Good morning dear ones!
As Christians, it’s one thing to talk about RESTING IN GOD, and another thing to know how to actually enter into that REST. Working our faith is a key component, because when we keep our faith working until we have peace, we reach that point of REST. The devil doesn’t want us to REST or be at peace, and one of his strategies is to move us from our place of REST by instilling fear into us and suggesting that the promises made in the Word of God will not come to pass. But, we must remember that fear tolerated is faith contaminated, and God needs our faith in order to bring us the manifestations we seek. When we study the Scriptures, we will find some useful tools we can use while working to REST.
Remember family: The Word only works if it’s mixed with our faith! Hebrews 4:2-3,11 tells us that the Gospel was preached to everyone, but those who didn’t hear it in faith didn’t benefit from it. God’s works were finished from the beginning of the world. We must labor to believe His Word in order to enter into His REST. For example, if we go to the doctor and he tells us we have a disease, we labor in the Word, believing God’s Word over the doctors word and continue to thank Him for His promise of healing to us!
RESTING is have confidence, trust, and reliance on God. On the contrary, stress, care, and worry means we’re depending on ourselves to solve the issue at hand. They will block any manifestations we want to see in our life. What we seek will only manifest itself when we reach that place of REST. There, we will have peace that passes all understanding.
When we’re emotionally shaken, there are practical ways to find our place of REST:
- Find the Scripture that refers to your situation. This Scripture will be your peace (see Isaiah 26:3 and John 14:27).
- Let the Word change your thinking. Don’t try to change the Word with your thinking. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
- Meditate on the answer found in the Word, and keep meditating on it until you can see it in your imagination (see Joshua 1:8).
- Let what you say agree with what you believe (see Romans 4:17).
- Begin thanking and praising God for what you found in the Scriptures.
- Pray in tongues (see 1 Corinthians 14:2, Jude 1:20, 1 Corinthians 14:14, Romans 8:26 and Isaiah 28:11-12).
Our Father God created us to REST. We can see reminders of this all around us. The REST referred to in the Old Testament is a precursor of the New Testament. The Sabbath is not a 24-hour period of time, but actually Jesus Himself. God blessed the seventh day, because it was then when He RESTED from all His work (see Genesis 2:3). He told us to remember the Sabbath day and to keep it holy in Exodus 20:8-11). Colossians 2:16-17 admonishes us to let no one judge you in respect to a holy day or the Sabbath days, because these are a shadow of things to come.
Family, we don’t need to worry and fret. The birds and flowers don’t work, yet God takes care of them, and we are much more valuable are we than they. Anxiety doesn’t extend our lifespan (see Matthew 6:25-29). We can learn a lesson from observing them, because they’re at REST.
Jesus is our REST. He teaches us how to handle trouble and adversity. In Mark 4:35,38, we see Jesus getting into the boat with the disciples and a storm overtaking them. Jesus was asleep in the boat. Even when Jesus was RESTING, He was still controlling the story. This Man Who was in the disciples’ boat is the same One Who is in our boat when storms hit in our lives.
I want to encourage you today, if you are laboring without God and are heavy laden, come to Jesus and He will give you REST. He will give REST to your souls (your mind, your will and your emotions). [See Matthew 11:28-29].
RESTING IN GOD,
Lisa Gordon
Assistant Pastor
Jesus City Church