This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. For the past couple of weeks we have been discussing “Entering Into God’s rest” from Hebrews 4:1-11. We worked our way through the entire passage. Now I feel led to give you some general thoughts about God’s rest.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s see.
1. Making peace with God comes as a result of accepting Jesus as Lord and receiving the forgiveness of sin. However, subsequent to that, we have the ability to receive the peace of God and this peace far surpasses human understanding, reasoning or explanation. The peace of God is amazing and it is available for every believer (see Phil 4:6,7).
2. The same God who made a way for us to be saved by grace, made a way for us to succeed by grace. We used our faith to access God’s grace for eternal salvation. In the same way, God expects us to use our faith to access His grace for earthly success.
3. We get to choose what we do with our cares. We can carry them around and allow them to burden us, like we were accustomed to prior to coming to Christ, or we can CAST them over to God. The Father is ready, willing, and able to receive the cares we cast over to Him, because He cares for us. So be a care-caster, not a care-carrier! (see 1st Peter 5:7).
4. While it is possible to do so, the Father does not want us to become weary in doing what is right. If we become weary we will lose the grip we have on our faith and we will experience a faith-failure. However, if we hold on, if we remain steadfast, if we maintain our hope, if we remain confident, in due season (which means that there is a season when our breakthrough is DUE) we will reap our harvest (see Gal 6:9).
5. The Father offers us a Great Exchange. He is willing to exchange our weariness for His rest. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” What a great deal! We bring him our heavy burdens and He is willing to do a one-for-one exchange with them for His rest. You won’t find a better deal anywhere (see Mat 11:38-30).
6. You can’t be in-trust or in-faith and in-worry at the same time. If you are worrying it is an indication that you don’t trust God. But if you fully trust Him there is a perfect peace – which is actually written in scripture as “peace peace” – that is available for you (see Isa 26:3).
7. Get good sleep! The Word says that it is vain to get up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows because you can’t sleep, because the Lord gives His beloved sleep. Stop allowing worry to rob you of the sleep the Father wants you to have (see Ps 127:2).
8. Have fun! If you are miserable all day, then you will more-than-likely be the same at night. Don’t live a miserable life. Enjoy your life in Christ and have FUN! Solomon said, “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” If you have fun during the day, you will also have fun while you sleep and your sleep will be sweet! (see Prov 17:22).
9. If you are going to do all the work and rely on your human strength and ability, then you are basically blocking God out of your life and He is going to stand by and rest while you work. But if you embrace the grace of God and take God up on His offer to enter into divine rest (see Heb 4), then God will perform the work in your life. God will work through you to do what you could never do on your own. Simply put: If you do all the work, then God will rest, but if you enter into divine rest, God will work. Which will you choose today?
Closing Confession: Father, thank You for caring enough about me to take the time to teach me about Your grace and the divine rest You have made available for me. I have received Your grace for eternal salvation. I accessed it with my faith and I am now saved. I also receive Your grace for earthly success. I access it with my faith and trust that I will succeed in life as I die to self and allow You to live through me. As for today, I take You up on your offer for divine rest. I release the pain, bitterness, resentment, and stress that harboring negative energy from my past has caused and I am ready to make the Great Exchange. I take off all the negatives yokes I have carried in the past and I decide to only put on one yoke from this day forward, for the rest of my life, and that yoke is Your yoke. Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light. I yoke up with You and as I do You partner with me so that I don’t have to attempt to live my life alone. You share the load and Your presence helps take the pressure off of me. I am now completely confident that I will maximize my purpose and potential before I die, because I won’t be the one doing all the work. The days of me working while You are resting in my life are over. I will now rest and allow You to work through me. I am excited about it. As You work through me You will give me the grace and strength to work and to get done more than I could ever accomplish on my own. So here I am Father. I give myself over to You. None of me, all of You! Use me for Your glory! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
