How to Care for My Soul

"As for me, I will call upon the God, and the Lord shall save me.
Evening, morning and at noon, I will pray, and cry aloud." (Psalm 55:16&17)

"And when He had sent the multitude away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there." (Matthew
14:23)

How do we take care of our souls? I've suggested four words for our thinking this weekend and next that can frame our soul care plan. We thought about hunger yesterday. I hope you're joining me in praying that God will give us great hunger for Himself and for healthy souls that are satisfied in Him.

The word for today is time. Soul care takes time. In Psalm 55, the writer tells us that his soul was in trouble (It needed redemption according to vs. 18.), and he cried out to God morning, noon and night for the help he needed. That kind of praying takes time.

The Psalms devote themselves to soul care. If we'll know the help they offer, we've got to read them. That takes time. We won't know how they help us without investing time in reading, meditating and praying them.

The whole process of examination and watching over our souls (Proverbs
4:23) takes time. We choose to give intentional time and effort to examine, care for and nurture out souls.

A lot of people who read Freedom Fighters spend hours each week taking care of their jobs. Many who read these words will spend time in a gym each week taking care of their bodies. Others, come spring, will spend hours each week nurturing their lawns and plants. We spend time for all those things that we consider important.

It's time for men who want to live in freedom to catch on. Freedom, like jobs, gyms and yards, has a "time price." That time is spent doing the things that nurture our souls. We'll read God's Word and other nurturing literature. We'll "go up on the mountain alone" like Jesus did. We'll spend time with God in prayer and meditation. We'll take time to sit with others who hunger for healthy souls and share the journey to soul maturity. It all takes time.

Add these few sentences to yesterday's prayer. "Lord, by Your power, help me make time for my soul. It will profit me nothing if I gain the whole world and lose my soul. I choose to set aside time for soul care.
I choose spiritual health over spiritual neglect. Help me, O Lord, I pray. Amen."

I pray God's gracious work in your life and mine as we take time for our souls. - Pastor John Strain is Pastor of First Baptist Toms River and is our weekend Freedom Fighter contributor

Great Quote: You may rest assured that God will not allow you to be tried beyond your strength. It is when we are powerless that God does all, and thereby manifests His power and goodness in a striking manner.
John Baptist de La Salle