Finding Rest in God
Can you remember the last time you drank cold water after being outside in the hot sun? Or maybe diving into a lake in the middle of summer? It feels good to be refreshed physically, and all of us have different ideas about how to get refreshed.
God’s Word tells us that God is like a Shepherd who takes care of us. He protects us from harm and He makes sure we’re nourished.
One of the jobs of a shepherd is to provide the sheep with refreshment. This is why the writer of Psalm 23 says the Lord leads him into quiet places and lush spaces. Those things were refreshing to his soul.
Have you checked on your own soul lately?
Sometimes when we haven’t been refreshed by God, we end up living in a hurry. We keep our souls and minds busy going from one thing to the next. We become anxious. After long enough, we begin to think there might be something wrong with us.
In John 10:11, Jesus says that He is the Good Shepherd, and we are His sheep. This means that Jesus provides the right path that we should walk, spiritual protection and guidance through prayer, and also spiritual refreshment for our soul. When we spend time with Jesus, part of His job is to refresh us.
But in order to do that, we have to follow Him into those quiet spaces. We have to leave the noise and notifications of the world behind us and learn the slow pace of Jesus. We don’t have to hurry in our time with Him.
When we learn to quiet our souls by removing distractions, we can begin to enjoy simply being with Jesus. When we learn to enjoy Jesus, then He will do His job of refreshing our souls that are parched and weary without Him.
So take some time today without distractions and spend time with Jesus. If you find that difficult, that is an indicator that your soul isn’t used to resting. Your life will be so much healthier and satisfying if you make it a daily habit to be refreshed by God.
Who Are You?
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m not smart enough.”
“I’m not strong enough.”
“I’m not enough.”
Every day, we are bombarded with lies that try to convince us that we don’t have what it takes to follow Jesus.
Every time we mess up, our insecurities reach out and tell us that we’ll always be weak—we’ll never experience the freedom Jesus says we can have. But Scripture reminds us that it’s Jesus’ divine power that gives us everything we need to live a godly life. With His strength, when we fall down—we can still get back up.
It’s in our weakness that God’s power is made perfect within us (2 Corinthians 12:9). By the power of Christ, nothing can keep its grip on us. Not fear, worry, doubt, defeat, discouragement, loneliness, hardship, or pain.
Through Jesus, we have everything we need to combat anything that attempts to seize our rightful identity.
God’s Word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It discerns the thoughts and intentions of...