Hebrews chapter 4 speaks of a Sabbath Rest available to God’s people (Hebrews 4:9). Under the old covenant, it was observed as a day in the week. But under the New Covenant, it is spoken of as a spiritual place of rest. It is a privilege of every believer to refuse to worry about earthly problems and enter this resting place.
Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11).
“Strive” means to make a priority of the effort; or indifference could lead to the same disobedience the author is warning us against.While “disobedience” is a willful failure to trust God. The Israelites in the desert forgot God’s multiple displays of goodness and rebelled against the hardships that are an inevitable part of liberation. “Don’t be like them!” the author warns.
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).
The Sabbath Rest takes us to a higher place, away from the world and closer to our Father.
Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are never too busy for me. In fact, You are my refuge and strength. You are my very present help in times of busy-ness and trouble (Psalm 46:1). Your Son, my Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, urges me to come unto Him when I labor and feel overburdened, because He will give me rest (Matthew 11:28). So I come, Lord Jesus, to find rest for my soul. For Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light (Matthew 11:29).
Staying busy is not of the Spirit’s leading.
Things seem to keep me very busy lately, too busy to enjoy Your peace and listen to Your leading. And I don’t like it. For the fool is busy with evil (Isaiah 32:6). I do not want to be busy with my house and forget about You, Lord God (Haggai 1:9). I want to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart, since as a member of His body I am called to peace (Colossians 3:15). For You are not a God of disorder but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Lord, help me to keep my mind fixed on You at all times, because You promised to keep me in perfect peace when I keep my mind steadfast on You, because I trust You, Father (Isaiah 26:3). I seek Your guidance, Lord God, to help me arrange my priorities properly. You promised to instruct me and teach me in the way I should go, to counsel me and watch over me (Psalm 32:8). Please help me to think Your thoughts as I let the mind of Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:16) have its rightful authority in my life (Philippians 2:5). Your Word says the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). So I will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2). Because You are my God and Deliverer; I will not let my heart be either troubled or afraid. This is possible only because Jesus has given me His peace (John 14:27).
I praise You, Lord God, Father in Heaven, that You have ordained peace for me (Isaiah 26:12). Therefore during this time of busyness, I will not be anxious about anything. Instead I will let all my requests be made known to You through prayer, with thanksgiving. Even as I pray, Lord, I can sense that You are giving me Your great peace – a peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank You for guarding my heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
I love Your Word Father, and this brings great peace to my soul. Because of Your Word I know nothing can make me stumble away from trusting You (Ps 119:165). Please Lord, teach me to approach all my responsibilities from a spiritual perspective rather than a carnal mind, and guide me to live by the Spirit and not gratify my sinful nature (Galatians 5:16).
May the Lord of peace Himself give me peace at all times and in every way (2 Thessalonians 3:16), and sanctify me through and through so my whole spirit, soul, and body are kept blameless at the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). For Christ Himself is my peace (Ephesians 2:14).
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me (John 14:1).
Flowers don’t worry about how they are going to bloom. They just open up and turn toward the light, and that makes them beautiful. (Jim Carrey)
Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light (John 12:36). Some trust in chariots, and some in horses… we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7).
Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips – so that your trust may be in the Lord (Proverbs 22:17-19).
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun (Psalm 35:5-6). Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 35:4).
The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives (Albert Einstein).
God, our Savior, wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). We are part of God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15) because of the truth which lives in us (2 John 2). So then, we must work together for the truth (3 John 8)
You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth (1 John 2:20). Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (1John 3:18). “Preach the Gospel at all times; use words if necessary”.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence (1 John 3:18-19).
It is our responsibility to share truth – to live it and display it.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Joy comes from knowing we are not alone. Prayer is the ongoing conversation we have – spirit to Spirit – with the Creator of the Cosmos, who deigns to want to speak with us. Thanksgiving is the great reminder that we have been blessed – no matter what the circumstances say.
Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him (Romans 4:7-8). Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).
Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it (Luke 11:28). Faith comes from hearing the message (Romans 10:17).
Just hearing the Word blesses us! So read it aloud.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great faithfulness in my life! For calling me to Your kingdom, to share in the eternal life with Your Son. I rejoice in the certain knowledge that You will not permit me to be tempted above my ability to resist. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving Yourself for my sins, that You might deliver me from this present evil age, according to the will of God, our Father. To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Galatians 1:4-5).
Pride of the body is a downfall.
There has been no temptation taken me but such as is common to man. But You, O God, are faithful and will not suffer me to be tempted above what I am able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that I may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
For Your Word warns me that anyone who looks at another lustfully has committed adultery already in his heart (Matthew 5:28). I make a covenant with my eyes here and now not to look lustfully at anyone. For what is man’s lot from God above, his heritage from the Almighty one on high? Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong? (Job 31:1-3)
Having lost sensitivity, I have fallen in with those who have given themselves over to sensuality, so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more (Ephesians 4:19). Like men who abandoned natural relations with women and are inflamed with lust for one another. These men who commit indecent acts with other men receive in themselves the due penalty for their perversion (Romans 1:27). I do not want to be condemned with any of them.
Therefore I put to death whatever belongs to my earthly nature: including lust; because of such things the wrath of God is coming (Colossians 3:5-6). With Your help, O Spirit, I will learn to control my own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God (1 Thessalonians 4:4-5). For I have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery and lust (1 Peter 4:3).
Lord, I choose to flee from lust and evil desires because I know You will empower me to follow righteousness, faith, charity, and peace, with all who call on You out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22). I ask You please to enable me to restrain from all fleshly lusts which war against my soul (1 Peter 2:11). I will treasure Your truth, and I will hide Your Word in my heart so I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Help me, Lord, to be led of Your Spirit, so I will not gratify the desires of my sinful nature (Galatians 5:16). Through the power of Your might (Ephesians 6:10) I will stand fast in the liberty Christ has given to me, and I will no longer be entangled with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1).
Father, help me always to learn from the truth and teaching of Your Word, which shows me what happens when lust is fulfilled. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way of life, keeping me from the immoral person, from the smooth tongue of the wayward spouse. I will not lust after beauty or let beauty captivate me, for the prostitute reduces me to a loaf of bread, and the adulterer preys upon my very life (Proverbs 6:23-26).
I rejoice, Father God, that Your truth has set me free (John 8:32). Because of Your mercies to me, I present my body as a living sacrifice and ask You please to make it holy and acceptable to You. With Your grace, I will no longer be conformed to this world. Through the power of Your Word, I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:1-2). Forgive me, Lord for the idolatry of lust in my life that has come as a result of my failure to put You and Your righteousness first. I will not love the world or anything in the world, for everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world (1 John 2:15-16).
Father, according to the power that is at work in me (Ephesians 3:20), I will watch and pray that I may not fall into temptation, for I know that though my spirit is willing my flesh is weak.(Matthew 26:41).
Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God (Philippians 4:6).
It is easy for us to turn prayer into a request-line. God wants to hear our prayers, but to keep them from becoming too self-focused, God wants us always to remember to give thanks.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. To declare Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2). For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4). So whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through [and for] Him (Colossians 3:17).
May my heart show compassion and my words thanksgiving; and like the universe and all creation, may my very being sing praises to our God.
The only antidote to covetousness is contentment. Covetousness can hit us in the face any time we turn around; if we let it. The world has a spirit of greed today. But as a Christian, we need to grow to a point that it doesn’t take material things to make us happy. We can wake up happy each day just because we know Jesus is alive!
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything though Him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:12-13). For Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).
We need as much as will make us physically, mentally, and spiritually fit for the purposes of the kingdom of God. Anything beyond that belongs to someone else’s needs. No one can decide for you what your needs are; that must be worked out between you and God. Also remember that needs contribute to your health whereas luxury (excess beyond need) chokes.
When content, we notice the beauty that surrounds us, while our inner beauty is on display for others.
Never allow your yesterday to use up too much of today. The past is gone, and tomorrow is at best a maybe. Live for this moment because it may be all you will ever have.
There is one maxim that applies equally to all seasons: No time should go by uselessly. All time forms a part of the order, a link in the chain of God’s providence… God never means us to look upon any time as purposeless.
My times are in Your hands (Psalm 31:15). Trust in Him at all times, O people (Psalm 62:8) – at all times, in all situations, no matter what, holding absolutely nothing back.
As you learn to worship, praise, and bless God for all things — to see His hand everywhere — you will feel nothing to be an unbearable evil, for everything, even the cruelest sufferings, will turn to good for you. Let Him do as He sees fit with you.
My times are in Your hands. Please make me beautiful.
The hardest part of living is making peace with your past. Looking ahead is more productive than looking back, but the past needs to be dealt with. That is why God forgives.
When we wrestle with a weakness, we ask God to take it away, to be over with it. But doesn’t’ that make us less dependent on God, to our disadvantage? The more people know we have a weakness somewhere, the more they will see God working in us and know He is real. So we should be content in weaknesses.
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:10).
It is usually a wound, and maybe even a sin, to compare ourselves to others. Jesus calls us individually for what we individually can do for Him. As long as we can carry love in our heart, Jesus can direct us to do what He wants us to do individually.
And remember: We are to judge the situation without judging the sinner. After all, we all have weaknesses.
God's Word on That 