He said. Then I heard,
“I AM the Way…” John 14:6
“I AM the Door…” John 10:7-16
“I AM that I AM…” Exodus 3:14-15
Then He continued:
“You’re all still struggling. Trying to mangle and manipulate every instance. Trying desperately to fit the bags of excuses and pet vices through the door of Grace and Rest. It cannot, nor will it ever, be done.
Let go. Set down the loads of sin, bitterness, unforgiveness, blame, and the like. Walk unweighted into the Door of Grace and live in provided Rest.”
Rest? Most have never considered that His promise of REST is the point of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection! He desires that His children enter THAT Rest. We are quick to believe He is all we will ever need, but rarely do we fully surrender our “baggage”. Please read with me the following passage in Hebrews, chapter 4: (I liked The Message translation for this…)
Hebrews 4 The Message (MSG)
When the Promises Are Mixed with Faith
4 1-3 For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us on to God’s goal for us, we need to be careful that we’re not disqualified. We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. If we believe, though, we’ll experience that state of resting. But not if we don’t have faith. Remember that God said,
Exasperated, I vowed,
“They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.”3-7 God made that vow, even though he’d finished his part before the foundation of the world. Somewhere it’s written, “God rested the seventh day, having completed his work,” but in this other text he says, “They’ll never be able to sit down and rest.” So this promise has not yet been fulfilled. Those earlier ones never did get to the place of rest because they were disobedient. God keeps renewing the promise and setting the date as today, just as he did in David’s psalm, centuries later than the original invitation:
Today, please listen,
don’t turn a deaf ear . . .8-11 And so this is still a live promise. It wasn’t canceled at the time of Joshua; otherwise, God wouldn’t keep renewing the appointment for “today.” The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience.
12-13 God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.
The High Priest Who Cried Out in Pain
14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Jesus lives to make intercession for us! He “gets it”! And He is our source to draw from in order to walk through life’s circumstances without ANY weight or hinderance of sin-hold. Please let whatever weights you down drop on the porch of His magnificent grace! Set it down and enter at the Door! Live in the House that God built! He is the Chief Cornerstone!!
Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I come to You. I come to You with every confusion, every stronghold, every “thing” that weights me. You promised in Your Word that You understand where, and what, I’m going through and that You will give me Grace (favor, strength, mercy, forgiveness, every thing I need) to set this down and leave it on the “porch” of Your provided Rest. I need wisdom from You. Order my thoughts, my decisions, my life, in Your perfect Will. I surrender my baggage to You and desire to enter into Your Plan for me. In Jesus’ Name and Blood I pray, AMEN.”
Worthy reads: Psalm 118, Ephesians 2, 1 Peter 2
I had a dream once that I was out on the front lawn of a beautiful house. Every time someone would pass by I would yell out in joyous grin, “Look at my beautiful new home!”
I heard the Lord in my dream: “Why are you living out here in the yard when I have given you a home to dwell in? Why do you pitch tents, yet refuse to enter? Go in the house. I have paid ALL.” I woke up with a jolt. As I thought about my dream, it occurred to me: I will quickly tell, anyone who will listen, ALL Jesus has done for us: His sacrifice, His resurrection, His return to get His kids, His provision and promises of health, peace and freedom from condemnation. But in my own insecurities, doubts, reasons and excuses (that I was refusing to lay down)–I, myself, wasn’t entering His rest. Mental strongholds of fear of abandonment, betrayals in my past, all held me captive. In the lies of the enemy I had remained “on the purchased property” Jesus provides by my faith in Him, but I wasn’t living “in the house”.
You see, I thought that I had to work through some stuff before I was worthy enough to walk through THAT door. I mean to enter there, that REST He promised, I would have to be finished with my work, and done with all my sin, in my diligent effort. I didn’t realize that that verse could never be true of me UNLESS I put down all of those inadequacies on the porch! For it is in His paid sacrifice, in His presence, and in my trust-filled surrendered living in those facts, I find that REST from all of my work. (I know it will give you a brain cramp if you try and reason this: to consider that if you quit trying in your effort, He will cause you to walk in His ways. But that’s how it works! 🙂 What a beautiful thing He has done for us! We will NEVER deserve His favor! I may not have both feet fully in the living room yet, but I am seeing the beauty of the foyer! Come on in! Join me will you?! 🙂
Run dear ones, RUN into His provided house of rest! Leave all your baggage on the porch. He will take care of it! 🙂
I woke up this morning with the song, “I Got Saved”, by the group Selah, playing in my spirit. I dare you to listen to the words and let it fully sink in! We have a REDEEMER! His Name is Jesus!! 🙂
