Your Life Still Counts Giveaway with Tracie Miles

NOTE: As stated in my last post, I am on a blogging break. My sister-in-love Thais passed away at 5:50 pm on October 29th. I appreciate your prayers for our family. This guest post with Tracie Miles was prescheduled and will run as planned. I plan to return to blogging sometime the week of November 17th. {To insure you get my posts you may wish to sign up for them to be delivered automatically by clicking on the little envelope in the top of the sidebar.}

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Ever feel like your past disquailifies you from serving God in the present or having a fulfilling future? Then you are going to love my guest today!  My Proverbs 31 sister Tracie Miles has a contagious passion for Christ and today she is sharing an excerpt from her new book, Your Life Still Counts.

Be sure to leave a comment on today’s post for a chance to win one of 2 giveaway books and study guide.

Now meet my dear friend Tracie.

tracieTracie lives in Charlotte, NC and is a wife to her husband Michael of 24 years and a mother to three children, ages 20, 18, and 15. Tracie is a member of the Proverbs 31 Speaker and Writer teams and enjoys speaking at women’s events around the country, as well as writing devotions for the Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today daily devotions, which reach nearly 1 million women a day with Gods Word.  

She is the author of the popular books Stressed-Free Living: Finding God’s Peace In Your Chaotic World and Your Life Still Counts:How God Uses Your Past To Create A Beautiful Future, and a contributing writer to Zondervan’s NIV Women’s Devotional Bible and Encouragement For Today Daily Devotion Book.  

Tracie’s passion is to inspire women to deepen their relationship with Christ and discover their God-given purpose.  You can also connect with Tracie through social media and her blog:  www.traciemiles.com,  https://www.facebook.com/StressedLessLiving?ref=hlhttp://instagram.com/traciemileshttps://twitter.com/traciewmileshttp://www.pinterest.com/traciewmiles/ 

Our sneak peak…

There it was—the enemy’s ugly, despicable lie, written in black and white. The lie that had defined my life for many years was staring up at me like the whites of evil eyes glowing in the dark.  I was at a women’s conference where all attendees had been instructed to write down the one thing that was keeping them from embracing how much God loved them. Fear, doubts and hesitation kicked in, but I pushed past them and took my place in line behind a sea of women, waiting to nail my sin to a wooden cross at the front of the room.

My turn finally came, and I stood in front of the tall wooden cross that was standing royally upright, draped with purple satin cloths, and now covered in white from all the little papers that had been nailed to it. I reached down, grabbed a nail out of a bowl, and picked up the hammer. I held my slip of paper against the hard wood, hoping no one behind me would look over my shoulder and be able to see what I had written.  You see, I was convinced my sin —my past—was surely worse than anyone else’s in the room, and the fear of judgment made me feel as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air.

I pounded the hammer onto the head of the nail, over and over again until my sin was securely affixed to the old wooden cross. Then I turned around and left the lie there. It was no longer my burden to carry; it now belonged to Jesus. I had literally nailed my sin, my past, my fear, and the enemy’s lie to the cross of my Savior once and for all.  This event softened my heart in a way I had never allowed it to soften before. A few years earlier I had accepted God’s forgiveness, but now I had actually nailed that burden to the cross and let it go. The weight had vanished, and I could breathe once again. My journey of purpose had now officially begun—at the foot of a holy cross.

Isaiah 43:18–19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland”.

As I pondered the magnitude of what I had just done – and the magnitude of God’s love, mercy, grace and unconditional forgiveness – I became acutely aware of the meaning of these verses. Aware that I was a brand new creation. I made a personal vow to never take back the lie, the sin, the feelings of unworthiness and regret, and to let it all go for good. To let it all go to God, so that I could be free to do whatever He called me to do.

On that memorable day, I made a commitment to stop living in the shadows of my past and start living in the light of my Savior. To never let my past mistakes define who I am, but to believe I am a treasure in God’s eyes, regardless of how many more times I might mess up. To bask in this freedom in Christ and refuse to give it up when shame or regret try to make their way back into my life. I was finally ready to completely embrace His calling on my life—whatever it turned out to be—with confidence, enthusiasm, faith, and trust.

I was finally free.  It had been a long time coming, but I was ready to trust God had a plan and a purpose for my pain and my life, because God can turn all pain into purpose if only we say yes.  

Now for the giveaway.your life

Two fabulous people will win a copy of Tracie’s book Your Life Still Counts and study guide.

Leave a comment why this resource might help you, a friend, or love one realize you are made new through Christ.

 

44 Comments

  1. I have things in my past that make me feel less than and people(Christians) who make me feel unworthy. I know that this is not what God says about me but still people opinions hurt. This book would be life changing for me.

  2. I would love to read this book. It’s something that I’ve been struggling with. Believing God could still use me, convinced for years I had strayed from His perfect will for my life. Afraid I had run away from my destined path, and that it was hopeless. I lived in this lie for over 7 years and it affected my relationship with God. I’m making my way closer to Him, starting to let people in and again reach out to other believers. I’m part of a church for the first time in years. I’m part of a small group. I’m growing closer to God. He shows me over and over He still loves me and hasn’t given up on me. Even though I find it difficult to find the plan He has for my life since I believed for years I had missed out on His plan.

  3. My 21 year old niece was recently convicted on drug charges and is facing many years in prison. I know that she feels like her life is over, but I know that it is NOT! I hope this book will encourage her and give her hope where she currently has none.

  4. I just lost my mom a few days ago. I have been her caregiver for the past year. I care for my dad also who has Alzheimer’s. I gave up my job to take on this one. I have been through two divorces, the last one should not have happened. Lost of hurt, Lots of loss. But I do believe God has a plan and that MY Life Still Counts. I have a story to tell and I hope some day to tell it and help pull someone else along from where I have been. The burdens are heavy. I’m tired, but I know he is still in Control. I love Tracie’s books and I believe this will be a must read!

  5. As my years creep by, I worry that I am missing God’s purpose for my life. I keep waiting to be hit over the head with a passion for something and so envy those who seem to have found it. Would love to win this book and study for myself and to share with my dear friend G who is going through a divorce after 42 years of marriage. She is feeling hopeless and worthless and expendable. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.

  6. I know in my head my past is forgiven…..but does my heart really know that? I have a difficult time thinking I do not measure up to others. This may be the book that breaks that bondage and let’s me be free of the lie.

    Praying for you and your family Karen. You are so fortunate to have shared your life with your sweet, brave sister-in-law. She is dancing with Jesus now, pain free.

  7. I would love to have this book as I have struggled with my past on a daily basis, thanks for sharing Tracie! Praying for you and your family Karen!

  8. I would love to read this book, and then “Share It Forward” to one of the women I am sharing my testimony with about how GOD transforms the pain of our past into purpose for the future. I have been seeing it unfold in my life in these past 3 years of doing outreach. I also want to encourage those who are on their healing journey not to wait on what GOD is calling you to do in this season of your life.

  9. I have a friend,who would benefit from this book greatly, and hopefully trn their life over to God. I hope I win this,so I can share it with them.

  10. I have been wanting to read this book ever since I heard about it!! These past few years have been such a struggle with my son being in jail and being separated with 2 younger children. The Lord has seen us through everything and I praise Him for that. I keep feeling like everyone is judging me and I don’t fit in. I know the Lord loves me and does not judge me for my past. I want to let this go so badly. I don’t know if I am trying too hard or not trying hard enough. I attempt to step out of my comfort zone and feel rejected. I keep praying for God to show me what I am missing.

  11. A young woman in my prayer group that I lead is a new Christian and is struggling and being burdened down by the lies of spiritual warfare. To be able to share this with her would be an amazing gift of freedom I believe. and something that could be shared among the women in my church.

  12. I would really like this book bc I’ve been stuck in a rut of finding the purpose for the pain in my past. Ive been looking forward to this book since I heard it was coming out. And its not a matter of IF I read the book but WHEN I do:)

  13. After having some very rough times, this book sounds like it could help me to stay on the path to healing and finding how all that sadness can be used for good. I would love to share this book with my two daughters.

  14. I have let my past mistakes hold me back and define who I am and what I do, and don’t do. My hope is that some day I will finally listen to God’s voice telling me I am not my past, so that I might glorify Him by living up to my potential and look forward to my future.

  15. Reading other peoples posts I feel like I don’t have it that bad in life, because God has been fulfilling His promise in Isaiah 43:18-19. Though I too had a hard upbringing, it wasn’t of my doing. As early as 5yrs. old I was sexually molested by my grandfather, at 9-11 years old I lived with my biological father who abused me physically as well as mentally, to the point I was suicidal and developed anorexia-bulimia. All my life I was scared and had low self image due to those circumstances. When I became a mom I turned to God for help, I was afraid I was going to turn into a abuser. Gods love helped me to see myself through His eyes, but as much as I loved Him with all my heart I was afraid to serve Him in his capacity. Then, three years ago my 14year old daughter drowned in a sailing accident. All my feelings of shame came back. I even felt sorry for my husband for being yoked with me and my destiny for disasters and pain. There is more to this story, but to end it with where I am today, I have to give praise to God for choosing to do mighty work through my daughter and her death. My hope is in Jesus,that I will be reunited with my daughter and my reward will be in heaven. I struggle daily with the voices of my condemnation, but I keep going back to Gods Truth for freedom while following Gods lead of sharing my life with others and pointing them to the True Healer, Jesus Christ, the lover of my soul!

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