23 Sunday Jun 2019
Posted in Uncategorized
Category Archives: Uncategorized
I Pray for You a Doorway of Grace – to Witness the Power of the Word of God on Display
10 Saturday Mar 2018
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Book Cover: Doorways of Grace 2015 Photo Credit: Allison P. Adams
Revelation 19:12-14 His eyes [blaze] like a flame of fire, and on His head are many kingly crowns (diadems), and He has a title (name) inscribed which He alone knows or can understand. He is dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which He is called, The Word of God. And the troops of heaven, clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on white horses.
John 1:1-5 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it.
If the Word of God is actually Christ Jesus, the Anointed One, our ratified Savior, I must question why we don’t speak His Words more frequently to impact circumstances. There is nothing more powerful than God’s Word that we can invoke into any situation.
The above verses illustrate that there is Dunamis power held up in words of scripture. Dunamis refers to “inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth”. To speak aloud these power-Words and verses and to utilize them as arrows directed into situations and circumstances provides the defining strategy of how to walk in these times. Christ in and Through You is The Archer. Through His sacrifice and His blood – Jesus allows for the power contained in these Words to run with His Spirit. Speak the Word Friends, where there is Power and Life and Protection. Hallelujah!
I will confess – I have struggled writing this post on the Word of God for several weeks. The complexities and mysteries surrounding this great topic have given me breath stealing pause. How do I communicate words that became flesh? How do I adequately articulate A Man, A King – who is actual words? The Word as Jesus, was with God from the beginning of time, before the earth was even formed. The Word as Christ Jesus, returns at the end of days as King Jesus with His robe dipped in His own blood bearing the title – the Word of God. Again, I confess this great mystery is beyond my scope to understand therefore I am reduced to merely demonstrating the importance of the Word and to reveal the undergirdings from which it breaks forth for maximum impact, the most important: possessing faith. { But one day, asserts the Sacred Rambler, I shall crack this code of mystery. }
And faith is required. The following is a statement from the Reverend Andrew Murray regarding faith:
When I have a word of God in which He promises to do something, I can always remain sure that He will do it. I need simply to take and hold firmly the Word, and then wait on God, who will make sure that He fulfills His Word to me. Before I ever feel or experience anything, I hold firmly the promise, and I know by faith that God will keep it for me. (Luke 1:38, 45; John 3:33, 4:50, 11:40, 20:29; Hebrews 11:11, 18)
What now is Faith? Nothing other than the certainty that what God says is true. When God says something exists or is, then faith rejoices, even though it can’t see anything of it. (Roms 1:17,4:5, 5:1; Gal 3:27, Eph 1:19, 3:17) When God says that He has given me something , that something is mine. When God says that something shall take place, or that He will do something for me, in faith this Word is just as good as if I had seen it. (Rom 8:38, Phil 3:21, 1 Thess 5:24, 1 Pet. 1:4-5 )
Your Faith backed by the Word of God can be illustrated as the equivalent of one solid ounce of pure gold backing every one dollar bill. The gold is the Word and not your faith.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we (especially) thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God (which you heard) from us, you welcomed it not as the word of (mere) men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe (exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to, trust in and rely on it).
It is crucial to know and to hide the Word in your heart. Now what does this mean ? It means that you must know the Word of God, meditate on it’s meaning and receive it into your heart by faith. Again I lean onto Andrew Murray’s work to articulate this point:
“The heart is the temple of God. In the temple there was an outer court and an inner sanctuary. It’s the same way with the heart. The gate of the court is the understanding, meaning that what I do not understand cannot enter into the heart. Through the outer gate of the understanding the Word comes into the court. There it is kept in memory and reflection. Still it is not yet properly in the heart. From the court there is an entrance into the innermost sanctuary, meaning that the entrance to the door is faith. What I believe I receive into my heart. Here it then becomes held firmly in love and in the surrender of the will. Where this takes place, there the heart becomes the sanctuary of God. His law is there as in the ark, and the soul cries out: “The law is within my heart”.
You may know that the Soul is comprised of 3 things: 1) the mind (which is separate from the brain) 2) the will 3) the emotions. The Soul itself must engage in a desire to want to know, to understand, and to produce the will to embrace and surrender to the truth of the Word of God.
There is no greater relationship for us mere mortals to develop than with the Spirit of Jesus; God’s Holy Spirit – Who has been tapped as The One to bring us revelation. It is through trusting Him that we have the ability to adequately plumb the depths of the riches of the Word of God, allowing these Words to reveal to us all things desired by God for us to know.
Hebrews 4:12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (making it active, operative, energizing and effective); it is sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and (the immortal) spirit, and of joints and marrow [ of the deepest parts of our nature ], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
To use the Word of God for any purpose – you must know it, and at the risk of stating the obvious; this mean you must First Be In It. The desire for knowing and understanding the Word becomes more important than events and other forms of entertainment; cheap counterfeits that fill the soul with temporary refined sugar highs rather than the lifesaving “leafy greens” provided by God. To deliver the Word with faith and power, you must be stabilized in it while also understanding how to “rightly divide it”. When you begin to walk away from the Word and consider gravitating toward carnal things, you know the true enjoyment that you crave is held within the Word because “it is alive and full of power“.
I Pray for you a Doorway of Grace that you will learn the importance and the power of the Word of God and will utilize it today for your good and for His Kingdom.
Tracy L. Gatewood
Sacred Ramblings March 2018
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Author: Doorways of Grace: My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Writer and Teacher
Instagram: tgatewood1
A Prayer For Our Nation
14 Monday Nov 2016
Posted in America, Blood of Jesus, Christianity, Nation, Uncategorized, United States of America
Tags
America, Christian, Christianity, City, faith, Freedom, Jesus, peace, Prayer, spirit, United States of America
Most Merciful and Loving Father –
We come before you with praise and thanksgiving for the many blessings that you have bestowed on us, on our families on our communities and on our great nation. We thank you for placing us in this time and season of history because we know that your divine timing is perfect and You make no mistakes. Your ways are as pure as they are wise and your ways are as good as they are wise and pure and ALL of your actions are done for Your glory.
Today I petition for your help for our nation the United States of America. This beautiful country which was crafted by your hands through men and women placed in a holy crucible, as they were led by your spirit to form this nation. Lord we ask you for your mercy on us as we again come to a crossroad of opinions and agendas. I ask you to blow the smoke away from the nation and set a right order, your order – within every official – coming in or departing. Show them the way – the right and honorable way – to lead during these times. I ask that You please move to restore order to our communities and across this Land with speed.
You are the Almighty – El Elyon – and as those who believe seek you in the Secret Place, we know that we remain stable and fixed under your protection, while covered underneath the shadow of your power. We call out the death spirits of LAWLESSNESS and FEAR and command them by the power of Jesus Name and by our authority in the Blood of Jesus that these spirits be bound and silenced across our communities and this nation. We accept our duty as Holy Warriors of the Kingdom to exercise our abilities to defeat demonic forces through spiritual means by taking our authority in prayer to dismantle their assaults. We also call on angelic forces to surround our communities and bring them to order. We ask that in Jesus Name. I decree a bloodline of protection around my city, my state and our nation from these demonic spiritual attacks.
In these uncommon times Lord, we ask for uncommon levels of GRACE – for you to show yourself as Mighty, calming the hearts of the people and showing them that your hand is on this hour for all people, not just the ones that claim you as Lord. We pray that quivering hearts and minds will turn toward you in this hour and claim your truths afresh rather than defaulting to fear and the fearful tactics of anger, rage and even murder.
We need you Father here in America. We depend on You to navigate our nation through supernatural means to extricate our government away from the precipice of economic destruction due to $20 trillion dollars of debt. We depend on You for wisdom in how to make determinations on people that have moved into this country by illegal means. We depend on Your wisdom Lord to shine the light on all of the major social issues that are consuming the minds of the American people and to assist our leaders in making these profoundly impactful decisions. We cannot move ahead successfully without you, Father. We must have your strength, your power and the wisdom that comes through You from above.
Hope defined is a confident expectation of good in every situation. Please restore HOPE and CONFIDENCE in the people of America, reminding each one of the great things that you have done in past times. Remind them that You are God – and Republicans and Democrats are not nor will ever be. That You alone direct the water courses of Kings and Nations and that work in this Nation will glorify You or change can occur with no notice to insure your will is done. We ask for your Spirit to lead our Nation to a balance of HOPE and RESTORED ORDER beginning now, today. Shut the mouths of the slanderers, mockers and gossipers who are filled with hate and who are stoking the flames of fear among the people. Quench the fire of the Religious and Fan the Flame of anointing in people that are in true authentic relationship with Jesus. Draw people to your Word for Truth and Knowledge, away from political pundits and mere men that cannot properly discern these times and seasons. Give your people 20/ 20 Vision in the Realm of the Spirit to see what you want us to see and to help those that cannot see You in these circumstances and have them help without judgment.
Now to the people listening – I speak to every spirit of Fear and I rebuke you in Jesus Name. Jesus bequeathed peace to everyone that claimed a relationship with Him and I release Peace into your mind. Jesus bore a crown of thorns on His head that drew the blood that Purchased peace in our minds for all of mankind so by the power and authority that I have in the Name of Jesus and By the Blood of Jesus – I bind up Fear and I release Peace, and Calm. I decree that the Tormenter be Silenced in Jesus Name.
God Bless You and May God Bless America. AMEN.
Prayers of Grace – Day 3
07 Wednesday Sep 2016
Posted in #HolySpirit, Fear, Uncategorized
Almighty God –
I am comforted in knowing that you are always with me – going before me, carrying a lantern of hope to light my path. When my soul becomes fearful, I direct my gaze unto Jesus and remind myself that I am your Beloved and that you are the One that can be trusted. Jesus is the embodiment of your love for me.
I hate Fear and understand that protracted fear gives my mind entrance to the enemy. I take my authority over the spirit of fear binding it and commanding it to leave my mind in the name of Jesus and by the blood of Jesus. Fear has no right to any place within my mind, body or my environment and will not be allowed to trespass. I pray for a sprinkling of the holy blood of Jesus over my mind to cleanse it from all fearful and unrighteous thoughts. As an act of my will, I forgive every person that has harmed me (Name them) or is harming me (Name them) and the action of forgiveness will shut the door to tormenting thoughts. Lord, forgive ME of my fear of man – or any unfounded fear that keeps me from your assignment on my life.
When I dwell in your Secret Place I can remain stable and fixed under your Shadow. You are my Rock and my Refuge. You are my Strength and an impenetrable Shield. Whom shall I fear ? I will be a protected spectator kept safely in the Secret Place and will witness the reward of attempts of wickedness towards me.
Father, I pray that you will shine the light on the places that I respond with Fear so that I can learn to turn and trust. Grow my roots of faith to become more firmly planted and established in your Son.
Prayers of Grace –
Tracy Gatewood
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Author: Doorways of Grace, Available on Amazon
Periscope: Tracy Gatewood
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Christian Writer and Teacher
The City of Refuge
31 Sunday Jan 2016
Tags
Book of Joshua, Christianity, Holy Spirit, Immigrant, Israelites, Jesus, King David, Old Testament, Psalm 91, Refuge, Sanctuary Cities
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, you are my Refuge and my Fortress, my God on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I {confidently} trust! Psalm 91: 1-2 AMP
Each morning when sitting before God in my quiet time, I pray Psalm 91 AMP and also read a prayer based on the #ArmorofGod. Both of these are spoken aloud because I desire (and need) for my mind, the devil and my body to hear God’s words of protection and safety being spoken and to get into alignment and agreement with these words. In times of uncertainty, it is essential to understand where security, refuge and covering lies for each of us.
On the day the Lord delivered David from the hand of the Philistine army, he wrote a 51 verse Psalm that began:
” The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge,
My Savior, You save me from violence.
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. “ 2 Samuel 22:1-4
In old testament times, the Lord commanded that there be cities as places of refuge for the Israelites and people dwelling among them (Joshua 20:9) that would act as Embassies for His people being pursued or in trouble. (Joshua 20:2) Unlike the Sanctuary cities the United States has chosen to be places of refuge for immigrants, these ancient cities of Refuge were to be safe havens for any Israelite that accidentally or unintentionally killed someone.
Joshua 20 v 1-4: ” The Lord said to Joshua. Say to the Israelites, Appoint among you cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you and Moses, that the slayer who kills anyone accidentally and unintentionally may flee there; they shall be your refuge from the avenger [Numbers 35:10] He who flees to one of those cities shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city; they shall receive him to [ the protection of ] that city and give him a place to dwell among them. If the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, having had no hatred for him previously. And he shall dwell in that city until he has been tried before the congregation and until the death of him who is the High Priest in those days. Then the slayer shall return to his own city from which he fled and to his own house.” Each tribe of Israel chose one city in their territory to become a city of refuge (Sanctuary). This sounds like some Old Testament GRACE of God to me.
[ In the U.S. an immigrant arrives into a Sanctuary city as a safe haven, fleeing from religious or political persecution, where it is hoped that they do not have a criminal background or arrive with criminal intent. Repeatedly stories unfold of immigrants inflicting harm on the people within U.S. cities and more so around the world where they have been graciously allowed entrance. It is interesting that God designated cities of refuge with such different intent. If the pursuers of these present day immigrants showed up at these U.S. cities to capture them, would we hand them over ? Of course not. But some immigrants still bite the hands that save and protect.]
Now because of the sacrifice and finished work of Jesus, we ourselves are the temples where God’s Spirit dwells; the Spirit that provides comfort, counseling, guidance and teaching in needed times of refuge. We are led by His Spirit to places of refreshing and renewal, places of protection and security. The Lord who is our Fortress and our Refuge lives inside each of us who trust. We are a Kingdom filled with “temples” in the bodies of people living within cities who believe in Christ Jesus. Your body is the temple of God’s Holy Spirit cleansed, redeemed and sanctified one time and for all time by the blood of Jesus for the purposes of work for His Kingdom. Genius.
#Refuge #Immigrant #Migrant #HolySpirit #Jesus
Tracy L Gatewood Sacred Ramblings
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
Website: tracygatewood.com
Fear and Your Health
11 Saturday Jul 2015
Posted in Uncategorized
I have written a 6 part series entitled Fear University which has posted to my Facebook Page: Tracy Gatewood Christian Writer Teacher. There will be a 7th post to complete the series. This post was of such length I wanted to share with my WordPress followers.
Fear University
Lesson #6
Jesus came to give of Himself in many ways but most notably as personal example of the love of the Father. Through His death, He removed the penalty of sin and reclaimed the Covenant benefits that were promised to Abraham and all people that believe on Him. During His sentencing and crucifixion, death and resurrection, Jesus incurred a scourging that purchased for us through every lash, healing from disease and infirmities. Isaiah 53:5 AMP states, “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”. This is literal and real.
Because Jesus’ body has paid the penalty, and has purchased and redeemed your own body, you have every right to claim your good health and if necessary, stand for your healing. Please notice I did not say “fight” for your healing – we are to stand to withstand evil. Standing requires prayer – this way your “dukes” are up in the spiritual realm and not out in front of you.
I have studied healing for 20 years and through this journey have personally experienced divine healing on three separate occasions of medically documented illnesses including degenerative disc disease, early stage arthritis in my hip joint, and a virus that turned into 5 years of tinnitus / vertigo/ debilitating headaches plus numerous small, pesky brief sicknesses. I have read and studied much through this journey. Notably, The Bible, F.F. Bosworth’s, Christ the Healer, and Andrew Murray’s , The Blood of Jesus, have each been preeminent. Another stand out work penned by author and physician Dr. Henry Wright, entitled “A More Excellent Way”, galvanized the theory that almost every disease has a spiritual root cause.
There is a direct and inextricable connection between the mind and the body. The combination of Fear / Anxiety / Stress is Enemy #1 to the physical body. Stress is just another name for fear. We should say, “I am so “feared-out” rather than so “stressed-out”. Fear is the foundational root cause of many diseases and I submit the following: heart failure, congestive heart disease, impaired cognitive function, arthritis, colitis, Crohn’s, joint inflammation, some allergies, and many more. The list of disease caused by fear is as diverse as the list of fears causing the diseases: Abandonment, Shame, Fear of Man, Abuse, Rejection, Fear of the unknown, Failure, etc. Condemnation and Trauma hold a very, very close second place and some would argue that Condemnation is #1 and actually somedays I can agree with that but most of my observation of disease is based in a root of fear.
Another essential to understanding fear and its relation to health is that FEAR is sin, and that protracted fear will open the door to the demonic, allowing “legal right” to the spirit of fear. By faith, leaning your entire personality on God, in His trust, mercy and goodness while fixing your eyes on Jesus with knowledge of His restoring love for you, and knowledge of the word while speaking it aloud are extremely powerful tools in the healing toolbox to build a protective covering around your body and mind. But there is one more: the very best and most effective tool is the daily taking of the Lord’s Supper while properly discerning the body of Jesus Christ. You are actually ingesting the body and the blood of Jesus to activate His work in and throughout you. Nothing is more powerful.
Please understand that no disease is caused by God or willed by God onto you. Disease is never used to induce suffering so a person can become closer to God. This theology, which is commonly practiced, is in error. If God wills for us to suffer then why did He send His Son to the cross to suffer an agonizing death to free us from the bonds of disease and infirmity? When we accept that God induces suffering it is basically telling Jesus that what He did for us was of no use and for no reason. We must stand on the word and the finished work of Jesus. #finishedworkofthecross
I have written in much depth regarding healing and the cross in my book, Doorways of Grace. #FearNot
Tracy Gatewood
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
http://tracygatewood.com
Sharing: http://wp.me/p1zoxs-tS
Law and Order
07 Thursday May 2015
Posted in Uncategorized
You may recall your experience in childhood, being under the constant watchful eye of a parent, as they monitored your every move; “put your hand in your lap while you eat, don’t put your finger in your nose, don’t run near the pool, look both ways TWICE before you cross the street”. Every statement seemed like a “do this” or “don’t do that” directive. There was a lot of “Law” in the house to usher in plenty of behavior modification.
In the Old Testament, the Jewish Laws were upheld by the Priests serving as great teachers and Trustees of the people. This was useful up until God sent His son to redeem mankind and to fulfill the Law. Gal 3:23-26 AMP Apostle Paul speaking to the Church in Galatia – “Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed, so that the Law served as our trainer (our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us) until Christ came, that we might be justified by and through faith. But now that the faith has come, we are no longer under a trainer (the guardian of our childhood), for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith”.
We, too, were rightfully, “kept in custody” by our parents but as we grew, we continued to have the faith that one day we would move out and be free! Most of us successfully learned “the Law” from them then found a home where we could function and make decisions on our own. Remaining under the Law (living with our parents) for a life span is unnatural. Likewise, the bible states in Hebrews that the Old Testament covenant of the Law of Moses is now obsolete because there is a new and better way. Not that on the surface any of the Laws were bad, but they were unyielding and could never help someone to not violate them – if you were tempted to steal, or idol worship, or murder, the Law would only tell you not to do it and issue a stiff penalty – like death. If you blew one, you blew them all. The Law kept the order but was ill-equipped to save the soul.
Jesus came bringing a different and a better way. When someone accepts Jesus its BOGO – Buy One Get One – because a person also receives His Holy Spirit. Now that’s the best deal of the century. The Spirit teaches and helps you with difficult emotions and tight places in ways that only He can advise because He is the Spirit of God. If He can raise Jesus from the dead, He can help you!
God loves us and wants to make us whole. His greatest transformational work comes from the inside out, and not the outside in as through Law based environments. True and thorough change always comes from the inside out.
God is full of grace and mercy. Jesus has set you free. Live by faith. Live free.
Tracy Gatewood Christian Writer & Teacher now on Facebook
To my readers: I have been busy! I now have a second blog called Marketplace & Ministry which can be found at tracylgatewood.wordpress.com and also have written a book entitled, Doorways of Grace – My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus. Information on the book may be found at http://tracygatewood.com Thank you for joining in my journey.
Doorways of Grace – My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
04 Saturday Apr 2015
Posted in Uncategorized
INTRODUCTION
This book is a very personal account of my 17 year grace-filled journey in meeting Jesus, beginning first with an understanding of God as a loving Father, then meeting Holy Spirit and finally through a revelatory encounter that forever galvanized my relationship with the beautiful Son Himself. Through separation then divorce due to a spouse’s sexual addiction, a career change from business owner to ministry staffer, high income to no income, a move from a dynamic Southern city to a tornado-torn Alabama college town, each one of these situations played an important role in the experience.
It is my desire to show how a gracious and loving Father led through a series of wide open doors and supernatural seasons in which I badly needed things to happen that only He could do. Following several seasons of traumatic trial and testing, He placed me on a path to healing, hope and restoration. He did it for me and He will do it for you. You can be free of fear; learning to lean with confidence on your best friend and very own internal transformational leader; God’s Holy Spirit. Listening to the Spirit coupled with the disciplines of study, daily worship and intercessory prayer have greatly enriched my life and brought it to a higher dimension in understanding the Godhead.
The crown of thorns that was placed on Jesus’ head prior to His crucifixion drew blood from a Deity, purchasing our covenant right as Believers to emotional health and a sound, stable mind. His blood has afforded us the ability, through the Holy Spirit’s power, to be free of chronic fear and anxiety, condemnation, and depression or any other emotionally damaging condition. Emotional and physical freedoms were both purchased at the cross. Every person consecrated to God through His Son has been guaranteed the right and the ability to possess a mind calibrated to Jesus’ own mind. God is Jehovah Shalom. Shalom is defined as peace and wholeness, prosperity and welfare, one only needs to know how to access His peace and rest.
God is full of mercy and has great love for you. Jesus has set you free. Live free.
Tracy L. Gatewood
Happy Independence Day
05 Saturday Jul 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Dear WordPress friends – Enjoy and remember this weekend, not only the freedoms that our founding fathers fought for us to lay hold of, but also the freedoms that Jesus purchased for us at the Cross. Happy Independence Day and God Bless America! Tracy
HEBREWS 8:10-12 AMP For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint their laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. And it will nevermore be necessary for each one to teach his neighbor and his fellow citizen or each one his brother saying, Know (perceive, have knowledge of and get acquainted by experience with ) the Lord for all will know Me, from the smallest to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds no more.
The Lord is describing the New Covenant, and that we no longer must live with the aid of the Mosaic laws, but that He Himself…
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Forrest, Moses and the Mercies of God
08 Sunday Sep 2013
Tags
Christianity, compassion, Eternal Covenant, Forrest Gump, gifts, God, Grace, Healing, Holy Spirit, Mercy, Moses, Religion, Tracy Gatewood, Tracy Gatewood Alabama, works
FORREST GUMP TRAILER 3:12
FIRST please click on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPIEn0M8su0
Psalm 5:12 AMP For you Lord, will bless the (uncompromisingly) righteous (him who is upright and in right standing with You); as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor).
Forrest Gump is a beloved movie character that stole hearts across America. Despite Forrest’s well below average IQ and slow speech, a flow of God’s mercy and compassion were evident in his life. He was blessed with a mother that worked diligently to give him a life of normalcy, he possessed extraordinary athleticism, and had a vast list of achievements; All American football star to war hero and as a Medal of Honor winner he even met two Presidents. Forrest also played on the winning National Championship Ping Pong team that traveled to China.
Forrest purchased a shrimp boat and asked Lieutenant Dan to go into business. When a Hurricane blew through Forrest’s south Alabama shrimping fields, every shrimp boat but his was destroyed, leaving the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company to net all the shrimp for their own gain. Following the death of his mother, Forrest chose to remain close to home, allowing Lieutenant Dan to run the business and invest their personal earnings, which Dan did in a “fruit company” called Apple Computers. Forrest became a multi-millionaire and given the ability to retire at an early age, all the while carrying an innocence about him that surrounded him like a shield. Favor is a shield.
Romans 9:15-20 AMP For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion. So then God’s gift is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God’s mercy. (It depends not on one’s own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God’s having mercy on him). For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in dealing with you, so that My name may be proclaimed the whole world over.
In real life, God’s gifts are not bestowed to an individual due to intellect or performance. Although God may bestow a gift on a person because of character displayed during a season of difficulty, a person cannot intentionally earn His gifts through works – gifts are administered by the Holy Spirit and given out at His discretion. Holy Spirit gives each person spiritual gifts and abilities that no man can take away, and gifts God wants used for His glory and important Kingdom purposes. Moses, like Forrest, was slow of speech, but up in years yet was given a great mantle of responsibility by God. After hearing God speak through a burning bush that never really burned, he left armed with a wooden rod (Staff) and a discerning inner circle, charged with leading a few million people out of Egypt, no small feat. (Exodus 3:1-21)
Moses could have passed on the assignment but we know Moses today because he trusted in the nature of the One who made the request. Moses was given uncommon favor to accomplish an uncommon assignment which was not without its share, too, of uncommon hardship and difficulty. Mercy and compassion become highly valued attributes around hard and difficult times. We thank you Lord for your mercy.
It is the Holy Spirit that grants favor but it is God Himself, again in His enduring mercy and lovingkindness, that has set forth the principle of Grace by offering the life of His Son to complete the terms of an Eternal Covenant. Grace is both a Noun and a Verb. It is Grace that we can walk by faith in what Jesus has done and in close partnership with the Spirit to accomplish all that God desires for us. It is through Grace that God offers us a way around the sin conscious Law and the continual cycle of self-effort, self-consciousness and performance – a way that leads to death; death of relationships, spiritual death and even physical death. We cannot achieve through our own self effort being good enough to receive God’s gifts or even His mercy and compassion. If we could be good enough, there would have been no need for Jesus to die to redeem (buy us back) from Adam’s fall and sin.
When you accept Christ You are given as a Gift to Jesus From His Father. Isn’t that a beautiful revelation of the love that God has for each of us?
John 17:24 AMP Father, I desire that they also whom You have entrusted to Me (as Your gift to Me) may be with Me where I am so that they may see My glory which You have given Me (Your love gift to Me): for You loved me before the Foundation of the world, O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has failed to recognize You and has never acknowledged You, I have known You (continually): and these men know and understand that you have sent Me. I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your Self and I will continue to make (You) known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them (felt in their hearts) and I (Myself) may be in them.
Certainly we are all far more important to Jesus than a box of chocolates. Each one of us is a perfectly faceted jewel containing unique qualities fashioned by the hand of God, gifted and skilled for critical missions that only we can fulfill. We must only accept our mission knowing that the power of Christ lives within us and the mercy of God is with us to assist with our assigned task.
Twitter: @TracyLGatewood
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Author on Amazon: Doorways of Grace; My Uncommon Journey to Healing, Wholeness and Meeting Jesus
Facebook: Tracy Gatewood Christian Writer and Teacher
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