REST

As we continue to progress through this Season of Summer, I'm finding that many of the Saints who have been on the Battlefield for the Lord are tired. This is something that has been addressed previously, but the soldiers are getting weary. In addition to continued encouragement and inspiration from the Lord, what a lot of the Saints need is simply REST. 

Believe it or not, this simple admonition is the key for the weariness of many of our souls. A lot of us are still convinced that once the Lord turns our circumstances and situations around, this will bring us the needed relief for which we have been expecting. This is true to a very large extent. But what needs to be realized is that when God makes this turn and the breakthrough is manifested, we are going to war. God might give us a brief reprieve, but the Season of Harvest and Warfare will commence and the battle will be On! So, now is the time to get your "second wind" and learn to REST.

The first area of REST we need to focus on is our ceaseless activity. Some of us just need to sit down. There are too many of us that are always "busy." Busy for the Lord mind you, but busy nonetheless. This is not the will of God. God wants us to learn how to REST.  Not just relax, but REST. For many in our society, rest is equated with relaxation and leisurely activity. Yes, the Lord wants us to have a good time from time to time. But if you notice, sometimes you've got to work "harder" just to prepare to have a "good time." The God we serve is a God of Rest (Genesis 1). Don't become a proponent of the "Martha Complex" (Luke 10). Martha was busy serving Jesus and wanted her sister, Mary, to come and help her; and Jesus told her, in essence, you're busy doing a lot of work, but Mary has learned to rest. It's alright to take a nap every now and then. It's ok to go to bed early. To go to bed period! We need to make sure we're getting enough physical REST.

Then the Lord said, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden...and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11). For a lot of us, our minds and our souls are restless. We're worried about this and we're worried about that. We're anxious for this and we're anxious for that. REST. There are some things you just can't do anything about. And worrying isn't going to help it get better, neither is it going to help you. The songwriter had it right, take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Many of us are tired because we're thinking too much. Give it to God. Take it to Jesus. Let Him give you rest, and you'll find rest for your weary mind and soul. REST.

The last thing is, we need to labor to enter His Rest (Hebrews 4). This seems like a contradiction, but it's the key to renewal and revival that so many of us are longing for. True rejuvenation for many of us is not rooted in the shifting of our circumstances, it's rooted in us learning how to rest in the Lord. The challenge is, you have to work for this. You have to be diligent. You have to make sure that you've allowed the Holy Spirit to conform every aspect of your will to the Divine Will of God. It's not easy. It requires sanctification, purification, consecration, self-denial, crucifixion, circumcision, dedication and commitment. Once again, it's not easy.

And for many of you, you're tired of the process. But when you resign yourself to the Cross that God has called you to bear, when you wrap your mind around the word that says "we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter" (Romans 8), the Holy Spirit will bestow upon you a supernatural rest that will give you the second wind that you're looking for. 

Resign yourself to the struggle. Concede to the Lord that you're willing to die daily (1Corinthians 15). Quit fighting it! And when you do Saints, God has a rest that will facilitate your "crossing over to the other side." Be Encouraged Saints, and get some REST!