Rest

It's that time of the year again. Now that holidays are over, it's time to get down to serious work! Some might experience the dreaded Monday Blues sooner than others. Included in the "back-to-school" package is also the concern of how well we would do this semester and stuff but, amidst all the buzz and burdens of school life, i'd like to encourage all of us not to forget to take rest. Not just any kind of rest, but THE rest. "THE" ultimate rest - the rest in Jesus.

out of curiosity, I attended Pastor Prince's service yesterday at New Creation Church. He had been teaching a lot on God's grace and love but the message that God passed through him yesterday was different. One word sums up everything he said yesterday: Rest.

THE rest is unlike any rest we take when we are tired and weary from the day's work. Yes, we sleep or take a nap whenever we feel exhausted but the rest, is a form of spiritual rest (my definition) that calms the soul. THE rest causes us to feel spirited and enthusiastic although our physique may be poor.

Remember the time when Jesus and his disciples were riding through the waves in their boat? Yes, Jesus fell asleep while His disciples panicked. However, Jesus was not taking a physical rest, but the fact that He was able to do so shows how at peace and untroubled His heart was. Can you ever imagine yourself sleeping while amidst fierce waves? Most of us would scramble and be busy trying to find a solution! Not sleep!

THE rest enables you to remain calm and composed amidst life's storms and troubles. It boosts your patience level, among other things. How do we receive this rest?

Isaish 28:11-12 says
"For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, to whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing”;
Yet they would not hear.

What does the above verse mean? Simple - To achieve THE rest in God, pray not with your mind but with your spirit, in tongues. Proverbs 3:5-6 says "trust in the Lord and lean not to your own understanding". Your understanding is your mind. It is your mind that process things and tell you to do this and that, pray this and that. But that is not what God wants.

God doesn't want you to create an outline of your prayer. No, what God wants is your sincere prayer that comes from the heart. That is why God wants you to pray in tongues. Why? Because you don't know what you're saying! But your spirit knows what you should be praying and the gift of praying in tongues is a way for your spirit to communicate directly with Daddy (Romans 8:26). However, praying in your own language doesn't mean that you are not praying in spirit but do refer to this http://www.jimfeeney.org/praying-spirit-tongues.html

Dr. Carl Peterson, of Oral Roberts University, found that as we pray in the Spirit; there is activity that begins in our brain. As we engage in our heavenly language, the brain releases two chemical secretions that are directed into our immune system giving a 35 to 40 percent boost to our immune system. This promotes healing within our bodies. This is amazing because this secretion is triggered from a part of the brain that has no other apparent activity in humans. It has only been identified as being activated by our Spirit-led prayer and worship.

As you find the rest through praying in spirit, God's miracles would become more apparent. There is no medicine whatsoever in this world that could boost your immune system by up to 40% (!) Instead of fearing for the day's events, start praying in tongues! Whenever you feel tempted to get angry or discouraged or think negative, pray in tongues. You will find that as you force yourself to pray in tongues in those sticky situations, you will feel more at peace even though you may be going through storms.

Like tobyMac says, "I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul." I believe that's right. So find your rest in Jesus, just through simple prayer in tongues.