When I mention entering God’s rest, many people envision sitting on the porch swing with a glass of refreshing filtered water, or relaxing in the recliner with the footrest and chair back extended, or taking a lazy nap in the middle of the afternoon. These are all healthy practices, but they will only allow our body to rest.
We can still worry, stress and entertain negative emotions while doing these activities; therefore, we are not at rest in the Lord (Psalm 37:7). A spiritual rest is more than repose for the body. Rest is also for the spirit and soul – our mind, emotions and choices.
We can only fully enter God’s rest by deliberately detoxing our life. We start by totally submitting to God’s will. His presence in us goes with us everywhere we go, and He gives us His rest regardless of our circumstances (Exodus 33:14).
All we do to access His rest is to be still and to recognize that He is God (Psalm 46:10). The Trinity of God within us is our Creator, Savior, Comforter, the Author and Completer of our sanctification, etc. He already knows what will occur in our life from the end of time all the way back to the beginning (Hebrews 12:4).
As we trust God with one area of our life, we quickly learn to trust Him with everything. He provides us with safe dwelling places, and we get peaceful sleep every night, regardless of our circumstances or anxieties, which our overactive imagination may worry might happen (Psalm 4:8).
When we cease from our plans, goals, labors and desires (Hebrews 4:9-11; Psalm 127:2), we patiently wait for the Lord’s peace and direction for each moment of our day (Psalm 37:7). We resist the devil’s doubts and trust God with our whole heart (Proverbs 3:5-6; James 4:7).
Prayer:
Father God, teach us to let go of our addictions, worry and self-centeredness, and to turn to You each moment of our day (Acts 15:13, 19-20). When we obey You in every area of our life and walk in Your perfect plans for us, we will find rest for our spirit and soul, and healing for our body (Hebrews 4:11; Jeremiah 6:16; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). Help us to stand firm in the liberty provided for us by Jesus, and not to get ensnared again by the burdens of life (Galatians 5:1).
We do not want to allow anyone to seduce us into believing that we can produce any holiness in our self (Galatians 3:1-4). When we trust in You, nothing said or done or suggested to us will trouble our soul (Acts 15:23-24). Remind us that Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary’s cross provides us with liberty that sets us free from the bondage to sin and satanic lies (Galatians 2:4; 4:9, 21-26).
Thought for the Day:
When we yoke up with the Lord, rather than pulling our load by ourself, we find that His load is easy and light; He humbles our heart and we relinquish our trust in our own abilities and wisdom; when we acknowledge Him as the Lord of our life, He sets us free from worry, stress, and our own labors, and He gives us His sabbath rest.
- Matthew 11:28-30; Mark 2:28; John 8:31-32, 36
