The Tension and the Stretch
There is always a time of tension and stretch between what you need God to do in your life and when he actually does it. Discouragement pulls you in one direction; while faith pulls you in another. Tension is necessary for stretching and growth. This word from Graham Cooke about this subject is so powerful! It will encourage you. Especially if you have been in a long-standing battle!
“God does not just drop things on us, He gives things to us in the process of learning how to walk with Him. As God stretches you, there’s an increase that comes with that. He increases your anointing, He increases your faith, He increases your understanding. When we allow ourselves to be stretched we are also allowing ourselves to become enlarged so that we can become bigger and bolder in the power and purposes of God.
We will be in a season of stretching and growth. A time of tension and stretch, it’s necessary valuable tension. Tension doesn’t mean that something is wrong, it means that something is happening. There is no movement without tension. Tension is about gripping something, it’s about taking hold of something. Tension in the spirit enables us to take a hold of God and to take hold of one another. The question is, what is it right now that God wants you to grip in His name? This is a promise time of breakthrough.
It’s also a promise time where we’re going to learn to get tough with our own situations. It’s also a time we’re going to learn how to be strong in the Word. It’s also a time for us to get ready to grow as a soldier, the tougher your circumstances are to change, the stronger your anointing will develop, but God is going to fight for us. The weaker you feel in yourself, the more confidant you can become in the Lord because confidence in God is the only antidote to human weakness. Sometimes God doesn’t want to make us strong, He wants to give us this overwhelming confidence that God will be “I AM” confident.”
And if you like I, have had battles that feel as if they will never end, Nahum 1:9 is a powerful word for those in repeated long-standing battles that just seem to keep coming back. You are feeling too much tension and stretch? Never fear, God is right here coaching you through.
“What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.”
I love reading it in the Message translation …
“God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, No matter how desperate the trouble. But cozy islands of escape He wipes right off the map. No one gets away from God. Why waste time conniving against God? He’s putting an end to all such scheming. For troublemakers, no second chances. Like a pile of dry brush, Soaked in oil, they’ll go up in flames.”
So stand up. Bow up. Be strong. And if you feel weak, be confident in this, God will fight for you. He never fails. He will never let you go.