Let your creativity flow…

God is a creator (Genesis 1). He spoke and created everything. We were created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), which means we also have creative ability. Just look around you. Look at the buildings, the companies, look at the cars. Look at poetry, art, songs, etc. all around us we are creating things. We can’t help but create, it is in our make up.

So today I want to encourage everyone out there if you’ve had dreams and ideas of creating something, whether it be something you make, write, sing, or paint, don’t be afraid. Put your hands to it! Do it, don’t second guess yourself, or let money or anything else be an obstacle in accomplishing it, even if it’s something you have no background or experience in doing it, that doesn’t matter! Remember in Matthew 17:20 it says if you have faith then nothing will be impossible for you. If God’s put it in you, then it is up to you to release it out of you. So step out today and let your creativity flow! God bless!

Tracy Houston

God’s Love…

Today I want us to look at God’s love. We don’t always take the time to appreciate the awesomeness of His love! His love is so amazing, it endures forever. There is no where that we could go apart from His love. Psalm 139:7-8 says…“ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.” That is love! That no matter where we are God is there, He is always with us. Today I just want everyone to take some time out of your busy days and meditate on God’s love…

Your Love

Your love heals
Your love saves
Your love delivers
We cannot fully comprehend Your love
But that does not stop the flow
The sweet flow
The cleansing flow
Of Your love
Your precious love
Your enduring love
Your eternal love
From the highest mountain to the lowest valley
I will sing of your love
For Your love is bigger than anything I will ever face
Your love is what has set me free
The beauty
The power
The splendor
Of Your love
Your sweet
Your glorious
Your precious love

By Tracy Houston 7/21/09

Midnight...

“And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Acts 16:23-28 (NKJV)

One or more of you reading this has been going through a storm or a tough time, it may have been something that happened suddenly, or it maybe something you’ve been going through for some time. Well those days are over and its time to rejoice and praise just as Paul did, because I have a word from the Lord…

I am here to tell you today that just as for Paul and Silas you’re about to come out of this thing! Your midnight is approaching and your chains are about to be loosed! Psalm 30:5 says “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Your days of crying are over, joy is coming! The Lord says… “Don’t give up and don’t give in my child, for I am with you and you will weep no more.” Glory to God! I don’t know who this is for, but I want you to grab a hold of this word today! I want you to believe what thus says the Lord because you are coming out!! And not only are you coming out, but those who have been listening to your praises, watching your actions, and looking at your faith, in the midst of what you’ve been going through (just as the prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas) they will see what the Lord has done and will turn their eyes towards Him. God bless!!

Tracy Houston

Talk is cheap...

Today I was reading a daily devotional and the writer was talking about how a friend of hers had gotten her house broken into while she and her daughter were at home. When the intruder saw her he fled so no one was hurt, but when she told her friend (the writer) about what happened to her, even though her friend was a devout Christian, her friend started speaking fear filled words to her instead of faith filled words, it was then that a neighbor came over and said…

“Here’s where you prove what you say you believe. Your faith in God must now become more than words. Is it your reality?”

Wow! When I read that it really struck me. How many of us can quote scripture and proclaim to be of great faith, but when something serious happens what do we do? That is the real question. Talk is cheap, you can say what you would do in any situation, but when it happens what you actually do says who you really are and what you really believe in. So let’s all start to put our faith into action because faith without works is dead. The next time something serious comes up in your life remember the question that this neighbor posed to her friend, and put what you believe into action. God bless!

Tracy Houston

Give thanks!

Today let’s take some time out to give thanksgiving to the Lord. We are going to look at parts of Psalm 136, in your own time make sure that you read through the whole Psalm.

1O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Let’s thank Him today for His goodness and His kindness!

4To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thank Him today for all of the wonders that He has performed in your life!

5To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. 6To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thank Him today for creation, for all of the beauty that He has placed around us!

13To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever: 14And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

Thank Him for all the times He brought you out. When it looked like there was no way, He made a way out for you every time!

23Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

Thank God that when you were in the world and you were down and out, that He remembered you and did not forsake you!

24And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thank God that He has delivered you from the hand of your enemies!

25Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Thank God because He always provides for you!

26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Yes let’s give thanks to our God for all He is and all He has done, for He is amazing, He is awesome, He is beautiful, He is glorious and His mercy endureth for ever!!! Amen!!! God bless!

Tracy Houston

Fact vs. Truth pt 3…

We are still exploring different facts vs truths that we might see in our own lives or in the lives of others. Did you know that the word “fact” does not appear anywhere in the KJV of the bible, but the word “truth” appears 237 times. That is very interesting it should tell us the importance God weights on facts and the importance He weighs on TRUTH. Here’s today’s example…

Fact= There are issues in your marriage, things are shaky.

Truth= Mark 10:6-9… “6But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female. 7‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one. 9Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

I Corinthians 13: 4-7…“Love is patient, Love is Kind and is not jealous; Love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Joshua 24:15 “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Ephesians 5:21-33… “21And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

So remember we have to put the truth to work, we can’t just let it sit there on the page and look pretty. We have to pray, then meditate, then confess, lastly one portion I did not include the other day is praise. Finally you have to praise God that He has done it and you praise Him for it and thank Him for it until you see the manifestation. The Lord spoke to me today a word for someone, but I think it applies to all of us. He said… “Praise is a weapon that you can use to overcome any battle.” Glory to God that is good! Know that in those times after you have prayed, meditated, and confessed the enemy will still try to come in your mind and cause doubt, but we know that it says in the word that praise stills the enemy (Psalm 8:2). The enemy can’t speak in the face of your praise. So when doubt tries to creep in your head you open up your mouth and praise God, you can sing to Him, you can just say “thank you Jesus” whatever comes on your heart release it and silence the enemy. Remember the enemy can only bring doubt to your head, not your heart. As long as you don’t doubt in your heart and you believe the Word, then you shall have whatsoever you say (Mark 11:23). So stay strong people of God, after you pray don’t quit meditating, confessing, and praising until you see the manifestation! No matter how things get on the way to manifestation don’t be fooled by your natural eyes, hold on to the truth of God’s Word. God bless!!

Tracy Houston