There is a place in Christ called “rest” where you cease striving and give up on your attempts of forcing open doors! When you “enter rest” you actually watch the Lord go to work on your behalf, supernaturally moving mountains, paving the way, and bringing to pass His word and destiny for your life. Hear the word of God: “…the Lord working with them and confirming the word…” (Mark 16:20).
God wants to work with you in a divine collaboration that will culminate in the word of the Lord being confirmed in your life! How do we personally experience such Kingdom reality today?
Ceasing From Our Works?
There is a paradoxical statement in scripture found in Hebrews 4:11. We read, “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest.” The writer is saying, “Work very diligently at entering rest. Make every effort to intentionally enter God’s rest!” We are to work hard, but not striving in our own strength doing our will! We are instructed, “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10).
Ceasing from our works most certainly signifies possessing a faith which rests in Christ’s finished work on the Cross and embraces the reality that only His death was a sufficient sacrifice to free us from sin and death and that our attempts to merit a righteous standing before God are futile and must be abandoned! However, that does not mean that there is no place for good works in the life of the Christian. Conversely, the New Testament teaches that God recreated us in Christ Jesus for the express purpose of doing good deeds! “For we are God’s masterpiece! He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago” Ephesians 2:10, New Living Translation.
Entering Rest requires that we:
1). Cease doing our own will and submit to the Spirit’s leading!
2) Desist from working in our own strength and draw from the anointing!
As we begin living for the will of the Father and respond to the Spirit’s leading in our lives, we will discover that divine grace will empower us to accomplish God’s plans! Paul put it this way: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him” (Philippians 2:13, New Living Translation).
When you enter rest you will begin to experience the unforced rhythms of grace operating in your life that Jesus spoke of when He referenced taking on His yoke. Listen the the way The Message renders Christ’s words:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message).
Watch Enter Rest Video! Click here!
Advancing the Kingdom,
Glenn Bleakney
AwakeNations.org
PURCHASE THE SERIES
Are you interested in knowing more about this topic? Visit our website to purchase the Four part teaching series Enter Rest.
