God Speaks in Quiet Rest - His Rest
A person with a religious spirit will defend a knowledge of Jesus but does not know the Person of Jesus intimately.
It’s a fine line.
It comes out in attitudes towards others and when the religious dust stirred up by knowledge clears,
you find a very lonely and miserable person who has surrounded themselves with people who agree with their doctrine but even among themselves, they cannot get close as people to one another.
Agreement with doctrine never satisfies the deep inner need for closeness and companionship.
That only comes through closeness with Jesus Himself and receiving His tender love and compassion, in the exchange of our cares and worries, confessions of our sins and weaknesses, for His forgiveness and rest. It’s in the tenderness He gives us deeply on the inside that draws us both to Him and in turn helps us draw close to one another. He softens our hardness and harshness caused by the world in which we live. Our old nature is harsh, unforgiving, opinionated, lacking compassion and understanding of one another.
“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.
Titus 3:3-6,9-11
The knowledge of Jesus is very precious indeed. And we are encouraged to grow in grace AND in the knowledge of the Son of God. Grow in grace. Grow. In grace. Learn what it means to grow in grace. Most don’t even know what grace is, let alone to grow in it. Again, grace is material from God alone and in our times with Him, He imparts it to us and it is what stirs us toward Him even more. Jesus came to this earth full of grace and truth. Grace meets the tender need of humanity at its very core. Jesus made us and knows the deepest intricacies of humanity. Have you heard the saying that the ones who are hardest to love need love the most? This is a profound quote and I often refer to it when I encounter a difficult person. Everything in your old nature wants to reject such a person. In fact, without the precious relationship with Christ Jesus filling you as a person and you being satisfied in His most precious love, you cannot love others who are difficult. And sometimes, even with Christ’s fullness of love flowing in and through us, it is extremely difficult. Humanity at its core needs unconditional love and how non-existent to rare, it truly is.
But what a love of Christ! “While we were yet sinners, Christ came and died for us.” “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
Oh what a love! “Not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave His son as a propitiation for our sins and not only our sins, but the sins of the world.”
What religion do you know where their God chose them first apart from them having done anything to deserve it? Or earned their God’s love? There is none. Except our God! He chose us! You! First! He made the way wide open through the sacrifice of His Son for you to come unhindered to your Heavenly Father to be loved and forgiven of all your sins and trespasses.
Oh how a religious spirit hates the love and mercy of God! It always seeks to undermine the most precious love God has for people by pulling out scriptures that cause you to feel condemned and inferior. It is really a spirit of AntiChrist cloaked as a messenger of God. It ignores the life and hope and blessed freedom found in Christ to guilt you back to working for your salvation and like the snake in the garden tried to tempt Eve with knowledge, it also wants you to be puffed up with knowledge that will lift you up above others. It is pride. It is the very thing that caused Satan to fall. Knowledge is a powerful thing. Grace is the precious and tender balance. The religious spirit hates grace and the grace message.
My thoughts here are to warn those who encounter a religious spirit and to not get involved in those mindsets. If you have someone close in your circle of God-given relationships, begin to pray and love them in actions. They will want to talk and talk and try and convert you to that mindset, but just see the need and meet it when you can and hug them close. Try not to let their attitudes offend you because they will intentionally hurt someone that they feel is weak in knowledge and simply loves them. They want to irritate you to see you break and then they can point a finger. When I say they intentionally do it, they sincerely think their actions are out from zeal for God and that everyone around them are not true followers of God. In many ways they are suspicious and paranoid. It is very difficult to bring such a person around to see their deep need for a genuine and loving relationship with Jesus. So don’t make that your goal. Keep in mind the torment they are experiencing at all times in their minds. There is no rest for those operating with a religious spirit. When they read scripture, it’s to mount more incriminating evidence against others. It is never to minister the life and love of Jesus first to themselves and then the outflow of Life to others.
Religious spirits are always talking. Talk, talk, talk. God speaks in the quiet moments and can go deeply when we are still. Quiet moments with Him are so valuable. See how the enemy never stops and undermines all that is God’s precious life as it works out in us?
Oh child of God,
won’t you come and rest
at the feet of your Beloved Savior.
It’s time to come
and enter His rest.
Stop the striving of work
as God stopped His after
the six days He created the world.
Come to your Savior
and enjoy the rest.
Rest.
Sweet rest.
Enjoy His rest.
He paid it all.
So we might live
in Him.
It’s a fine line.
It comes out in attitudes towards others and when the religious dust stirred up by knowledge clears,
you find a very lonely and miserable person who has surrounded themselves with people who agree with their doctrine but even among themselves, they cannot get close as people to one another.
Agreement with doctrine never satisfies the deep inner need for closeness and companionship.
That only comes through closeness with Jesus Himself and receiving His tender love and compassion, in the exchange of our cares and worries, confessions of our sins and weaknesses, for His forgiveness and rest. It’s in the tenderness He gives us deeply on the inside that draws us both to Him and in turn helps us draw close to one another. He softens our hardness and harshness caused by the world in which we live. Our old nature is harsh, unforgiving, opinionated, lacking compassion and understanding of one another.
“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.
Titus 3:3-6,9-11
The knowledge of Jesus is very precious indeed. And we are encouraged to grow in grace AND in the knowledge of the Son of God. Grow in grace. Grow. In grace. Learn what it means to grow in grace. Most don’t even know what grace is, let alone to grow in it. Again, grace is material from God alone and in our times with Him, He imparts it to us and it is what stirs us toward Him even more. Jesus came to this earth full of grace and truth. Grace meets the tender need of humanity at its very core. Jesus made us and knows the deepest intricacies of humanity. Have you heard the saying that the ones who are hardest to love need love the most? This is a profound quote and I often refer to it when I encounter a difficult person. Everything in your old nature wants to reject such a person. In fact, without the precious relationship with Christ Jesus filling you as a person and you being satisfied in His most precious love, you cannot love others who are difficult. And sometimes, even with Christ’s fullness of love flowing in and through us, it is extremely difficult. Humanity at its core needs unconditional love and how non-existent to rare, it truly is.
But what a love of Christ! “While we were yet sinners, Christ came and died for us.” “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
Oh what a love! “Not that we loved God but that He loved us and gave His son as a propitiation for our sins and not only our sins, but the sins of the world.”
What religion do you know where their God chose them first apart from them having done anything to deserve it? Or earned their God’s love? There is none. Except our God! He chose us! You! First! He made the way wide open through the sacrifice of His Son for you to come unhindered to your Heavenly Father to be loved and forgiven of all your sins and trespasses.
Oh how a religious spirit hates the love and mercy of God! It always seeks to undermine the most precious love God has for people by pulling out scriptures that cause you to feel condemned and inferior. It is really a spirit of AntiChrist cloaked as a messenger of God. It ignores the life and hope and blessed freedom found in Christ to guilt you back to working for your salvation and like the snake in the garden tried to tempt Eve with knowledge, it also wants you to be puffed up with knowledge that will lift you up above others. It is pride. It is the very thing that caused Satan to fall. Knowledge is a powerful thing. Grace is the precious and tender balance. The religious spirit hates grace and the grace message.
My thoughts here are to warn those who encounter a religious spirit and to not get involved in those mindsets. If you have someone close in your circle of God-given relationships, begin to pray and love them in actions. They will want to talk and talk and try and convert you to that mindset, but just see the need and meet it when you can and hug them close. Try not to let their attitudes offend you because they will intentionally hurt someone that they feel is weak in knowledge and simply loves them. They want to irritate you to see you break and then they can point a finger. When I say they intentionally do it, they sincerely think their actions are out from zeal for God and that everyone around them are not true followers of God. In many ways they are suspicious and paranoid. It is very difficult to bring such a person around to see their deep need for a genuine and loving relationship with Jesus. So don’t make that your goal. Keep in mind the torment they are experiencing at all times in their minds. There is no rest for those operating with a religious spirit. When they read scripture, it’s to mount more incriminating evidence against others. It is never to minister the life and love of Jesus first to themselves and then the outflow of Life to others.
Religious spirits are always talking. Talk, talk, talk. God speaks in the quiet moments and can go deeply when we are still. Quiet moments with Him are so valuable. See how the enemy never stops and undermines all that is God’s precious life as it works out in us?
Oh child of God,
won’t you come and rest
at the feet of your Beloved Savior.
It’s time to come
and enter His rest.
Stop the striving of work
as God stopped His after
the six days He created the world.
Come to your Savior
and enjoy the rest.
Rest.
Sweet rest.
Enjoy His rest.
He paid it all.
So we might live
in Him.
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