“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 4:6-7
Someone mentioned, “these two are the hardest” (rest and stress). They require faith. Couldn’t agree more.
As I think about it, to rest, we have to have peace. “Perfect peace have they whose minds are stayed on thee” - Isaiah 26:3
Yes, hard situations come, and we can venture into stress mode, look at JESUS in the boat, what was HIS response? Oh you of little faith…(Mark 4:35-41)
Who do I rely on to help me in my situations, trouble, affliction? Who do I walk with every moment? Sometimes GOD, or all the time GOD? Who’s helping me through life? Who’s keeping me through out life? Is it HE who ended HIS work and rested?
Then what’s to worry, when HE who declared the end from the beginning at the end of it all, HE rested! 20MR 197.2 …So only if we rely on HIM shall we have assurance that whatever happens (having to “accept” the whatever happens part) the end is secured despite the challenges.
This can only be a reality if as Enoch of old, I’m walking with CHRIST every moment, abiding in Him. Which means, NO turning back to the darkness(the flesh) rather following the light. When you look inside your flesh do you see natural light? No. It’s dark in the physical eyes (object lesson) given what is inside of us. So don’t look within to find help, rather, look without. Then, HIM - without will fill the within (The point being- we go outside to find help for within)
Then with the help, you quickly find out there’s resistance, right?! Why? Because those within factors (all forces of unregenerate nature) are now warring against what you just brought within (life) while this body is under the curse of the law (that all who disobey should die) so this body is now sadly fighting exactly what is needed- life- CHRIST, but now GOD is here to redeem this soul that is in this body that will continue to try to die as much as possible left to itself. It is bent towards death to fulfill what was said “you shall surely die” - Gen 2:17
So now it’s a warfare, and only GOD who pronounced that curse, can redeem such a one from the same curse of death, and give us life. GOD never intended for that curse to fall on man. Man through continuous abiding (continuing to live by what GOD has given them -which was all except the 1 tree for our test) man had it all.
Today, humanity is struggling with grass is greener on the other side, which is incorrect thinking. We’re being protected from that by being asked to not covet.- Exodus 20:17; But you know left to ourselves we don’t stand the chance not to covet. I find myself naturally coveting if not walking in the will of GOD. I have to abide moment by moment to go against the will of the flesh.- Galatians 5:19-25
GOD has given each one of us a measure of faith. I see this is why we have ability to seek. We look for something, and we’re not satisfied with our findings until we find JESUS who gave us that desire to find HIM. This I testify in my own life. It is only by abiding in JESUS/finding JESUS - that things work out, that I become content, that I’m not confused, that I get disciplined, that life matters, that pursuing GOD matters, and this is how GOD gets us to desire HIM, and to be born again- John 3:3. HE has initially given us that desire unbeknownst to ourselves, otherwise we would NEVER seek HIM. “There’s none righteous, there’s none that seek after GOD” - Romans 3:10
When we are born again then we can see the Kingdom (by faith), we delight in the Bible, in knowing GOD, in doing HIS will. We choose and desire to be with HIM (this is a miracle) I marvel because i wasn’t one to be about GOD’s business with my life. I was bent to do whatever comes my way that seems profitable to me, and that didn’t include giving my mind to GOD to order my footsteps, and HIM being my counselor and sure guide, and me being about my FATHER’s business- this became all new, and a miracle in my life, and I LOVE this miracle. It fills my heart, it gives me peace. I’ve seen that in my experience when I let my mind wander, I stress, because I have then wandered from my rest, who through the great controversy that HE saw from before the foundation of the world (the great controversy in Heaven), and HE declared- it is finished, and HE stands victorious. Only through CHRIST can I have rest, and not stress amidst whatever happens. It is a moment by moment journey, a real one.
Only if Psalm 23 is a reality in my life can i live out, and enjoy the benefits of my walk with GOD. Trials will always come. What do you do with them? Psalm 23
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything….”
We’re in the crucible with CHRIST. Stress as I see it, is allowing the unbelief in the unregenerate nature to take control. What does unbelief consist- it is basically not believing in GOD. We all have an unregenerate nature that is not subject to GOD, neither indeed can it be.
Now, thanks be to our Everlasting FATHER that through CHRIST, you and I have been separated from that sinful nature. Amazing Great News. So then how does this help with stress?
As mentioned earlier, GOD has told us to not be anxious. He has also given us promises (His promises are conditional) we need to not be practicing known sin to be able to claim His promises- Isaiah 59:1, 2 (Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear), and His ability to keep us from sinning is one of His promises as well. It takes abiding in Him moment by moment.
In this case, as a child of GOD there is no need to stress, because stress is rooted from unbelief. Doubting God’s hand in the crucible, and therefore trying to fix things on our own. This is what we shouldn’t have to go through. Unbelievers go through this because they choose to deny CHRIST, and so they carry the load of sin and misery without help. But then, believers, we don’t have to let doubt enshroud us so much that we stress. So what do we need? We need to EXERCISE Faith, to knock off unbelief.
Surrender to GOD is the antidote for stress. PSALM 23!
“Speak Faith, Act Faith, even when you don’t feel faith, exercise faith, and soon you shall have faith” - How do I exercise faith? Taking God at His Word, and leaving my issues at the altar, knowing that He has my best interests at heart. The issues we go through actually are for Him to shape our character, and pull out the dross of sin from our lives, to reflect His character. All part of this Amazing Grace!
Here's a book about Faith, if you'd like to read/listen: https://ellenwhiteaudio.org/lessons-on-faith/
You know speaking of rest, a time is coming which God’s commandment that has to do with rest will be a test of our allegiance whether to God or to the enemy. I’m referring to the 4th Commandment. If you’d like to know more concerning the Sabbath, and what I’m referring to by saying test- please watch this video: https://youtu.be/Nkhcc-spRgo
I once didn’t know either, and now I’m thankful to God to have learned, and it is my delight to be able to share.
If you’d like to consider Bible Studies, please feel free to reach out! (https://egbibleschool.org/these-last-days-studies/ ) this link is a set of online Bible study guides.
A Hymn that would go well with this topic is Hymn #608 ~Faith is the Victory that Overcomes the World.🎵
Hope you’re blessed and encouraged by this. Please share your thoughts!
The just shall live by faith