Rest Sleep
Mary Lang-Marshall, Temple Hills, MD
Catagory: Volume 2, Issue 1and 2 January/February 2000
Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day; Luke 6:5, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath . Deuteronomy 5:13, Six days thou shat labour, and do all thy work.
Abuse, aggressive attitudes, accidents and other barbaric acts are taking a toll on America. Man's knowledge has increased but his actions are ignorant and selfish. Proverbs 111:10 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. In the day-to-day life of man, fear (reverence) has no place. Man is blinded by the works of the enemy (Satan). Man is unlearned and foolish in the things of God.
Without Jesus, man continues his spiral descent toward spiritual death. When he should be seeking the Will of God, he runs and hides himself. In an attempt to seek Truth, he settles for philosophy and fables. Any time you accept earthly knowledge over the Word of God, you jeopardize existence.
Knowledge should be guided by godly wisdom and understanding. If not, it is good for nothing. Knowledge puffeth up, it causes one to think more highly of himself. A man that moves in knowledge is arrogant and pompous. He bases his life on earthly and sensuous desires. As long as man refuses to follow the Word of God, he will continue to see an influx of barbaric and satanic activities.
To the spiritually dead, a word from the psychic hotline takes prevalence over the Word of God. The Bible holds the answer to every question man could ever have. Many of man's problems could be answered by RESTING or SLEEPING. Man is so out of touch that he thinks resting is empty, unfruitful, or being lazy.
How much rest or sleep are we getting in a day? We must get back to the principles God put in motion in the Book of Genesis. He Worked and then He Rested. If we rested more, we could avoid abuse, aggressive attitudes, and many accidents.
The soul (mind) and the body are feeling the effects of being overworked. When we should be resting, we are working. Most of our waking hours are consumed by work and play. In a matter of days, our time is being stretched from one continent to another.
When both parents are working, many children never see their parents together at any given time. Travel has separated more and more families. The opportunity to move from place to place is causing us to get less and less sleep (rest).
The body and the soul cannot continue to function under stress in the fast pace of this demanding world. When the mind (soul: emotions, intellect, and reasoning) is not alert, it is less apt to function in the time of crisis. Clutter causes the mind to wander or simply shut down, even though the eyes are open. Every creature from the greatest to the smallest must have rest. If not, neither man nor animal could function in his/its surroundings.
Sweet sleep comes when
the mind is free to relax.
Our body and soul need rest to be productive. When we deprive ourselves of valuable rest, the mind becomes sluggish; the body becomes weak; and the spirit is weakened and dead to Christ. God in all His infinite Wisdom knew man would need rest. Therefore, a day of rest was ordained for mankind (natural as well as spiritual).
Mark 2:27 says, And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.
God desires His people to understand the importance of proper rest. Satan knows and he's doing whatever he can to keep us busy and worried. He knows that resting allows the body to be revitalized and gives the soul time to shut the world out and regroup. We can't function properly with a worn out body and a tired mind.
Having an over-taxed body can cause major organs not to eliminate waste and harmful toxins which cause sickness and disease. The body must be able to filter and digest necessary nutrients and oxygen for living. It must have an opportunity to relax. While relaxing, the heart does not work hard.
We were created with the potential to rest. Therefore, when the alarm goes off, we should not ignore the prompting. Take the opportunity to rest. The soul and body require rest automatically, but most of us have learned to override this system. This world has reprogrammed us to close our minds to the body's request for sleep.
When we allow things to get out of order, the soul will take control. The soul becomes an enemy to God and a friend to our enemy (Satan): it could eventually destroy itself. The soul does not know its own limitations. The soul needs rest from its labour.
Matthew 11:28-29 say, Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find Rest unto your souls. Jesus asked. Let's go!
What God ordained, the soul and body cannot bring to pass. The soul and the body function within the earth realm, but without the spirit our makeup is not complete. The spirit, soul and body make up our whole being. God uses the whole being to bring forth His Plan and Purpose upon the earth.
If we are to answer the Call upon our lives, we must come to a place of Rest: spirit, soul, and body.
Hebrews 4:9-11 say, There remaineth therefore a Rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His Rest, he also hath 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.
Obtaining and maintaining God's Rest is a continuous act on our part. We must accept Jesus as Lord if we are to walk under the unction of the Holy Spirit. Without Jesus, it is impossible to enter into God's Rest. There is no Rest for those outside of God's Will. Remember, God sent His Son for the Purpose of bringing us into His Rest (reconciliation).
When we submit and deny ourselves, we Learn to Rest. If we live in the Spirit, we must walk in the Spirit.
John 4:23-24 say, But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
Hours of sleep bring you peace,
hours of peace bring you Heaven.
The soul and the body identifies with the things of this world, but the spirit identifies with the things of the Spirit.
If we are to function in the Spirit realm, our spirit needs to experience God's Rest. Where the Spirit is, there is liberty. If we are in the Kingdom of God, we should be at Rest. The Kingdom of God is Righteousness, Peace (Rest) and Joy in the Holy Ghost.
In Christ Jesus we are sitting in heavenly places. We inherit Eternal Rest. God established His Rest in the first book of the Bible.
Genesis 2:2-3 say, And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He Rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had Rested from all His work which God created and made.
As the spirit dictates, so follow the soul and the body. The spirit is still in need of the body and soul to function while we are in the natural. The spirit needs a daily intake of food (the Word of God) and water (the Holy Ghost). Since we are resting from our labour, the Spirit of God refreshes us day by day.
Salvation is the beginning of Life. Our relationship brings us to a place of fellowship. Through fellowship, we embark upon a journey in the Spirit. We are no longer bound to this world when we Rest in Jesus. The natural must give way to the Spirit.
Genesis 2:21, Adam was in a deep sleep when God took a rib from his side and made woman. God made Adam a wife.
Genesis 15:12-18, Abram was in a deep sleep when he saw a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. During his sleep God told him of things to come. A covenant was also cut between God and Abram.
Genesis 28:11-13, While Jacob slept, he saw angels ascending and descending on the earth. Jacob knew he was in the Presence of God. Confirmation was given unto him concerning his future.
I Kings 19:5, While Elijah slept, he was supplied with a cake and a cruse of water. The food gave Elijah strength to continue his journey for forty days and forty nights.
Daniel 8:18-27, God gave Daniel a step by step account of what was yet to come. The vision told of the impending destruction of kings.
Job 33:15, In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life front perishing by the sword. God comes unto man when he is still asleep (in darkness; in sin).
Genesis 20:3, God came to Abimelech in a dream to warn him that Sarah was Abraham's wife. Abimelech's life was spared, because God looked upon the integrity of his heart.
Job 4:13, Amid disquieting dreams in the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear and trembling seized me and made all my bones shake, God comes as He will, warning men of their sins.
Rest is a state of being calm
in a horizontal or vertical position.
Matthew 27:19, Pilate's wife had a dream concerning Jesus, she knew that this Man was innocent. She did not want Pilate to condemn an innocent man.
Acts 16:9, A vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. God gives us directions, Paul's steps were ordered by God.
What's the difference in the men of the Bible and the men of today? The difference is the attitude of reverence (fear) they had toward the Lord of Host. They expected God to give them direction, revelation, and strength. As Children of God we should also expect to behold the Glory of the Lord. Where His Presence is, there is Holiness of Joy. His Goodness and Mercy shall follow those who love His Statutes. In the Beauty of Holiness and Power, we stand in the assurance of God's Rest.
Allow the God of the Bible to give you revelation concerning your present and your future. In the Book of Revelation, God spoke many times to John the Beloved and said, come up here. Even Paul was caught up into the Third Heaven. We are a spirit being. However, many refuse to acknowledge their dependency upon the Spirit. When we long to know God more, it is not of ourselves, but of the Holy Ghost.
Our spiritual needs are different from the need soul and the body. The spirit needs the Word of God to stay connected and stay free in the time of trouble. When we sleep (rest), we are closer to our Maker than we think. There is a transition from being awake to being asleep. What happens when we sleep? Only God knows.
When we sleep it should be sweet, not unrestful or weary. Let's rest and allow the mind to cease from thinking of day-to-day activity. As we sleep in the natural we must depend upon God to raise us up in the natural. When we Rest or Sleep in Jesus we must depend on Him to do likewise.
When we sin, we must repent and get right with God immediately. Do not allow anything to keep you from Resting in the Lord. We must not feed and meditate on the things of the flesh because our spirits will not digest flesh. The flesh must not be in control. We need to rest from our own labour to receive the Rest prepared for us by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Don't be ignorant to the things of God, for they are for us to profit.
Be responsible to do the Will of God. Everlasting Joy is ours. Surrender and submission are the key words to rest. Trust and Faith will bring us to our Heavenly Home.
Posts: 1
Reply #1 on : Mon January 10, 2011, 21:29:16