Divine Lifestyle for All Around Rest
Today we will be looking at the concluding aspect of the covenant of peace. Today we will look at a divine lifestyle for all-around rest. The kind of lifestyle that you need to live to enjoy peace Without the help of God, it is impossible to enjoy peace. Without God, it is impossible to enjoy peace. Any attempt by man to organize any kind of peace without the maker of it won’t last. When the Bible talks about the coming of the antichrist towards the end of time, it says he will come and make peace. He will establish or manipulate a kind of peace that will make people have peace for a while and that will deceive people, but it’s fake. Any kind of peace that is not according to the one that is given by Jehovah Shalom himself is fake.
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou amid thine enemies.
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
Psalms 110:1-3.
In Psalms 23, the Bible says that in the presence of my enemies, He prepares a table before me. In the presence of your enemies and in the presence of challenges, He has prepared a table for you because those who know their God shall exploit. No matter what the experts say, you look unto the son of righteousness, who can do more than you can think or imagine. So we are not moved by what we see; we only depend on the eternal rock of ages—the word of God that cannot fail. The Bible says that for them to be willing, we must be adequately empowered. For example, if you want to enjoy financial rest, you have to be financially empowered. For you to enjoy rest in your health, you must know the secret to supernatural health. For you to enjoy marital dominion, you must be adequately empowered. For you to enjoy all-round rest, you must be adequately empowered. We need adequate empowerment, and for the manifestation of the power, certain conditions need to be intact because God is not a wicked God. For you to be able to empower anybody, you must be sure that the person can manage that power.
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
Genesis14:14
The news came to Abraham that Lot and his family were captured by some terrorists that were terrorizing about five nations. The Bible says that when he had, he didn’t just go there; he armed his trained servants. He had many servants, but for those who were trained for warfare, he empowered them to go for it. You cannot be empowered until you are trained. Abraham captured them and restored all that was taken. The power of the Holy Ghost that you carry can level any mountain at any time. God will not give you power that you can’t manage. God will not empower you beyond your readiness to comply with his words. Being able to manage power in a strong man’s hand is difficult; it is like giving a gun to a madman; he will wipe away the whole country. When power comes upon you, you become a new person, so we have to be empowered. The power to enjoy peace is in Christ Jesus, but with the position of your heart, that power cannot manifest. Jesus said my peace I give to you, not as the world gives to you. The world cannot give that peace; no negotiation can give you peace; it is impossible! The world cannot give you peace; don’t look to them.
For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7.
Jesus is called the prince of peace, the leader of peace, and the one who will govern in such a way that peace will be established. It is not a peace that comes today and ends tomorrow, no! His peace is everlasting. Without Jesus, there won’t be everlasting peace. Without God, no matter your degree or title, there can be no genuine peace. Where there is judgment and justice, there can be peace. For peace to reign, there must be judgment against ungodliness, and things must be done the right way. Any peace that is not based on judgment and justice is fake; it will not stand the test of time; it will only bring temporary solutions that will rupture once the elasticity limit is exceeded. True peace must be based on judgment and justice.
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away?
He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, you suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Matthew 19:7-8.
Jesus told them that Moses allowed them to put off their spouses because they wouldn’t forgive each other. Peter asked Jesus how many times somebody could offend me, and Jesus said 70×7. Somebody cannot offend you 70×7 a day. Jesus said Moses gave them that law, but from the beginning, it wasn’t so. The solution to peace is for justice and judgment to be done. If you want to enjoy peace around you, especially in relationships with people, your character must be sound. Galatians 5:22 has to do with the fruit of the spirit; if the fruit of the spirit is not there or is lacking in your life, you can’t have peace. We need a sound character.
Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your way, and you fight for it deep inside yourselves.
You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you?
And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for something you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your way.
You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way.
And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.”
And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper.
Say a quiet yes to God, and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.
James 4:1–8. MSB
James was the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born by Mary, so they live with Yeshua, and they must have studied Him from afar. They were not part of Jesus’ ministry; they only looked at him from afar, but when He rose and left His disciples, James joined the fold, and the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the book of James. James wrote to the believer, saying, Where do quarrels come from among you? Nothing happens on its own; somebody makes it happen. If you see a man who is not peaceful, no matter what you do for him or her, he can’t be satisfied. For people who are prone to offenses, everything annoys them. God is working on your character. You cannot walk in the power of God if your character is not in line with the word of God, because that will be dangerous, like empowering a madman. Samson was empowered, but what brought him down was his lack of character. The problem with the charismatic church is that they lack character, and character is the carrier of charisma. Charisma is a gift, but without character, the gift will leave. The true test of your character is in the way you deal with the people around you who don’t have character. If you say you are loving and you are hanging around people who don’t appreciate your love, will you still appreciate them? If you say you have self-control and you are living around people who don’t have self-control and you are reacting anyhow, it means you too have low self-control. You cannot work with the power of God without sound character; that was what brought Moses down. With all his anointing, he didn’t get to the promised land. The children of Israel were wrong, but Moses lacked self-control, refusing to control his mouth. Samson, with the anointing that he had, could go to a country and destroy their gate and bring it to the mountain. How did he crash? Lack of discipline for sexual desire What of Achan? What of Judas Iscariot because of the ten pieces of silver he lost out on? It requires a price, but it is worth it. God is saying the power is there, but it won’t come until you prepare yourself. Abraham armed the trained servant. Can God trust you? God is a just God; if He knows you can’t handle something, He won’t let you get there. Solomon wasn’t qualified to be the king; he was born by a woman that David slept with, so he could not be used as a king because of his background, yet when he got there, nations that were making war with Israel said they weren’t making war again, and when the war was over, he forgot everything and all his resources entered his head and forgot the source of his resources. He started having more wives. (300 wives and 700 concubines) When he was given birth, he didn’t leave the palace; he wasn’t living with the prophet Nathaniel. The palace he couldn’t live in for years as a small boy has now become the head of the same palace, and he has now forgotten the source. What is the price that God is worth to you?
Chorus:
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
No turning back
No turning back.
What is the price? How do we cheat on God? That is idolatry. According to God, the devil cannot bow to you if you have not submitted to God. God is a just God; God is a righteous judge. He judges everybody righteously, including the devil. So take responsibility for your life. Are you loving? What is the level of your elasticity when you are dealing with people? Moses, as at the time he lost control, has divided the Red Sea, so don’t say you have arrived. Humble yourself because you laid your hands on one sick person and she was healed, so people must carry your Bible for you. They can’t address you by your first name. Humble yourself and submit to the Lord. The power to enforce all-round rest is in the power that God has given you, but that power” will manifest only to the level of your submission”.