“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace… If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you know what His will is.” Amy Carmichael
Dancing The Hustle-Bustle? Stressed?!
This Christmas Season has your hustle-bustle tussled your joy? Are you tussled in soul, anxious, fretful, stressed, then your hustle-bustle has tussled! What do you do if your joy is tussled this Christmas season? Listen up, literally so! The hustle and bustle of “stuff” is not an exchange we want to make for the Prince of Peace of Christmas. This is a bad deal for us. One is temporary the other is permanent. Which do you choose? A Tussled Hustle-Bustle? Or Inner Peace? I have learned from experience to say “NO” to this exchange of peace for the love of stuff. Tussled by hustle-bustle? Change it up for peace.
Old age with wisdom will crown you with dignity and honor, for it takes a lifetime of righteousness to acquire it. Do you want to be a mighty warrior? It’s better to be known as one who is patient and slow to anger. Do you want to conquer a city? Rule over your temper before you attempt to rule a city. Proverbs 16:31-33 TPT
“Begin to rejoice in the Lord, and your bones will flourish like an herb, and your cheeks will glow with the bloom of health and freshness. Worry, fear, distrust, care-all are poisonous! Joy is balm and healing, and if you will but rejoice, God will give power.” Author: A.B. Simpson
Most Annoying Season
Christmas by the viewpoint of the world is a hustle and bustle time of stressful stuff. Take the “Christ” out of Christmas and you have: Mas! Mas a three-letter word which makes for a very good 3 letter description: M-ost A-nnoying S-eason! When you are micromanaging your life “stuff”, instead of letting go and letting God, you already don’t have time for the hustle and bustle of a Christmas season and as time grinds forward, your bustle is busted by the hustle of the season as your self-control goes out the window as a tussled joy! The grouch meter rises when “Christ” is missing from Christmas and all you seem to have is MAS: The most annoying season. No doubt about it: a joy that has been tussled emits stress and becomes a stressful reaction. Soured Christmas emotions thrown up all over everyone. Joy becomes a tussled stank.
Got A Tussled Joy? Listen Up
Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.” Matthew 11:28-30 The Passion Translation
The metaphor of a yoke is that it joins two animals to work as one. It is not simply work or toil that is the focus here, but union with Christ. TPT Commentary
God A Tussled Joy? Need A Stress Remedy? Listen Up
Faith’s Ladder of Virtue~ So devote yourselves to lavishly supplementing your faith with goodness, and to goodness add understanding, and to understanding add the strength this is of self-control, and to self-control add patient endurance, and to patient endurance add godliness, and to godliness add mercy toward your brothers and sisters, and to mercy toward others add unending love. Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately. But if anyone lacks these things, he is blind, constantly closing his eyes to the mysteries of our faith, and forgetting his innocence—for his past sins have been washed away. For this reason, beloved ones, be eager to confirm and validate[s] that God has invited you to salvation and claimed you as his own. If you do these things, you will never stumble. As a result, the kingdom’s gates will open wide to you as God choreographs your triumphant entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah 2 Peter 3: 5-10 The Passion Translation
Heart-TO-Heart God Connection
I need to get past the hustle-bustle of this Christmas Season and I need to get to the patient endurance of a heart connected to my Christmas Savior. When my joy has been tussled, I lack self-control. In fact, I am deficient of this the most when I am taxed emotionally and physically at the same time. You know that feeling after you “move” when the exhaustion is so huge and the unpacking is the same huge!? These life moments can tussle your joy. This is when we need to make a decision for joy. Listen up:
Hold on to loyal love and don’t let go, and be faithful to all that you’ve been taught. Let your life be shaped by integrity, with truth written upon your heart. That’s how you will find favor and understanding with both God and men—you will gain the reputation of living life well. Wisdom’s Guidance~ Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong. Proverbs 3:2-7 TPT
Acknowledge God In All Your Seasons
How can I fix a tussled joy? I can add understanding! How? In all my ways acknowledge God. Yes, in all my ways, even when exhaustion pushes me to the brink of emotional outbursts that lack self-control. The step to self-control is understanding, which comes from acknowledging God. We get caught up easily with “stuff” when we should truly be chasing after God first, this is the way to understanding, which is the way to self-control, which is the way to patient endurance. What say you? Don’t acknowledge the “stuff” that is feeding the negative in your emotions, look to God first. We don’t have to shoulder all the details of our living and being. God said He would, He said His yoke is light, easy. So, when I feel overwhelmed by “stuff” the best course of action is to look up and acknowledge God, He is with me, He will guide me, He will make my day easier to bear in that way only He can. Connected to God, no one can tussle my joy.
“The purest joy in the world is joy in Christ Jesus. When the Spirit is poured down, His people get very near and clear views of the Lord Jesus. They eat His flesh and drink His blood. They come to a personal cleaving to the Lord. They taste that the Lord is gracious. His blood and righteousness appear infinitely perfect, full, and free to their souls. They sit under His shadow with great delight. They rest in the cleft of the rock. Their defense is the munitions of rocks. They lean on the Beloved. They find infinite strength in Him for the use of their soul – grace for grace – all they can need in any hour of trial and suffering to the very end.” Author: Robert Murray McCheyne
Got Tussled Joy? Here Is Your Stress Remedy Of God Wisdom:
Exchange the worldly viewpoint for a kingdom perspective. Make room for Jesus in your Christmas. Connect with Jesus, heart to heart! A personal relationship with Jesus is vital. We all need relationship with God, this is what we were created for. A vital-vertical relationship where we are making it personal with God, it leads to a wholly-holy life of stability, peace and joy. No tussled joy for the person positioned in Christ in personal relationship with Him. Be so. No strife. No tussled joy.
We receive directly from him, and his life supplies vitality into every part of his body through the joining ligaments connecting us all as one. He is the divine Head who guides his body and causes it to grow by the supernatural power of God. Footnote: Similarly, Jesus tunes us up to heaven’s notes, and draws out of us the melody of his divine symphony. He supplies the music to us, and imparts the wisdom for us to play it under his direction. This is the artful picture of how Jesus orchestrates his body with its many members. The Passion Translation Colossians 2:19
Think On This And Do What It Takes To Change Up Your Tussled Joy To Rejoicing
“Why is your soul so downcast, My church? I hear your happy words yet your heart is a paradox. Your spirit doesn’t reflect the joy of a bride who awaits her bridegroom with blissful anticipation of her wedding. Your soul is not saturated in the thanksgiving of your future.” Excerpt From The Bridegroom’s Voice ~ Week 19~ Rejoice By KimberlyMac
Just A Thought is a fabulous table at The Bridegroom’s Café. These are little bites of sweet God revelation! It is always good to connect with God in that heart-t0-heart kind of way. My book, The Bridegroom’s Voice develops this kind of vital-vertical relationship. I highly suggest you purchase a copy today and discover the joy of listening up to God’s Voice and staying in followship of Him. God bless ya! KimberlyMac
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