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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: CHILL (10/29/15)
Rest? Does it even exist in today’s culture?

Consistently saturated in constant noise, it surrounds us everywhere. Be it work, social media, school, goals. Somewhere along the way the world has programmed us to keep moving and never slow down.

The spirit of busy consumes our downtime we saturate ourselves in tv, scrolling through Pinterest, updating our Facebook, taking selfies and constantly meditating on the worries of today.
The rest stop we park in is worry, and busyness is our companion. Fear drives our motivation to stay connected in the world, it pushes us through our days, propelling us further away from the destiny in which the Lord is calling us to.

The Lord has been dealing with me about my former self.
That nasty black hole which resided in me fed off of constant busyness,
And I believed, if I stayed busy, and connected to the world no one would forget about me. By pushing harder in my work and made more money eventually, that hole inside would fill to overflowing.

However the more I strived, the harder I pushed, the sicker I became. Until the only shell of a person remained. When I gave my life to Christ, He started an immediate work in me. Like a puzzle, He started rearranging the pieces in my life and highlighting my true priorities.

The Lord chose me and my purpose was for Him. And he spoke into my heart that I would never feel fulfilled until I walked with Him towards my destiny.
In a vision one morning in prayer the Lord showed me how His children are like salmon swimming upstream, constantly going against the flow of Him. The scales ripping off, precious life slowly draining out of them. Eventually, they die inside because the rushing water of the world is treacherous and consumes and drowns them.
The only way to be free of the river of death is to stop swimming and learn to float.
The river of Life will carry us, we just need to throw up our hands and roll over on our back, allowing the current to sweep us into the Father's heart.

Yes, downtime is a must. However, God is calling us to a “state of rest”. A place where we work out of rest.
When I received this revelation, I thought to myself, working out of rest? How do I constantly rest and still function throughout my day?

The first step was breaking ties with busyness, both physically and mentally.
The Lord asked me to surrender fully, and allow Him to carry me.
Surrender? Fully?
For someone that had severe control issues driven by fear that was a lot to digest.

The process of letting go of control is painful and it is a gift that many don't take God up on.
The pain of letting go was so great and so deep that I felt as if I were dying.
Freedom comes thru radical obedience. By surrendering fully, God reveals a destiny far grander than you could ever imagine.

Peace comes in rest, rest comes in surrender, and surrender only comes by release.
You must let go, in order to rest.
Resting in God is a state of constant awareness to what the Spirit is saying, and where the Lord is leading you.
Just like dancing you must let God lead your footsteps.
Rest is the place where true freedom is. Balance will permeate every area of your life if you allow God to re-map it for you.

The place of rest in Gods arms isn’t a fairy tale, where life is perfect and no storms will come.
However, in rest you will have firm “peace” roots grounded. So that when the storms wind is raging you will not shake nor move.

God will work out everything for his good. He will never leave you, nor forsake you, and HE has a plan to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11.
Daddy God is calling all of His children to the place of rest.
God loves his children deeply and wants them to feel secure, entering into the peace of Jesus.
Release the reigns of control, open your heart to the words of Jesus, “take up my yoke, my burden is easy”. Beloved, draw near to God, dwell in His shelter and you will rest in His shadow, float with the flow of His heart, and release and rest in His presence.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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This article has been read 645 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Larry Whittington
11/07/15
You have a lot of good thought and advise in this article. You could make it into a much needed devotional. Many Christians have not yielded to Jesus as Lord and are only doing busywork for Jesus.

Contentment looks to Jesus as Lord and this brings daily rest.

Good thoughts. Nice writing.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/12/15
Congratulations on ranking 7th in your level. The highest rankings can be found on the message boards.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
11/13/15
This is a lovely testimony. You make some great points. I can totally relate as I tend to be a control freak worrier too. It's a constant battle for me.

One suggestion to help your writing be even stronger is to be consistent with your voice. You start with we (using it like a universal you), then switch to I. Also, your opening lines are a bit confusing. What is the it you refer to? Your next line is an incomplete sentence. For example, you could fix it like this: Today's world is consistently saturated in constant noise. Whether it be it work, social media, school, or goals, we are inundated by the outside world.

Overall, I think you did a great job. You did a wonderful job of writing on topic in a fresh and interesting way. Your message is a good one, and many people will relate to itit. I'm eager to read more of your work.