Learning To Rest

Our lives in this modern world are filled with activity. We live in a world that is like a dog-eat-dog situation. If you do not attack first, you will get eaten and swallowed up.

This often results in us as believers trying to overcome our enemies by going into spiritual warfare. Sometimes you win, but often you end up overwhelmed when it seems like there is a non-stop attack from the enemy.

What we do not realize is that Jesus has already won the battle, and all we need to do is embrace His victory. Then, let Him continue the fight both for us and in us.

You will learn here how this works.

Video Recording

Audio Recording

Text Transcript

Learning to rest.

Hebrews 4.9 There therefore remains a rest to the people of God, for he that has entered into his rest has also ceased from his own works as God did from his.

The Enemies We Face Daily

Our lives in this modern world are filled with activity. We live in a world that’s like a dog-eat-dog situation. If you don’t attack first, you’ll get eaten and swallowed up. As believers, we also have the devil on our backs trying to swallow us up.

In fact, this is how the apostle Peter described it.

1 Peter 5 verse 8 Remain calm, pay attention, because your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is continually walking around looking for someone he can swallow up and overwhelm.

And if that’s not enough, we find that our own sinful weaknesses often trick us into falling into sin.

Our Warfare Response

Now, our natural response to all of these things is to continually wage warfare against the world and the devil and the flesh. But as believers, we serve a Lord who’s already conquered all of these things. He’s living inside of you, and he can still accomplish this if you let him.

But you know the Lord, He often stands by and He waits for us to first try and overcome it all by ourselves. And we get in there like a vengeance and push hard and try and wage warfare. And when you finally come to the end of yourself, and you come to realize you can’t do this, and you’re ready to give up, then He steps forward and says, Would you like me to do it?

You see, he never imposes Himself on us. He’s always willing to take over the battle of life. So why don’t you drop your sword and hand it over to him? He knows how to do it better because he’s an expert at it.

Personal Experience

I know I’ve learned this one myself and not long ago, we faced a lot of difficulties in our life and a lot of opposition from the enemy.

And I got in there with my knowledge of the scriptures and my knowledge of warfare, and I came against the demons at every level. But you know, I found that the more I attacked Satan, the more he seemed to attack me back again. With each demon I dealt with, there was another one and a bigger one that kept coming against me.

And one day the penny just dropped and I realized, hang on, didn’t Jesus conquer him on the cross of Calvary? Have I not so many times faced demons of every level, right up to Lucifer himself, and they had to bow to the name of Jesus?

And the Lord spoke to me and he said, why don’t you let Me do what I do best? He said, you’re trusting in yourself instead of in Me. And wow, that hit me right between the eyes and I realized that’s right.

You Can Stop Swimming

I’ve been trying to fight this battle. You know, it’s like trying to keep above water and you’re sinking and you’re afraid that if you stop swimming, you’re going to sink and drown. But you know, he’s there to lift you up and to buoy you up and to stop that from happening.

So why don’t you just let go of all the fighting and the warfare now and just thank the Lord that he has already triumphed and won this battle and invite him and trust him and have in your life an expectation of good things.

Good Expectations

Instead of expecting tomorrow to be another day of difficulty. Instead of expecting that today you’re going to have to face fresh enemies, why don’t you have an expectation that he’s got it? He’s got it in his hand and he cares for you and he will not let you down.

Get on with your life and accomplish something and begin to enjoy this wonderful, abundant life that the Lord’s created for us instead of spending the rest of your life in stress and trying to fight a battle that was already won 2000 years ago on the cross of Calvary.

The Lord bless you and I hope this inspires you to get moving again. Amen.