Hot Tub Holiness

"...what must I do to be saved?" - Acts 16:30b

My four sisters and I celebrated our 2nd annual Sister Weekend recently. We spend time away from being mothers, wives, professionals, and grandmothers, to enjoy each other's company uninterrupted by life's demands. After a full fun-filled day including a  photo shoot, lunch, shopping and dinner, we decided to relax in the hotel hot tub before calling it a night. Already in the hot tub made for 8, were three people we didn't know. We decided to join them and they made room for the five of us. After chatting it up, my sister Teresa introduced us as "singers". You would've thought she was introducing us as the Clark Sisters, the Pace Sisters, or even the Braxton's! It was enough to spark interest of our new acquaintances. We sang one song, and then they requested another. And then another. And then yet another! By the time we were on the 4th song, the glory of God had filled the atmosphere with His presence! It wasn't just us who were overcome by the presence of the Lord, our new acquaintances were too! After our last song, I extended an invitation for salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ was received by all 3 individuals! That hot tub will never be the same! It's been filled with the glory of God!

Paul and Silas weren't relaxing in a hot tub in the 16th chapter of Acts, but the bible tells us that during a time when most people would've been stressed out and at their wit's end, they were praying and singing praises to the Lord. Their powerful worship provoked an earthquake so strong that the prison doors opened and the prisoner's chains were loosed! The guard of the prison fell down and asked what he needed to do to be saved. He realized that there was more to Paul and Silas than his natural eyes could see, and he wanted in on it!

How can a hot tub be holy, you ask? Holiness isn't an app you download. It's not a hat you put on when church folk come around. It's a lifestyle. As Kingdom citizens, holiness should be finely woven into the course of our culture. It's how you choose to live your life every day. It's what oozes from your pores, flows from your lips, and emanates from your being. Holiness is what magnetizes the unbeliever to the Christ in you. It's that "something" about you that's different from everyone else. Holiness should cause an atmospheric change when you step into the room. In our case, we stepped into the water, the Holy Spirit stepped right on in with us and immediately, the hot tub became holy!

My friends, be ready for God to move whenever and where ever. Don't limit Him to certain places and certain times and certain situations. He's always ready to save a soul! Where will you lead the next soul to Christ? A movie theater? Bowling alley? The mall? Remember, where ever you are, that's where He is!

Still in awe of Him,

Tracy Gale

The Leech Sisters 2012

Join me for these upcoming experiences!

Visit www.TracyGale.com or www.RaphaKingdom.org for more info!

Do You Know Who I Am?

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" - Matthew 16:15

The view we have of ourselves can be so one-dimensional. I asked my youth group to circle attributes that they believed described themselves most. I then asked them to share a few about me. After a few sarcastic attempts using words like predictable and quiet, I jokingly asked “Do you KNOW who I AM?”

In Matthew 16, Jesus wanted to know what everyone else saw in Him and if His disciples were able to recognize His true identity. The general crowd knew that Jesus was a man of God, but only Peter recognized His true identity as the SON of God. Jesus didn’t ask for validation or affirmation of His identity, because He already knew who He was and what He was called to accomplish. Too many times we are looking for others to stroke us, sugar cube us and affirm us, but if you aren’t able to recognize yourself, how can anyone else recognize you? We’re often told not to care about the thoughts of others, but as Kingdom citizens, we must know if our lives are accurately reflecting the lifestyles we say we represent. Do people know who you really are? 

What do men say about you? That can be like opening a can of worms for some folks or a refreshing review for others. Has your personal credibility recovered? Are people happy to see you coming or glad to see you go? Do they believe you are sincere or do they think you’re fake? Do you think you’re kind when others know you as rude? Let your talk and your walk be aligned. Friends, we are living in a three dimensional, 2-way mirrored world. Not only are we considerate of how God sees us and how we view ourselves, we must also be mindful that we are living epistles to the world. Knowing who you are should be comparable with knowing who Jesus is. By the way we conduct our lives, Jesus can justifiably ask us the question…do you KNOW who I AM?

 

Working on me,

 

Tracy Gale

 

Enjoy this "throwback" Commissioned track "Who Do Men Say I Am"

 

Join me for these upcoming experiences!

Visit www.TracyGale.com or www.RaphaKingdom.org for more info!

In a Relationship and It's Complicated

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? - Romans 8:35

I was browsing Facebook the other day when I noticed quite a few relationship status changes. There were new "married" updates and a few new "single" updates. I began to wonder what Christ would reflect if He chose to categorize the status of our relationships with Him?

Would our relationship reflect "married", as a show of commitment and dedication to Him? Or would it reflect more of an "open relationship" where it's a matter of convenience and opportunity? Would our relationship with Christ be "engaged", which would reflect our level of attention and importance given to Him in our lives? How about "single", which would be most reflective of our independence of Christ, as we choose to live our lives without Him? What do you think your status would be? Would it be too complicated to describe?

Paul posed a question in Romans 8:35 "who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Paul follows this question with a concise and expressive answer reassuring us that there is nothing capable of separating us from the love of Christ. And with this surety of Christ's love for us, the question must be asked who shall separate the love of Christ from us? In other words, though Christ has committed His love for us, it is up to us to commit our love to Him. Here's where things get complicated.

A complicated relationship can be an indication that there are obstacles preventing two people from being in a committed relationship with one another. Many of us either now or at some point could identify with the status "in a relationship and it's complicated". We admit to being in a relationship with Christ, but additional influences, attractions, and interruptions have made it "complicated".

The committed intentions of Christ couldn't have been more clear when He bore our sins on His bloodied and torn body. His love for us was obvious with every moment He struggled for breath, sealing the assurance of our eternity. He continues to be a faithful, loving, and powerful presence in our lives. How much less should our commitment be to our beloved Savior and Lord? What are you willing to un-complicate to show your true, unadulterated love for Him? Nothing and no one has the power to separate Christ from you. Please don't allow your unwillingness to be whole-hearted and completely committed to Christ push you away from Him. I encourage you to choose a complete commitment, rather than a comfortable complication.

No longer complicated...but complete in Christ,

Tracy Gale

Do the Work

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials..." - James 1:2

Football season always reminds me of high school. Believe it or not, I despised taking tests, and those awful pop quizzes were the worst! One subject I excelled in was english. It came natural for me so it was nothing to sleep in class during instruction and then pass the tests with flying colors. Algebra was an entirely different monster. I struggled to grasp the concepts and simply opted to barely pass the class. I admit that I once convinced a friend to give me answers to a test. I whisked through the exam and turned in my paper confidently. The next day, I grinned as tests were being returned, trusting that my friend's answers were all I needed to shine. The big red 'F' on the top was followed by "you have the answers, now do the work".

On our spiritual journeys, we encounter various tests and trials. Some of the tests may seem familiar because we've been in the situation before. We might even think we already have a cheat sheet with the answers, only to find out that we are still required to do the work. Testing is necessary, because testing is used to reveal the level of knowledge and comprehension of an individual. What are you doing with all of that knowledge from those classes you've been attending? Are you applying it or is it going to waste? Are you comprehending the word of God being ingested or are you reading and listening without understanding? At the end of the day, God sees you going to church every week, that's like showing up for class. What He wants to know is if you're doing the work.

James 1 encourages us to rejoice during times of testing and to allow this testing to produce patience in us. The testing may seem grueling, hard, long, and unnecessary, but the word of God says that the patience produced during testing will be perfected and completed in us. Without patience, we will find ourselves going from one extreme to the other, one person after the other, one place after the other. We will lack stability in God because we won't have the patience to wait on Him to move. Allow your testing to be proven, to be made solid in Christ. Knowing all the answers isn't enough...you've got to do the work.

Determined to do the work,

Tracy Gale


P.S. - I opted to retake Algebra in college rather than skipping to Business Math because I knew I really hadn't done the work. I managed a solid 'A' upon finishing the class, because I did my work! To GOD be the glory!

In Another Place

"that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ." - John 4:23

Class reunions can be one of two things...a delight or a drag. I'm fortunate enough to be a part of an awesome group of classmates who maintain contact by connecting annually. We are no longer the high school kids we used to be and all of the childish conundrums that peppered our lives years ago, are no longer an issue. That's because we're in another place in life. 

Wouldn't it be strange to attend a class reunion and discover that all of your classmates have moved on with their lives...except you? You'd still be gossiping about the same old news, doing the same old thing, and you wouldn't have changed a bit. The same attitude and outlook on life would place you backwards instead of forward. No maturity, no growth; you wouldn't be in another place in life. You'd have the concerns and mindset of a teenager, unable to identify with your adult classmates and eventually you would stop even trying to connect. In the spirit of 1 Corinthians 13, it's time for us to put away childish things. 

It's no different as Believers. Many have surrendered their lives to Christ, but stopped there. There has been little to no spiritual growth. Your heart is unchanged and holiness is a fashion statement. You still don't know any scripture. Your prayer life is limited to blessing your food. You think worship is lifting your hands during a song at church. You believe anybody who says "the Lord told me", and the Kingdom of God is something you're still trying to locate on a GPS. You're stagnant and you're stuck. God's desire is that we mature in Him and we may be able to recognize and avoid the traps of the wicked. It's time to go to another place in Christ. 

My friends, it's time for us to position ourselves for spiritual growth. No matter what or who is changing around you, if YOU don't change, your spiritual life won't change either. We become spiritually mature by applying and practicing biblical beliefs and strategies. Even if your process has been slow, keep moving. Made some mistakes? His grace is sufficient. Just keep making progress in your walk with Christ. We can no longer afford to live in ignorance, entertain foolishness, and become the catalyst to messiness in and out of the church. I'm speaking the truth in love to you today. I pray you receive it as a Believer growing in maturity. Let's go to another place in Christ. 

Where are you today? I know I'm in another place...

Tracy Gale