THE WAY OF TRUST – ENTERING INTO HIS REST.

Lesson 56

Most of our problems in life stem from the fact that we do not want to give up the old Adam-nature.

As long as we feel “in charge” of a situation, we feel that we are on the winning side, but the moment we feel that we lose control over something, all of the old nature rises up in a fight for life.

Ironically the Word of God says that if we want to keep our life, we shall lose it and only when we lose it for the sake of Christ, we shall save it. (Luke 9: 23-24). The life is in the soul and this is the area that we need to bring under subjection to the Spirit of the living God, letting Him be Lord in all situations, putting all our trust in Him to bring our situations in Kingdom order where righteousness, peace and joy reign!  

This brings all our wild emotions, fretful mind and obstinate will to a place of rest and peace and is a matter of total trust in the faithfulness of God.  

Do we really trust the Lord with all our issues? Or do we still want to have a handle on it, taking it into our own hands, trying to work it out with our own “cleverness”?

What an amazing freedom awaits the one who truly surrenders his life to the Lord! It frees you from the curse of self-power and brings the whole of heaven in action on your behalf!

And what an exchange! His glorious, triumphant life for our little self-efforts, which avail to nothing!

Bringing the soul in subjection to the Spirit, is the first step to union with God.

PRAYER: Dear heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Name I ask that You give me the grace to hand over every issue in my life into Your mighty hand! As I am doing so now, surrendering my will, my emotions and my mind to You, let Your will be done in my difficult situations as it is in heaven and let Your name be glorified!

I receive your peace, Lord Jesus, resting in Your goodness and grace!  Hallelujah!

Jer.17:1-10/Matt.11:28-30/Phil.4:6/Luke 9:23-24/Rom.14:17/john 17.

What do I do when I am emotionally “moved”, being upset and disturbed?

Lesson 52

When I am "moved" out of my peace and joy it is important to get perspective on the cause of it.

The Scriptures give us a very important directive in Isaiah 26:3-4:

^“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusts in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in JAH, the LORD is the strength of the ages.” (Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB)

We are taught to keep our mind on the Lord, but our problem doesn’t start with the mind. It starts with what we have our eyes on!

King David says, “I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Ps.16:8

When our eyes are fixed on the Lord Jesus, our mind gets wrapped around His glory, His majesty, His power and especially His faithfulness to those who put their trust in Him. This is a place of perfect peace and joy in His Presence.

If something “moves” you, there is most often a root cause of fear behind it.

It will also cause physical "upset" in the form of anxiety, stress, high blood pressure, palpitations, etc. And this is something we cannot afford. So let's deal with it and get it rooted out!

Ask the Lord to show you where your fears originate from and let Him come into that place to heal and restore. Repentance and forgiveness will take you into the healing of the blood of Jesus where the enemy has no foothold. Then resist the spirit of fear and he will flee from you as you submit to God’s loving reign over your life. Remember, perfect love casts out all fear! 

Receive your peace and move on, looking away from the problem unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-3). Put your trust in Him, rejoicing in the fact that He holds your life and circumstances in His hand!  Hallelujah!

STRESS IS A THIEF!

Lesson 51  

Stress is the number one cause of so many illnesses today in our modern, fast-paced world. In other words, a thief!

But, in the Kingdom of God we can live in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. What a contrast to stress!

It is as simple as the choice to refocus your mind on the Lord, for then you will live in perfect peace. (Is.26:3)

Stress-free living is so easy, once you have entered into His rest. Knowing that worry will not change anything, neither trying to work it out with your limited mind, which cannot see the solution from God's point of view. So why worry and stress if it is an exercise of futility?

Simply hand over the issues that concern you into His mighty hand, putting your trust in Him to work out every detail of your life for your good. Again, peace and rest is the result. (Matt.11:28-30) Now you can worship Him in faith that He will make a way for you - even if there seems to be no way!

When your mind is at rest, your emotions are joyful and your body relaxes. What a beautiful place to live in the Kingdom culture!

RESTORE!

Lesson 47

I was in worship recently when the Word “Restore” came so strongly in my spirit.
Restore synonyms: reinstate, bring back, reinstitute, reimpose, reinstall, reestablish.

RESTORE!  From the inside out!

God wants to restore Kingdom in you: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost!

Test yourself on this: Am I walking in the fulness of each aspect of the Kingdom?

How does restoration happen? When our faith connects to the Rhema Word of the Lord in worship. Then we hand over everything into His mighty Hand of power, putting our trust completely in Him to restore everything in our lives that was stolen and destroyed, calling it forth and rejoicing in it!
I started looking up the Word in Scriptures and it became a victory shout!
Joel 2: 25-26   And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
This scripture talks about the destruction of the enemy, but also of the abundant provision of the Lord (John 10:10):
Restoration of hearts, of brokenness, of disappointments and woundedness.
Restoration to God as your loving Father, Jesus as your high priest, Holy Spirit as your guide, Teacher, Comforter.
Restoration of Vision and purpose and destiny.
God will restore injustices as the righteous Judge.  His throne is built on righteousness and justice.
WHATSOEVER has been lost or stolen from you by the enemy - be it your possessions, opportunities, relationships, or anything else, God is the One who restores when we put our trust in Him!

Be restored in your true identity and authority in Christ.

Maybe you have missed it somewhere, made the wrong decision and things didn’t work out. Stop blaming yourself or others!  Ask God to forgive you, forgive others and most of all, forgive yourself! Be restored in your true identity.

HOW SELF-HATRED and SELF-REJECTION AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH:
I have ministered to three people in two days on the topic of being mad at themselves for having made wrong choices, feeling guilty and breaking themselves down in self-accusation. Rejecting yourself, makes you your own worst enemy! This will also affect your health! In two of these instances there were skin issues. 

Self-hatred can also cause overweight and auto-immune diseases.
Come back to the Lord and receive His forgiveness through repentance.  Then forgive yourself and be restored in the liberty of the Spirit.

God is restoring your soul (wounds) of abandonment and your health.
Jeremiah 30:17 - For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, [saying], This [is] Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

Restoration of the joy of your salvation.
After having committed adultery and murder, King David prayed:
Psalms 51:12 - Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me [with thy] free spirit.

Shame and confusion will be restored with double recompense:
Isaiah 61:7 - For your shame [ye shall have] double; and [for] confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

Zech.9:11-12: DOUBLE RESTORATION!
As for you, because of the blood of My covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; even today I declare that I will restore to you double.
Lean into the provision of Calvary!

Grace upon grace and strength upon strength in the double!

OPEN THE DOUBLE DOORS, LORD - IN JESUS’ NAME!

1 Cor.2:9: What the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard and has not come up in the mind of men, God has prepared for those who love Him.
The good news is that God not only wants to restore what was stolen from us but bless us with double as in the case of Job.

God told David at Ziklag:  Go and recover all!
Get strengthened in your faith by praying in tongues and access this promise of restoration!
Healing, recompense, restoration is yours as you believe the Word of the Lord!

God want to restore your soul:   beauty for ashes, oil of joy for morning, garments of praise for a spirit of heaviness.

God wants to restore your waste places as you come into His Presence - being transformed through light and truth
He will restore your mind - to know your true identity and authority in Christ!
Grab hold of this Word, Restore, and speak it into every area of your life for God’s glory as you worship the Lord in His glory!

TRIUMPHING IN ALL SITUATIONS

Lesson 43

How glorious to triumph in all situations by the power of the Holy Spirit!

2 Corinthians 2:14 King James Version (KJV)

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

In our own power it is not possible, but in the power of the Spirit as we put our trust in the Lord, all things are possible! 

The prerequisite is: “Only believe!” Mark 9:23

Our faith will be tested, but it is when our mind is renewed in the sure knowledge that God’s Word is true. He is not a man that He should lie, so we can put our trust completely in Him - resting in Him to bring the victory about as we praise Him, rejoicing in His goodness and grace.

We will have to exercise patience, but that works for our good, causing us to become wrapped in Him, lacking nothing.

James 1:2-8 TPT

2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! 3 For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. 4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.

5 And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace. 6 Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. 7–8 When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition?

The Art of Living Free of Stress

Lesson 35

Stress starts in our mind and is usually instigated by fear of some kind. It always involves negative thinking, which quickly sets negative emotions in motion. Then it gets to the nervous system. The brain secretes adrenalin, which in turn releases toxins to the body. It also causes foggy thinking and we cannot make the right decisions as the soul dominates the spirit man.  

It is obvious that this is a very unproductive and undesirable state to be in, since it is detrimental to our whole being, steals our peace and joy, robbing us of quality of life.  It also affects everyone around us. 

There is hoever a simple remedy for it, yet seemingly the most difficult thing to do. 

It is simply stated in Philippians 4:6-7

”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.”

When we become still in the presence of the Lord, handing over our worries, concerns and stress to the Lord in worshipful prayer, He takes over. It is basically an issue of trust and total dependence on Him. We need to realize that all our independent efforts will keep Him out of the picture and prolong our struggle with stress.

As we bring our requests to God by faith (taking our hands and minds off), He will take care of all our needs, giving us the ability and strength to endure until we see the breakthrough. Take note! It all starts in the mind! When our mind is focused on the fact that God gives us the strength to overcome every situation, it becomes easier not to allow our minds to engage with fear.

Thanksgiving is the result of faith that He will do what seems impossible to us!  And then, inexplicably, peace floods our souls, guarding our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!  It surely is an amazing, miraculous wonder!  

Practicing this instruction from the Lord as soon as we feel tense (which is a result of what we are thinking), we bring us into the habit of handing over everything to Him! It is "hands free” living in a constant state of peace so that we can enjoy our lives.

Make sure that your mind is “stayed” (focused) on the Lord in total trust and He will keep you in perfect peace. 

Isaiah 26:3-4

You will keep him in perfect peace,                                                                                                                             Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

Delight yourself in the Lord

Lesson 31

"Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all else shall be added unto you”. (Matthew 6:33)

I am so aware of the Lord’s gracious involvement with us in the smallest details of our lives as we simply live before Him in worship.

He answers the smallest little desires of our hearts, often without us even asking or praying about it. It delights Him when we delight ourselves in Him, just walking with Him, talking to Him and enjoying His Presence. 

And then, as we first seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, “all else” is added unto us by His grace. 

It is also amazing how God provides for the people who approach me with issues and questions, asking for counsel and wisdom. He simply bring things to my attention by drawing my attention to something - picking up a book here or listening to a teaching about something which I am not pursuing, to fill my arsenal with the knowledge and wisdom regarding certain issues in people’s lives so that I can only be a channel for His loving counsel to them. 

His love is so tangible and His care for us in the little things (which are actually so BIG when we realize the the Almighty God who created the universe, takes interest in the littlest details of our needs and desires, as we delight ourselves in Him.  I worship Him for it!

Psalm 37.

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”

Entering into God’s Rest

Lesson 27

III Jn 1:2-3 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I 
rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.”

This truth refers to the person of Jesus Christ and involves walking and living in the truth of His abundant life where there is rest.

When you release your burdens to the Lord, 

                         1.  He will give you rest:

Matt. 11:28 - 30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour 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. For my yoke is easy, and my 
burden is light.”
                         
God wants to bring us into His rest and His invitation is to come to Him with all our heavy burdens of past, turmoil of the present 
and fears of the future and to roll our cares upon Him, so that He can take care of us.

                          2. He will open a way for you:
Ps. 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord (roll and repose each care of your load on Him); trust (lean on, rely on, and be 
confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.” –Amp.

Let go of your burdens, your today and your tomorrow and release it in the hand of the Almighty.  He will take care of it, for He 
cares for you.
·                          3. He shall sustain you with His faithfulness:

Ps. 37:3 “Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed 
surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.”

·                          4. He shall direct your paths:

Prov. 3:5-6  “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways 
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

The question is, “Do you REALLY TRUST ME?  If you fear, you do not trust Me”.

ENTERING INTO HIS REST

We have been called into quietness and rest in Him to find strength while putting our confidence in Him.

Is. 30:15 “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and 
in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.”

His grace is sufficient in our weaknesses and it is activated the moment we release our striving, worry, anxiety (which are all 
fruits of fear) and self-power.  God will patiently wait on us until we come to that place of releasing our situations to Him by faith, 
trusting Him fully and completely.  His eyes are searching for those whose hearts are fully trusting Him and He will show Himself 
strong on their behalf (II Chron. 16:9).

As long as we hold the reigns, He will not move.   But as we release our cares into His faithful care, entering into His rest in that 
assurance of faith, waiting on Him in thanksgiving and praises and worship, He works things out behind the scenes for our good 
– far above what we can pray or think – and will bless us with His favor and grace.

Is. 30:18 “And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he 
may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.”

HOW DO I RELEASE MY CARES AND WORRIES?
Simply get quiet before the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to show you all the things you stress about, even sub-consciously.  You 
will be surprised to see how many cares, concerns, worries and stress you carry and they are all related to fear.

The way to victory is by RELEASING EVERYTHING INTO GOD’S GRACE - the people involved, the issues which you have no 
answers for (trying to figure it out yourself) and with that every fear, worry, concern regarding any person, issue or situation of 
your life.

Now make a list of them and repent of not trusting God.  Then simply hand it over to Him and release it fully into His grace. Now 
PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD regarding each topic, exercising faith in His Word.  Thank Him now and rejoice in His mercy 
and grace.

Phil. 4:6 - 7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests 
be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds 
through Christ Jesus."
By faith we enter into God’s grace by which we stand.  When we eat from the Tree of Life, we will be filled with faith and peace 
and thereby know God’s grace and the sufficiency of it.  As we spend lots of time quietly waiting on Him, He opens up the 
treasure house of His wisdom and releases His rhema into our spirit, which will clearly show us the way to go.  Simply put every 
new issue into the care of our gracious God, praising Him and rejoicing in His loving care.  Now stand your stand in faith to know 
that He is not a man that He should lie, but He will guide us and lead us as we trust Him and fulfill every promise in our lives.

Rom 5:1-2 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we 
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

MAINTAINING A PLACE OF REST IN HIS GRACE – in perfect PEACE
We need to live so abandoned to God’s grace, that it becomes a life style. This place of resting in His grace is a place that is 
under assault of the enemy, and we need to be watchful over our hearts and minds and emotions, withstanding any and every 
attempt of the enemy to steal our joy and peace.

I Pet. 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he 
may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren 
that are in the world.”

As we now know, the battlefield is in our minds and we need to keep our minds fixed on the truth, casting down every vain 
imagination, taking our thoughts captive in Christ.

II Cor. 10:4  “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong 
holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and 
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD, ENJOYING HIM!
Ps. 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart”.

The word “delight” here means to be soft and pliable.   The Lord delights in us as we are pliable and yielded to submit to His 
Lordship and rule and reign in our lives.   This ties in with taking up His yoke and His burden, which is easy and light – simply 
meaning that we do His will and let Him have His way in our lives.

It also ties in with the Sabbath rest, where we rest of our works and only do what we see our Father doing. Let us be careful not 
to pursue His Presence and power as a “work” and a “striving effort of self”, but learn to just “be” in His Presence, quietly 
enjoying Him, resting in Him and delighting in Him.  In His counsel we receive the blueprints for the works He has prepared for 
us to walk in (Eph. 2: 10).  All our self-initiated works are just hay and stubble and will not stand the test of the fire, so let us 
stop striving to make things work the way we think it should be.

Jesus is looking for a bride that will lean on her Beloved, trusting Him fully.

Now ascend on Eagle’s Wings

Is. 40:29 - 30 “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths 
shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon LORD shall renew their strength; 
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Once we have gained victory over the flesh and have brought the soul (will, mind and emotions) in subjection to the Spirit, can 
we enjoy the glory of Kingdom living under an open heaven!

Fully secure in His love, walking in perfect union with the Godhead, in fullness of joy in His Presence, we become co-laborers 
with Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, walking under an open heaven, establishing the Kingdom of God as we go – for His 
glory alone!  

Halleluiah!

Live in the Still Waters of Rest

Lesson 12

Psalm 23 Amplified Bible (AMP).  

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake.

When I am led by the Lord, I find myself walking beside the still and quiet waters with the Shepherd of my soul where my soul is refreshed and restored in communion with Him. 

The Lord reminded me of a time when I was swimming in very murky, turbulent waters in the ocean.  I couldn't see what was in the water and felt very uncomfortable. Then I remembered another place in the Florida Keys where the water was blue and totally transparent. He started bringing revelation to me, teaching me as follows:

Once you allow the turbulence of stress, fear, resentment, anger, etc. to disturb the peace in your soul, you become storm-tossed and the waters of your soul can no longer reflect the divine image.

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance." Psalm 42:5

It is a matter of living in ongoing surrender of every issue that surfaces, putting all our trust in the Lord to let His kingdom come into our circumstances.  Giving it to the Lord and taking my hands off (not trying to fix it with my wisdom and understanding).  This is the strategy to receive His peace and stay in His rest. Matt.11:28-30)

When you open your heart to the Lord in adoration, the Wellspring of Life will flood your soul, an flow like living waters inside of you, refreshing, strengthening and empowering you with His glorious and peaceful Presence. In this place you can hear His voice, receiving clarity and strategy to deal with negative situations around you in the authority of His Name.

At one occasion when I found myself in the river of God in the spirit, enjoying this refreshing, He said to me:

You can come here often for refreshing, breathing in the refreshing of My rest in thankfulness - infused with joy, rejoicing and strengthened with My joy in the Spirit to conquer, to reign in authority in oneness with Me, seated IN ME.

Enjoy this place of peace in the river of My glory provision, getting all stress removed and breathing deep into My provision of life – the heavenly breath (which is His Ruach - the sound from the Throne Room).

I found that I had fresh perspective and received the Word from God to speak into my situation, waiting for Him to perform it.

I was admonished by the Lord to be watchful over the waters of my soul, not allowing the turbulence of the world and fleshly people to invade my consciousness, spilling debris into my soul.  Keeping our gaze fixed on the Lord, will keep us in perfect peace and light will shine on our way. (Is.26:3) 

PRAYER:

Lord, I just want to WAIT on You, to get tuned to Your heart.

Father God, thank You for teaching me how to maintain sparkling clear, restful waters in my soul by keeping a single focus on the Lord Jesus. I ask that You help me to stay watchful and alert to not lose my peace or my joy in the Holy Ghost. 

Lord, let Your glory light shine on me, into my soul to expose every work of the enemy; then to banish it by Your truth!  Let Your glory light also shine into every cell of my body; let the glory light frequency recalibrate my sound into fullness of JOY in the Spirit.  Let my spirit, soul and body SING Your praise!

In Jesus' Name!