176-Don't Let Others Take Away Your Rest#
176-Don't Let Others Take Away Your Rest
(JP Text Group - Ren Wei Compilation)
Today, the topic we are sharing is "Don't Let Others Take Away Your Rest."
Hebrews 4:1-11:
Since we have the promise of entering His rest, let us fear, lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest,’” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.”
And again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest.” Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today, after such a long time, as it has been said: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’”
For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
God, at the beginning, was willing to let the people of Israel enter His rest. God had prepared everything, as the scripture says, “Since we have the promise of entering His rest.” In the Bible, God gives us many promises, and these promises are blessings that God wants to give us. One of those promises is to let us enter His rest. First, we need to understand what rest is.
When people use the term rest, they often use it in front of something square, saying “Rest now!” as if only at that moment can one have rest. However, the rest that Jesus Christ brings us is not about lying in a coffin.
The rest that Jesus Christ gives us is to live with His power and victory. So rest is not about vacation or doing nothing; rest is not about doing nothing at all. Rest is knowing that God has completed everything, and you face everything with a victorious heart, a winner's heart.
Each of us has to work, and in life, there will be challenges and interactions with people. We need to have a heart of rest within us so that we will not be easily disturbed by others. The promise of entering rest from God should make us fear, as this is mentioned in the New Testament, because if we are not careful, we may step outside of rest. Those who lose their rest will be restless and can even get very angry over small matters; such people do not have rest. Therefore, the Bible says, “Let us fear, lest any of you seem to come short of it.”
The gospel has been given to the people of Israel, “but the word which they heard did not profit them.” Many people also hear the word, but after hearing it, they go home and continue as before; the word is of no benefit to them. Just like what we are talking about today. They heard it, but it did not bring greater change in their lives. They have faith, but that faith did not harmonize with their lives. “But the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
What does it mean to harmonize?
God's word is God's word; you should live as you should, but if God's word and our lives are separate, it will not benefit your life. Because you do not have faith that harmonizes with the word you heard. I hope that after you hear the word, you can apply it to your life. Only then will the word you hear be alive. Hearing the word cannot be like listening to a book; after hearing it, you go home and live as before; such a word is of no benefit to you. After hearing it, you should be able to apply that word in your life, and that will bring you benefit.
“But we who have believed do enter that rest.” In front of those who believe in the Lord, God is willing for you to enter His rest. But at that time, God said to the people of Israel, “I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest!’” When God created the heavens and the earth, we did nothing; God created everything, and we enjoy what God has made.
On the sixth day, God created Adam and Eve. For us humans, we did not participate in the creation work; we entered rest with God. God created the heavens and the earth in six days and entered rest on the seventh day. In other words, after Adam was created on the sixth day, he immediately entered rest with God. After God created you, He did not immediately send you to work; He first let you enter into rest.
So the first day of each week is crucial. On the first day of each week, God hopes you will first enter His rest and work with His power. First, hear God's word, harmonize God's word with your life, and then go to work and handle your relationships. This way, you will face everything with the victory of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, Hebrews 4 says to enter the Lord's rest, where we know the Lord is in control; He is the God who fights for us. Once you enter into rest, you need to keep entering, because if you are not careful, you will come out, so you must keep entering into rest.
“Since there remains a rest for the people of God, for he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Many people do not enter rest because they do not believe God's word. Some might say, “No! I believe in God too!” What we are talking about here is not about salvation; it is about whether you believe God can help you in a certain matter. If you do not believe God in that matter, you are outside of that matter's rest. We need to learn how to continually enter into God's rest because there are many thieves and destroyers of rest in our lives.
John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
Here, the thief refers to the devil, whose job is to steal, kill, and destroy. Before the devil steals your health or joy, the first thing he wants to steal is your rest. When a person has no rest, they will be flustered, and everything will become chaotic. The devil's work is to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus Christ came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
There are always people or environments that make you lose your rest. So if you want to live in God's rest, you need to set a boundary for your heart. Do not let everything in; this is what we need to learn and train ourselves to do. You cannot spend all day looking at garbage information and still remain in rest; that is impossible.
In your heart, do not constantly accept tragedies, accidents, or negative news. Nowadays, when we open WeChat, we see a lot of information every day, much of which is garbage information that makes you feel uncomfortable. What should you do? When you see such information, delete it immediately. Why let it enter your heart and affect you? For example, news reports of bloody scenes; do not let such information into your heart because if you look at such information, you still want to remain in rest; that is very contradictory.
We need to set a boundary for our hearts; do not casually let everything enter your thoughts. Do not focus on these things; some things should be thrown away because the more you see, the more it will affect you. After seeing it, it will make you feel worse. How much of the information on the internet is real? Why let in those false things, things you should not see? Please remember: your heart is not a trash can. Once some things enter your heart, it is hard to filter them out; they will affect you. The best way is to block them out first and not let them in.
Numbers 33:51-55:
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, and destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; you shall dispossess the land and dwell in it, for I have given the land to you to possess. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.’”
When God promised the land of Canaan to the people of Israel, He said to them: “When you enter the land of Canaan, you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you.” God made it very clear why He wanted them to drive out all the inhabitants of that land and destroy all their idols. Why clean it up?
The seven nations of Canaan, the original inhabitants of the land, were already corrupted beyond recognition at that time, with idols everywhere, widespread homosexuality, and many strange viruses. In God's view, when sin reaches a certain level, He must execute destruction. For God, the people of Israel could not have the same lifestyle as them. For us, we also cannot want to live like the world and at the same time expect to receive God's blessings; that is impossible. Because they will disturb you in return.
God told them to destroy all the idols and drive them out; that place had already been given to the people of Israel as an inheritance. God has always given the people of Israel the opportunity to choose. If they do not drive out the inhabitants of that land, those whom they let remain will be irritants in their eyes and thorns in their sides, and they will harass them in the land where they dwell. Before this happened, God's word had already been given to them, but the people of Israel did not drive out the inhabitants of that land. Why did they not drive them out?
Because the people there were very tall, and the people of Israel were very “smart.” They analyzed with their “developed” brains and concluded: “No! We cannot drive them out! This group of people is so tall and strong; they are perfect as slaves. It would be such a pity to drive them out!” As a result, they left this group of people as slaves, and these people later continually disturbed the people of Israel.
Have you ever thought about why the people of Israel had such thoughts? The reason is simple: they were still living in their past mindset. They had been slaves to others, and now that they had gained freedom, they wanted to find some slaves for themselves. They made this group of people work for them without paying them, and as a result, these people became “irritants in their eyes and thorns in their sides,” harassing them in the land where they dwelled.
Sometimes, God's words may sound unreasonable and seem to bring you no benefit, but God is God, and His words are meant to be applied to your life; it is not for you to analyze; it is a choice of whether you believe or not. The people of Israel did not do this at that time.
Today, my advice to everyone is to delete everything on your phone that makes you feel lost and sad. You need to be very careful about what you are feeding your heart today. If you are looking at garbage and horror information every day, your heart will not have rest.
You often see people online posting such information: someone went to hell; what is in the first layer of hell, what is in the second layer; how the devil torments people in hell... Some even illustrate these things. If you watch this, will you feel comfortable? Will you have peace? Many Christians find such information interesting.
My advice to you: Don't look at these things. If you want to go to hell, take a good look; if you are not planning to go, why watch it! Where do you plan to go? If you intend to go to heaven, then focus more on information about the kingdom of heaven. There is so much information about the kingdom of heaven in the Bible, and how much information is there about hell? Just a few words. As a result, others have created more descriptions of hell, and you like to watch it. After watching, you lose faith and ask the Lord, “Lord, why have I been having nightmares these days?” It would be strange not to have nightmares after looking at such information!
So some things should be kept outside your heart; do not let them enter your heart. Some people just like to watch negative things, which leads to a lot of worries. You cannot accept these negative messages all day long. No matter how the world develops, our God is still seated as King. This is what we should believe.
Proverbs 4:23: Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
You must guard your heart and not accept messages from all sides; do not believe everything people say. The foolish believe every word, but the wise consider well their steps. If you believe everything others say, if someone says there is a tiger on the street, you will also spread the word “There is a tiger on the street.” If you want to live a victorious life, a positive life, a life full of faith, you must guard your heart from accepting negative things. If you do not accept them, they will not affect you.
Each of our hearts is like a radio; the radio will report some terrible information. When you hear this information, the best way to deal with it is to change the channel and listen to some uplifting songs. For us, we need to adjust our hearts to the frequency of Jesus Christ, not to other channels. The more you listen to other channels, the deeper you will be poisoned. So when you change the channel, be careful that what you are listening to is not the gospel of Jesus Christ; let your heart constantly receive information about Jesus Christ, as this will have a positive impact on your life. The gospel is good news, and Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end of the gospel. I hope everyone feeds their hearts with the words of Christ every day, building up their hearts so that they can live a life of faith, positivity, and hope.
If you particularly like watching horror movies, you are planting such things in your heart. In my time, especially for those born in the 80s and 70s, there were open-air cinemas, and “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio” was a very popular movie at that time. I believe many people have seen this movie in open-air cinemas. People watched it with great interest, but after watching, if you passed through the fields on your way home, do you think your heart was at peace? Would you not glance around?
Any little noise would scare you terribly. Who planted that seed in your heart? If someone who has not seen this movie walks with you, they would think you have a problem; your heart is different from theirs. So we must guard our hearts and not accept these chaotic things. Amen!
Later on, when the computer industry developed, Japanese horror movies became even scarier, and most of the scenes in these horror movies take place at home. If you are constantly exposed to such information, can you not be afraid at home at night? So, fear does not come from God! God does not want to give you fear, but if you collect these things everywhere and watch them every day, they will sprout in your heart; how can you not feel fear?
Many times, the information you see will affect your life. The best way to deal with such things is not to watch them. Whether you see horror movies on your phone or on TV, quickly change the channel; that is the wisest thing to do. You must not watch while praying, saying, “Lord, I am not affected by this.” That will not work.
If you constantly receive negative information, in human terms, these will enter your subconscious; in biblical terms, they will enter your soul, and then they will affect you, causing you to dream about these chaotic things at night. This information will make the Holy Spirit within you worry. So you need to understand what is keeping you away from rest, and then refuse to let that information enter your heart.
For example, today, with the internet so developed, some people particularly like to argue with others online, and by the end, they are cursing at each other, wanting to kill the other person. Why get so angry? If the conversation is not going well, do not continue talking; just delete them or close the internet, and that’s it. Do not continue in such situations.
Because many people really have nothing to do, is it free speech online? So do not believe everything people say, and do not argue with others. In such cases, you are particularly likely to enter into a mode of condemnation, while God hopes you will enter into a mode of rest. God wants you to enter into Him and enjoy His rest. Do not let the devil steal your rest; you must set a boundary for your heart and then tell yourself: “I do not live in someone else's world; God defines my life.”
In other words: No matter what others say about me, that word will not come to pass; what God says about me is most important. In God's eyes, I am precious; I am the apple of His eye; I am a saint; I am loved by God. By declaring this to yourself, you are in rest.
Hebrews 13:6: So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Do you believe God's word? God is your helper; no matter what people say about you, what can they do to you? Will a few words from them make you lose something? But what God says will surely come to pass. We should pay more attention to what God says to you. Do not focus all day on what others are doing, what car they drive, or what they eat; these are not important. We should walk our own life path.
Successful people in the world generally do not focus on others; they focus on themselves. For us, our benchmark is Jesus Christ; we just need to run straight towards Jesus Christ. What others say is their business; how others choose to believe is also their business. Stop comparing; otherwise, you will lose your rest.
Some people are particularly emotional; every time they have a problem, they come to you, but they are not willing to listen to how you can help them solve the problem. They just want to talk to you. Today, they come to you and say, “My situation is so tragic...” You listen to them once; the next day they come back and repeat what they said yesterday. If this continues for a week, how long can you endure it?
They keep pouring their negative emotions onto you, treating you like a trash can, and you will find your heart is soon filled with negative emotions. When we encounter such people, we need to realize that they just want to dump some garbage on you; they are not willing to listen to how to solve the problem. These people are those who have lost their rest; you love them, but you should not be influenced by them.
What we need to do is: do not take on other people's negative emotions and fill your heart with them. If you truly want to help them, lead them to Jesus Christ with their problems; do not fill your heart with their problems. Let this person learn to rely on God, not come to you for everything. If you help them solve the problem this time, the next time they have a problem, they will still come to you. If you do that, how many people can you help? Sometimes you can help them, and sometimes you cannot; you will become anxious with them. In such situations, you are particularly likely to lose your rest.
I fully agree that we should help and care for each other and spend time taking care of people. But some people are unwilling to face their problems; they just want to throw their problems at you, and once they do, they feel at ease, while you cannot rest. When encountering such people, we need to teach them how to rely on God. If today you have taught them, and they are unwilling to rely on God, unwilling to pray, unwilling to talk to God about this matter, what should you do? The method is simple: if they are like this, you must learn to refuse. When you refuse them, they will no longer confide in you; they will pray to God. If they always have someone to dump their problems on, they will not rely on God.
Many times, we need to understand that we cannot be responsible for other people's lives. You can encourage them, but whether they listen is their business. If some people only want to live in anger, bitterness, and panic, always complaining about this and that, when you encounter such people, you need to tell them that there is a better way to live, which is to be in God's rest.
If they are unwilling or do not believe, then you should gradually distance yourself from them because you are not a trash can. You need to learn to protect yourself and not let your inner self lose rest. Because if you lose rest, you cannot help others. Sometimes we do not realize how much capacity we have; when someone tells you a little thing, you become more anxious than they are. In such cases, it is better not to help others; it is better not to listen.
Brothers and sisters, we need to set a defense line for our lives. If today you can help one person, then help one. For me, I have a time limit for myself every day. I turn on my phone at seven in the morning and turn it off at eleven at night. Sometimes I will turn it off earlier; in the summer, I set it to six. Why do I do this? Because I need to have personal time. If someone calls me after eleven at night, then my entire schedule for the next day will be thrown into chaos, and I will not be able to help the people I originally wanted to help. This is setting a limit for my life, and you need to do the same.
You need to leave time for yourself to be alone with God. Do not be busy from morning till night; it is easy to lose rest. Set a special time between yourself and God. Once that time is over, you can handle other matters. For example, right now, this time is for everyone to listen to the word; focus on listening to the word, set your phone to silent, and once this time is over, you can deal with the problem. Perhaps that problem will no longer be a problem. If you are listening to the word and this message happens to solve your problem, but suddenly a phone call comes in, that person will immediately take away your rest, and you will not be able to absorb the message anymore. So we need to have this wisdom and set a boundary for our lives.
Because indeed, many people are overly dramatic; everything requires your immediate help. If you do not set a limit for your life, you will be easily influenced by others.
Entering rest is extremely important. After discussing so much, the hope is that you can face problems in rest, with a victorious mindset, facing life with a heart that has already won. Therefore, we cannot let those who refuse to face problems constantly hinder you. Recognize that those people are actually thieves of rest; do not let others take away your rest. So you need to make changes; for some people, you need to gradually distance yourself from them. We are not asking everyone to be selfish, but to have wisdom, because you cannot solve everyone's problems, and you cannot make everyone satisfied.
Take me as an example; when I preach today, I cannot satisfy everyone. There will always be some people who nitpick, and they come with that mindset to listen. So what? For me, I have already said what I needed to say. Our approach is to spread the gospel to everyone, but whether these people can believe, we cannot be responsible for that. You can preach the gospel to everyone, but you cannot guarantee that everyone who hears it will believe because you are not the Savior; we already have a Savior, Jesus Christ.
What we can do is bring people before the Savior, but do not let people take away your rest. Because indeed, some people do not genuinely want to change; they just like to vent to others. Once they pour their bitterness onto others, they feel comfortable. They enjoy being the center of attention, knowing you are a Christian and will always be there for them. They take advantage of your enthusiasm. Sometimes, our eagerness to help them may make them weaker. If we do not reach out to help them, perhaps they will learn to rely on God. We need to have discernment and wisdom.
We also need to be wise in knowing Jesus Christ. Our lives are too short; you cannot solve everyone's problems. Some people just do not want to be happy; they like to watch garbage information every day. Do not live with them, and do not let them hinder you from losing your rest. Some people just like to live under the law; they are often angry and enjoy condemning others. That is their way of life, while you should live in the grace of Jesus Christ, enjoying His joy every day.
Ephesians 5:18-20:
Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The scripture tells us something very important: why are being filled with the Spirit and being drunk placed together? Because these two are very similar. A drunk person speaks nonsense, while a person filled with the Spirit speaks things that even they themselves do not understand; others may think it is nonsense, but those words are meaningful, which we call “tongues.”
Another characteristic of a drunk person is that they walk unsteadily; those filled with the Spirit also may walk unsteadily, but they can jump for an hour without feeling tired, and they are extremely excited. Some drunk people become bolder; things they would not dare to say before, they say after drinking. After being filled with the Spirit, the apostles in the Bible were like this; they were praying in a small room and did not dare to come out, but after being filled with the Spirit, they went out to preach the gospel.
They preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to those they had feared in the past, telling them to repent. Things they had not dared to do before, now they dared to do. Some people like to sing after drinking; those filled with the Spirit also love to sing, which we call “spiritual songs.” Some can sing for two hours without feeling tired; this is actually the result of being filled with the Spirit. This is a different way of living.
If someone says they just like to be drunk every day, let them be; they choose that life. We choose another kind of life similar to theirs, which is to live a life filled with the Spirit. When a person is filled with the Spirit, they speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord. You will find this is a wonderful thing! Everyone sings beautiful lyrics to each other; what a great way to live!
And giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is a life filled with the Spirit. Some choose to be drunk every day; that is their life. You can encourage them, but if others do not listen, do not say more. We live our own lives, living a life of rest filled with the Spirit. For those who are burdened, you only need to offer a prayer, and then we should enjoy everything Jesus Christ has given us.
Set boundaries for your soul, and you will enjoy more of Jesus Christ's rest in life. Doing so will make your work more effective. Therefore, you need to find spiritual companions to support and encourage you, using correct and edifying words to encourage each other. Undeniably, our friends will influence our lives greatly. If all your friends are “three missing one,” and you are not in that “three missing one” group, you will run to that “three missing one” group.
Some say, “In a person's life, the five closest friends around them will directly influence your life.” Think about the characteristics of the five closest friends around you. If all five of your friends are filled with the Spirit and often encourage you, even if you are a weak person, you will still be a person filled with joy because you will encourage each other when you are together.
If all your friends are sighing and complaining, in a few days, you will become like that too. When your friends see you, they say, “Oh! I am so angry!” Another friend says, “Oh! I am so worried!” If five friends each pour their bitterness onto you, you will be influenced by them, and your speech will become like theirs. This is the reason your heart has not set boundaries. This has nothing to do with how long you have believed or whether you rely on God. It is just about keeping the door shut and not letting garbage information enter your heart.
Proverbs 13:20: He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
This is the wisdom God gives us in the Bible. We already have the wisdom of salvation, but in life, we need the wisdom of victory. As the saying goes, “Those who are close to vermilion will be red; those who are close to ink will be black.”
Proverbs 20:19 also tells us, “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.” Some things you do not need to know; you just need to believe.
What kind of person is a talebearer?
For example, if I tell him something and say, “I consider you a friend; please do not tell anyone else what I told you.” He says, “Okay, okay,” but then he tells everyone around him without telling me. Such a person is a talebearer. If you are such a person, how can you remain in rest? It is very difficult! A talebearer is definitely not a person of rest.
If you make a friend like this, you can be sure you will easily lose your rest because such people are the ones who take away your rest. So what is your wisdom? Next time something happens, do not tell him. If you know he has such a character, why tell him anything? If he spreads your matters everywhere, you will go home angry; that is a sign of lack of wisdom.
For us, being in rest means knowing such people, and you should not associate with those who flatter with their lips. God tells us to guard our hearts above all else. If you encounter such friends, gradually distance yourself from them! Then find some spiritual partners, some who can bring edification to your life.
What we are saying is to let you see that the people around you have a huge impact on you. Our leaders also have a significant influence on us. Our great shepherd is Jesus. If Jesus has no rest, then you will also lose your rest. Jesus' ministry is busier than anyone else's; His preaching ministry is busy from morning till night, but does Jesus have time to rest? Yes.
The Bible says that every evening, Jesus would go up to the mountain alone to pray; He wanted to be alone with the Father to receive His power for the next day. So we need to have this wisdom and not let people take away your wisdom; set a boundary for your life and your heart! Then He (Jesus) distanced Himself from the crowd and was restored in communion with the Father. Jesus is the leader of the disciples, so when Jesus faced problems, He was always in rest.
For example, the Bible records an event: once Jesus and His disciples were to cross to the other side of the sea, suddenly a great storm arose in the middle of the sea. Jesus was asleep, and the disciples used all their methods to protect the boat. They tried their best to get the water out of the boat, but the wind and waves were too great. Finally, they had no choice but to wake Jesus, saying, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Were the disciples saying this gently?
Had they lost their rest? This storm made the disciples lose their rest, but there was one person still at rest. Who was it? It was Jesus. When Jesus was awakened by the disciples, He did not say, “Oh no! So much water, let’s jump into the sea!” If Jesus had said that, what do you think the disciples' reaction would be? Everyone would jump in. So who our leader is is also crucial. But the disciples saw that Jesus was full of rest. Jesus got up and said, “Peace! Be still!” and the sea became calm. The disciples began to discuss, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
What do you bring to those around you? Is it this kind of rest? If you want to bring rest to those around you, you must first possess the rest of Jesus Christ. If your friends are all anxious and worried about small problems (the stock market has dropped, the house prices have risen...), and you are the same, you will also lose your rest. In such an environment, you must possess the rest of Jesus Christ. You must believe that God has accomplished everything; He will surely take care of you. For us, we must make up our minds to stay in God's rest. You must believe that no matter what happens, even if the wind and waves are great, Jesus is still above the wind and waves, and the wind and waves will listen to the words of Jesus Christ. Today, Jesus is with you through the Holy Spirit; you need to look at your environment with different eyes. They cannot see hope because they look at the environment with their own eyes; you need to see that Jesus Christ is with you. With Him, what do you have to worry about?
If this situation happens again, you are that disciple, and Jesus is sleeping at the foot of your bed. Will you still worry? No matter how great the storm is, you will not worry because you know Jesus' power. You have seen in the Bible Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and authority; all of this is already in your mind. So even if the wind and waves are great, you will not move; you will be at rest.
At that time, the disciples' understanding of Jesus was too limited, which is why they panicked in the face of problems. This is why I tell you to strive to understand the grace of Jesus Christ and know His power. No matter how your environment is or how big the problem is, you will not panic; you will be at rest. Do not let negative information awaken you from rest, and do not let those who are worried and doubtful make you lose your rest. Hold on to God's rest. You must believe that no matter what you encounter, God will not leave you unattended.
In the face of life's storms, how should we respond in difficult times? We need to understand how Jesus responded to the storm, and you should respond to your environment in the same way. When we are in rest, we will also bring rest to those around us. You live in rest, and your family will see the glory of Jesus Christ through you. You will also influence those around you. In the office, if your colleagues are all anxious and frowning, and you are joyful no matter what happens, this will influence them. They will curiously ask you why you are always joyful every day.
At this time, you can tell them: “God is with me; you can believe in Jesus with me, and you will also have a joyful heart in everything.” This is a kind of infectiousness. You can invite others to go to church with you, but if you are always frowning, others will say, “You are like this; why should I go with you?” First, let the rest of Jesus Christ fill you!
We know that when staying in a hotel, there is a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door of the room. You should also hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door of your heart. Do not be afraid of some problems. When some problems arise, you should tell yourself: “These problems are not problems; these problems will not make me lose my rest because my Lord is with me.” Because you know that Jesus Christ is still in rest today, do not let any problems you encounter take away your rest, whether it is physical illness, children’s issues, family problems, or interpersonal relationship problems. Do not let these problems take away your rest.
Many people become anxious when they are stuck in traffic, or when they are driving and suddenly another car cuts in; their anger rises immediately. Do not let these things affect you. Because I have indeed encountered many friends like this, I will tell them to rest. Many people and many things are meant to take away your rest. If you lose your rest, you will lose the blessings that follow.
Brothers and sisters, today we cannot drive away every thief of rest. For example, when you go to work, your boss has a dirty mouth; what will you do? You change companies, and you find that boss is the same. What to do? Hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your heart and say, “I do not accept; I refuse to accept!” Do not let it enter your heart! If we always wait for others to change, then your whole life will be lived in pressure and hesitation. Perhaps some people will never change. The good news is that we can change; you can let God elevate your ability and let you live in His rest because Jesus is the victor.
The people of Israel experienced God in this way. At the beginning, God said to Moses, “Go to Egypt and bring My people out, and bring them to the land flowing with milk and honey.” Moses went, and the people of Israel saw the ten plagues that God sent down and believed that God was powerful. At that time, they were willing to follow Moses, but when they came out of Egypt, Pharaoh suddenly changed his mind and gathered his elite troops to chase after them.
Moses led them to a place where the Red Sea was in front, and the pursuing army was behind. What to do? Suddenly, the Egyptian army was coming; the people of Israel had no strength to resist, which made it particularly easy for them to lose their rest. So at that time, we see that the people of Israel lost their rest; they began to complain to Moses, saying, “Moses, why did you bring us out of Egypt? Is there no grave in Egypt that you let us die here?”
Why did they complain to Moses? They were willing to come out, but now they encountered an environment that seemed to have no solution. No matter how they judged, they could not solve it. Even if their heads turned a thousand times, the result would still be the same: they were doomed.
They began to complain. Think about it: can complaining solve the problem? But at that time, the people of Israel complained to Moses. Brothers and sisters, when you encounter problems, do not complain about your pastor; learn to turn to God. The people of Israel began by complaining; they complained to Moses, and Moses said, “I am also a person; what can I do?” At that time, Moses turned to God. Facing the same problem, the people of Israel complained, while Moses turned to God. He said a word,
Exodus 14:13-14:
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
This is the promise! Moses said to the people of Israel, “Do not be afraid; stand still!” Who should they look at? Look at God. So when we comfort others and help others, we should also tell them, “Do not be afraid; our God is still seated as King today; He is still a powerful God.” Then they will begin to have faith.
“See the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.” God did not say, “From today on, take up your dough bowls and smash them against the Egyptians.” Who fights for them? Our God fights for them personally. “The Lord will fight for you.” What do they do? “You shall hold your peace.” What does God want the people of Israel to do? Why did God tell them to be silent and hold their peace? Because many times, when we lose our rest, the words that come out of our mouths are often not edifying words. In such cases, the best approach is to be silent. For us, it is the same. When you have already lost your rest in life, when you see your husband acting that way, and your anger starts to rise, you need to learn a method: be silent and refrain from speaking. Then begin to silently pray and let God help you. Because at that moment, the words you speak will be complaints.
So God initially told them, “When I fight for you, do not speak; just stand still and see how I fight for you!” Later, after forty years, when they conquered the city of Jericho, God said to them, “From today on, you shall march around the city of Jericho once a day, but you must be silent.” Why did He not let them speak? Do you think these people could imagine how God would save them? They could not imagine.
They would say, “Joshua, you are really interesting! You are leading us in circles; will the city collapse on its own? Where is there such a way to fight...?” If two million people complained like this, could they still march around? So God told them, “Do not speak! Just be silent.”
In the end, on the last day, they marched around the city seven times. This group of people was bursting with frustration; they had marched for a week, and the walls of the city had not budged. If they had seen the walls starting to crumble on the first day, they might have had faith. But they kept marching, and on the last day, they had to march around seven times. This group of people would definitely feel uncomfortable, but God said, “Do not make a sound.” Finally, after marching enough times, Joshua said, “Shout!” This group of people had been holding it in, and finally, they shouted, and the walls came crashing down.
This is God's way, and it is also our wisdom. When you want to express negative words in your heart, it is best not to speak, or change the way you express it. When you want to speak curses, take out the Bible and loudly read the blessing words from the Bible. In short, do not say useless things. You need to maintain your state of being in rest; do not let your mouth speak negative words because when you speak negative words, your heart has already lost its rest.
There are always many people who want to take away your rest. There are always many environments that can easily make you lose your rest. Starting today, you need to know “Our God will fight for us!” Do not let people or things take away your rest, such as traffic jams, unfriendly colleagues, or an irritable boss making you anxious... You cannot change them; change starts with yourself. Do not speak negative words; if you speak, speak words of blessing. Refuse to accept negative information; it is not just for others to see, but more importantly, to constantly remind yourself to remain in God's rest.
Our lives are very short; from the moment we believe in the Lord until the end of our lives, there are not many days left. You can count them, and many people still live in anxiety and sorrow. Do not let these thieves of rest affect your joy today. What you need to do is to live every day in God's rest, relying on His victory, facing everything with the faith that Jesus Christ is still “seated as King.” What God has done for the people of Israel, He will surely accomplish for you today.
God can open a way in the Red Sea and can bring rivers in the desert. Today, God can solve your problems; God can restore your health. What you have lost in the past, God can compensate you and double that compensation. Our Heavenly Father is so rich; as long as you are willing to stay in His rest with a “victor's” posture, in the face of any problem, you are a victor; in the face of any environment, the Lord is with you. Even if you are still in a low place now, when God lifts you up, no one can pull you down again. Thank and praise the Lord, Hallelujah! Amen!