Understanding Rest

When a lady starts dating, she will meet many prospective husbands. Some she will talk to, others she will admire. Some will take her out, others will collect her phone number but won't reach out. Eventually, she meets one, and she knows this is the one. Their words and actions are in sync. He proposes and she accepts his proposal. She gets married to him and says "I have come to my place of rest".This rest is not a sleeping and waking up kind of rest, It is a rest borne of assurance and hope. "I have built my nest", I have found a partner, it is time to lay my eggs. It is time to brood over my eggs, it is time to hatch my chicks, it is time to feed my chicks, it is time to raise my young ones, it is time to build a home and raise a family. It could also be time to build my career, to bond and love my man, to settle into that one relationship where I would thrive and become all I have prayed and hoped to become all my life. This is for her the place of rest.

For the man, this is also the same as he grows older and begins to meet with women, he begins to search both consciously and unconsciously. He keeps looking for that one with whom he would share the real bonds of love and marriage. When he eventually finds her, he tells himself the days of wandering in the corridors of uncertainty are over. He has come to find the one, his place of rest, the one with whom he would settle down and build a life, the one to thrive with and grow with, his anchor and stability, this place is called home. Rest therefore is the place where a journey begins, It is also a place where a journey ends. The end of all wanderings and instability.The beginning of a purpose-driven life and reality. The end of singlehood and all its attending temptations and slippery slopes.The beginning of responsibility and responsive leadership. This is also the definition of the rest Jesus offered the weary soul.

Man as a being has been searching for a place of rest for ages. He was born with eternity in his soul, he knows he must find a place called Rest, the place where he would be able to secure his seed and live his life freely. He searches for the filling of the void in his soul. Christ came forth and offered mankind this feeling, he came from rest and he knows rest. He was not like other men who floated everywhere looking for a home. Christ came from the source and he knows how to guide all of mankind to this source so he came with a rest package for all mankind. He told the weary and the heavy laden to come unto him. He promised rest to all in exchange for their toils. This His rest is not a ceasing from labour as it was with God after the creation of the world, this his rest is the ceasing from uncertainty and instability. It is the rest of an assurance that I have finally found my source. The rest of the seed that was planted in a fertile ground. The moment the seed lands on this ground and gets covered up in the soil, it rejoices. It has found the rest, the kind of rest that will make it sprout and grow. The kind of rest that will provide the enabling environment for it to thrive and bear its own kind of seed, That kind of rest that we call peace of mind. That is the rest we come into in Christ. In this vision, we see clearly God's vision for our lives, we gain direction and we prepare for our mission in life. Of course, some people get married and they know in their hearts that the marriage is not a place of rest for them, like the sea that fell in the midst of thorns it might sprout and grow for a while but sooner or later it will be choked to death. This is why rest is very central to the fulfillment of purpose and destiny. Abraham found rest in God under a tent in the wilderness, he was greater than many nations but refused to seek rest with them.

Lot went searching for rest in Sodom. Lot and his family ended up losing so much because they settled for rest in the wrong place. This sometimes happens to people, even believers they travel abroad seeking rest in the greener pastures of life but they find no rest in a foreign land and return home to the location of their rest. Not all men can thrive in every land or field of endeavour. True rest lies in locating the place where God has placed us and mastering that environment.  Sometimes a man or woman gets a job upon resumption at that office, he or she loses his or her peace. It just felt like a round peg had come into a square hole, after praying and fasting and trying very hard to fit in without any success he or she is forced to resign. Sometimes he or she feels so depressed and sick that leaving is the only thing that gives him or her some level of peace. Many would say to him or her don't resign, endure, stay there, fight for it. Only he or she knows the truth in his or her heart, there is no rest for me here. When the same person gets to another company or floats his own, he or she begins to thrive, everything falls into place like clockwork with little effort, he or she achieves great results, Rest begins to produce results within a short time. He or she says this is Rehoboth, the place where God has given me rest.

David found rest on the throne as the King of Israel. Solomon found rest on the throne as King of Israel. Apostle Paul found rest in Christ, Peter found his rest in Christ. I found my rest in Christ. A believer who is not at rest is suffering from a lack of knowledge, you see many running from church to church, crying from pillar to post praying from books and prayer points written down by individuals inspired by nothing to write a book about nothing. The rest the Holy Spirit offers the believer is intimate. The believer comes into Christ and he or she begins to grow internally. He or she becomes familiar with his or her environment. He or she learns who he is in Christ. He or she learns how to put to work all the advantages that Christ offers. He or she learns the language of the Holy Spirit. He or she is seeded with a vision, the visions become the source of his or her mission in life. In carrying out the mission he or she finds fulfillment. Rest does not come from external shouts and screams at God in the name of prayer, Rest comes from resting in the finished work and thriving in the assurance that the days of struggling are over. When we enter his rest, we locate ourselves in his word, we find out his will for us and we live out the reality of our life in this will. Like a sperm that locates the eggs in the womb, we have come to a place of rest. In this rest, we thrive and grow. This is that true Rest. “For he that is entered into his rest… That rest is the rest in Christ; it’s much more than the rest for the physical body. It’s rest for your soul, where you don’t struggle or toil for anything whatsoever. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness…” Everything required for your success, prosperity, victory, health and greatness has been made available to you in Christ. So, why worry? You don’t have to struggle in life anymore. Enjoy God’s rest. Hallelujah! Jesus said. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment” (Matthew 6:25). Paul, writing by the Spirit to the Church, in Philippians 4:6, said, “Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” There are many who haven’t realized this truth, and therefore aren’t enjoying a life of absolute rest and blessings. On their job, business, projects, or even their evangelical responsibilities, they labour and toll so hard with little or no results. If that describes you, what you need is a renewal of your mind. Our struggle doesn’t please God. That’s why the Holy Spirit was sent to help us. In John 14:16 (AMP), Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor-Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever.” He’s here today and now as your Helper. You’re not alone. Christ is in you and with you; don’t work and walk alone. Live in His rest. The Bible says we’re seated together with Him in heavenly places: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). That isn’t a position of hardship, struggle or turmoil; it’s a position of rest, dominion, power and authority.

The Bible says all the works were finished before the foundation of the world. (Hebrews 4:3). Now He says, “Enjoy all things.” Live in His rest, for all things are yours. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee (Isaiah 26:3). This scripture gives us the key to a life of peace and prosperity; a life that’s at rest in prosperity. That means you enter into it and stay in it; your life is maintained at that realm. Many often ask what they should do so the power of God may work on their behalf to ensure continuing peace and prosperity. The answer is simple: focus your mind—your attention, and emotions—on the Lord. It’s like focusing your camera on a moving object. You have to do it with some diligence and dexterity. When your mind is focused on God’s Word, you’re guaranteed to walk in peace and prosperity. Your mind is a powerful tool given to you by God to transform your life from glory to glory. If you give the right attention to the Word, it makes no difference the storms that billow against you, you’ll be at rest; your prosperity will not be shaken, despite economic downturns, meltdowns or inflation. The Lord Himself will keep you in “perfect peace.” The Hebrew word for “peace” in Isaiah 26:3 is “shalom,” which describes the “rest” of God, wherein is prosperity, health, strength, and salvation. You can be as prosperous, successful, and healthy as you ever want to be; the key is yielding your mind to God’s Word. Your mind is the door to your spirit. If you can get the Word of God into your system, there’s nothing you can’t achieve. That’s the secret of the miraculous, and supernatural. Keep your focus on God’s Word, and divine peace and prosperity will be your experience.

PS: This is my second invitation to all to join PSSBC School 24, classes start in January 2025. Pneuma School of the Supernatural and Bible College is the school where the fullness of the Spirit is taught daily for three months with practical demonstrations. The knowledge of Christ is key in our walk with the Holy Spirit. I invite you to please let us learn Christ together. This is the invitation link https://chat.whatsapp.com/H6PoAcfUpCmGbnwdzk734Q………

-GSW-