Resting and reaping pt2

Num 10:33-36   when the ark set out…When it came to rest

• Following the ark, which was carried on the shoulders of the priests – this is how we co-labor

Walking in the Spirit requires a humble, responsive posture which says, “I am not stubbornly set upon what I think is supposed to happen next, so I am prepared at all times to go in a different direction if the Spirit is leading me there.

How do you go about making decisions?

• Draw from training/ experience, Research options, Weigh pros / cons, What have others done, Get expert advice, Do what has worked before, Rely on instinct

Israel missed out on entering into their rest, because they relied on these methods of decision-making rather than follow the cloud into the land!

Psalm 95   Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts

• They shall not enter my rest = the promised land
• The promised land represents the place where we labor in rest, co-operating with God, as in the Garden of Paradise

Resting in the Lord does not refer to inactivity. It refers to the posture by which we work — one without the heaviness and “toil” found in the curse. It means being more productive while joyfully going about our work, together with our God.

• God is always at work, and yet His works were finished on the 6th day!

Heb 4:9-13

So we conclude that there is still a full and complete rest waiting for believers to experience.

As we enter into God’s faith-rest life we cease from our own works, just as God celebrates his finished works and rests in them.

So then we must give our all and be eager to experience this Faith-rest life, so that no one falls short by following the same pattern of doubt and unbelief.

For we have the Living Word of God, which is full of energy, and it pierces more sharply than a two-edged sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the truth thoughts and secret motives of our hearts.

There is not one person who can hide their thoughts from God, for nothing that we do remains a secret, and nothing created is concealed, but everything is exposed and defenseless before his eyes, to whom we must render an account.

The Word of God to us discerns whether we truly are living a Spirit-lead, faith-based lifestyle. When He calls us into what is against our better judgment, or is humanly impossible, it requires us to co-labor with Him. Any other way of living is self-righteous, independent, and reveals a spirit of unbelief.

What kinds things do you find most difficult to respond quickly in obedience to the Lord?

Ex:  Stepping out to minister to someone, taking risks and making changes, even major ones, to accommodate His will, staying quiet and trusting God to do the parts of life which you cannot do on your own? Trusting and believing His thoughts toward you?

Hebrews 4:

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