With the help of the Holy Ghost, you can run and rest at the same time. In fact, the Bible instructs us to do so. Hebrews 12:1 says, …let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us RUN with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Then in Hebrews 4:11 we find, Let us labour therefore to ENTER INTO THAT REST, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
The rest mentioned in Hebrews 4 is actually in reference to the Sabbath, and the Sabbath is to be a way of life for us as New Testament believers. Many years ago as I was studying these things, it dawned on me that the children of Israel never experienced the Year of Jubilee. Can you imagine that? The year when all debts are wiped out, work was out of the question, and all there was to do was rest and enjoy the goodness of God—this is in a nutshell what was promised to the children of Israel, but they never experienced it.
Psalm 78 contains the story of the children of Israel in the wilderness, and in verse 40-41, we find something very interesting…How oft did they provoke Him in the wilderness, and grieve Him in the desert! Yea, THEY TURNED BACK AND TEMPTED GOD, AND LIMITED the Holy One of Israel.
LIVE ON VISION, NOT ON MEMORY
While we can’t limit God in His realm, we can certainly limit Him in our realm—just as the children of Israel did. And the way the children of Israel limited Him is the same way we limit God in our own lives—by turning back or looking back. In order to enter this lifestyle of rest, you must let go of what is behind you and live on vision, not on memory. This is one of the secrets to running and resting at the same time.
Each person has experiences in their life that seem to help mold who they are, and your experiences will try to tell you who you are and what you can do. But when we come into the knowledge of the Word of God, and the Word and our past experiences don’t agree, we must make the decision to let go of what our experience tells us and press into what God says about us or the situation.
In some cases, accomplishments can be a stumbling block for people when they continually look back to them. There is certainly nothing wrong with victory, but riding on what you’ve done is going to keep you from running the race that is before you. Remember this, God doesn’t watch over what you’ve done to perform it; HE WATCHES OVER HIS WORD to perform it.
In First Kings 17, we find the story of Elijah and the widow woman. God commanded this woman to look after the prophet and take care of him. When he came to her, she was down to her “one and only cake,” prepared for it to be her and her son’s last meal. She had a decision to make—whether to base her obedience on her experiences (the famine) or what Elijah told her.
I Kings 17:13-14, And Elijah said unto her, FEAR NOT; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.
When Elijah told her to FEAR NOT, he was telling her, don’t give this famine any more of your respect. The Lord is promising provision for you and your son, and you must keep your eyes on what He is saying, not on what has been—the famine. What God said is EXACTLY WHAT TOOK PLACE, and He is the same today as He was then.
What situations are you dealing with today? Instead of expecting the same ol’ same ol’, make the decision to find out what the Word says about it. Give circumstances and past experiences NO MORE RESPECT! When I was a kid, one of the things my parents use to say to me is, “Show some respect and don’t talk back!” In other words, SHOWING RESPECT = NOT TALKING BACK.
Friend, it’s time to talk back to anything that is contrary to God’s absolute best for you. If money is tight, then talk to your checkbook and your accounts. Don’t give lack any respect. If your body is in pain, then speak to it and declare what belongs to you because of the shed blood of Jesus. When you keep silent, you are showing respect to the author of sickness and disease.
The Year of Jubilee is where God wants us to live and abide. It is a lifestyle of rest while running our race with joy.