Category Archives: God

The Father That Answers Prayer

01 Friday May 2020

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Emotions, God, God the Father, Grace, Holy Spirit, How God Answers Prayer, Isaiah 54, Jesus, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Prayer, The Bible, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood Prayer

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“When the disciples saw it, they marveled greatly and asked, “How is it that the fig tree withered all at once”? And Jesus answered them, Truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and (really) believing you will receive. ” Matthew 21:20- 22 AMP

“Ask, and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will open. For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:7-11

“If you live in Me [ abide vitally united in Me } and my words remain in you, and continue to live in your hearts,  ask, whatever you will and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine”.  John 15:7-8

The first recorded prayer teaching of Jesus was the Lord’s Prayer. Recently, I spent a great deal of time reading various books or chapters on the Lord’s Prayer. There is an almost dizzying amount of information.  In case you need a reminder of the Lord’s Prayer, please read further:

vs 8″ Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner  (boldface mine) therefore pray …….. ”
” Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever and ever AMEN. ”  Matthew 6:9-13

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My emphasis on the word ‘manner’ above is to illustrate that the intention of the Lord’s Prayer was to be used as a guide or template on prayer, and not a substitute for one’s own personalized prayer while communing with God. The Lord’s Prayer, as a guide, begins with praise and honor to the Father, asking that things that are in heaven will also be available to us here on the earth. The prayer acknowledges that God is Holy – uncommon, set apart and separate from the world. “Give us this day our daily bread” acknowledges that provision comes from His hand, followed by a request of forgiveness from God as we forgive those who have sinned against us. We ask to be protected from being lead into temptation (Pls note: God will never lead us to be tempted – Jesus was lead into the wilderness to negotiate with Satan but that was prior to His death and resurrection) and we are to ask to be delivered from all evil.

I greatly admire the works of several theologians and have numerous books written by Andrew Murray in my personal library. Here is an short excerpt on what Andrew Murray says on the Lord’s Prayer:

Give us this day our daily bread – When the child has yielded himself to the Father in the care for His name, His kingdom, and His will he has full liberty to ask for his bread. 
The Father in heaven will care for the child who has given himself up in prayer to His interests. Consecration to God and His will gives wonderful liberty in prayer for temporal things. The whole earthly life is given over to the Father’s care.

You may note that Andrew Murray believes that there are conditions to having your prayer needs met – 

The following is another assessment of the Lord’s prayer – an excerpt from another Andrew, this time Andrew Wommack:

Notice that verse 11 is not a question, because there is no question mark. It’s not saying “Oh God, I know I don’t deserve it, but would you please give me a crumb so I won’t starve and perish today”?  No. This is a demand. Its not an arrogant demand in the vein of “God I’m forcing you!” but more like a child who comes into the kitchen asking his mother for something to eat. Give us this day our daily bread –

God wants His will to be done here on earth as it is in Heaven – His desire is for no sickness, disease, poverty, despair. God does not cause bad things to come upon His people – we have an enemy, the devil, that is the root cause of evil.  God wants His believers to be so bold that they just reach out and take their request by faith! He is a Father of love, a family man that seeks good for His family. When life does become challenging, we have His presence to walk us through it.

If I knew unequivocally how to have God answer all prayer, every one – I would be the most famous Christian leader of all time. I do not have that answer but I do know how to move the needle closer on the “acceptance” spectrum.
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1) Change the focus of your prayer from primarily petitioning for your personal needs over to praise and loving God. He knows your needs. If you do incorporate personal petitions, do so confidently and declaratively, showing God that you understand that His Son has paid the ultimate price. You may be dying but praise God that He is healing you, because His Son has paid for it and thank Him.

2)  You must have a Sonship perspective on prayer rather than a servant perspective. With Sonship, you are an Heir with Christ (Romans 8:17) and the Father has made spiritual promises that He will not deny. You approach the Father’s throne of grace surrounded by and clothed in Christ Jesus and His righteousness. The Holy Spirit is within so you are approaching the throne accompanied by two of the Deity; one surrounding, and one within. This should build faith and provide encouragement in your prayer time. You are not praying alone.

3) We must come boldly and bravely to God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) to obtain mercy and find grace during every time of need. A confident expectation at the throne of God is a major condition for answered prayer.

1 John 19 – 23 AMP 
“By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him 20 whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands]. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God; 22 and we receive from Him whatever we ask because we [carefully and consistently] keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight [habitually seeking to follow His plan for us].23 This is His commandment, that we believe [with personal faith and confident trust] in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and [that we unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, just as He commanded us. ”

We are not to be weighed down by guilt and shame and were never designed to carry these emotions. All guilt and iniquity (iniquity means to go your own way – and presumably in a direction that was out of the will of God) was taken on the body of Jesus while on the cross. Shame and guilt strike at our identity, keeping us from believing that God will answer our prayers. This is a performance-based perspective and not a grace based perspective. Jesus has paid for your sin. Your flaws and sin have been washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

Isaiah 54:5  “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement needful to obtain peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes (that wounded) Him we are healed and made whole”

“For as many as the promises of God , they all find their Yes (answer) in Him (Christ). For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him (in His Person and by His agency) to the Glory of God. ” 2 Corinthians 1:20 

All the promises that God has given us pertaining to healing, health, provision, peace, purpose and power are found in Christ. Our responsibility is to say AMEN to Him and walk boldly as Sons and Daughters that will declare with Him in Agreement that He has given us everything that we need. We are to rest and live in the knowledge that Jesus has paid for us to have what is needed in our lives.

At the end of His life Jesus cried, Tetelestai – ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED – Tetelestai means the account has been reconciled. The debt has been paid.

Canvas - Christ Crucified

So if Christ has paid the way for your healing, your health, provision, peace, purpose and supplied the power – we now pray from a position of victory and never  from a defeated, begging, pleading stance.  We also must pray God’s Word, phrasing our petitions regarding our circumstances to align with His promise then allowing time for the manifestation of the promise.

After consuming volumes of information on this subject, I believe that God answers all prayer that is within His will. Why would God give us prayer to use if not to our full benefit? There are however times that our prayers are not in His will.  When Jesus prayed in the garden to have “this cup pass from Me” – the cup did not pass from Jesus, as it was not the will of His Father to stop what was going to happen involving His scourging and the crucifixion. If anyone had the power to have any prayer answered, it would be Jesus Himself. He submitted to the will of His Father which was to allow the crucifixion process to continue. The fact that Jesus prayed and even asked His Father, rather than command a legion of angels down to rescue Him, speaks volumes about His heart attitude toward God.

In this dark hour, Jesus could not stride boldly to the throne of grace because there was no throne of grace as it did not exist without Him. Jesus is ALL truth and ALL grace. (John 1:17) There was no grace until Grace Himself gave Himself – Tetelestai!

Doorways of Grace
Personal Testimony  and excerpt from Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus

 “I was in the living room of my friend’s condominium and simply walking across the room when suddenly and with no warning, an explosive impartation dropped into my spirit. I stopped in my tracks and watched as if a scene on a movie reel, a Technicolor Jesus, hanging from a cross, His head dropping. A saw His spirit leave His body. I somehow knew that He had released His spirit of His own will and that His life had not been taken from Him. No one person or culture of people had killed Jesus. It then began to be revealed to me by the Spirit that we had been given everything we all need in this life because it had been purchased for us at the Cross. This came to me like an impression in my spirit. God was unlocking His rich treasury and showing me a very great mystery on a divine movie screen.

The understanding that we already own our healing, our provision, our peace, and our sanctification, all through Him, that His body and His blood has paid for everything that we need was coming to me for the first time.  I later learned how He became our righteousness and made us to be righteous in the sight of God (Romans 3:22-26). We need only walk with expectation in receiving these benefits. Our only requirement is to pray, be diligent, rest and have faith in Him. I could not believe what I was seeing in the spirit and had never heard this taught before nor thought that I had read this in the bible. I had never been reading the bible through the lens of grace!”   (excerpt page 85 )

Prayer University
Session #2

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved  2020
Sharing Link: https://wp.me/p1zoxs-2I9

Facebook:  Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus  (2015) 
Twitter:  Tracy L Gatewood

 

 

Lord Teach Us to Pray !

22 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Christianity, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, New Covenant, Prayer, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood Prayer

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“ Then He was praying in a certain place (boldface mine) and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him,  ‘Lord!  Teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ ”
Luke 11:1

To attempt to instruct on prayer without deferring and submitting to the Master Teacher would be the greatest disservice to anyone desiring to learn. Jesus’ teachings on prayer are foundational and after all, Who would have a better understanding? As the Chief Intercessor, He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and His primary role is to intercede on our behalf.

If you are on a sincere journey to understand more about prayer, I encourage you to stop now and pray to Jesus in humility, asking Him to open your eyes on what He wants you to learn regarding HIS practice. This will require you and me starting over and learning afresh with no preconceived notions, templates or agendas.  Today,  I ask Christ to begin unlocking the rich mysteries and treasuries of prayer for us each day while we are meeting together in prayer school.

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Luke 11:1 specifically mentions that Jesus was praying in a certain place –  our first duty will be to establish a place of quiet to commune with Jesus, to hear from Him, allow to be taught and thereby develop a trusting relational fellowship; one so close that you will hear and distinguish His voice. The goal is for you and for me to ABIDE and to learn to rest and perpetually DWELL in Him.

The unstated objective of prayer is having power with God more than men. This objective cannot be overstated nor minimized and prayer is what achieves this power. Powerful prayer moves mightily from a combination of relationship with Him and through our ever deepening revelation of the Father’s nature and characteristics. Christ is the Breath of Prayer and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Prayer and they together will lead and guide us. Jesus sees our hearts and therefore what He desires to accomplish in and through us as we submit to His leadership and ask Him to teach us to pray but we must be able to listen.

” And when you pray, go into your (most) private room, and closing your door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret and the Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open. “  Matthew 6:6

God wants us to dwell or abide (spend time from a position of rest) with Him in the secret place – the place that delivers from the storms of life. This is THE place of protection; where one Abides in the Shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1) The Hebrew meaning of shadow is protection: from disease, terror, darkness, anything that comes against His children. Abiding with the Father is where you find true connection and will draw strength from Him. This only comes through acute focus on God, His Word and looking with expectation unto Jesus – the Covenant Son.

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But there is more, much more – His Spirit has been poured into your spirit so YOU now are the dwelling place of God, the Secret Place is YOUR spirit, secured by the death and resurrection of the Son. The Secret Place is contained by the boundaries of your spirit – the true secret place is deeply within where you sense or feel the faint movements of confirmation or His jolting warnings as He shows you the way and how to walk in it. This is only revealed by devoting time in building a relationship with Him yet even then, He sometimes will hide His pathway to have you seek His will with everything within you. Ask, seek, knock! Take heart, if you seek you will eventually find.

To understand God is to know Him as a receptor of Light. As an ear receives and understands sound and an eye receives and processes images, translating them into objects or people – God is a Receptor that receives on a frequency of thanksgiving, high praise, righteous petitions, repentance, acknowledgement of His Son and His Spirit, intercession for others and petitions for ourselves. God is a Spirit and our highest form of communication with Him is spirit to spirit.

When we accept that His Son, is His Son and the only payment for our sin debt, we pass through a glorious invisible veil to what He has for us and it is here that He delivers us the GREAT reward of His Spirit. He actually makes a way for us to have what He desires for us through Himself. God as The Triune, is completely contained in perfection.

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In the secret place is where Christ Jesus, the Anointed, will breathe on The Spirit, instructing as The Truth, teaching you the fundamental attributes of His Father, your Father – His Fatherhood and His Fatherliness through demonstrations of His infinite and immutable devotion and love for you. This love for His children is the cornerstone from which all prayer must be grounded and established. While on earth, He was the only one that addressed God as Father and He returned to make known the truth that God was and is a family man. Without the knowledge and confidence of God’s deep love there can be no trust and assurance that He desires to answer all prayers of His will. Without the knowledge and confidence of His deep love, one cannot fully accept that He is truly working things to the good for those who love Him and will walk according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28)

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So in our opening session, we have learned the following truths:

1) We need a consistently quiet place to commune with God and to hear from Him
2) The journey of prayer is lengthy as it takes time to build and develop a relationship.
3) This prayer journey must occur with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and is not a solo flight.
4) Your own spirit is now the Secret Place where He dwells. (This is a New Covenant truth.)
5) God loves His children and is a true ‘family man’ (but really a Spirit but you know what I mean). #Godisafamilyman   #GodthefirstFamilyMan

And off we go …………….

#PrayerUniversity
Session 1     4/20/2020
Lord Teach Us To Pray

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved  2020

Twitter:  TracyLGatewood
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Website: Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and
Meeting Jesus

 

The Process of A Process

01 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in Careers, Christianity, God, Holy Spirit, Journey of Life, Leadership, peace, Process of Life, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Wisdom

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For the past few months I have had this unsettled feeling in my spirit that comes as part and parcel when I embark on the process of transition. I am feeling that it is time for a change, a move, a desire to go to something else.

One day this week as I was waking up in bed, and just as the sun was beginning to rise up and claim the morning, I began to ponder these unsettled feelings. As my mind began to track back through this decade and then rewind through previous decades,  I noticed something interesting, well at least interesting to me.  Since growing into adulthood, with every single change in a decade, I have moved to another city, and typically to another state. I have undergone many of my life’s most profound seasons of change while journeying through the ‘9’ and into the ‘0’ .  1) From an Alabama high school senior to Virginia-bound college freshman,  2) a career upgrade requiring a move from Alabama to Atlanta, 3) freshly single and broken in Atlanta to single yet still alive returning back to Alabama, 4) then 10 years later single and broken again (not marriage related!) and still in Alabama with a return to my hometown, and now this new decade (still single ha!) but strong, self employed and now stabilized in a foundation built upon Christ Jesus.

This week, I was reading a book on the life of King David. One of the chapters went to great lengths to show the process that David went through before God opened the door for him to become King. Even (and especially after) David became Israel’s second King, he continued to experience trial after trial. He was trained through so many trials that when he encountered his most serious they did not consume. We all know that David was by no means perfect but undeniably a great leader possessing a connection to God as His Beloved, that was and may still be unmatched. Only God knows this but throughout the process, David strengthened himself in the Lord and no other. This is a great lesson for all of us.

As I move through life, I see there are no shortcuts; neither in business nor in ministry nor apparently as David’s life illustrates, in kingdom management. Its all process, process, process. My life compared to King David, although not without some steep almost vertical degrees of difficulty, has been by comparison, simple. David got an early start as a giant killer and in doing so got an early leg up to be groomed for a great destiny. Despite being raised in the church, I was a late bloomer to Jesus and to the understanding of true faith. How I wish I had not lost those precious years circling in the weeds of life, unaware that there was a divine GPS to guide me along a righteous path but again I say – it’s a process, and don’t let anyone convince you  differently. There is no microwave growth in Christianity – its water, son-light and roots growing deeper and deeper and deeper into the verdant soil of the Divine.

I have noticed that doors, particularly meaningful spiritual doors, swing open on just one or two hinges. These doors cannot be pushed, kicked or broken down – these doors swing wide with no known pressure. Again reflecting on David, he was thought the least of Jesse’s sons and was not even presented to Samuel. David was out in the field, diligently doing his job, minding the sheep and BOOM – a life changing encounter came out of nowhere, an encounter undeniably from the hand of God.

And the word of the Lord came to Nathan (the prophet) saying –
11 Samuel 7:8-9  So now say this to my servant David, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over My people. And I was with you where you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name like that of the great men of the earth.”

Some of the most important opportunities that have come my way, those of which I can take no credit, have emerged from out of the blue.  These “doorways of grace” glided open easily with no striving, occurring only in their proper time and season. There was no planning, foresight or known cause for God’s invisible, provident breath to blow these doors of opportunity open wide. But there is something of importance to note: When these doors swing open we must be ready to move as they are on a hinge that snaps back and will slam like that old wood frame screen door on your grandmothers house. Whap!  I can still hear that door slamming closed on a few opportunities that I did not walk through due to fear, self doubt and over thinking but because of the goodly nature of God – I, like you, can rest in His second chances.

Not typically associated with “fun”, the process of being in the process is certainly punctuated with times of enjoyment but rarely would anyone describe the work involved as “fun”.  “Fun” relates to entertainment – if being constantly entertained is what it took to become great then one would not have to journey through “a process” to arrive. Entertainment is typically reserved for endeavors that engage the soul on a surface level but never engage with the spirit – as it takes The Spirit to successfully navigate The Process. Are you still with me ?

As I write this on the first day of the year and even a new decade, I remain expectant of what and where the process will take both you and me. As we look backward to 2010 and consider where we have come – remain encouraged. I am not where I wish to be but definitely have made significant progress in the 10 years spent (some would consider) in this wilderness, a place where I never desired to grow content or become familiar. When I look in the mirror I am reminded that although “my youth is being renewed as the eagles” those eagles are definitely older eagles – I’m no eaglet!  But God has given me a greater peace for the process. Perhaps this is to become my desire for 2020 that I wish for you and for me: Peace.

Happy New Year!

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved
1/1/2020

Related article: My Journey with Jesus Part Two http://wp.me/p1zoxs-gR

Tracy Gatewood is the author of Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus  (2015)

Twitter:  TracyLGatewood
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Why Jesus Could Not Drain His Swamp

25 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Emotions, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, New Covenant, Prophets, redemption, Rejection, The Bible, the Spirit

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Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah ] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and the recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed and broken down by calamity], 19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound) (see also Isaiah 61:1.2). 20 Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing (attentively) at Him. 21 And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing.  

These are words of Jesus teaching in the temple in Nazareth on the Sabbath to the priests and to His people.

Jesus proceeded to explain to the crowd that a prophet is not accepted in his own town or welcomed in his own town (country) and then provided examples: vs 4:26 Elijah the prophet overlooked the widows of  Israel during a 3 year period of famine and was sent to Zarephath in Sidon, and vs 4:27 Elisha the prophet did not heal the many lepers in his native Israel but chose instead to heal someone in Syria.

vs 28 And when they heard these things; all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage. 

In fact they became OFFENDED. Jesus was merely the son of Joseph and He was saying that He had come to deliver them as captives. “Is not this Joseph’s Son”?  Luke 4:22 The word Offense is Skandalon and in the Greek is defined as follows by Strong’s: 

(skándalon) is the native rock rising up through the earth, which trips up the traveler, hence, of Jesus the Messiah, to the Jews who refused him” (Souter); “properly, the bait-stick of a trap, a snare, stumbling-block” (Abbott-Smith); “the stick in the trap that springs and closes the trap when the animal touches it” (WP, 1, 46).]

Did you know that when people become offended at the works of Jesus; ie healing, deliverance, supernatural signs – this disconnects the flow of the anointing within the one who carries the anointing? It is a focus on and faith in what He has done that provides the conduit and pathway from one person to another. This is why the devil’s favorite play is to orchestrate offenses.

So even if you are a Christian and embrace the works stated in scripture of what Jesus did and what you as well have the power to release – if you reject the vessel that is carrying the message – you disconnect the vessel from the anointing  and the divine ability they have to pour into you.

Mark 6:3-6 Is not this the Carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses and Judas and Simon ? And are not His sisters here among us?  And they took offense at Him and were hurt (that is they disapproved of Him, and it hindered them from acknowledging His authority and they were caused to stumble and fall. But Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor (deference, reverence) except in his own country and among [his] relatives and in his (own) house. 5 And He was not able to do even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly people and cure them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in Him). And He went about among the surrounding villages and continued teaching.

We have all heard of the spirit of Anti Christ. No one refers to this as the spirit of “Anti – Jesus”. Why? People in Jesus’ time were not against Jesus as a Man, but they became offended at Jesus in His position as The Christ – they were offended by the abilities that He displayed through the power of His anointing. This offense and absence of faith prevented Jesus from doing much to release them, leaving Him to teach and heal, not to His own countrymen, but across the surrounding areas. Christ Jesus, is a title, ‘The Anointed One Jesus’ which He was awarded following His death and His resurrection; the single act that ratified the new covenant. Christ Jesus now holds office in the triune Godhead.

Following His baptism by John and a 40 day wilderness journey where the devil showed up at the end to try to tempt Him in all number of ways (and failed), Jesus returned first to His own people, only to be rejected by the religious. The people of Israel had taken the bait of Satan, becoming hooked into unbelief through the bait of offense. Jesus threw in the towel to act on behalf of His own because the people refused to see who He was or acknowledge that He had been sent with an anointing to heal, deliver and restore. This act of disrespect was a tragic miscalculation.

A religious spirit is a counterfeit to the work of the Holy Spirit – the “religious” cannot duplicate the supernatural, nor can they understand it, so they seek to either discredit or even destroy a person that moves in this and that is Spirit-led. The religious are either puffed up or self righteous, believing that their own lengthy prayers, which are never spirit led, are working.  It was this same spirit of religion that was responsible for putting Jesus on the Cross, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” screamed the religious rabbi’s of the day. They of course could not kill Jesus, no one could kill Jesus. He allowed Himself to be (for 3 days) and even then He dismissed His own spirit to return to His Father when His work was complete.

I am teaching on this subject so my readers will understand the power and consequences of remaining in a state of offense. Not only a prospective receiver of a gift through an anointing can deflect the gift through offense but a person carrying the anointing can have it blocked from release if they remain offended.

Moral of the Story: Remain Unoffendable.

Blessings!

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
2019  All Rights Reserved

Twitter: Tracy L Gatewood
Instagram: tgatewood1
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus

Did you learn something?  If so I would love to hear from you!  Please tell me what you learned and also what topics on which you would like for me to focus. 

True Health Comes From a Fit Mind

21 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by in God, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, soul, The Bible, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, TracyLGatewood

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Earlier this summer, I attended a high school reunion and had a great experience, reconnecting with old friends, most unseen for many years. Conversations were filled with as many questions as could be inserted on spouses, children, careers, parents – attempting to hit as many high points as possible before the inevitable close of the weekend’s events.

One conversation I was having with a former classmate turned toward the topic of health. This woman was a lean runner and looked a good 15 years younger than her current age. I mentioned that I was not on any medications, and she turned and looked at me with that deer in the headlights look and commented, “I bet only 1% of the people here can say that!”  This was very surprising and something I had never considered. Her response has caused me to consider sharing a routine that I believe serves as my daily health maintenance. This is a formula anyone can access.

But first I would like to make a point. There is a difference between Fit and Healthy. You certainly can have both however people that are fit can also be taking a handful of pills every day. People that are fit can be shooting their face with Botox. Although a person may look fit and be strong, this does not necessarily qualify them as healthy. Because I am healthy and walk in divine health, I have the ability to become fit – because I have my health to get there.

In the spirit of full disclosure – I may not be described as FIT however, I am healthy and know what I need to do to regain my Fit-Ness. (Start my running routine again). It is a personal priority to not take medications and strive to live whole in body and mind. As we learned in my previous post, wholeness and soundness are benefits that come from God and from His delivering hand of salvation. The photo below is me with a “would be” FIT body. A fit person could look like this and still be popping all shapes and sizes of medications (For the record, this is a cut out stand located in a Mexican restaurant. I do not drink Corona or even beer).

Tracy Chiquita

The following are a few disciplines and ones that I believe to be central to having and maintaining good health:

1) Connect with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit on a daily basis through a morning devotional and bible reading. There is no substitute for spending time with God and it is a non negotiable part of walking in divine health. The knowledge that God loves us immutably and unshakeably and is working on our behalf in all circumstances is the rebar in the foundation that is necessary to walk out each day. God’s unconditional love for you is infinite and He is the Creator of you AND the Universe. He is All Power. He sees everything happening in your life and you must pray and petition Him in your circumstances.

2) That your acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God places you in right standing with God. You are righteous if you acknowledge that Jesus took a debt of sin that you could never pay because He is Deity and Himself the Son of God. The knowledge of the work of the sacrifice of Christ while embracing His sacrifice is the Gateway to Wholeness and Soundness. You not only have salvation but you should have the knowledge of what He has done for you but there is one more piece –

3) The Holy Spirit holds the place for the understanding of your health. He is essential for walking in divine health. The Holy Spirit is the Divine Deliverer and holds the keys to health as the Administrator and Coordinator of the Eternal Covenant that Jesus paid to give you. I have a lengthy journey of how the Holy Spirit showed that He was the One that holds the Key to a person’s mind but think of it this way. If your mind was an Etch A Sketch pad, He can come in and pull up that thin piece of film and zip out all of your unrighteous thinking but you must know how to open the door for Him to move in that way.

4) Almost every disease has a spiritual root cause. I have studied the spiritual root cause of disease for over 20 years and this is the most true yet least taught truth in healing. Most disease starts first in The Mind. Your mind is a portal for great things or for destructive things. Fear is the portal and gateway through which every unrighteous thought walks onto its red carpet -jealousy, anxiety, condemnation, shame, abuse, bitterness. Fear kills more people than Cancer. Fear is Cancer and consumes individuals and entire families like a raging fire. It is total destruction and will first hit the mind then like a pinball – ricochets, striking then damaging and altering organs, joints, and body systems.

Extreme, protracted Fear alters the body down to the cellular level. Trauma is a protracted experience, different than Terror which is typically a short burst of extreme fear. Trauma is an experience. Traumatic events wreak havoc on an individual and can change the entire trajectory of someone’s life by wrecking the health of the individual going through it. Major diseases can emerge from cells that were impacted years prior. Divorce, death, shaming, major transitioning events all qualify as traumatic events. Trauma, the highest degree of Fear, is Enemy Number One.

5) When you pray you can speak directly to your body and command to heal in very specific ways. This is a lengthy topic, too long for a blog post, but it is very important that the body is free of fear and at a state of rest when fighting illness, conditions or disease.

Twice I have been broken almost beyond recognition then taken through the experience of restoration, being rebuilt brick by brick or more appropriately up practically from the cellular level. At times I could barely breathe my emotional pain was so excruciating. My book, Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus describes many of these experiences so I will not recount them now but please understand, I teach what I have walked out.

Medicine Cabinet
My “medicine cabinet” is a pink and green bag consisting of a number of books, critical “pills” that do surgery into my soul (the mind, will and emotions) penetrating my body through spiritual surgical proceedings by the guided hand of the Holy God of Israel and the breath of the Holy Spirit.

I know God heals when true understanding of these principles are embraced 1) Peace has been eternally bequeathed to us as a gift from Jesus for all who believe in Him. Because you have the title deed to peace, you can own and experience it in your circumstances 2) When Christ’s sacrifice is fully acknowledged and the Holy Spirit called into action, He acts as the “spirit wrangler” and like a WWE wrestler, will take down any unrighteous thinking that is plaguing a Believer 3) Unforgiveness, if not dealt with, will open a portal of hell into a person’s mind. One can expect a steady stream of fiery darts from the enemy that will torment, hinder and distract. Forgive, move forward and depend on God to be your Defender. He is Jehovah Nissi. I do not minimize how difficult this can be for people that have gone through extreme betrayal as I have – forgiving does not negate or embrace the other parties wrong doing, but offers the person over to God and trusts that He will repay in His own way, time and season.

We all have stressors and challenges that occur over which we have no control. Each day I pray Psalm 91 aloud as if my very life depended on speaking it.  I will not neglect this discipline. I also incorporate the prayer of Jabez, Psalm 122: 6-9 praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and Deuteronomy 9 that acknowledges that the power of wealth comes from the Lord so that He may establish His covenant on the earth. The world covenant here can also be substituted for ‘culture’ – that God wants to establish His Kingdom and His culture here on the earth.

But back to Psalm 91. I have been praying this Psalm for years. Train your children, your parents and your spouse to speak this aloud every single day. It is God’s Prayer for Protection for His Saints and when you embrace that God’s Word has true Power and can change the course of evil, along with the Blood of Jesus which is a Fortress, you are protected. The understanding of this principle brings peace and rest to the mind. Rest in Peace. Rest in the arms of Jesus and the truth that He is in you and you are in Him. You are God’s Beloved and here you can rest in the safest place on earth.

Tracy L Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved 2019

#TracyGatewoodPrayer
Twitter: TracyLGatewood
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus

A Story of Salvation: A Marketplace Mini Miracle

07 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by in Christianity, Emotions, Fear, God, Gospel of Grace, Grace, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Jesus, Blood of Jesus, New Covenant, redemption, Keys to the Kingdom, Prayer, Salvation, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood, Wisdom

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At the age of 51, my life started completely over in every conceivable way; new city, career seeker, little to no financial resources, no church home and no relationships. My 20 year marketing career had taken a vertical death spiral following a coup attempt by a disgruntled assistant who trashed me behind my back almost from the point of hiring. (FYI: The quiet ones, and the flatterers are always the most dangerous. ). After being terminated from a very public position, my career spun into a nose dive and stayed there from the ages of 48 – 50.   The Lord started closing every door, I believe, to “encourage” me to follow His leading of returning me to a place that I very much did not want to go.  At the age of 50, I relented, returning to my home town confused, desperate, angry (very) hopeless, broke and near the point of nervous collapse.

A few years before this traumatic season, I had earned my real estate license but held it in inactive status considering to use it “one day”. Establishing a commercial real estate career can become an expensive proposition. That “one day” came when a family friend called 10 months after I had returned home, still unemployed, nor knowing where to turn.  This family friend, graciously and innocently threw a lifeline to a drowning person that was going under for the third time.  ” Tracy, this is Carl, don’t you have your real estate license?”  “Yes” I said neglecting to mention that it was inactive and that I had never transacted one piece of property ever.  “Well, my #@%** restaurant tenant moved out in the middle of the night”, he explained “and I need someone to market my building and find me a new tenant as soon as possible.”  I agreed to meet with him then quickly placed a call to inquire of what was needed to activate my license. Gunning it over to a local broker’s office the same day, I explained to the owner that I was in need of a desk, a phone and a place to hang my license asap. He gave me a private office, a laptop computer and paid for my first year of dues, nothing for which I had asked but glad to receive. I was so poor five hundred dollars was more than I had to spare.

Nine months later, Carl and his new premier tenant, executed my first lease transaction for his 5000 SF corner landmark downtown property. A divine grace door had opened for me through Carl providing a clear path for provision because God had placed me on Carl’s mind and connected all the other necessary dots. The process of securing the tenant was not simple, and entailed hard work. The money did not fall from the sky but the opportunity presented itself, the door swung wide, and I was offered a choice to walk through its frame.

Billy'sExterior-1

Later in that same year, the Holy Spirit gave me a hot tip regarding a 5 AC corner parcel with an obsolete shopping center, strategically located 3 blocks from an SEC University stadium. Eighteen months later that property was under contract and closed for $5.1 million, at that time, the highest price paid per acre for any parcel in the city. That was my first sale. The broker that gave me the initial opportunity made $40,000 on that one deal for doing no more than investing in me.

It would be glorious to be able to say that every year has been just like these – and that year over year my production increased to such enormous heights that I would never have a financial concern for the rest of my life.  Seven years later after walking through the door of real estate – I have had highs and lows. My rags story is transforming into financial stability and prosperity while allowing me to give to non profit causes at higher and higher levels which brings me great joy. But the greatest highlight of this journey is what I am gaining in knowledge of the rich treasuries of the grace of God and of Jesus.  I am witnessing through my own personal experience the meaning of His salvation.

Salvation means “material and temporal deliverance from danger and apprehension, preservation, pardon, restoration, healing, wholeness and soundness“.  Coming out of trouble is part of the package guaranteed to us by being in God’s Kingdom and belonging to Him. He has delivered me from ‘material and temporal danger’ and accomplished everything else on this list. I can tell you with certainty it was Him and not me doing the delivering. If you have never had a need to be brought out of trouble, I feel sorry for you because it means you have never experienced the full power of His delivering hand of salvation. The great news is that we can all look at Him with expectancy for something good to come our way, even despite our mistakes. And I have made my share.

For a number of wasted years, I lived in a confused emotional stew, swirling in extreme levels of condemnation, fear, anger and unforgiveness that kept me bound and broken. I was so messed up and discouraged that I was working very little – if at all. This was a mistake. We are all to be working. God needs us to move out in a direction, and as we set out, He swings in as The Rudder, turning us in His direction but first we have to get in the water and set sail. We have to move.

No doubt, I missed a number of life preservers tossed out in my direction by having no confidence in the basic truth of TRUST. I continued to look inward finding more confidence in myself instead of outward or better still upward, without expecting that God was going to work all of this to my good.  Looking inward in prolonged introspection is self righteousness – a sinful action that dispossesses God from His rightful place in life and is based in pure pride. God loves our full dependence upon Him, where we are fully yielded and waiting expectantly for His best. This is the position of Abba and Heavenly Daddy – a Father God with arms wide open to heal and love us unconditionally.

It was only when I learned to focus on Jesus and His finished work and to stop allowing my thoughts to turn inward is when I began to claw my way out of the fog. When my outward confessions began to align with the truth of God’s word –  I am the righteousness of God by my faith in Christ Jesus and in His blood and seated in heavenly places with Christ at the Father’s right hand – did the fear and condemnation begin to break apart and dissipate and my mind become clear from the fog. I began to acknowledge and embrace that my provision would definitely come because I Am In JESUS and that every good thing flows from and by the hand of God.

When I lean in and focus on Jesus – He brings clients to me in supernatural ways, He opens doors of favor (which is another word for grace)  It is difficult to articulate but activity just begins to happen. At times there is nothing that I am doing, no striving, but an effortless flow that is coming straight from the throne of God.

It has been seven years since I walked through the career door of real estate brokerage. The Hebrew number of completion and perfection is seven. My craft, like me, is still being perfected but after completing my first seven years working for other brokerages, last week, I decided to set sail and work for my own. If you had asked me 10 years ago or even 7 if I believed restoration was possible I would have said probably not or possibly even given a resounding ‘no’! But yes it is – it most certainly is – through the merciful heart of a loving Father that loves to deliver His salvation.

My personal story may not mean anything to anyone but me but it is my hope that in reading or sharing it will encourage someone that needs to understand this same power of which He so freely gives.

“May He [God] grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the (Holy) Spirit [Himself ] – indwelling your innermost being and personality ….. that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God [that is] may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.

Tracy Gatewood

Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved  2019

#TracyGatewoodPrayer

Twitter:  Tracy L Gatewood
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and
Meeting Jesus
Instagram: tgatewood1

A Merry Heart is Divine Medicine

27 Monday May 2019

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Christianity, Emotions, Fear, God, Healing, Jesus Christ, Keys to the Kingdom, New Covenant, peace, Prayer, soul, The Bible, the Spirit, Tracy Gatewood, Tracy Gatewood Prayer, Wisdom

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“All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [ by anxious thoughts and forebodings ], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances ] ”  Proverbs 15:15 AMP 

” A happy heart is good medicine, and a cheerful mind works by healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones”.  Proverbs  17:22 AMP 

” Attitude is a little thing that can make a big difference“.  Winston Churchill

Many of us will agree there is a direct, undeniable connection between the mind and the body. It is how to calm and tame the soul (mind, will, emotions) – bringing it to cheerful joy and peace despite circumstances – is what eludes so many.

In 2009, I made a personal decision to return to my hometown after being away since 1979. I put my home on the market and began a job search, hoping to find something quickly as I had been a marketing freelancer which did not translate well in this new much smaller, college town environment. In the summer of 2009, I went on a spiritual retreat designed to free me of fears and habits that had accumulated over time. This was my hometown and a place in which I held unhappy memories and conflicts with family members were ongoing and troubling. In the natural, this did not seem like the right move however, I believed that God had a plan and a purpose for my return.

Following this 4 day retreat, I was attacked by something that I can only describe as a “spirit” as it was supernatural in its make up. Nothing I did would cause it to release. A trained Intercessor, I prayed, and then yes, begged God to remove this spirit that was causing me to stay awake at night – I only received at most 4 hours of sleep, and my heart raced uncontrollably as if I was literally having a heart attack.  I felt like I was having what a nervous breakdown must feel like – but understood there was something very different about what was happening and I was correct.

During that 6 week period – I experienced a consistent feeling of terror, the highest degree of fear – that would never disconnect, day or night. It was not brought on by emotion, or circumstances but was supernatural in nature and demonic, a “thing” that tried to take my life and almost did. Suddenly, six weeks after the attack began, it released. I was standing in my living room praying and I felt it lift away – with no warning, just as quickly as it had come upon me. I had been praying for 6 weeks and believe there was nothing unique at that time as to what I said or prayed. Following that attack, I lived in an unfocused fog and detached confusion but months later thankfully that too lifted. This attack taught me survival training regarding prayer and how to hold peace in difficult circumstances. [A near death experience does have a way of gaining your attention. ] Your most important friend in time of great fear and distress is Holy Spirit. He is the Administrator and Coordinator of the Peace that was bequeathed to us from Christ Jesus.

Begin by embracing the Truth that God loves you and that He is for you, no matter what your circumstances. Even if you made a mistake you can always ask Him to turn your mistakes around for your good. He is there with you and sees everything. You must lean into Him and build your relationship with Holy Spirit so that you can hear His direction. He is speaking – you must learn how to hear Him and then do what He says. This is the fastest way out of your circumstances. Pray for Him to impart to you His discernment and skillful and Godly wisdom.

FEAR magnetizes all other unrighteous thoughts, drawing them towards an individual. FEAR is the Red Carpet that provides the jetway for jealousy, murderous rage, anger, covetousness, bitterness, shame, rejection and more – Get your mind under control and press out ALL fear. There are a several ways to tame the Fear dragon, and not one is difficult but each requires enough discipline to become a habit and better still – a default setting – whenever you are hard hit by a Fear Wall.

A) Read God’s Word. It acts as a water hose, rinsing off the dirt and grime that builds up from conversations, watching terror or violence laden TV, or just from being in the workplace. The Word of God is SPIRIT and is living and active. There is actual power in speaking aloud God’s Word – power that moves in the supernatural realm to accomplish our goals, and helps us take dominion over circumstances. There is a wealth of wisdom just in The Proverbs alone. There are 31 chapters of Proverbs, and one for each day. Commit to reading this powerful book.

The word “health” in Hebrew means ‘medicine’ and God’s Word is medicine that brings health to the soul. There is a difference between divine health and divine healing. John G Lake stated, ” Divine healing is the removal by the power of God of the disease that has come upon a body. But divine health is to live day by day, hour by hour in touch with God so that the life of God flows into the body just as the life of God flows into the mind or flows into the spirit.”

B) Call on the power of the Holy Spirit and invoke the Cross in Prayer. This is key. Fear is a spirit – as are the associated spirits of dread, terror, worry and anxiety. Before His death, Jesus bequeathed to all Peace as a gift from Him: “Peace I leave with you; My (own) peace I now give and bequeath to you“. John 14:27 AMP So if Jesus actually gave us His own peace – shouldn’t we have the ability to access it when needed ? Well…. yes we should.  Ask the Holy Spirit to cover and protect your mind with the Blood of Jesus and the Helmet of Salvation – a helmet of hope. Pray and acknowledge the verses describing the sacrifice of Jesus: Isaiah 53:5 and place emphasis on the Crown of Thorns that caused the blood of Jesus to flow. This allows for the healing in our minds.  I have personally experienced the effect of this many times. Imagine an etch a sketch pad with scribble across it and as you lift up that film, the scribble disappears. This is how thoroughly clean the Holy Spirit can remove unrighteous thinking in your mind when you partner with Him, the Paraclete.

C) Intensely focus your mind on Jesus who is ALL supply. There is no lack in Jesus unless you restrict His supply through your own lack of faith (your fear).  Not only is He the bright radiant Son that lights up all of Heaven, He is the Mediator of the Eternal Covenant, our High Priest, the Chief Shepherd, and the Chief Intercessor.  His sacrifice created an Eternal Covenant that ties back to the Covenant that God made with Abraham (father of a multitude) because Abram (high exalted father) believed in, trusted in, relied on and remained steadfast to the Lord Who counted it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6) Every citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven owns a title deed to the Covenant that God made with Abraham and with Jesus.

You, child of God, walk with favor, even if your present circumstances do not appear that way but you must hold fast to the hope that the Cavalry is coming because Calvary came! 

Hope is a confident expectation of good, in every situation, praising God for His goodness. 

Frequent drops of hope raining onto a person’s soul creates a consistent flow of faith. Remain in hope. Hope is much different than wishful thinking which is only based on man and not on God. Immerse yourself in hope-filled teachings avoiding teachers of behavior modification that do not understand that Jesus’ power is transformational through faith in Him.

C) Speak Words of Life during difficult circumstances.  “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”.  Proverbs 18:21 The rest of the verse states “and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”.  Watch your words. Your words set the course for your life and you will have what you say. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34)  If you guard your heart – and do not allow fear and emotion to penetrate, this is the surest way that words of hope and life pouring from your mouth.

Remain in innocence – understand that the Lord is your Defender and Avenger. Do not respond in kind to people that are harmful or hateful. The Lord will take care of them in due time. And lastly, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and understanding and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3:5-6  Embracing this truth of trusting God will put your heart at rest then follow with prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the next step of your journey.

 

Tracy L Gatewood
#TracyGatewoodPrayer
All Rights Reserved 2019

Twitter:  Tracy L Gatewood
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus – this book is available on Amazon
SoundCloud:  Tracy L Gatewood

 

 

To the Ones on the Fence

07 Sunday Apr 2019

Posted by in America, Christianity, Emotions, God, Grace, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Pro Life, Purpose, redemption, the Spirit, Wisdom

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In Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, there are 10 complete pages,  87 verses per page,  devoted to the word ‘child’ or ‘children’. Children are clearly on the heart of God the Father, and Christ the Son. As I ponder all that is currently happening in the ‘Right to Life‘ movement and the ‘Right to Choose‘ movement, it seems, from a Christian perspective, to boil down to One Thing – What would Jesus instruct a woman to do with the life of her unborn child?  Clarifying question isn’t it but too simplistic? I don’t think so –

Psalm 139: 13-16 AMP   A Psalm of David
“For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret (and) intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery]. Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.”

King David’s Psalm pays homage to the Father for forming him before the beginning of the earth, actually “knitting him” in the womb of his mother. The Amplified version further emphasizes that he was embroidered with various colors, meaning David, as are we all, is a unique fabric ‘intricately and curiously’ made by the hand of God with individual skills, spiritual gifts, talents that are given to us by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10).

To know Jesus is to understand that He returned to earth in a “flesh tent”  for the redemption of all of mankind, to give each an eternal life that could not be attained through any other means. If we know Him, we are now considered a ‘child of God’ and given a re-birth, not caused by the will of flesh, or the desires of man.

John 1:12-14 AMP 
“But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God. That is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) – His name. Who owe their birth neither to bloods, nor to the will of the flesh (that of physical impulse), nor to the will of man (that of a natural father), but to God. [They are born of God!] And the Word [Christ] became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacle (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we (actually) saw His glory [ His honor, His majesty] such glory as only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.” 

Why would someone displaying the highest degree of value of the existence of human life and souls, Who lived solely to die  – be approving of taking the life of a child before it is ever given the chance to see the light of day?  A person knitted together in a womb with a soul; mind, will, and emotions, uniquely fashioned by the hand of God for specific and extraordinary purposes to be accomplished upon the Earth? Can a Believer embrace abortion and still truly Believe? Search your heart.  I say no. Emphatically no.

On the eve of Easter, I will share two verses that describe the sacrifice of our Lord, the One that died to give life eternal:

Isaiah 52:15 [ For many the Servant of God became an object of horror; many were astonished at Him] “His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any man’s and His form beyond that of the sons of men, but many were astonished at Him, ” ….. ”

Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement (needful to obtain) peace and well-being for us was upon Him and with the stripes (that wounded Him), we are healed and made whole.”

Understanding the terrible price that Christ Jesus paid to redeem and then ratify through resurrection, mankind’s ability to have a life eternal – would He approve of a woman’s right to end a human life – a life for which He paid the ultimate price?

I pray for the ones on the fence, in the throes of this decision, that you turn to Jesus and not to self. I pray for the ones that made the decision to choose death, that the voices of  condemnation and suffering over “the choice” would cease and you would now raise your voice to stopping this bloodshed – and speak for the voice of the one silenced – until you see them at Heaven’s gate.

Tracy Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings
All Rights Reserved  2019

Twitter:  @TracyLGatewood
Instagram: tgatewood1
Facebook:  Tracy Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
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Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness
and Meeting Jesus

 

 

The Fruit of Faith

11 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by in #HolySpirit, Christianity, Fear, God, Grace, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Keys to the Kingdom, New Covenant, The Bible, Tracy Gatewood Prayer

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The word Fruit is a popular biblical word; fruit, fruitful, fruits – bible verse references for fruit take up a page and a half in my (exhaustive) Strong’s Concordance. Fruit means “the effect, the product or the good things that result from work or activity.” Fruit is a result or byproduct of an action or a state of being. Could 2019 be your year to bear much fruit?

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.  John 15:8

Matthew 7:16 AMP ” You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?  Even so, every healthy (sound) tree bears good fruit (worthy of admiration), but the sickly (decaying, worthless) tree bears bad (worthless) fruit. A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear excellent fruit (worthy of admiration).” [ highlights mine ] 

For a healthy fruit tree, bearing fruit occurs naturally. With proper conditions of soil and nutrients, fruit breaks forth effortlessly from branches, on which they are completely dependent. The work comes from the tree (or vine) through the roots as it must find the moisture and nutrients to send up through to the branches that bear and support the fruit. The sap flows continually to nourish and provide moisture to the branch.

Like the fruit that bears from a healthy vine or tree with little effort, Believers can bear good fruit by becoming a conduit for “heavenly sap” to flow in and through by the Spirit. This comes from resting rooted and spending time – and plenty of time – in the rich and verdant soil of Jesus.

As His seed, Believers are expected to replicate and make disciples but first should look more like Christ ourselves. All fruit has seeds and can self replicate. Righteous living is an expected fruit for any believer – righteousness comes by faith. In fact righteousness is the Fruit of Faith.

Genesis 15:6 AMP “And he, Abram, believed in [trusted in, relied on, remained steadfast to] the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.  [right standing with God ]. ”
Genesis 15:18-22 AMP ” [For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be. 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb. 20 No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, 21 Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. 22 That is why faith was credited to him as righteousness (right standing with God). “

Righteousness is a state of being (a fruit) and not a state of doing, successfully achieved through unwavering focus on the promises of God and faith in the final sacrifice of Jesus – 

One cannot attain right standing with God without first acknowledging that righteousness occurs solely because we are in Christ Jesus. God sees you as righteous and in right standing with Him because He sees you through the lens of your acceptance of the sacrifice of His Son. Being “In Christ” starts a process of transformation. Once saved, the fruit of that decision begins to grow and flourish from the inside out.  The moment that we believe Christ was the only one that could pay our sin debt as the son of God – we are separated out by Him and considered righteous, but not by any of our own works. When you accepted Christ, did you work for it? No. You accepted Him by FAITH.

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In Christ

II Corinthians 5: 21 AMP ” For our sake He made Christ [ virtually ] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [ endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of ] the righteousness of God [ what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness.] “

When you consider that your righteousness is actually imparted as a gift from a loving Father Who provided the required sacrifice of His own Son to achieve the righteousness that He demands – this understanding should circumcise “self”;  internal self -condemnation and internal self-reflection – causing us to look upward instead of inward.

Understanding God’s goodness, mercy, love and kindness towards His people is the essential foundation from which a person walks-out a righteous existence, thus creating the desire to live a virtuous life of integrity, pleasing to a loving Father Who provides through the Covenant He established with Abraham that was inherited by all of his descendants.  see Genesis 15:5, 12:3

Being firmly planted in the soil of Jesus (the tree) brings forth excellent fruit (righteous living) on every branch (you).  Its about Who and not your Do.

Without Jesus as your tree, your Fruit is bound to turn rotten. There is enough rotten fruit in the world from people that have no relationship with God. As Godly people – we should be showing Godly results –  Proverbs 12:30  “The fruit of the uncompromisingly righteous is a tree of life ……. “

https://youtu.be/BmPrt_gn-eM       Mrs. Doubtfire  50 secs 

 
It is imperative that we know and understand God’s word while also viewing chapters and verses in proper context. In these times, we can no longer be spoonfed information that is scripturally inaccurate. Know why you ” think a thing ” – and then be able to back it up with understanding. I implore you friends – #studytheword

Tracy Gatewood 
The Fruit of Faith
All Rights Reserved  2019

Twitter:  @TracyLGatewood
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