Several months ago, God began convicting me of returning to the honoring of the Sabbath. Of course, my flesh was telling me that it is not necessary, and it is okay to keep running toward the completion of every item on your to-do list because you must do all of this now.
As His child, He knew exactly what I needed before I even did. Through His subtle nudges and His word, He let me know that I was running ahead of Him and would soon become weary even though I was saying, “I’ve got this God. Just one more load of laundry or task at hand.” Although His warnings were countered with, “I’ve got this God” but in my spirit, I knew I didn’t. At that moment the demands of daily life won. My flesh was lying to me and I believed the subtle lies of just “one more”. One more quickly turns into a spiral of, “Oh, how did I get here?”
Before I knew it, exhaustion set in and a passion that I was so driven by began to slowly fade because of the demands of everyday life. I realized that this why God was warning me all these months before this moment of realization. When I finally heeded the conviction that God placed on my heart, I began to see the importance of entering His rest and honoring the Sabbath. It is crucial to set aside time to enter God’s presence, spend time in prayer, and read His word.
God is aware of our needs before we are because He is our Heavenly Father and He knows and even understands that we are spiritual beings living in fleshly bodies. It is important for us to realize that the enemy uses our flesh against us to hinder receiving what the LORD has for His children. As I look back on my life, I can see how the enemy kept me busy and overwhelmed with daily life to keep me blind to the goodness that comes from entering God’s rest and spending time letting Him cultivate me.
Entering God’s rest will calm the uneasiness within and around us and the hustle and bustle of daily life that surrounds us won’t be as demanding. It is there that we receive His manna to walk by the Spirit and live out the life that He has called us to live. When we allow Him to cultivate us, He will cultivate us into the person He knows our spirit is longing for because you were created on purpose and for a purpose. Most importantly, resting in Him will cultivate an attitude of praise and gratefulness. When we are living by the flesh all we see are the problems around us and how busy we are but when we are practicing rest as a form of worship we will begin to enjoy life surrounded by the peace that God intends for our lives. When we are rested we will live out life in a healthy and peaceful place where we will find the goodness God has to offer us and the strength to walk in the Spirit all the days of our life. Our hearts will be realigned with God’s heart and His will for our life. When we are aligned with Him, we will begin to live a life full of purpose and mission.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I am so thankful that Your grace is abundant and loving. You are always welcoming and waiting for us to return because You are the Heart of Rest. I am so amazed and grateful to serve You, the God that desires for your servant to enter your rest to calm the demands of everyday life around me and live my best life for You. Show me the ways and areas in my life that You are calling me to surrender to You. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.
Personal Reflection
In what way is God calling you to Enter into His rest?
In what ways can you allow God to cultivate your life for His purpose?
It’s important to set aside time to devote to God, how will you make this a priority in your life?
So, what are you waiting for? Enter His rest and be blessed. His reward is far greater than anything our flesh can cultivate.
Psalm 23: 1-6 | The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
With all of my love and encouragement,
Hannah B
Photo Credits:
Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash
Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
Collective Circle Gathering 