Finding rest for your weary soul.
Posted by appolus on February 23, 2023
(Heb 4:9-11) There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he that has entered into his rest, he has also ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
How many entered the promised land from the original 1.5 million who escaped slavery? Two. Joshua and Caleb. Ponder that for a moment brothers and sisters. Disobedience and unbelief was the order of the day among the rank and file of the Jewish people. Yet, this is not the rest the writer of Hebrews speaks of. There remains a rest for the people of God and we have been called to labor and be diligent to enter into that rest just as God rested on the Sabbath. In that place we have ceased from our works, it is an eternal Sabbath. Every day is as unto the Lord. Can anyone fool God? The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword we are told. It pierces even to the division of soul and spirit, joint and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Can we work our way to heaven? Can we construct Jacobs ladder and ascend into the heavenlies? We cannot. For those who believe, who actually believe and are obedient to that heavenly calling, they have ceased from their works and now rest upon the works of Jesus, so meticulously carried out in His walk on this earth and ending at the garden cross and the tomb and the resurrection.
If we have truly ceased from our works then what is the labor? What are we to be diligent about? But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. Heb 11:6 Weary souls are called to rest in the holiness of Christ and in His finished work. The religious spirit roams around like a lion, waiting to tear into anyone who thinks they, by their own works, can enter into His perfect peace. We rest in Him brothers and sisters. Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden (who carry heavy burdens) and I will give you rest. When the striving ceases and our hearts and our souls perpetually long after Him, this is the diligence, this is our work. And His presence is our exceeding great reward. In His presence there is rest and fullness of Joy. See the open arms of Jesus. In order to take hold of them we must lay our burdens down. We must not be anxious nor must we take care for tomorrow. Was not that the sin of the children of Israel? They did not continue to believe that the one who feeds them today, would feed them tomorrow. They did not believe that the one who sent a cloud by day and a fire by night would continue to do so.
To put it simply, trust, they did not trust God and when we do not trust God then we strive to do everything for ourselves. Lack of trust must lead to the taking up of burdens, there is no other way. Trust God for tomorrow and you will sleep well tonight. If we do not trust God then we walk in a certain wilderness. We look back to the world. Even although it is bondage, we tie ourselves with cords of misery to the ways of the world. By our own bootstraps we seek to pull ourselves out of any number of situations. And when we do this, the manna melts away, the water ceases to gush forth from the Rock. The night is cold and fearful and the heat of the day wears us down in its unrelenting oppression. Without leadership we rise up and play. We begin to raise up idols in a vain empty effort to replace God. Drink? Drugs? Men? Women? Money? And all the while the burdens increase and in some kind of crazy vicious circle we do more of the same expecting that it will bring relief. It will not. Lay it all down brothers and sisters. Come, come to Jesus and lay it all down and you will find rest for your weary soul. And the rest you will find is a greater treasure than all the wealth of the world.
A Call To The Remnant 
Anonymous said
Amen..
Niamh O' Regan said
Amen Brother, thank you for that encouraging message!!
Niamh
appolus said
God bless you sister……bro Frank
Finding rest for your weary soul. – Online Answers said
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Linde said
I love to hear this truth Frank, it is the most lovely place to live in when you find it!!!
After many years of striving and in and out of that rest I am finally tasting a continual rest everyday as long as I am quick to go to Him and leave my burdens or sin or anything that bothers me…and trust that Jesus did indeed come to not only forgive my sin but to save me from my sin! and provide me grace to endure through afflictions (which have been many lately).
I’m amazed that it has taken me so many years to enter into this rest, how patient the Lord is!!……at the end of the day it is unbelief when you keep fighting yourself and don’t allow the Lord to deal with your life!
Similar to what you said I love how Watchman Nee describes this place of rest…”It is not passivity; it is a most active life, trusting the Lord like that, drawing life from Him, taking Him to be our very life, letting Him live His life in us as we go forth in His Name” (The Normal Christian Life). Yes this IS the ‘Normal Christian Life’ to rest in the Lord everyday, how far removed from that truth the church is!! sad..
The Lord has led me to a few men and woman of God that have walked this walk of resting in Him, such as Watchman Nee, Amy Carmichael and Elizabeth Elliot to name a few. Their writings are full of treasures from the Lord that bring you to tears…..and I know that you are on the same page Frank. Thank you for sharing and encouraging many in the body of Christ with truth.
I know i said a lot you don’t have to put this up, I was thrilled to read what you wrote, so wanted to respond…thankyou!
appolus said
God bless you Linde!! Finding that place in the Lord. Hiding in the shadow of His wing, standing atop the high tower which is His refuge and doing it all while the world continues and the trials come and yet with the trials comes access to His patience. When we are mistreated, right there is His live available. All the things that assaults our soul become flaming ministers of God in the sense that they help us to mortifying this flesh of ours. To refine it in the fire. The normal life indeed, finding the quiet beauty and dignity of Holiness in the midst of an oftentimes noisy life and world………bro Frank.
Mary said
Good word, brother!
JESUS is our Sabbath Rest! ✝️
After years of religion how wonderful it was to enter Him 🙌
I have spent some time this week in Numbers 13 -14 in which you wrote 😊 I saw something I never saw there before. It was the 10 leaders that influenced the people with their bad report.
If they all 12 had the good report, they all would have entered the Promised Land. Isn’t that still true today. One can only go as far as the word they are sitting under/ listening to.
💜
Mary
appolus said
It is true today Mary. Ten out of twelve of us are afraid of the world and so therefore we wander in the wilderness, the barrenness of life. Rather than going on through we go back to the desert and some even go back to the world (Egypt) Yet there is a remnant (the two and the whosoever) that will trust God and take on the giants, whether that’s our own personal Jericho or what lies beyond………………..bro Frank
Rebecca said
My prayer has been “do not let me be deceived.” I do not want to lean on my own understanding nor do I want to grieve His Holy Spirit. In this time of darkness we must enter into His rest and His peace no matter the circumstance in our personal life … yet the paradox is that we must strain forward and press on toward the goal in Christ. There is a war taking place for our souls.
I have been bombarded with the happenings at Asbury … many people are flocking to be a part of this . I was initially hopeful that it was a repeat of the 1970 awakening that was a true repentance from sin. It was never about the gifts of the Spirit … it was not emotion driven but was about repentance from sin. By the grace of God I have learned this movement is not a movement of God but is of a “different spirit.” Jesus warns “do not be deceived.” Followers of Christ must be diligent to test the spirits to see if they are indeed from God. This is a Trojan horse … I encourage anyone who is watching this movement to prayerfully research who are the people leading the worship and who are being accepted as they are calling themselves followers of Christ without denying to the ‘old man.’ Beware …
1 John 4:1, Matthew 24:1-51, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 1 Timothy 4:1 etc …
Finding rest for your weary soul. said
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