not glorifying to God also. I do not want anyone to get in condemnation over what I said, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1) but I do desire you to be convicted, because out of conviction change can flow. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Last night I went to this amazing concert full of power packed praise and worship! God was really moving in that place. As I gazed around and saw the thousands of hands being lifted in worship and it really moved me, and I said to God this is what it’s about Lord, all of us getting together unified in your name! It blew me away. After the concert ended the group I went with (members of my friend’s church) wanted to eat, and one of them had friends at Navy Pier, so we decided to go. We took a long walk to the end of the pier, and finally we had reached our destination. I looked around and saw that we were in the “Beer garden”. There was loud music, and everyone was drinking and partying. At first I thought we had walked down there to find the friends of the guy who had led us there, and then we’d go eat, but instead they wanted to party along with all of the other people. At this point my heart was grieved and I didn’t want to be there, but I had ridden with them, and there were no buses running because it was late. But God is so good and I know Heard me because He caused the guy who was driving the car I rode in to say, let’s not stay here, lets go back to one of the restaurants down there and sit down and eat and talk. I was so happy when I heard that and as we walked it just saddened me that we could go from that awesome place of Praise and Worship, and honoring God, to the “Beer Garden” at Navy pier.
Maybe some of you think I’m over reacting, but the people I went with were the Praise and Worship leaders of my friend’s church, some were in their choir, and my friend is the youth leader. They were all adults some close to 30, and some over 30, and each of them didn’t only just attend their church, they were seriously involved in their church. Don’t get me wrong they were all great people, and I could tell they all loved God, but I just couldn’t understand how they could just turn it off and on like that.
I’m telling you this story to say God is not a light switch we can turn on and off. Revelations 3:16 says “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” You can’t straddle the fence with God, either you live in the Kingdom or you live in the world. I’m not saying that we all don’t do things which cause us to fall short because we all do, what I’m talking about is a lifestyle. We have to live and conduct ourselves in integrity. We are examples of the Kingdom of God. Whether we like it or not people are watching us, and if we act as the world does, what makes us any different? How can we say to people, come and serve my God, but they see us doing the same things as them. When we do that they call us hypocrites, and they won’t draw close to God.
I want each of you to remember the church is not just four walls we worship in, the church is you. Would we drink in the church? Would we smoke in the church? Would we fornicate in the church? No we wouldn’t, so why do we think that it is ok to do some of the things we do? If we don’t do them in the church, we shouldn’t do them in the world, because we are the church. Please don’t think I’m coming down on anyone, sometimes we have to hear the tough things because we are not babies on milk, we are adults that eat meat, and I believe we all desire to grow in God. I want you all to know that this message was just as much for me as anyone else; because I know sometimes I do things that are not glorifying to God also. I do not want anyone to get in condemnation over what I said, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1) but I do desire you to be convicted, because out of conviction change can flow. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Afraid to go to God
Yesterday as I was ministering to some young women in a youth detention center, the main thing I kept hearing these young women say was…
“I’m afraid to go to God, it’s been so long since I’ve talked to Him, and I’ve done so many things since then.”
More then anything I believe they were afraid of being rejected by God, they’ve done so many things and their families have rejected them, their friends have rejected them, and they’ve been rejected by society. After all of that they don’t want to be rejected by God also. They think He will be even more angry at them then everyone else was. Some of you might feel this way, or some of you might minister to people and encounter those who feel this way. Either way I have a word for you to take in for yourself, or to share with someone else…
“The one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].”~ John 6:37
God wants us just as we are, and He will never reject us! He already sees us and what we’ve done and been involved in. Of course He doesn’t like it, but we are each His children, and more then what we’ve done wrong, His love for us is bigger then any of that. He desires for us to run into His arms just the way we are…
Luke 15:11-24
11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
As you can see the son, left his father and did what he wanted to do. After he realized he was doing wrong he wanted to go back to his father, he still felt unworthy to do so because of what he had done, so he tried to come back as a servant. And look what happened, the father didn’t care what his son had done, because he loved him so much and he was happy that he had came home. He took his son in and restored him back to the place when he first left! His son came back to him as a servant, but the father restored him to a place of royalty.
I’m telling you all of this to encourage those of you that are afraid to come to God, and to encourage those who minister, to keep instilling in the lost that God desires for them to be back home, no matter when they have done, He will welcome them in with open arms. God bless!
Tracy Willey
“I’m afraid to go to God, it’s been so long since I’ve talked to Him, and I’ve done so many things since then.”
More then anything I believe they were afraid of being rejected by God, they’ve done so many things and their families have rejected them, their friends have rejected them, and they’ve been rejected by society. After all of that they don’t want to be rejected by God also. They think He will be even more angry at them then everyone else was. Some of you might feel this way, or some of you might minister to people and encounter those who feel this way. Either way I have a word for you to take in for yourself, or to share with someone else…
“The one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].”~ John 6:37
God wants us just as we are, and He will never reject us! He already sees us and what we’ve done and been involved in. Of course He doesn’t like it, but we are each His children, and more then what we’ve done wrong, His love for us is bigger then any of that. He desires for us to run into His arms just the way we are…
Luke 15:11-24
11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
As you can see the son, left his father and did what he wanted to do. After he realized he was doing wrong he wanted to go back to his father, he still felt unworthy to do so because of what he had done, so he tried to come back as a servant. And look what happened, the father didn’t care what his son had done, because he loved him so much and he was happy that he had came home. He took his son in and restored him back to the place when he first left! His son came back to him as a servant, but the father restored him to a place of royalty.
I’m telling you all of this to encourage those of you that are afraid to come to God, and to encourage those who minister, to keep instilling in the lost that God desires for them to be back home, no matter when they have done, He will welcome them in with open arms. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Take time to soak in God
So many times when we spend our time with God we are praying and talking to God, or singing Him a song of praise and adoration, and those are all things that we should do, but we also need to take time to stop and listen to what He has to say. Sometimes we just talk too much. For example, what if you needed an answer to a question you had for someone, but you just kept talking and talking and talking, but never gave that person a chance to respond to you. It would be really hard for you to get the answer that you need wouldn’t it. God desires to give us the answers we are searching for; God desires to reveal the plans and purposed He has for us. God desires to spend time talking to us, and ministering to us, just as we do with others, but we must take time to STOP, and LISTEN. In Psalm 46:10 it says, “Be still and know that I am God.” He desires to be God in your life. He knows your beginning and He knows your end. He says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He wants to reveal those plans to you but you have to listen. I am encouraging each of you to spend quiet time with God. To take time out of your busy schedules and put on some worship music, and sit without speaking before the Lord, show Him that you are there and you would like to spend time with Him and hear what He has to say. At first it might be hard for you to do, but I encourage you to keep doing it, even if you aren’t “feeling” anything, or “hearing” anything from God, just know that He is there with you, enveloping you with everything that He is, and in time you will be able to tune in to what He is saying to you. God bless!
Tracy Willey
Thursday, August 28, 2008
In times of famine…
“Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness, To deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” ~Psalm 33:18-19 (AMP)
Right now with our economy on a downward spiral, a lot of us have looked at the gas prices, the rise in food prices, the jobs that are being irradiated, etc., and some of us have started to fear what was going to happen with jobs, or how you are going to afford food for your family, or even how you are going to get from place to place because the gas prices are so high. Right now what we see surrounding our nation is lack and deficiency. But we have to remember as it says in the Word, “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
I’m here to encourage you all that God has given you a promise! He said for those who fear him, which means to revere and worship Him with awe, and who wait for Him, and Hope in Him, it is those that will be delivered from death and will be kept alive in famine, which is defined in Webster’s 1828 as…A general want of provisions sufficient for the inhabitants of a country or besieged place.
God’s people know that as long as you trust in the Word of God, and know about your covenant rights, no matter what happens in the world around you, God has promised that He will deliver you and keep you alive in these scarce times. So worry not about what you see and only focus on the Word and the promises of God. God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Starving in the midst of plenty...
Have you ever wished about 10:00 in the morning that you hadn’t eaten that doughnut for breakfast, but something a little more nourishing instead? We believers can be filled up with the wrong things in our hearts as well. There can be a disparity between our outward profession and inward confession which produces pretense, moralism, a lot of saying the right things, smiling the right smiles, but inward starvation. Unfortunately the starving often rush to junk food, to satisfy the appetite. Many of us believers eat sweet rolls all morning and then are not ready to eat the banquet that is laid before us in worship and the Word.
We know something is wrong. We believe in the gospel, but we don’t live by it. there is not much contagious about us. We have glimpses of the spiritual life, but we’re actually feeling our way through a fog, catching only occasional shimmers of light as the sun breaks through. Most of the time we feel anxious and discouraged. Our lives are stagnant. The ancients called it sloth. They did not mean laziness but spiritual dejection…an inward deep laziness of our souls where the things of God cannot get a hold. What grips those of us with lazy hearts are the things of the world, but not God. This is actually a very old problem. It goes all the way back to the Garden and to Eve when she saw that the fruit was good for food (which is lust of the flesh), delightful to look at (which is lust of the eyes), and desirable to make her wise (which is the pride of life).
Those three massive categories of imagination…capturing realities are there for us every day of our living. But we can change! Not all at once, but over time, as we do three things: first get honest with what truly is in our hearts without rationalizing or blame shifting; second remind ourselves of the gospel every day, that Jesus poured out His lifeblood to wash our hearts. Our sin made His death necessary; and third focus on the wonder and beauty of what God did in His plan of salvation for us and let it grip us with joy and thanksgiving. Meditate on the cross, not just for forgiveness but for strength, confidence, and the assurance of Christ’s victory.
The root of a transformed life is that we become able to warm ourselves at the fire of the love of Christ rather than having to steal love and acceptance from idols. Draw near to that fire today in honesty of confession and hunger for the Bread of Life that always satisfies. You will never go away hungry.
Tracy Willey
We know something is wrong. We believe in the gospel, but we don’t live by it. there is not much contagious about us. We have glimpses of the spiritual life, but we’re actually feeling our way through a fog, catching only occasional shimmers of light as the sun breaks through. Most of the time we feel anxious and discouraged. Our lives are stagnant. The ancients called it sloth. They did not mean laziness but spiritual dejection…an inward deep laziness of our souls where the things of God cannot get a hold. What grips those of us with lazy hearts are the things of the world, but not God. This is actually a very old problem. It goes all the way back to the Garden and to Eve when she saw that the fruit was good for food (which is lust of the flesh), delightful to look at (which is lust of the eyes), and desirable to make her wise (which is the pride of life).
Those three massive categories of imagination…capturing realities are there for us every day of our living. But we can change! Not all at once, but over time, as we do three things: first get honest with what truly is in our hearts without rationalizing or blame shifting; second remind ourselves of the gospel every day, that Jesus poured out His lifeblood to wash our hearts. Our sin made His death necessary; and third focus on the wonder and beauty of what God did in His plan of salvation for us and let it grip us with joy and thanksgiving. Meditate on the cross, not just for forgiveness but for strength, confidence, and the assurance of Christ’s victory.
The root of a transformed life is that we become able to warm ourselves at the fire of the love of Christ rather than having to steal love and acceptance from idols. Draw near to that fire today in honesty of confession and hunger for the Bread of Life that always satisfies. You will never go away hungry.
Tracy Willey
Monday, August 25, 2008
You were never designed to bear the burden of your own provision
My Pastor said something interesting today…
“You were never designed to bear the burden of your own provision.”
That really got into my Spirit! Isn’t that amazing! So why do so many of us think we have to toil to get what we need out of this life. Let’s go to Genesis 1… On the 1st day God created light and darkness. On day 2 God made the sky. On the 3rd day God created land, and vegetation to produce after its own kind. On the 4th day God created the sun and the moon. On the 5th day God created the fish and the birds and called them to multiply. Then on the 6th day first God created animals and livestock and called them to multiply, and then He created man…
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
As you can see from this passage God created everything man would ever need and placed it on the earth before He put man there. This is showing us that our provision is not based upon our work; our provision has already been provided to us by God and was put before us before we were ever born. Now don’t get me wrong this doesn’t mean we don’t have to work. Let’s go to Genesis 2:15...
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
This verse shows that God created us to work because He placed man in the Garden to work on it and take care of it. So we have to work, but we are not working for our provision, we are working to care for that place of employment, we are working there because it’s our assignment from God, just like working and keeping the garden was Adam’s assignment from God.
So I want each of you to really get this in your Spirit and break that “lack” mentality, or that “toiling” mentality because God has already provided you everything you need, all you have to do is change your mindset, and let God take care of you! God bless!!
Tracy Willey
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Manifest...
For the last week I’ve been playing this song over and over again called “Manifest” by Jonathan Nelson. This song is amazing and has really gotten in my Spirit. Today the Holy Spirit moved me to share the lyrics with you all, but He told me to personalize it for you. As you read the lyrics I want you to receive what He is saying to you through this song. I really believe it is a word in due season. God is raising up people for such a time as this to do mighty things. It’s time to manifest everything God has placed on the inside of us! God bless!
Manifest…
Pregnant possibilities
Now birth anew
Travailing to obtain it
For it must come to pass
I decree it!
I declare it!
And call it in the Spirit!
To become what God’s designed you to be!
Your future
Your promises shall be fulfilled
Yes, you shall obtain it
For it must come to pass!
I decree it!
I declare it!
And call it in the Spirit!
Manifest!
Manifest!
Manifest!
Manifest!
Become what God’s designed you to be!
Tracy Willey
Friday, August 22, 2008
In the morning…
“In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” ~Psalm 5:3
Many times when we wake up we are on a mission. We have a lot to do in a short period of time. We have to get ourselves ready for school or work, and some of you have to get the kids up, fed, dressed, and out the door. But as the Holy Spirit led me to this scripture I know God was saying something through His Word.
As you can see every morning the Psalmist spent time with God, he speaks to God, and he sends up his prayers and petitions and expects God to move. God is showing us through this scripture how important it is that we get up and we spend some time with him in the morning. I’m sure the Psalmist was tired sometimes, or busy with whatever he had to do for that day, but he took time every morning to spend with God. God is asking us to do the same. He wants to be the first one we speak to in the morning. He’s right there when we wake up saying, “Good morning my son/daughter,” but do we speak back to Him, or do we ignore Him because we have too much to do?
God knows that we are going out into the busy, hectic world each day, He desires for us to stop and spend time with Him before we step out into it, so that He can reveal some things to us that we need to know before hand. Maybe He’ll give you a word of encouragement for because something might come your way later that day. Maybe He’ll give you a word of wisdom because you will have to make an important decision that day. Whatever it may be God desires to conversate with you before you go out into the world.
Let’s use an analogy to show God’s desire to spend time with you…If you were/are married and you woke up in the morning beside your spouse and didn’t say anything to them because you were to busy or to tired how do you think that would make them feel? It is the same for God, He desires to spend that time with us right away, He is waiting to hear from us, and to speak to us.
I just wanted to encourage you all (and myself), tomorrow when you wake up say “Good morning Father! I love you Father! Thank you for this new day! What are we going to do today? Etc…” God wants me to tell each of you reading this, that as you do this you are going to see something new manifest, and He wanted me to give you this scripture in closing. God bless…
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”~ Revelations 22:13
Tracy WilleyThursday, August 21, 2008
Words...
Words are something we all throw around, we say this and we say that, but do we ever stop and think about what we are saying? And I’m not talking about cussing or saying something foul. I’m talking about in ever day situations do we really listen to ourselves, or even know sometimes what we are saying? This past Sunday we learned one such lesson. There is a word we all throw around pretty loosely because we think it means something that it really doesn’t. That word is “want”. When most people say the word “want” they think that it means “desire” but it doesn’t. If you study the Word, when the bible (King James version) uses the word “want” it does not mean desire. Some examples you can look up are…Deuteronomy 28:48, Judges 18:10, Psalm 23:1, Psalm 34:10, etc. In many of this passages it will say the word “no” or “not” before the word “want” letting you know that “want” is something that is not desirable. If you look up the definition of “want” in the 1828 Websters dictionary (which has the origins of the word, mostly as they pertain to the bible) you get the following definitions…
-Deficiency; defect; the absence of that which is necessary or useful;
-Need; necessity; the effect of deficiency.
-Poverty; penury; indigence.
-The state of not having.
-To fall short; not to contain or have.
-To be without.
-To fail; to be deficient; to be lacking.
I also went to a program called E-sword, and found the Hebrew and Greek definitions of “want”…
-a deficit; specifically poverty
-deficiency; hence impoverishment: – lack, need, penury, poor, poverty, want.
-poverty: – in want of.
-To lack; by implication to fail, want, lessen: be abated, bereave, decrease (cause to) fail, (have) lack, make lower, want.
-To fail; by implication to ware out, decay.
-Lack; hence destitution: poverty, want.
-Lacking; hence without: – destitute, fail, lack, have need, void, want.
-A primitive root; to cut (off, down or asunder); by implication to destroy or consume; specifically to covenant (that is, make an alliance or bargain, originally by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces): – be chewed, be con- [feder-] ate, covenant, cut (down, off), destroy, fail, feller, be freed, hew (down), make a league ([covenant]), lose, perish, utterly, want.
-To be inferior, to fall short: come behind, be destitute, fall, lack, suffer need, (be in) want, be the worse.
As you can see all of these definitions have a negative connotation. Many of you might be saying WOW, I never looked at it that way, but I say that all the time. Don’t get down on yourself over it. It something we’ve all done, but from this point on we can change what we say. So I looked up the word “desire” to see what the actual meaning was, and this is what I found in Websters 1828…
-An emotion or excitement of the mind, directed to the attainment or possession of an object from which pleasure, sensual, intellectual or spiritual, is expected;
-To express a wish to obtain; to ask; to request; to petition.
-A prayer or request to obtain:
-The object of desire; that which is desired.
-Love; affection.
-To require.
In the Hebrew and Greek some of the definitions are…
-Stretching out after; a longing: – desire.
-To run after or over, that is, overflow
-A primitive root; to search out (by any method; specifically in worship or prayer); by implication to strive after: – ask, beg, beseech, desire, enquire, get, make inquisition, procure, (make) request, require, seek (for).
-To delight in: – beauty, greatly beloved, covet, delectable thing, (great) delight, desire, goodly, lust, (be) pleasant (thing), precious (thing).
-Longing: – desire, lust after, pleasure.
-To wish for: covet, (greatly) desire, be desirous, long, lust (after).
-To cling, that is, join (figuratively) to love, delight in;
-To inquire; by implication to request; by extension to demand: – ask (counsel, on), beg, borrow, lay to charge, consult, demand, desire, earnestly, enquire, + greet, obtain leave, lend, pray, request, require, salute, straitly, surely, wish.
-Desire, goodly, pleasant, precious.
Tracy Willey
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Prayer and fasting…
“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
~Matthew 17:21 NKJV
In life we all have things we go through, things we are believing for, or important decisions we have to make. I have an issue I’m dealing with right now, and I was seeking God on what I should do in the situation. The word “fast” dropped in my spirit, and then Matthew 17:21 came. I started thinking about it, then about 3 hours later a friend of mine was texting me and I was telling her a little about what was happening. She asked me if I had thought about fasting. This was confirmation of the Word I had been given earlier, so she offered to fast with me twice a week for this situation for however long we need to get this situation resolved. We also know as the scripture says we need to pray, so we send up prayers concerning the situation, and prayers of thanksgiving and praise, because we already know we have the victory, all while we go through the fast.
I’m sharing all of this with you because some of you might have situations or circumstances you are going through, big decisions you need to make, or you might need a breakthrough in an area of your life, this is one way the Holy Spirit might lead you to deal with the situation. I know sometimes when the thought to fast comes to us we brush it off because most of us are not going to honestly say we love to fast, but fasting can be that last push you need to get that thing moving. Remember the scripture says…this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Also when you get moved to do a fast ask the Holy Spirit how and what He wants you to fast. It might be no food or drink, it might be a liquid fast, maybe he will have you fast sweets if that is something that you really love, maybe he will have you fast from television or the computer, it could be different things He asks you to do. Just make sure you hear from Him concerning it. God bless!!!
Tracy Willey
~Matthew 17:21 NKJV
In life we all have things we go through, things we are believing for, or important decisions we have to make. I have an issue I’m dealing with right now, and I was seeking God on what I should do in the situation. The word “fast” dropped in my spirit, and then Matthew 17:21 came. I started thinking about it, then about 3 hours later a friend of mine was texting me and I was telling her a little about what was happening. She asked me if I had thought about fasting. This was confirmation of the Word I had been given earlier, so she offered to fast with me twice a week for this situation for however long we need to get this situation resolved. We also know as the scripture says we need to pray, so we send up prayers concerning the situation, and prayers of thanksgiving and praise, because we already know we have the victory, all while we go through the fast.
I’m sharing all of this with you because some of you might have situations or circumstances you are going through, big decisions you need to make, or you might need a breakthrough in an area of your life, this is one way the Holy Spirit might lead you to deal with the situation. I know sometimes when the thought to fast comes to us we brush it off because most of us are not going to honestly say we love to fast, but fasting can be that last push you need to get that thing moving. Remember the scripture says…this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Also when you get moved to do a fast ask the Holy Spirit how and what He wants you to fast. It might be no food or drink, it might be a liquid fast, maybe he will have you fast sweets if that is something that you really love, maybe he will have you fast from television or the computer, it could be different things He asks you to do. Just make sure you hear from Him concerning it. God bless!!!
Tracy Willey
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