THE GIFT OF REST: EMBRACING GOD'S PEACE IN A RESTLESS WORLD

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THE GIFT OF REST: EMBRACING GOD'S PEACE IN A RESTLESS WORLD
Explore "The Gift of Rest," a teaching that revisits the Biblical concept of rest amidst life's chaos. Through scripture and Christian wisdom, we uncover the significance of rest, both physical and spiritual. The session concludes with practical meditation, fostering a deeper connection with God, embodying Psalm 23's assurance: "He restores my soul."
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YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/S8a_v5wIaxQ
MATTHEW 11:28-30 ESV Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Shalom & Amen! #thetruth #WordOfGod #God #Jesus #HolySpirit #theboost #life #love #joy #peace #freedom #faith #lionsroar3eight #revival #success #Amen
Transcript
00:00Hi, the gift of rest, embracing God's peace in a restless world.
00:15Matthew 11, 28 to 30 tells us, come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
00:22give you rest.
00:23Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart.
00:30And you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
00:37In the powerful true words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, as a plant upon the earth, so a man
00:45rests upon the bosom of God.
00:48He is nourished by unfailing fountains and draws at his need inexhaustible power, the
00:56gift of rest.
00:58Want to know more?
01:00Hang around.
01:04Welcome, welcome to Lions Roar 3.8 Ministries.
01:08Amos 3.8 tells us, the lion has roared who will not fear or hear the Lord God has spoken
01:15who can but prophesy.
01:18My name is George and we are an apostolic ministry with a prophetic teaching edge.
01:24It is our passion, our mission to reignite, equip and release Christ-like disciples both
01:30locally and globally.
01:32We do that through our itinerant ministry, but as well as providing with resources just
01:36like this one to help you, to aid you in your God-given calling.
01:42Today we're going to discuss a topic we've discussed before, but it's the gift of rest
01:472.0.
01:48And I say before, probably about a year ago, we touched on this topic and I think based
01:55on the times that we are living right now, we need to retouch, refresh, revise this knowledge
02:07and this wonderful gift that God has given us.
02:10Amen?
02:11All right, bringing us to our main verse today and we heard it at the beginning.
02:14This time we're going to be reading from the message translation, Matthew 7 verse 24
02:20in the message translation.
02:22These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements
02:29to your standard of living.
02:30They are foundational words to build a life on.
02:35If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house
02:40on solid rock.
02:42It's a great verse, George.
02:45It's a fantastic verse.
02:46But you said Matthew 11, 28 to 30.
02:48You are right.
02:49You are absolutely right.
02:53Yes.
02:55Let's read it from the Amplified Classic Version.
03:04So Matthew 11, 28 to 30, Matthew 11, 28 to 30, which is our main verse today.
03:13Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden and unburdened, and I will cause you to rest.
03:20I will ease and relief and refresh your souls, which is what we're going to be doing today.
03:28Take my yoke upon you.
03:29This is Jesus speaking and learn of me for I am gentle, meek and humble, lowly in heart.
03:36And you will find rest, relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet
03:43for your souls.
03:44For my yoke is wholesome, useful, good, not harsh, hard, sharp or pressing, but comfortable,
03:51gracious and pleasant.
03:53And my burden is light and easy to be borne.
03:58The gift of rest.
04:00All right.
04:02As I said, today, we're going to be revising or better yet, getting refreshed on a previous
04:07study we've done.
04:09Pretty sure we tackled this last year, the gift of rest in a time of so much chaos that
04:16we see all over the world.
04:17And again, it shouldn't be a surprise.
04:21Just in the last week, for example, the world's gone really mental.
04:26We are living in a fallen world.
04:29That is the truth.
04:30The world seems to be getting just stupid, whatever you want to say, chaos, lunacy, wickedness
04:38is just getting crazy at crazy levels.
04:43For example, if you look at the Olympics, what happened at the Olympics, the opening
04:46ceremony.
04:47I didn't even bother to watch.
04:48I don't watch that anymore.
04:49I think they're politicizing everything nowadays that it's not even worth watching it.
04:55But for those who do love it, I used to watch it in the older days.
04:59Maybe there is a sport there or two that I might check out the highlights.
05:04Anyways, it was an absolute satanic debauchery.
05:10It was a mockery of Christianity.
05:13Again, it's funny how these wicked, demonic, absolutely wicked and demonic people, and
05:21again, the Bible does tell us that we're not fighting against flesh and blood, but against
05:24spiritual principalities and powers.
05:26I understand that.
05:28There are people that enjoy the wickedness.
05:31There are people out there that actually enjoy these things.
05:35It's funny how it's always Christianity.
05:37It's always Jesus that gets attacked, isn't it?
05:41Shows us where salvation truly lies.
05:44They don't even bother with the others.
05:46They always go for the Christians, or more specifically, they always go for Jesus, amen?
05:52They always go for Jesus.
05:55I don't know if you guys saw it, but there was an absolute demonic mockery of Jesus in
06:01the Last Supper.
06:03There was also a bull, a golden bull on display.
06:09In fact, they came out with some lame excuse that it had nothing to do with religion.
06:14They were not trying to mock Christianity in any way.
06:18It's really, they've had a massive backlash.
06:21So many companies, so many people outraged throughout the world.
06:24I mean, you're talking about the biggest religion in the world, 2.6 billion people around the
06:28world consider themselves Christians.
06:31So this is not a little thing.
06:33And I think people are getting fed up with all the lunacy, with all the wokeness, with
06:37all the globalist garbage that's being thrusted in our lives.
06:45So without giving too much emphasis on that, I don't want to focus on that.
06:51I think they've had enough focus as it is.
06:54I want to remind them and remind us of who God is and what God says in his word.
07:01In Psalms 2, I'm reading verses one to four.
07:09In Psalms 2, verses one to four in the Amplified Classic, it says, why do the nations assemble
07:14with commotion, uproar, and confusion of voices?
07:19And there seems to be a lot of confusion because one moment they're saying one thing, the next
07:22moment they're saying another.
07:25And why do the people imagine, meditate upon, and devise, devise, or strategize, create
07:32these divisive, deceitful strategies, an empty scheme, question mark.
07:40Number two, verse two, the kings of the earth.
07:42This is talking about those in authority, the governments, the elites, those which are
07:48not being led by God, in other words, who think they are gods.
07:51That is the problem in the world today, is they know if they get the God of the Bible,
07:58the only true God, one way, one truth, one life, out of the way, then they become gods.
08:06The kings of the earth take their places.
08:08The rulers take counsel together against the Lord, against the Lord.
08:12This was a blatant attack on the Lord.
08:17Then his anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, they say, let us break their bands of restraint,
08:26asunder and cast their cords of control from us.
08:31Verse four, he who sits, listen to this, he who sits in the heavens laughs.
08:38They think they can mock God.
08:39God is laughing, laughs.
08:42The Lord has them in derision and in supreme contempt.
08:46He mocks them.
08:48He mocks them.
08:50Jumping to verse 10 to 12, now, therefore, all you kings, God is speaking to the kings
08:58out there right now, throughout all time, all history, because God is not limited by
09:03history, unlike you and I, therefore, all you kings, elites, governments, whatever you
09:11want to call yourself, act wisely, be instructed and warned.
09:17God is giving you a chance here.
09:19All you rulers of the earth, serve the Lord with reverent awe and worship of worshipful
09:27fear.
09:29Rejoice and be in high spirits with trembling, lest you displease him.
09:37What this means is pay homage to him in purity, honor him, in other words, respect him, lest
09:45he be angry and you perish in the way, for soon shall his wrath be kindled.
09:52Oh, blessed, that's talking about us, believers, happy, fortunate, and to be envied are all
09:59those who seek refuge and put their trust in him.
10:05I think that is very clear, that God will not be mocked, and I'm saying this because
10:11we are living in a very crazy world, in a fallen world.
10:15We must not forget that we are in a fallen world, and until Jesus comes back and finally
10:22establishes a righteous, holy, finally executes his judgment and establishes a perfect world,
10:35until then we are living in a fallen world.
10:37Nevertheless, we have a mission here on earth as believers, and part of our mission is actually
10:41to stand firm, to stand firm, and how we take up and resist the devil unyieldingly, we resist
10:48him by being vocal, speaking the truth, releasing, picking up our sword of the spirit.
10:55Now, sword of the spirit is not physical violence, but prayer, worship, declaring the word of
11:03God, speaking up for the truth.
11:05We're not meant to be doormats, as they think that Christianity is.
11:11It is a time of lunacy, it is a time of chaos, and it's tempting, it is tempting to get caught
11:18up in all this emotion and become overwhelmed, losing our focus on God and what he has in
11:24store for us.
11:25But what we must remember that some of the greatest gifts that God has for his children,
11:32for his disciples, for us believers, are some of the most simplest, yet totally life-changing
11:40and indispensable, like the gift of rest.
11:46The gift of rest is one that can be easily underestimated and resisted for its counteractive,
11:54incompatible nature to the globalist, satanic, evil agenda and narrative that is so prevalent
12:04in this world.
12:05Now, today's study will refresh us, will encourage us, inspire us in the gift of rest, and will
12:17be delivered in two sections.
12:20The first section of today's study will revise this word through a simple but profound context,
12:29providing plenty of biblical scripture, as well as credible Christian quotes, resulting
12:34in a very resourceful summary.
12:38The second part of our study will look into meditation.
12:41I thought that's an occult thing, George.
12:45No, no.
12:46Look at the Bible, and that word has been copied, counterfeited by the devil, but meditation
12:55is a thing that God called us to do as believers, but meditation in a biblical Christian way,
13:05and I'll explain that.
13:07So we'll look into meditation, its definition and purpose, and conclude with practical meditation
13:13or biblical meditation, as I just said, providing us with a practical experience that we can
13:19continue to implement in our daily lives.
13:24Now like Psalms 23 reveals, it's through the valley, through the valley of the shadow of
13:31death, and in the presence of our enemies, that our God restores, revives, and renders
13:37us through the gift of rest.
13:43In the true words of St. Augustine, thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart
13:50is restless until it rests in thee.
13:54Amen.
13:55Amen.
13:56All right.
13:57Context.
13:58Here we go.
14:00It's a goodie.
14:01Are you ready?
14:02Before we start, let us pray.
14:04Lord, I thank you for this wonderful word.
14:06I thank you that your word has already gone ahead of us, and that you are already, you
14:11are already breaking through the walls, the walls of deceitfulness, the walls of religion,
14:16the walls of bad doctrine, the walls of whatever walls that the enemies put there, that has
14:23in any way derailed us from your path, from the narrow path.
14:29Lord, I thank you that tonight there is a breakthrough.
14:32These walls are coming down.
14:34Tonight your spirit of wisdom and revelation is moving.
14:37Tonight there is deliverance, miracles, signs, and wonders.
14:41Tonight there is salvation in Christ Jesus.
14:44Tonight your name will be glorified, Jesus, and your Holy Spirit will continue to move
14:49in and through us.
14:52In Jesus' name, amen.
14:55The gift of rest.
14:56All right.
14:57Woodrow Crowe made a simple but powerfully true statement.
15:04Rest is a matter of wisdom, not law.
15:09Rest is a matter of wisdom, not law.
15:13Watchman Nee, Watchman Nee accurately declared, carnal Christians crave works, yet amid many
15:23labors they are unable to maintain calm in their spirit.
15:28So true.
15:29They cannot fulfill God's orders quietly as candor spiritual believers.
15:40Their hearts are governed by outward matters.
15:44Being distracted with much serving, Luke 10 40, is the characteristic of the work of any
15:51soulish believer.
15:54They have not yet entered the rest of God.
15:58And if we are truly sincere, many of us struggle.
16:02I know I do.
16:03I'll be sincere with you.
16:04That's one of the hardest things for me.
16:08And I know there is a lot of people out there, maybe even from the past, who may think, what
16:12are you talking about?
16:14You're mostly at home, George, or you're this, you're that, you don't minister, really?
16:18What do you guys do?
16:19You know, before I was a minister, let me just say this.
16:23Before I was a minister, I know I'm young, youngish, I'm only turning 45 this year, so
16:32I'm pretty young, but I've gone through quite a lot.
16:34We've gone through quite a lot.
16:36And since 2003, since I gave my life to Jesus, it's been an adventure.
16:43And I've had not just ministry jobs, but I've also had other jobs.
16:47I've worked for myself in a business, I've worked in factories, I've worked for the government,
16:52I've worked in banks.
16:54So I know how it is to have a 9 to 5 job, or 8.30 to whatever time you finish.
17:01I know how it is to have a lot of money in the bank and have barely anything.
17:07I know what it is to have a so-called normal job.
17:12And I'm telling you, it's much easier to have a normal job than it is to have a job, a ministry
17:19job.
17:20And a lot of Christians, ministers probably wouldn't say something like this, but it is
17:24much, much easier.
17:28Because a lot of the times, it's only this physical world, the problems of this physical
17:35world that you're facing.
17:37But in a ministry job, you face spiritual attacks, and I mean full-on attacks.
17:43You face demonic attacks all the time, because you are on a battlefield every moment of your
17:50life.
17:51You are a threat to the work of the enemy, to the prince of this world, as the Bible
17:55tells us.
17:59In saying that, it can be really difficult at times, and I know for myself, to rest,
18:05to actually find time to rest.
18:07And I'm not saying that I'm so busy that I don't know how to rest.
18:10It's just that over the years, life experiences and issues that we've gone through in life,
18:17it's become really hard for me to know how to rest and to be able to rest.
18:21I feel like I'm one of those persons, like I used to tell Sabrina when we met, at times
18:30she'll go, it's really late, let's go to sleep.
18:32And I didn't even want to go to sleep, because I felt like even sleeping at times felt like
18:35a waste of time to me.
18:36I know it sounds crazy, but that's the sort of person I am.
18:40I don't like to waste time.
18:43And that's why I can be really hard on myself, and that can be a really difficult thing and
18:47can be a hurdle in being able to rest, and rest is part of God's intent for our lives.
18:57We cannot be as effective and fulfill the task that he's called us to fulfill, have
19:03the longevity in our ministry, in our calling, if we don't know how to rest.
19:08It is very important to rest, and I'm still learning that.
19:12I struggle with it on a daily basis, I really do.
19:20So as I said, entering the rest of God is vital to longevity, to growth, to everlasting
19:30fruitfulness, to fulfilling God's commission in our lives, living a victorious life on
19:36earth as it is in heaven.
19:38Times, circumstances, and our environments all play a part in our beliefs, in our moral
19:44values, and in our lifestyles.
19:46And many of us, whether at times or never really gotten over the old self or the old
19:52nature, struggle to enter into the rest of God, as I said before.
19:57In fact, do you know that rest is a gift from God?
20:04It is a gift from God.
20:07The Father exemplified it, it's throughout the whole Word of God.
20:13The Son exemplified it, Jesus Christ.
20:17And even Holy Spirit yearns that we do likewise.
20:24But before we go any further, you're probably wondering, okay George, but what is rest really?
20:28From a biblical point of view, from a God's point of view, what is rest?
20:32What is it really that God is saying to us when He wants us to rest?
20:38Good question.
20:40Now the power of thesaurus says rest is sleep, pause, repose, balance, recess, ease up, time
20:53off to slow down or to chill out.
20:57And many of those that I just said now are part of it, yes, but that's how the world
21:02thinks rest is.
21:06Credible Christian sources like Bible Hub and Bible Study Tools and many other authors,
21:12amongst others, explain rest more specifically from a biblical point of view as a state of
21:20peace, an interruption from labor or activity, entering spiritual tranquility.
21:29It represents both physical relaxation and a deeper spiritual rest found in God, characterized
21:37by trust and reconciliation with Him.
21:40This concept is seen in Sabbath observance, the promised rest in Hebrews and the peace
21:50granted through faith in Christ Jesus.
21:55L. M. Babb correctly declared, the rhythm of work and rest seems to help us function
22:03more purposefully and energetically, living in the responsive obedience to the pattern
22:12God designed for us.
22:15Charles Pershing, the Prince of Preachers, expressed it this way, rest time is not waste
22:21time.
22:22It is economy to gather fresh strength.
22:25It is wisdom to take occasional furlough.
22:28In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.
22:35And I've seen that so many times in my life when I have listened to God and rested.
22:39I have seen myself be so efficient, so much more efficient.
22:50Mark Buchanan so rightly stated, most of the things we need to be most fully alive never
22:58come in busyness, they grow in rest.
23:04So today, the great and most successful companies, if you look it up, you'll see today, the most
23:10successful companies in the world for years now have implemented this knowledge into practice
23:17in their workplaces, providing more relaxed, down to earth, family-like spaces, a more
23:24efficient work-life balance due to the proven productivity and longevity growth results.
23:32In fact, some countries for many years now, France, for example, is a nation which has
23:37implemented four-day work weeks for years.
23:41And recently, some other nations around the world have began active trials like Ireland,
23:47Canada, Iceland, UK, New Zealand, and even parts of Australia, because results speak
23:54for themselves.
23:57John Wise once said, by a carpenter, mankind was made.
24:02And only by that carpenter can mankind be remade.
24:08This is not just true of being born again, but also revived, rejuvenated from resting
24:17in the Lord, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, creation drawing from its creator.
24:29Only then, truly, are we able to declare experience and prove the greater works that Jesus declared
24:36we would fulfil, for only love turns work into rest, as Teresa of Avila declared.
24:48The great general, the great general Billy Graham, exclaimed, the rest that Christ gives
24:55is not a piece of negation, it is founded upon something positive, Christ himself.
25:01He said, come unto me and I will give you rest.
25:06There is no rest in any other direction.
25:10He alone is the source of life and joy and soul rest.
25:17Job 11.18, in the word of God, Job 11.18 reminds us, and you shall be secure and feel confident
25:26because there is hope, yes, you shall search about you and you shall take your rest in
25:33safety, amen.
25:38D Butler Bass, and all these people that I've been quoting are Christian believers.
25:46D Butler Bass broke it down when he said, our bodies move to a rhythm of work and rest
25:52that follows the rhythm originally strummed by God on the waters of creation.
26:01As God worked, so shall we.
26:03As God rested, so shall we.
26:06Working and resting, we who are human are in the image of God.
26:14It's in that surrender, the stillness of his presence, that place of rest, that we are
26:21completely revived, fortified, permitting the gift of rest to do its work in response
26:28to his presence rather than reaction to the devil or life's problems.
26:33And unfortunately, many of us allow or only come to that point of rest when something
26:43tragic happens.
26:46How many of us have been in a position where you end up getting really sick or you end
26:51up, I don't know, in an accident or something bad happens and then you're forced to rest
26:58and then after resting, you realize how important that time was.
27:05Heidi Baker puts it this way, rather than being purpose-driven, I prefer to be presence-centered.
27:13And this is so important when it comes to rest because we have a mindset, we've been
27:19indoctrinated by this fallen world, by this secular world into thinking that rest is a
27:25waste of time.
27:26So it's counteractive towards their narrative.
27:30So rather than being purpose-driven, I prefer to be presence-centered.
27:35If we truly know the meaning of rest, where it comes from, who's gifted us that gift,
27:43we will value rest so highly and we will not think of it as a waste of time, but as a precious
27:49moment, as we were saying before, that helps us to actually grow in Christlikeness.
27:55All our efforts in God's kingdom must originate from the place of rest, the place of His presence,
28:03she goes on to say.
28:06Joyce Meyer goes on to reveal, when your soul is resting, your emotions are okay, your mind
28:13is okay, your will is at peace with God, not resisting what He's doing.
28:20So true, I found myself in so many moments like this, and I'm sure you have too.
28:29That is the place when He turns your work into rest.
28:33The greater things, the greater works drawing from that place of rest, those works prepared
28:39beforehand that we should walk in them, Ephesians 2.10, will naturally manifest in our lives
28:46through the complete infusion of the supernatural presence, power, the glory of our Lord, rest,
28:57the gift of rest at work in His presence.
29:03Chuck Swindle so simply stated, in place of our exhaustion and spiritual fatigue, God
29:10will give us rest.
29:12All He asks is that we come to Him, that we spend a while thinking about Him, meditating
29:17on Him, talking to Him, listening in silence, occupying ourselves with Him, totally and
29:24thoroughly lost in the hiding place of His presence.
29:30Before we experience this gift of rest in our next section, allow me to conclude this
29:36section with some more powerful, wise, and biblically sound quotes, which we should ponder
29:45upon.
29:47Henry Drummond declared, men sigh for the wings of a dove, that they may fly away and
29:55be at rest, but flying away will not help us.
29:59The kingdom of God is within you.
30:02We aspire to the top, to look for rest.
30:05It lies at the bottom.
30:08Water rests only when it gets to the lowest place.
30:12So do men, hence be lowly.
30:17Shelley Miller stated the following, rest provides fine-tuning for hearing God's messages
30:25amidst the static of life.
30:32Eddie Brown Taylor declared, stop for one whole day every week, and you will remember
30:40what it means to be created in the image of God, who rested on the seventh day, not from
30:45weariness, but from complete freedom.
30:50The clear promise is that those who rest like God find themselves free like God, no longer
30:56slaves to the thousand compulsions that send others rushing toward their graves.
31:04Again, Mark Buchanan stated the following, without rest, we miss the rest of God.
31:13Wow, I love that.
31:15Without rest, we miss the rest of God.
31:19The rest he invites us to enter more fully so that we might know him more deeply.
31:26Be still and know that I am God.
31:29Some knowing is never pursued, only received.
31:33And for that, you need to be still.
31:38And there are paraphrase, rest.
31:43Billy Graham declared, this rest that Jesus gives us will endure the ravages of time and
31:52will abide through all eternity.
31:56And finally, Mark Driscoll humorously claimed, if you can't take a nap, if you can't take
32:04a day off, heaven is going to drive you nuts.
32:10There's a lot of rest coming in heaven.
32:15Glory to God.
32:16All right, let's get on to the rest of our study.
32:20This is our second section now, and we are discussing, we are studying the gift of rest.
32:29The gift of rest, and we have already covered the context.
32:35And now we're going to be covering the second section, what is meditation?
32:40And then we're going to be actually experiencing, doing a practical exercise on meditating on
32:47the word of God, allowing God to minister onto us.
32:50Are you ready?
32:51All right, so what is meditation, George?
32:53Good question.
32:54You guys are on the ball.
32:56Again, the Power Thesaurus states meditation as contemplation, theorization, pondering,
33:04brooding, brain work, deep thought, soul searching, reflection.
33:14Yes, meditation is all those things.
33:18Again, from a Christian point of view, and I found credible sources like C.S. Lewis and
33:27Billy Graham amongst others, explain meditation more specifically, biblical meditation, as
33:33the act of deeply reflecting on, contemplating, and internalizing scripture.
33:42It involves focusing one's thoughts on God's word, pondering its meaning, and applying
33:51its truths to one's life.
33:54This practice aims to cultivate a deeper understanding of God and his will, developing spiritual growth
34:03and transformation.
34:05Amen?
34:06Glory to God.
34:07So now that we know what meditation is, for the next few minutes, we are going to do a
34:13simple practical exercise, so please indulge me for just a moment.
34:18You won't regret it.
34:19You'll be very happy at the end that you've done this.
34:23I want you all to put aside all your concerns.
34:27Just put it aside, and I want you to close your eyes.
34:31Now, I won't be closing my eyes because I need to declare God's word, but I want you
34:34to close your eyes, and I want you to focus, to reflect, to contemplate, to meditate on
34:41the following biblical scriptures that I'll be reading out.
34:44Now if need be, if need be, I want you to place yourself, in fact, do this.
34:51As you close your eyes now, I want you to place yourself in your mind, or as Sherlock
34:56says, in your mind palace, in your mind right now.
35:02I want you to go into your special place where you meet God, in your home, in your
35:07prayer closet, in your sanctuary, wherever it is, in your lounge, wherever it is that
35:11you spend time with God, your allocated place in your home.
35:15I want you to picture yourself in your mind right now, right there.
35:21And I want you to remove all the distractions in that place, again, in your mind.
35:28So if there's a TV in that room, remove the TV.
35:30If there's music, if there's a bed, if there's a couch, whatever it is that is a distraction,
35:35I want you to remove those things right now, in your mind.
35:39Close your eyes, don't peek, close your eyes, and remove those things from that place right
35:47now.
35:48It doesn't matter if the room becomes empty.
35:53Once you've done that, I want you to welcome God, God is with you, but I want you to welcome
35:58him.
35:59And you can say things like, Lord, I thank you that you are always with me.
36:02As your word says, though my mother and father may forsake me, you will never forsake me.
36:06You are always with me, so I welcome you, Holy Spirit.
36:10Move in this place right now, I thank you that I always hear your voice more clearly
36:15than any other voice.
36:17Whatever God's put in your heart, speak to him now, welcome him into that place.
36:25And just, don't speak in tongues, don't do anything else, just be quiet and allow God
36:33to minister to you, because he will minister to you.
36:35As I read out his living word, God is going to speak to you, he's going to point something
36:42out.
36:43Now speaking to you may not necessarily be from an audio point of view, as in, you may
36:50not hear his voice audibly.
36:53He may speak to you through a vision, through a picture, whatever way he wants an impression
37:03in your heart, in your mind, he speaks in different ways.
37:08So just be open and allow God to minister to you.
37:14Are you ready?
37:16Thank you, Jesus.
37:17Hallelujah.
37:18Thank you, Lord.
37:19Hallelujah.
37:20Thank you, Holy Spirit.
37:22Oh, hallelujah.
37:25Genesis 2, 2-3.
37:29Genesis 2, 2-3, on the seventh day, God was finished with his work, which he had made.
37:36So he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made.
37:42God blessed the seventh day and separated it as holy, because on that day, God rested
37:49from all his work, which he had created, so that it itself could produce.
37:58Exodus 20, verse 11.
38:02Exodus 20, verse 11, for in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea
38:09and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.
38:14That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it, set it apart for his purposes.
38:23Exodus 33, verse 14.
38:26Exodus 33, verse 14, and the Lord said, my presence shall go with you, and I will give
38:34you rest.
38:38Joshua 21, verse 44.
38:42Joshua 21, 44, and the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised
38:52their ancestors.
38:54None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all
38:59their enemies.
39:021 Kings 5, 4, 1 Kings 5, 4, but now the Lord, my God, has given me rest on every side, so
39:12that there is neither adversary nor evil confronting me.
39:19Psalm 62, verse 1.
39:23Psalm 62, verse 1.
39:24I find rest in God.
39:28Only he can save me.
39:33Psalm 116, verse 7.
39:36Psalm 116, verse 7.
39:39Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
39:49Psalm 127, verse 2.
39:52Psalm 127, verse 2.
39:54It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing
40:01you will starve to death, for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.
40:10Proverbs 19, verse 23.
40:15Proverbs 19, verse 23.
40:17The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it rests satisfied.
40:28He cannot be visited with actual evil.
40:33Isaiah 30, verse 15.
40:36Isaiah 30, verse 15.
40:38This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says.
40:43Only in returning to me and resting in me you will be saved.
40:49In quietness and confidence is your strength.
40:55Jeremiah 6, verse 16.
40:59Jeremiah 6, verse 16.
41:01Thus says the Lord, stand by the roads and look, and ask for the eternal paths, where
41:09the good old way is, then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
41:18Jeremiah 31, verse 25.
41:22Jeremiah 31, verse 25.
41:25I will give you rest and strength to those who are weak and tired.
41:33Matthew 11.
41:35Matthew 11, 28 to 30.
41:38Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
41:44Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will
41:51find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
41:59Mark 6, verse 31.
42:02Mark 6, verse 31.
42:04And Jesus said, let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest a while.
42:12He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles
42:17didn't even have time to eat.
42:22Hebrews 4, verse 10.
42:24Hebrews 4, verse 10.
42:26For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did
42:33after creating the world.
42:38Hebrews 4, verse 11.
42:40Hebrews 4, verse 11.
42:42Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest of
42:50God, to know and experience it for ourselves, that no one may fall or perish by the same
42:59kind of unbelief and disobedience into which those in the wilderness fell.
43:07And Hebrews 4, verse 3.
43:09Hebrews 4, verse 3.
43:12For only we who believe God can enter into his place of rest.
43:18He has said, I have sworn in my anger that those who don't believe me will never get
43:26in.
43:27Even though he has been ready and waiting for them since the world began.
43:34Wow.
43:37Wow.
43:39Somebody wise said today, a minister.
43:46Trust is the greatest form of worship.
43:52Trust is the greatest form of warfare.
43:57Trust is the greatest form of worship.
44:02Rest is the greatest form of warfare.
44:06Let us pray.
44:09Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful gift of rest, for what we experienced today and all
44:13the wonderful moments we have ahead of us in this journey of life.
44:19Thank you that you will not allow us to underestimate or forget to enjoy this gift of rest.
44:26For it is your will and pleasure to see us grow from glory to glory and live the abundant
44:31life to truly live as you intended us to, bringing you glory and honor and fulfilling
44:39all that you called us to fulfill, taking territory for the kingdom of God on earth
44:44as it is in heaven.
44:48And we will do all those things because you are in us, because it's no longer us that
44:55lives in Christ that lives in us, because we were bought at a price and because we have
45:00the joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit working in us from the very beginning and your promises
45:04are yes and amen.
45:06What you have started, you will finish.
45:11Thank you, Lord.
45:13Thank you for the gift of rest.
45:18In Jesus' name, amen and amen.
45:23Glory to God.
45:24Hallelujah.
45:25Now, if you're new here, if this was the first time listening to this word, you have just
45:30heard the living word of God, the only true God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the Christian
45:39God, Jesus Christ is our Lord.
45:41Jesus Christ created us in God's image.
45:46Yes.
45:47In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word...
45:50In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
45:56Jesus Christ.
45:57You heard it in Hebrews 4 verse 3.
46:05It says that for only we who believe God can enter into his place of rest.
46:13What is it that many want yet find it really difficult?
46:17Many people out there in the world are searching but searching in the wrong places through
46:21witchcraft, Satanism, secularism, Buddhism, whatever other isms, but none of them, none
46:28of them can compare to the truth, because there is only one way, one truth, one life
46:32and that is through Jesus Christ.
46:35That's the only way you can find rest.
46:40You know, the Word of God is very clear and it says in 1 John 5, 4-5, for whatever is
46:45born of God overcomes the world.
46:47And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
46:53Who is he who overcomes the world?
46:54But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
47:00John 3, 16-17 goes on to say, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
47:07that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
47:14For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
47:19him might be saved.
47:23And 1 John 1, verse 9 tells us very clearly and simply that if we confess our sins, he
47:30is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
47:38And in the most simplistic form, the most simple definition of what sin is, is not what
47:42the world's been screaming out and lying about all these years.
47:46Sin, in the most simple definition, is when we, when so-called humanity, tries to live
47:55without God.
47:56When we say, you know what, I don't need you, I'll do it by myself.
48:00That is sin because we, so-called humanity, and I say this because we are not human beings,
48:08we are spirit beings created in Christ Jesus.
48:12We are created in God's image, the way that God says that the only creation that God's
48:17created, that was created in his image, is mankind.
48:23We are spirit beings first, made in the image of God, and then we have a soul and a body
48:30for a purpose on this earth.
48:34So what do I need to do, George, if I want to accept this Jesus into my life?
48:41Well look at the screen and you'll see in Romans 10, verse 9 to 10, it's very clear,
48:45and it says that, if you confess with your mouth, so wherever you are right now, in your
48:49room, in your car, at work, listening to this word, wherever you may be, on a plane, on
48:57a train, right now, if you confess out loud, doesn't matter who's around you, if you're
49:05embarrassed of God, God will be embarrassed of you.
49:08There's nothing to be embarrassed of.
49:09He loves you so dearly, he will never give up his relentless in searching, in redeeming
49:19you, in restoring you back to his family, because you are made in his image and he loves
49:23you that much.
49:24And as his word says, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
49:28heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
49:32For with a heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with a mouth confession is made unto salvation.
49:39And once you do that, Titus 3 verse 5, Ephesians 2 verse 8, Acts 1 verse 8, amongst others,
49:45goes on to tell us, then he saves us, by grace, not anything that you can do.
49:51You don't earn it, it's a free gift, but it costs him dearly to provide you that gift.
49:58And you receive it by faith.
50:01The gift of God, washing, as soon as you do that, he washes away your sins, our sins,
50:07giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
50:13And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you'll be my witnesses,
50:17telling people about me everywhere.
50:20What is that talking about, George?
50:22That's talking about the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
50:26So once you've declared with your mouth the Lord Jesus, believed in your heart that God
50:30raised him from the dead, in your place, in my place, in our place, he done this.
50:37Once you declare that out loud, that's it.
50:40You are saved.
50:41You are back into the family of God, into the kingdom family.
50:44But then he's got a gift, and an amazing, indispensable gift, called baptism of Holy
50:49Spirit.
50:50It's when he showers you, when he imparts, infuses your life, your body, your whole being,
51:00with his presence, his very presence, the Spirit of the living God comes into your life,
51:08and he makes you his church, his synagogue, his temple, his dwelling place, where he will
51:15reside in you, and he will never leave you.
51:19He will direct you, he will correct you, he will love on you, he will protect you, he
51:23will guide you through life.
51:27All you need to do is ask him.
51:29And we're going to do that in a moment together.
51:31Are you ready?
51:33I'm going to pray for the baptism of Holy Spirit, and we're going to receive Holy Spirit,
51:40and you can do this as many times as you need.
51:44And some of you will experience some probably unusual sensations, you may experience like
51:49electricity running through your body, you may experience a real heat, you may experience
51:54like a massive weight just lifted off you, you may experience healings and miracles,
51:59your sinus all of a sudden is going to get clear, you may experience that all of a sudden
52:06this fog of chaos and confusion and frustration in your mind, all of a sudden it's gone, what's
52:13going on?
52:14It's the very Spirit of God.
52:16As he comes and he baptizes you, all those evil things, all that deception, all that
52:20darkness, he must drive it out, he cannot remain in the same place.
52:26Are you ready?
52:28And some of you will start talking, and you're like, what is he saying?
52:35It's a holy language, so don't freak out, it's a great, great gift of God.
52:40And I encourage you, once he gifts you that gift, once you start, just let it out, let
52:47God speak, it's the Holy Spirit speaking in and through you, it's a holy language that
52:54helps you to communicate with God and vice versa, and he helps you to grow, grow in Christlikeness,
53:02grow in the Spirit in your soul and your body as a whole being in Christ Jesus.
53:07Are you ready?
53:08Let's do this.
53:09Lord, right now, in Jesus' mighty name, we thank you, thank you Jesus, that you are our
53:17Lord and Savior.
53:18We thank you, Father, for sending Jesus to die for us, and we thank you that he conquered,
53:26after three days, he conquered the curse of sin, sickness, disease, poverty and death,
53:32and together with him, we are now a new creation in Christ Jesus.
53:38We have been resurrected, born again, use our lives for your glory, Lord.
53:44Come Holy Spirit, baptize us, baptize us with your presence, with fire, send fire,
53:52send fire, Lord, for our God is a consuming fire, send fire, fire, revival fire in and
54:01through us.
54:04Hallelujah, hallelujah, shantarababashikinana, yarabakatantarabashikinonobukandarabashataraba.
54:15Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus, hallelujah, glory to God, hallelujah.
54:23Congratulations, welcome back to the Kingdom family.
54:28I encourage you, please, please get connected with a church, it's so vital.
54:34The church is the people, not a building, not an institution, it's the people, the group
54:40of believers, the fellowship of believers.
54:43We need each other to encourage each other, to serve each other, to learn from each other.
54:48We need the family of the Kingdom of God, and it's important that you get connected
54:53with a Bible-teaching, Holy Spirit-filled church.
54:59If you don't know where to go, you can send us an email, you can see on the screen, you
55:04can send us an email, we'll do our best wherever you are, just let us know where you are, to
55:09find you a church that you can get connected with.
55:12If you are, however, in a sticky situation, in a little bit of a more complicated situation
55:17where you're in a country where you're probably being persecuted for your faith, where Christianity
55:22is not so openly accepted, and you're probably not safe going to a church in person, then
55:32you can also go to church, or not go to church, you can also be part of a church, online,
55:39you can do that.
55:40It is best that you meet in person, because there's things that you will learn and things
55:44that you experience that you can't experience online.
55:48Nevertheless, if you're in a situation like that, you can find a church online, and again,
55:54if you need help, let us know, we'll be more than glad to help you in that as well.
55:59Amen?
56:00Amen!
56:01Glory to God, hallelujah!
56:03This brings us to the second part of our program, which is called The Collective, where I spend
56:06time with those that are watching, those that are listening, and I pray, prophesy, whatever
56:11Holy Spirit leads me to do.
56:12If you have specific prayer requests, as always, I ask you to please leave them on the Facebook
56:17live chat section, the comments section, and we can get on to them straight away.
56:22Drop us a line, let us know where you're from, if this is your first time listening, watching.
56:27It's always encouraging for all of us to meet new brothers and sisters around the world.
56:32Amen?
56:33Who are being touched by the wonderful, living Word of God.
56:37Hallelujah!
56:38This brings us to The Collective!