Upper back, neck and shoulders — those are my key stress points. When tension rises, so do the fierce and anxious muscle fibers in these areas. No matter how much I try to stretch it out, I still find myself as tight as a new rubber band.
If the body experiences tension without the added benefit of exercise, it’s much more difficult to get rid of those knots and kinks that seem to find their hiding places burrowed deep within the muscle fibers.
What about the tension in our soul? Some of you may be scratching your head over these words,.
Tension in my inner person will gnaw at me until I give it attention.
13-18 Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. Ephesians 6:13-18 The Message
When I neglect spending solid time with the Lord in studying His Word, prayer and community with His People, I feel, well, unbalanced and lacking — like I’ve not completed eating my meal, I’m still hungry. Lacking. And when I haven’t eaten, I’m weak and unable to focus.
We live in this world — but if we are living with Jesus as Savior and Lord, we are not of this world. Could we have forgotten that truth? Or perhaps, you’re experiencing a season where you’ve been everywhere except where you really should be and need to circle back home. It’s okay — His Arms are ready to receive you no matter the details of your journey.
24 “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both. Matthew 6:24 The Message
My daily surrender to Him opens up the opportunity to receive from Him = blessings! Woohoo! Sign me up, right?
Because He is GOD, He knows exactly what I need, how I need it, when I need it and where I need it. Pretty cool, huh?
In my pursuit of a closer relationship with GOD, I have to remember to not get sidelined by the circumstances swirling around me because those are mere distractions to slow me down and take my focus off of Him and then I’m off on some crazy tangent which brings on chaos. I must prioritize (ah, there’s that ‘p’ word) giving attention to the care of my soul when I sense the tension is building.
Tension is not the chaos. Tension is way before that. It’s kind of the prelude before the main theme. Tension is when I’m being nudged to armor up and workout those faith muscles because (let’s face it) there’s a battle up ahead.
24 “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both. Matthew 6:24 The Message
36 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.” John 18:36 The Message
This tension is the silent alarm that cues the need to be well nourished on the Word because it’s my armor and the power in my fight.
13 Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT
I invite you to do some introspective soul searching and honestly answer:
“How is your soul today, Friend?”
5-8 If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. James 1:5-8 The Message
I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~~
LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary
Titus Two 