January 16, 2007
FD/MM/FM Compiled August 2006
16. (Dad: ) HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT BEING QUIET BEFORE THE LORD—ABOUT REVERENCING THE LORD? How many quiet times do you have, studying to be quiet? "In quietness and confidence shall your strength be." Do you know what "confidence" means?—It's FAITH! The very fact that you keep quiet shows you have faith! It shows you're expecting GOD to do something and not trying to do it yourself! If you don't know what to do, stop everything!—Get quiet and wait for God to do something! The worst thing in the world you can do is to keep on going when you don't know what to do.
18. GETTING QUIET BEFORE THE LORD SHOWS YOU HAVE FAITH THAT GOD IS GOING TO HANDLE THE SITUATION. IT SHOWS YOU TRUST THE LORD. "Thou shalt keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee."—Isa.26:3. If you're not trusting, you're going to be in confusion all the time.
When we're trusting, we're not heard to fret!
When we're fretting, we're not trusting yet!
If you're in a big stew, confused and worrying and fretting and fuming, you're not trusting. You don't have the faith you oughta have. Trusting is a picture of complete rest, peace and quiet of mind‚ heart and spirit. The body may have to continue working, but your attitude and spirit is calm.
19. THAT'S WHY YOU CAN HAVE PEACE IN THE MIDST OF STORM. I've told you about that picture that won the contest and illustrated peace. Most of the artists handed in these quiet‚ calm pastoral scenes—absolute total quiet. That's a form of peace! But the hardest kind of peace to have is the picture that won the award! That was a picture of this horrible‚ roaring, raging cataract—a river in all its foaming and fury. But on a little branch right above, overhanging the raging current, there was a beautiful little nest with a tiny bird sitting there and peacefully singing away in spite of the storm! That's when your faith gets tested: In the midst of the storm! Quietness is a sign of faith!
24. THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB YOU HAVE IS LISTENING TO THE KING: TO STOP, LOOK and LISTEN!—OR YOU'RE GOING TO GET RUN OVER! That's the greatest danger: All this feverish activity! This is the greatest temptation of workers for the Lord!
27. GOD WILL NOT TAKE SECOND PLACE EVEN TO HIS SERVICE! "I will have no other gods before Me; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. ..."—Exo.20:3,5. That probably is the greatest mistake of sincere Christians: To make a god of God's service. All this action, all this noise, beating the air, holding a service—and so little of God! … "Be still and know that I am God. Study to be quiet."
36. THE WORLD IS ALWAYS IN A HURRY! THAT'S THE DEVIL'S OWN MACHINERY: TO SPEED UP THE WORLD—anything to make everything move faster! God created the Earth 6,000 years ago and it hasn't hardly varied in its speed since then! GOD hasn't speeded up the seasons or the years any. MAN is speeding it up—Hell-bent for destruction! Slow it down: Squeeze—don't jerk! But most of all: Stop! Look! Listen! And WAIT! You see signs like this at dangerous places—crossings—intersections—places of crisis—an interruption of your routine—an interruption of your way—your road—your highway! Otherwise you might get out there and get hit by an express train!
38. I'VE FOUND OUT THAT NO MATTER WHAT I DO, THE LORD'S WORK WILL GO ON! If it's God's work, NOTHING will stop it—not even my absence! PTL? So it doesn't pay to rush around and fret and fume and try to get someplace to do something when you're supposed to be waiting on the Lord to find out for sure just where He wants you to be and what He wants you to do!
39. YOUR feverish activity is nothing, your service is NOTHING, if you don't give the KING your attention, your love, your time‚ your communion.
40. If you're hurrying and rushing around‚ fretting and impatient, you'll never be able to focus your full attention—your eyes, your ears, your mind, your heart on the Lord for the solution to the problem, the answer to the question, the best decision for the situation! But if you stop, look and listen and wait in communion with Him—when you have learned to do this and to get HIS answer, you will have learned HOW to make decisions! You will have learned to PRAY and will have become truly one of GOD'S leaders. "He gives the very best to them, who leave the choices up to Him!"
1. (Dad:) THE PICTURE OF THE SHEPHERD, on the hillside with his sheep: The shepherd seems to be upset about something. The sheep are bunching up and running around nervously, excitedly and somewhat fearfully back and forth in confusion, as though they're wondering what made the shepherd angry. It's a funny thing how animals partake of your own spirit. If YOU'RE frightened, THEY'RE frightened. If you're cross and nervous, they get nervous, especially if you're very close to them!
2. WHEN THE SHEPHERD GETS UPSET‚ IT UPSETS THE SHEEP. The shepherd must feed of the elements of the earth to be satisfied and to satisfy his flock. He too must sit upon the hillside and pipe sweet music unto His Creator in praises, to bring peace to his own soul.
3. AND WHEN HE JUST QUIT TRYING TO RUN EVERYTHING ELSE IN HIS OWN SPIRIT and sat down and relaxed and got in communication with his own Creator—when he shut his eyes and began to play such sweet music on his pipe—the sheep knew everything was all right and they just calmed down and went quietly about their business. That quietness of spirit was passed on to them. So the shepherd himself has to be fed with the hand of his Creator and the hand of HIS Shepherd if he's going to feed the sheep and bring them the same peace. That sweet music of praise relaxed the sheep and they began to graze again and spread out over the hillside.
5. THE MAIN JOB OF A SHEPHERD IS TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE LORD—to begin the day with sweet music—praise and fellowship. We have to learn how to first of all REST at the Lord's feet. The secret of that calm and peace and rest and patience and faith and love is that resting in the Lord!—Getting calm before the Lord and praising the Lord and seeking the Lord first. And then you just impart this to the sheep—it's a SPIRIT—you impart that very atmosphere.
6. THIS IS WHY YOU CANNOT EVEN MAKE A MOVE UNTIL YOU FIRST HAVE FOUND THAT PLACE OF REST and CALM and SWEET PEACE IN THE LORD and have set down and played your pipe to the Lord. It's all a spiritual thing. If you try to do it in the flesh, you might as well quit. Your own flesh will get you down. That sweet rest is a sign of real faith‚ which brings patience. As your harp begins to play sweet music, it communicates to the sheep. We comfort others with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted.
1. (Dad: ) Leadership is a very great responsibility, a heavy burden and just A PLAIN BIG JOB OF A LOT OF HARD WORK, tension, confusion, excitement, concerns and physical, mental and nervous strain which tends to be pretty hard on you. Even the Lord Himself could not bear the continual strain and virtue drain of a constant ministry to the multitudes, which is what your ministry really is, so He frequently had to GET AWAY FROM IT ALL and take His disciples up into the mountains or out to sea or on a private visit to friends, for A SPIRITUAL RETREAT, REST and RECUPERATION and INSPIRATION—sometimes even all alone!
2. No one can continue to keep pouring out to others without spending some TIME ALONE WITH THE LORD GETTING FILLED UP AGAIN! I've been in the Lord's work for half a century and my mother for half a century before me and my grandfather for half a century before her‚ so I know what I'm talking about! As A.B. Simpson, that grand old man of faith‚ once said, "YOU CANNOT DO THE MASTER'S WORK WITHOUT THE MASTER'S POWER!"—And to get it, you must spend time with the Master!
3. We all need more quiet time alone with the Lord in rest and refilling, drinking at the living water of His Word and fellowshipping with Him in the communion of prayer and the sweet lovemaking of the Spirit!
4. None of us can stand these constant pressures of continuous demands on our time, strength, body, soul and spirit to which we are so often forced to submit, without relief‚ by the press of time, necessity, need and one emergency after another so prevalent in such a fast-moving and rapidly expanding work such as ours where the laborers are so few, the harvest so big and there's so much to be done to gather it in before the storm!
5. But the Lord Himself has said‚ "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden and I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For MY YOKE IS EASY, and MY BURDEN IS LIGHT." And His Word also warns us that we must be "TEMPERATE in all things" and "let your MODERATION be known to all men." If the yoke gets too hard and the burden too heavy, it's not HIS yoke nor HIS burden, but our OWN or someone ELSE'S which we've unwisely undertaken or permitted to be placed upon us beyond the Lord's knowledge of our strength and abilities! He HIMSELF will NEVER SUFFER US TO BE TEMPTED ABOVE THAT WHICH WE ARE ABLE!
6. Sometimes we're tempted to take too much upon us, but certainly not by the Lord, and sometimes we allow our strength to be taxed beyond what we know we can wisely endure; and in so doing we often allow ourselves to be pushed beyond the measure of our own faith and suffer the consequences in a physical, mental, nervous or spiritual collapse, of which I myself testified in the Letter "Breakdown" (see No.66). Please don't let it happen to you! TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY.—WHOLLY HIS and whole in BODY, MIND and SPIRIT! "THOU SHALT KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee."—Isa.26:3.
7. We love you, and you have a great work to do for the Lord! TAKE MORE TIME OUT to be strengthened for it!
1. (Dad:) Everybody in this big central room under the dome, they are all looking up like they expect something. People are rushing around out in the wings, like they're busy in the service of the King; but the people here under the central dome just stand there quietly and look up, bathed in that beautiful, beautiful golden glow from above, taking big deep breaths of that heavenly air that comes down the pipe, getting a whiff of that fragrance now and then. Oh, Lord, for a breath of Thy heavenly air to refresh us and clear our minds and inspire our hearts and give us visions that thrill us, that set our heads awhirl for Thee, Jesus! PTL!
2. It's just like the people who are so busy rushing around get tired and they have to come in the middle room and look up and take a nice big breath and catch another vision and take another look and get filled up again. IT'S HIS TEMPLE. Help us to be like that, Jesus, and to remember WE CAN'T GO ON WITHOUT THE HEAVENLY VISION You give, a breath of heavenly fresh air, the sound of that sweet music! We just CAN'T GO ON WITHOUT HEARING THY VOICE and BREATHING THE FRAGRANCE of that wonderful incense and seeing the beautiful starry sky and getting inspired by the UPWARD look!
3. Have you been in the Temple today? Are you taking a look upward? Have you breathed deeply of that heavenly elixir? Have you heard those beautiful notes of heavenly music—marveled at God's starry sky‚ His great Creation, His Universe, to know that all is well and find rest and peace to your souls before you go back to work in the wings?
4. You wouldn't worry and fret so and be so upset if you spent more time with the Lord looking up through that starry dome and breathing that heavenly air and hearing that beautiful music! You'd find peace and rest unto your souls. You just cannot go on if you ONLY hurry around all the time in the wings and you never step into the rotunda and look up through the dome, spending quiet time, seeing heavenly visions and breathing heavenly air and hearing heavenly music and voices! It just totally renews you and completely refreshes you and gives you new vision and fresh inspiration, new strength, rest and peace and joy!
5. Have you been there to get a fresh breath of air from Heaven?—If you haven't, you've really missed something! You're going to get awfully tired and weary and upset and fearful and doubting and discouraged and worried and flurried and hurried because you haven't been RENEWED in THE TEMPLE OF HIS SPIRIT with THE VOICE OF HIS TRUTH and THE HEAVENLY VISION!
6. "For they that partake of these things have strength that ye know not of! They that follow Me and hear My voice and they that savor My fragrance and see those things which I show them, THEY are the children of David!"
7. You'll get out of touch if you don't—out of communication and fellowship, out of the victory! YOU'LL RUN OUT OF STRENGTH and WISDOM and LOVE and PATIENCE and pretty soon you'll just plain RUN OUT because you can't take it any more! Because you've been too busy out in the wings and you haven't come into the Temple to be refreshed and renewed.
8. Are you too busy? Are you in too big a hurry? Is your work too important to stop for a few minutes of inspiration and refreshing from on High‚ spiritual renewal, physical rest, a little love feast with the Lord? If you've missed a trip into the Temple of His Spirit today in fellowship with all the other crystals, you've really missed something! YOU'LL NOT LAST LONG, YOU'RE GOING TO WEAR OUT. YOU'LL NEVER MAKE IT if you don't stop for awhile under the dome and look up at His starry sky and the peace and tranquility and mighty moving of the spheres and hear their music!—Up There where all is perfection, perfect order and harmony and peace!
9. Look and live! Stop‚ look, listen and live! How many times has the Lord told us this‚ that you cannot live without it? You'd better TAKE TIME for the Temple or you're going to find out you're running OUT OF TIME!—Time for that wonderful rest in the Temple! HAVE YOU HAD YOUR TEMPLE TIME TODAY?—Your quiet time in His Temple?
10. All you have to do is get alone with the Lord and look up at all His beauties and breathe His heavenly air and hear His heavenly music and see His heavenly visions! "YE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST!" IF YOU DON'T MOVE IN HERE and GET A LITTLE OF HIS LIGHT, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO REFLECT MUCH or refract much or catch more of it to pass on to others.
11. How much time have you spent in the Temple today? There doesn't have to be any SET time. YOU CAN LOOK UP THROUGH THE DOME ANY TIME OF DAY, ANYWHERE, WHEREVER YOU ARE, whatever you're doing.—Just a few quiet moments with the Lord. Anytime‚ anywhere, you can come swiftly out of the wings and ENTER THE TEMPLE IN SPIRIT and IN TRUTH!
12. You just can't do it very much in the midst of confusion with other voices and clatter going on out in the wings. They are part of the Temple and necessary to the service of the Temple, but you have to get quiet somewhere, sometime. I've found THOSE HOURS IN THE MORNING WHEN YOU CAN'T SLEEP ARE A WONDERFUL TIME and the view is so beautiful! The night is so quiet and so still. Don't just LIE there! PRAY! LOOK and LIVE! LOOK UP! MAKE A TEMPLE OF YOUR HEART! See what God can do in that beautiful realm of the Spirit!
13. Sometimes you wonder what is the Truth out there in the wings, you get so far out of touch and YOU HAVE TO COME BACK INTO THE ROTUNDA WHERE YOU GET YOUR BATTERIES RECHARGED. Lord Jesus, give these dear ones REST. Help them to spend as often as they can in Thy Temple in that quiet place of rest before Thy throne.
14. You can't do it without Him, beloved. You'll never make it without His power. A lot of these little tape recorders will run for a WHILE on batteries, but how LONG will they run on batteries?—You'll run for a while but then you'll have to come back and get hooked up to the current again or you'll run slower and slower till you have nothing left and are just plumb flat!
15. I'm not so smart! I don't know anything but what God shows me and I just pass it on to you. Everything GOD shows you ALWAYS works out! THANK YOU JESUS FOR THE TEMPLE OF THY SPIRIT, WHERE WE CAN HAVE TRUTH and rest unto our souls! Isn't He wonderful? Then why don't you spend more TIME alone with Him? If you love Him so much, why don't you act like it?
16. Well, you say, "I've been busy herding sheep." But how do YOU know how to herd them or where to herd them or ANYTHING about them unless you learn from the Chief Shepherd? HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE'S LEADING UNLESS YOU FOLLOW HIM? HE knows where the green pastures are and where the mountain passes are and where the cool waters flow! He knows where the falls are and where you'll be safe and secure. He also knows the woods in which the wolves hide and He knows the danger spots and you'd better stick close to Him, for I'm telling you, you don't know much at all! You're going to be in trouble! All WE have to do is FOLLOW—stick up your little antenna and get the signals and FOLLOW!
17. Are you on God's channel, or are you so DOWNhearted that you keep looking DOWN? If you're DOWNhearted and DOWNcast, it's because you're looking DOWN too much at the waves. You've got your antenna pointed DOWN towards HELL instead of UP toward HEAVEN—or outside at all the people and confusion and sheep instead of toward the Chief Shepherd. Are the only signals you're receiving just a bunch of confusion and babble, or have you got your antenna pointed straight up toward Heaven, where you can't get anything but the Lord?
18. It all depends on which way you point your antenna‚ or you'll get the wrong station or you won't get the signals clear.—You'll get nothing but static from the Devil. If you get your antenna straight up you can't even GET those other channels!—All you'll get is GOD'S channel. It's downright HARD WORK out in the WINGS, feeding and sacrificing and working, ministering to the multitudes. But you'll never have the strength or the vision or the inspiration that you need to do it unless you come back in under the dome and LOOK UP IN THE SPIRIT FOR HIS TRUTH!
19. He can solve all your problems in one little glimpse! He can REFRESH your whole spirit with one deep breath! He can CLARIFY all your thoughts with just one sweet strain of heavenly music! Hallelujah! And HE CAN WIPE AWAY ALL YOUR FEARS and TEARS with just one little restful moment in that perfect peace He gives when your mind is stayed on Him and Him alone because you trust in Him.
20. It just takes one little glimpse of Jesus to make it worth it all!—And to help you be able to DO it all. Is it worth the time it takes in the Temple? TAKE TIME IN THE TEMPLE! Amen?
105. (Dad: ) Power for the hour, grace for the space and wisdom for the wonder! Don't worry, just rest in the Lord and He "will keep you in perfect peace if your mind is stayed on Him, because you trust in Him." And if you'll "commit your way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, He shall bring it to pass. If you'll lean not to your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him, He'll direct your ways … And thou shalt hear a voice beside thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it!" (Is.26:3, Ps.37:5, Pr.3:5,6, Is.30:21.)
106. DON'T WORRY, JUST FOLLOW GOD AND HE'LL SEE YOU THROUGH! Praise God? Hallelujah! Even if He releases you before the Rapture, even if He honors you and gives you a special dispensation of dying grace before the grand finale, it'll all be in His Love and His mercy, His kindness, His tender loving care and concern for you, His child, in these days to come. Just rest in the Lord and do good, and don't fret or worry about the future. "Fret not thyself for the morrow, for sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Mt.6:34.) Don't worry about the past either. "Forget the things that are behind, press forward to the things that are before, the high calling of Jesus Christ!" (Ph.3:13,14.)
107. DO YOUR JOB, OBEY THE LORD, DO HIS WORK, WITNESS, WIN SOULS, GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE! Take care of God's business and He'll take care of you! Amen? That's His business, taking care of you, praise the Lord! Keep your mind and heart on Jesus and in His Word, and trust the Lord and He'll see you through! Amen? TTL!
108. AND OF COURSE‚ BE SURE YOU DO YOUR BEST SO YOU'LL RECEIVE A STAR-STUDDED CROWN, STUDDED WITH STARS OF THE SOULS THAT YOU WON FOR JESUS, so that He'll be able to say to you, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord! Because you were faithful in a few things, I have made you ruler over many things." (Mt.25:21.)
9. (Dad:) WHEN SHE IS TIRED SHE NEEDS TO REST. When she is weary she needs to retire from the fray and give the battle to others. She needs to know when to fight and to be still, when to give and when to save, when to work and when to play, when to feed and when to pray.
17. She must learn to love her Lord above all, and save her best for Jesus!—In quietness and rest and confidence and faith in His arms, rest in the Lord. Rest in the Lord! She really needs to rest.
19. FOR STRENGTH COMETH FROM THE LORD WHO MADE HEAVEN and EARTH and HER BODY‚ and HE KNOWS WHAT SHE NEEDS MOST OF ALL!: Rest and peace and fellowship with Him and feeding on His Word.
21. SHE'S BURNING HERSELF OUT IN SERVICE TO OTHERS, TILL SHE HAS NOTHING LEFT FOR HERSELF OR THE KING! She needs to learn to save first place for Him and her time with Him. She belongs to Him first of all. The first place must belong to Him and peace and quietness and rest and feeding and fellowship with the Lord. For she cannot do the Master's work without the Master's power. He must come first. She must save first place for Him and his Word and His love and His power, and from this shall her strength be. She cannot do it alone. She must let Him do it through her.
22. IT MUST BE THE OIL THAT BURNS and NOT THE WICK, FOR THE WICK WITHOUT OIL SHALL DESTROY ITSELF! She must let Him burn to light the way, and not try to burn of herself, or she'll soon burn out and have no light left for her Master!
23. THE WICK MUST BE DEEPLY IMMERSED IN THE OIL! Most of the wick is in the oil, but only a tiny little tip of it is exposed to the air and to the flame and to the house, and it's mostly oil that burns and very little of the wick, almost none, but the oil flows freely through a wick that is yielded and deeply soaked in the oil! Then it is the oil that burns and not the wick, and gives bright pure clear light to all the house in the beauty of His perfection‚ in the holiness of His light! For it is not I that burn but Christ that burneth in me! For the life that I now live‚ I live by the strength of the Lord that liveth in me! Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus!
49. (Dad:) HOW DO YOU REST IN THE LORD? (Techi: By reading His Word.) That's one good answer‚ reading His Word. What else? How do you fellowship with the Lord? How do you spend time with the Lord? There's another thing we call Temple Time, and in a way it's really what? … (Fam: Pray!)—Right!
50. WHAT IS PRAYER, DAVID? (David: Talking with the Lord.) That's pretty good. How else can you pray? (Fam: Laying all your burdens on Him.) Laying your burdens on Him, resting‚ telling the Lord your needs and putting the burden on Him and leaving it there. There's an old song we used to sing: "Leave it there, leave it there! Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there! If you'll trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out! Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there!" In other words, when we go to the Lord and we pray and we ask Him to take this burden and take care of this problem or this trouble, that's casting your burdens on the Lord and leaving it there and resting in the Lord. The Word encourages our faith and strengthens us to trust and have faith to do that, and then when we pray, we'll have the faith to cast our burdens on the Lord and He shall sustain us. (Psa.55:22)
1. (Mama:) I'VE FOUND THAT WHEN I TRY TO TAKE IT EASY and GO SLOWLY‚ I don't seem to need as long periods of rest because I'm taking it a little easier as I go. That's a lot easier on you than if you just push push push push and then finally wear out and break down and HAVE to take a long rest or vacation! I think it's much better if you can go a little slower ALL the time. If we go slower, we're bound to be more PRAYERFUL, and then we're bound to get more from the Lord, and we're bound to not have as many troubles or difficulties.
2. So often when I stop and I just think and pray and reflect on things, the Lord brings very important things to my mind.—Or He reminds me of important things that I had forgotten or would have forgotten, or He gives me good ideas during those times. And when He does, I realize that if I hadn't stopped and hadn't had that time I would have missed all that!
3. Whenever I'm reminded like that‚ I see the seriousness and the importance of taking time just to stop and pray and think about things, to just sort of tune in to the Lord‚ meditating and putting everything else out of my mind except just what He wants there, and asking Him to bring whatever He wants to my remembrance. Often He brings very important things to my remembrance that I wouldn't have gotten if I hadn't stopped.
4. So I'm seeing more and more that we just can't afford to be so busy that we don't have time to take those little times during the day with the Lord.—Not even just reading the Word, although that's important too. But we need time for just talking to the Lord and sort of freeing our minds of anything else, and just asking Him‚ "Okay, Lord, we're open to whatever You want.—Is there anything You want to remind us of or any ideas‚ or anybody we should speak to or write to etc.?" As followers of the Lord who have to get their instructions and orders from the Lord, it's especially very very important to take those little times during the day.—Amen?
5. You certainly can't expect to get very many answers from the Lord unless you actually take time to stop and listen.—As Dad has brought out so clearly in "Stop, Look, Listen," which is tremendous instruction along this line. (ML #74.)
6. WITH THE MULTITUDE OF DECISIONS THAT WE AS LEADERS HAVE TO MAKE‚ WE MUST HAVE TIME TO SEEK THE LORD ABOUT THINGS. There is just no way we can make wise Spirit-led decisions without taking TIME with the Lord. And the more MAJOR the decisions are, the more TIME we usually have to spend with Him.
7. It takes time to think and pray about problems, to think about a situation in the stillness and quiet while we are alone‚ letting the Lord speak to us about it and guide our thoughts so we can then later come together with others on our teamwork to further pray and discuss matters together. There's just no substitute for taking time.
1. (Dad: ) Jesus said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Mat.11:28-30). I guess He put that in there about being meek and lowly, because pride's a killer! If you're meek and lowly, you can just relax and "find rest unto your souls." (Maria: When you relax, that means you cast your care on the Lord.) Yes. In other words, you don't try to be somebody or anything more than you are, or anything more than Jesus is. He's setting you the example, "Just be meek and lowly and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
2. A yoke is something oxen wear to pull the load. It's well padded to be easy on the ox, so you can pull your load easily and it doesn't make the load too heavy. If it's too heavy or your yoke isn't easy, it's because you are making it heavy, or you're letting something else make it heavy and hard.
3. See, the yoke is the means by which you pull the load, and the burden is your load, your job. So it should be light and easy. So if you start working too hard and worrying too much, you're getting out of line, because "His yoke is easy and His burden is light." When it's not easy and it's not light, then something's wrong. You should just be meek and lowly, and that makes it a lot easier. You don't have to live up to somebody else's standards, just the Lord's‚ and His are very low and meek and humble and restful.
4. He says, "Come unto Me‚ all ye that labor and are heavy laden"—in other words, you're working too hard and your burden's too heavy—"and I will give you rest, for My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." If you'll just be meek and lowly like Jesus, your yoke will be easy and your burden will be light‚ and you'll find rest unto your souls. Thank You Lord!
5. It doesn't take an awful lot. You've just gotta get hitched up and into your harness and remember not to try to do more than you're able or be somebody you aren't, and just start walking and pulling.—And don't pull too hard and don't be overburdened‚ and you'll find rest to your soul!
6. So if you find out you can't pull it today, it means you're trying to pull too much. Or if you find out it hurts, then your yoke is too tight and you'd better cry for help. If the yoke hurts, it's because you're trying to pull too heavy a load. So all ye that labor too much‚ too hard and are too heavily laden, relax, be meek and lowly! Quit trying to pull so much, and then the yoke won't hurt, because His burden is light. Be meek and lowly; don't try to be too much, and He will give you rest.
7. Sometimes we let other people make our loads too heavy and our yoke too hard by trying to carry too much of theirs, by trying to help them too much. But if they're not willing to do anything for themselves, or even pull their own share of the load, then you can't do it for them. You just have to let them go their own way and find out the hard way in the bitter school of experience, like the prodigal son.
8. I've found out it's easier to be simple. Theologians and modern education love to be complicated; they love to make it confusing. I have to boil everything down to the bare essentials and make the problem as simple as possible, and then the solution is a lot easier. "Except ye become as a little child," you'll in no wise enter into the wisdom of Heaven (Mat.18:3).
9. So quit trying to make it so hard! Take it easy! Just rest in the Lord. He's meek and lowly like a little child‚ and that's the way He wants you to be. Little children don't try to get into the big complications of huge issues; they just interpret everything down on their own level, so to them, everything is simple and easy, and they don't try too hard.
10. It all boils down to the same simple solution: Take it easy! Don't work too hard. Don't try to do more than you can. Don't try to be more than you are. Stay humble and lowly, and then you'll find rest to your soul. Keep looking to the Lord—the Light—and His burden is light! "Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall sustain thee," and "bear ye one another's burdens" and don't push others to work too hard or do too much or carry too big a load (Psa.55:22; Gal.6:2).
11. Do what you can and just quit and take it easy, relax, and go to the Lord, for He is meek and lowly and you'll have rest.
12. The Lord really knew how to put it simply. You'll find that in almost all He said. Even in answering the complicated questions of His critics He gave them simple answers. Sometimes His answers were so simple they couldn't understand them, because they were high theologians. That's why they can't always understand us.—We're too shallow for them. They're dragging on the bottom. They have to get out in the deep water to be happy.
13. Me, I just sort of wade around in the shallows! It's so much easier, and I can see so much better. I can see the bottom. And I find a lot of very interesting things in those simple little shallows. Play around in the shallows! Have fun‚ like little children wading, being thrilled over every little discovery right on the surface. Play! Have fun! Keep it simple! Don't try to be too deep, or you may drown!—Do you?
Psalm 4!—Rest in the Lord!
24. (Fam: Verses 1-2, "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn My glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.") Leasing is lying and deceitfulness. And "selah" means "think it over," it's something really serious. Boy oh boy, doesn't this describe our enemies? (Fam: Yes!)
25. (Fam: Verse 3, "But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself; the Lord will hear when I call unto Him.") We're sure calling, and He's hearing! (Fam: Verse 4, "Stand in awe and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.") There are times to be still and just trust the Lord. Amen?
26. (Fam: Verse 5-6, "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There be many that say, Who will show us any good?") They're sure saying that about us, aren't they? (Fam: "Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.") Amen. Sometimes He blesses them materially or lets them seem to prosper, but He's put more gladness in our hearts.
27. (Fam: Verse 8, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.") That's comforting. Just rest in the Lord. I remember the story about Bishop Asbury, a Methodist leader in the U.S. in the 1700s. He was worrying about things and he hadn't slept half the night, so finally the Lord told him to turn over and go to sleep and He'd worry the other half!
Take It Easy and Don't Get Overburdened!
1. (Maria:) I've been reading about a number of Family members, not just leaders, who have been having near nervous breakdowns because they are under too much pressure and have too much to do. It's sad to think of what can happen if you get overpressured to the point that you have a nervous breakdown. That's what intense pressure over a long period of time often leads to if you don't rest in the Lord and take it easy.
2. You've got to slow down and trust the Lord and just decide that you can only do so much and no more, and if it doesn't get done, then it doesn't get done! The Lord won't give you more than you can bear, so there's got to be some solution.—Or if there's not some solution, then the answer is just to let it go and not get it done! The Lord will take care of things even if we can't do it. It's the Lord's work, so you certainly don't need to try to take the whole burden on yourselves!
3. It's good for all of us to keep in mind that if we get so burdened and so pressured that we get sick, or run down or have a nervous breakdown, then we're going to be completely out of action and not be able to do anything! So isn't it better to take it a little slower? Even though you won't get everything done‚ you'll still be able to get quite a bit accomplished while staying healthy and happy.
4. You might as well slow down, decide where your limits are and just do so much and no more, according to what you can handle, and just leave the other until later. Because if you try to do too much, all the work you do is going to suffer! Even if you don't have a breakdown or illness, you're going to be cranky and grouchy and you're not going to get enough time in the Word, so you'll suffer one way or the other. And others are going to suffer too; the Lord's work is going to suffer!
5. So one way or the other, you'll have to slow down.—Either because you wisely choose to, or because you're forced to because you get sick physically, mentally or spiritually. So why not slow down and take it a little easier before things get so bad? Why not do it because you know you need to instead of waiting until you have to?
6. Some of you have a wonderful sense of responsibility, but sometimes you almost feel too responsible. You feel responsible for much more than you should be responsible for. It's too much for anyone to try to constantly bear such burdens! All of our jobs are too big for anyone to handle, so we just have to give them over to the Lord and let Him do it. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee. Casting all your care upon Him‚ for He careth for you!" (Psa.55:22; 1Pet.5:7).
7. The Lord knows we have our limits.—And He wishes that we would wake up and realize it. He not only wants us to be aware of them‚ but He wants us to let others know also—and then the Lord can get the credit for anything that gets done. Praise the Lord!
34. Dad has taught us that the worker is more important than the work—and that includes how you care for and treat yourself! (See 1Cor.6:19.) So you owe it to the Lord to set a moderate pace for yourself‚ don't push in your own strength, and get the proper balance of rest, Word, and time with the Lord. Rest in Him! And take care of yourself—and others. You belong to Him!
Jesus Has All the Answers!
3. (Jesus: ) Questions, questions! There are so many questions. How will we carry the load? Who will do the work? Where will the strength come from?
4. Answers, answers! Yea, I have the answers, for the answers come of Me. Search Me and seek Me, for I have ways to show you that you know not of. For My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts, and My means of accomplishment are much different than yours.
5. My dear one, be not afraid. Fear not that which is in store for thee, for I am He that comforteth‚ I am He that loveth, I am He that strengtheneth, and I have strength for thee.
6. This is the time to lean heavily upon Me, to spend time with Me, trusting and knowing that as thou doest this, I will do the other things.
7. Look up, for this is where thou wilt find the answers thou needest. This is where thou wilt find the strength that thou needest. Spend time with Me. Spend time hearing My voice, bringing these questions that thou hast before Me and hearing My voice and having faith that I will speak and lead thee and guide thee.
8. You say, "How can I do this? How can this be?" I say that I have given unto you the strength of weakness, and the strength and the power of My Word‚ and the strength and the power of My voice. If you will spend time with Me, and will seek Me diligently and will hear My voice, I will give you the answers that you so desperately need.
9. I will carry the weight if you will stop and take time with Me, for these are the things that I have been teaching. You must take time with Me to find new strength to do these tasks. This new strength is in Me, in My Words and in My voice.
10. When you look at this job before you with the eyes of man, and when you think of all that there is to do, it is overwhelming. But when you look at it in the strength of God, in the strength of My voice‚ in the strength of My guidance and in the strength of My power, it is not too heavy; for I am God, and there is nothing too hard for Me. For with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. All things are possible to him that believeth. Bring your petitions before Me, and then stand back and see Me perform that which I will do.
11. For I do not wish for you to be heavy laden and burdened and crushed, but I have put you in this position so that ye shall know it is impossible for you to do it, and you will seek Me, and I will teach you that your true strength is in Me.
12. So come before My throne of grace and let Me carry the load, and I will show you the true power and the true strength—the power of prayer, the strength of listening. Though this looks like a very difficult and trying time, it is the time when I am calling you unto Me to show you that I have all that you need and I will give it freely unto you, if you seek Me. (End of message.)
Man's Struggle Throughout the Ages!
54. (Jesus: ) Throughout all the ages of man the struggle has been between leaning upon the arm of the flesh and leaning upon the power of God. All of My children from the beginning until now have struggled with leaning upon their own strength in their service unto Me, or leaning upon Me to perform their service. For they struggle, feeling that they must do this and they must do that, and they have not fully understood that I wish for their service to be done through My power and My strength and My might.
55. Always in My service there is so much to do‚ for the harvest is plenteous but the laborers are few‚ and My Spirit compels them to do all that must be done. But they feel they must do it in their power and in their might, and they have not sought Me and My power, nor trusted Me and My power. They have not fully understood all My power can do through the power of prayer, through the power of My Word, through the power of My direction.
56. And those few who have understood and who leaned upon My power in prayer and who sought Me in all things have accomplished more than any men, for they operated in the power of My Spirit. For the power and might of God is so strong‚ yet My children do not tap into it nearly as much as they could. This has been the battle throughout the ages.
57. I would that My children be not so strained and burdened. When they have a problem with their children, they should pray and seek Me. And when they have a problem in their Home, they should pray and seek Me. And when they have a problem with their outreach, they should pray and seek Me. When they have a problem with their finances, they should pray and seek Me. And when they have a problem with those in their Home, they should pray and seek Me, for I do have answers. I do have the strength. I do have the power. It is there.
58. But oh, you work so hard. And, oh, you toil and strain and struggle, but My yoke is easy and My burden is light. These burdens were not designed for you to carry, for they are My burdens. You are My children. For does not the father of the household take care of the heavy burdens of the household and carry the weights of the household? Does he not supply the needs of the household? Does he not supply the protection of the household? And does he not decide the weighty matters? He doth not ask the children to decide these things or to defend the house or to supply for the house, for he loves his children, and he wishes to supply for them and protect them and keep them. He wishes to answer their questions and help them to grow, to teach them. So it is with Me.
59. So let Me be your Father. Let Me carry the burden. Bring it unto Me. Ask of Me and seek Me, for I promise to show you and to give you those answers that ye seek, that you may find true rest in Me.
60. So let Me do the work, and seek Me, and hear My voice, and do those things that I show you, that ye shall know that it is by My Spirit that these things are accomplished, and thus shall I receive the praise and the honor and the glory that I deserve.
61. And, yea, it is humbling to come before Me and admit that you need these answers. And it will be humbling for you to see My power in comparison to your own. But in humility is great peace. And in humility is great rest. So come unto Me‚ all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I will give you the rest of My answers, and the rest of My strength, and the rest of My power, if ye will but seek Me, if ye will but hear My voice, and if ye will operate according to My plan.
62. So rest in Me and be freed from the heavy burdens. For though the questions may not go away‚ the answers can flow forth in great abundance if ye will but tap into the source, My Spirit. For in Me is great power, and in Me is all that ye need, for I am all in all, and I am here for you. (End of message.)
Encouragement from Dad!
82. (Dad:) I know you're struggling‚ but the struggle ends when you lay it all down and just say okay.—When you really lay it down. I know you can do it.
83. And all of you, let us help you. We're all here. You have a great company of great men and women. You wouldn't believe how many you have and the power and the strength that is there, and the wisdom and the guidance that is there. But you've got to use it‚ folks. You've got to stop, you've got to look, you've got to listen.
84. But you don't get those answers in the midst of the muddle, but when you pull back and spend time together fellowshipping and loving the Lord, singing unto Him and praising Him and seeking Him. Folks, that's where the strength lies. That's where the power is. Don't forget it, because you just can't do it any other way. (End of message.)
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and there shall His children find that place of refuge. This place of refuge is promised to all My children, yet so few venture therein. I say unto you, come aside, My dear one. Come under My wings, into My place of refuge‚ that you may experience My love and My peace that passes all understanding of your own.
When the storms blow about you and you are tossed and buffeted and carried to and fro with the winds of tribulation and adversity and difficulty, then I would say unto you, come into My chambers for a little while, until these calamities be overpast. Come into the warmth of My arms. Rest your head upon My shoulder and see how I will care for you, and how I will stroke your brow and make these mountains of problems melt away entirely.
This is the refuge that I have promised you—the solace in My love, the comfort in My arms, the peace that flows from My heart to yours, that fills you and envelops you and transports your spirit to another realm, a Heavenly realm where you see things with new eyes. You experience new thoughts and new feelings that you never had before, because they are being taught you by Me.
In those quiet moments when we commune together, I can change your perspective. I can give you new ideas and new thoughts. I can plant little seeds in your heart and mind‚ which over time and with careful watering of My Word shall grow into strong trees that shall bear much fruit to benefit many, that shall be a source of comfort and encouragement, and of restoration unto many. So you can see how many things I can do for you, if you would just step aside into the chamber of My refuge.
I know that it may even seem selfish to you, and you think, "How can I care for myself when there are so many others that need to be cared for?" But this is because you are looking as man looks, and not as I look. The shepherd must first be strengthened before he can strengthen his flock. Therefore in that time when you commune with Me, then shall I restore you. And when you shall go back out to the battle, you shall find that I have been working in the meantime, and My angels and My forces have been preparing the way for you, so that all you need to do is walk down the road and pick up the pieces that I have placed in order there for you. Everything shall be done with ease and with comfort and with peace, and without toil or travail.
Come unto Me, My dear one, for you are heavy laden and I will give you rest. I will give you victory. I will give you strength, love and repose from your struggling and your weariness. Come into the temple, under the dome, and feast on My Words. Give your heart to Me and rest in My goodness, for I wish to give you rest.
Rest in My Word and spend time with Me in the bed of love‚ in My secret chambers. For this is one of the new ways which I have given My children in these Last Days to combat the attacks of the Enemy, and to find a reservoir of strength and power and love.
So come unto Me, My dear one! Come into My arms and rest awhile. Receive My Words and love Me intimately, and I will raise you up from the depths to the heights of My love and glorious marvels of the Spirit! I will restore your vision and renew your mind. I will give you the faith, perseverance and dedication which you need to continue‚ and I will make your ministry and your labors a joy unto you.
You have been a faithful child, a faithful soldier, a diligent servant, one in whom I am well pleased. Come, My dear one. I love you! I long to hold you close to My bosom, to comfort your heart‚ to wipe away your tears, and to fulfill the desires of your heart. Come unto Me!
Your lesson has been how to rely on My strength. Strength comes not from the bed of languishing, or from your own spirit. Strength comes not from carnality and reasoning of the mind. True strength can only come from Me. True strength can only come from resting in My arms. True strength only comes from the bed of love. True strength comes from resting in My arms, for I am strength. By Me‚ kings reign, and the world exists through My strength. I am strength, and My desire is to live through you.
But I can only live through you and I can only perform many mighty miracles through you if you are letting Me do it by resting in Me, by getting your strength from Me, by relaxing, by getting refreshed each morning, and asking Me what I want to do, what I have planned for the day, and what My will is. I can only live through you if you let Me live through you. I can only do many mighty miracles through you if you let Me work through you that day.
You do this by spending time in the bed of love every morning with Me and saying, "This is Your day, Lord. Do with it what You will." This is where you will find your strength for the battle.
Dear one‚ My love, My darling, My young bride: Come from your toil, your cares, your chores, your housekeeping and all the things you do for Me. Lay them aside and come learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly, and you shall find rest.
You have given much and poured out much, till you have become weakened and without the energy to bear the burdens; without the strength to carry on and to continue to lift the standard.
Come, suck of My seeds. Take time for My kisses. Learn of Me. Learn by making love to Me, by reading about Me‚ studying Me, loving Me and absorbing My seeds. After you have rested awhile, reading and fellowshipping with Me and being re-strengthened, taking a honeymoon with Me in the bed of My love, then you can go out a new bride, a wiser bride, a bride who has learned that she must take time with Me daily to be strengthened.
You're right, the tasks are too hard. It is too big. It is too much for your frail‚ human hands. But it's not too much for Me, if you would but cast your care upon Me. This is the secret. This is the answer to accomplishing what is set before you. This is the solution.
Look up into My face. Lie back in My everlasting arms. Cast your burdens upon Me, lay them on the altar and leave them there, and I will sustain you. Don't pick them up again and walk off with them, but rather leave them in My care.
As you fly to Me on the wings of prayer‚ as you retreat in rest and refilling, I will give you, day by day, step by step, moment by moment, the solutions that will make the mountains melt away. But you must rest, you must keep resting, you must lean wholly on Me (ML #3073).
The secret of vitality, of sparkle, of that shine on your face, of that twinkle in your eye, of the love, compassion and tenderness that others need so badly, is in refilling and refreshing yourself in Me. Only then will you have something to pour out on others. This is the secret. This sweet communion and lovemaking with Me will empower you to be able to give, pour out and meet the need.
The secret is lying with Me in peaceful rest each morning and night. As you recharge and refill your cup, so will you be able to overflow on others. This is the secret‚ and it is My promise to you. As I promise, so do I fulfill. For I am not an infidel that I will not care for My Own, but I am a faithful Father. I care for My children and I care for these whom I have placed in your care. I will care for them by caring for you, My faithful wife and mother whom I have chosen and whom I have designated to nurture, to teach and to train these, My chosen ones. So do I care, and so do I provide.
And now I bid you come. For I am as a wise investor, and I know that in My lovemaking with you, My precious one, My love will be multiplied many times over.
If you feel you need help during the day, do not hesitate to call upon Me. I am never too busy. I never have more important matters to tend to. Your safety, well-being and care, and the care of these, My precious ones, are of great importance in My sight.
So come, My precious one, for in rest and refilling in our secret chambers each morning and each evening, you will find rest. This is the secret.
There is a time and a purpose under Heaven for all things: a time to work, a time to rest. A time to seek, a time to find. A time to pray, a time to play. For all is not work and all is not rest. All is not prayer and all is not play. I would that My children would rest when it is time to rest and recoup.
But it is so easy for them to say, "Nay, it is not possible, for the weight is too much. There is too much to do, too much work that has accumulated." But I say that if you will rest—rest in the flesh and rest in the spirit—I will give you the freshness that you need to do that which you must do. For one cannot work and work and work and never end. You must stop and rest.
When I show you to rest, then rest. Don't worry about that which is ahead or that which is not being accomplished, for in your rest I can show you that which you must do to accomplish that which must be done. I can speak to you and you will hear Me clearly, for you will not have your mind cluttered with all that there is to do, and the worries and cares and affairs of this life.
When you take time away from your work and you rest in the flesh and rest in the spirit, you will receive clarity of mind and heart and spirit. You will receive clarity in your thinking, renewal of your spirit, renewal of your flesh‚ renewal of your outlook. You will look upon your work in a new light and see that the things that you considered so heavy are no longer heavy, for you have renewed strength.
It is not enough to rest only in spirit—you must also rest your flesh. Your flesh houses your spirit‚ and when the flesh is weary and weak and under constant strain and stress‚ your spirit cannot do all that it should. For together they are one, and both must rest. The flesh must rest in sleep and in recreation. And the spirit must rest in prayer and with the infilling of My Word. In these two together you shall have all the rest that you need, that you may be strengthened and refreshed in Me (ML #3085).
Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I call you out of the wings and into My bedchamber, that you may lay your head gently upon My bosom, that I may wrap My arms around you, that I may stroke you and whisper unto you. By taking this time in rest and repose you are calmed, you are strengthened, your faith is renewed, and your spirit is uplifted. For time in the bedchamber with Me is time in My temple, time in My love‚ and time in My strength. You will be renewed and refreshed for the battles that you face. When you come to these battles you will have a renewed strength and a renewed vigor, for you have had a time of rest in My arms.
So neglect Me not and fear not to take the time that is required. Seek first the Kingdom of God, the arms of your true Lover, and all of these other things will be added unto you—all the strength and the wisdom and the faith that you need. For as you take time with Me I will answer you, I will guide you, I will speak to you, and I will give you strength that you know not of, that you will be able to perform My will with ease! For you will be fighting with My strength and My power and My anointing.
So neglect Me not. Do you understand? Neglect Me not. For it is in the time and the love spent with Me that you will have that which you need. Look not at what is not being done, but look at what is being done—that you are building up a reserve of strength, of wisdom, and of love. I will pour forth to you all that you need to do the things that you must do. (ML #3024)
Do you feel the comfort and rest in My arms? Do you feel the rest that you find as I hold you, as you lay your head upon My breast after sweet lovemaking, and you feel at ease and at peace, and you feel filled with My love and satisfied in spirit? Thus with this strength and this peace and this calmness you can go about the duties of your day.
There is much noise outside the bedchamber. There is confusion there. There are many voices and many duties. But if you have spent time being filled with love and with peace before you enter your day, you will take this peace and this love with you, and you will be a bubble of peace and love in the sea of the confusion of the world.
They shall see you, and they shall come to you and say, "We can find peace and rest with you. We can feel in the spirit your peace and your love, and we want to know how you can have such peace in the midst of our storm and in the midst of our confusion." And you can then tell them of Me, of your Lover Who gives you this peace and love, and will give it to them if they will know Me and love Me. (ML #3024)
You cannot receive the full power and the full love and the full wisdom that you need unless you take time in the quietness‚ seeking Me and praising Me. For there are so many things to be done, and they are always there. It is a constant temptation to hurry, to push ahead, to accomplish. But I say to you‚ in quietness and confidence shall your strength be. For it is in the quietness that you will hear the still, small voice of God speaking to you, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it."
Oh, the power and the might and the wisdom and the love that can be found there in the quietness, there in the peace. If you could see the jewels that I have and the strength that I can empower you with! If you could see tangibly, right there, the answers that I have for you‚ or the angels that I beckon to help you, or the wise men that I instruct to guide you, you would have greater understanding and you would not fail to stop‚ to look‚ and to listen!
But you do not see these things, and so often you simply see that there is so much to do, and feel, "We must labor‚ we must labor." But I say labor to enter into My rest. For as you enter into this labor, so do I send forth those who will labor for you and who will help you, who will guide you.
It is at those times that I instruct those with the wisdom to guide you, and it is in those quiet moments when they can speak this wisdom unto you. So neglect not to come to Me in quietness, and in so doing, receive all that I have for you. I can make your job, your life and your ministry so much easier! I can give you the life that you need and desire. I can give you the wisdom that you seek and the strength that you need. I can give you the power and might of the Spirit of God! (ML #3024)
Be not swayed by carnal reasoning‚ for are not My ways the opposite of man's? When you see the need and feel like you just have to keep on pushing forward, that you can't stop, this is the time to check yourself. Although My work does require determination, umph and forging ahead, this must not be of your own self, but it must be Me that works in you.
I have made you and intended for you to be as a lamp—a beautiful and ornate oil lamp filled with the sweet scented oil of My Spirit. Therefore you must tend well to your lamp‚ and allow Me to fill and refill the oil, that your wick may burn freely, effortlessly and smoke-free, that My spiced oil may fragrance the air so that all the house may breathe deeply of its sweet-smelling savor.
Only in this rest and refilling can the oil stay replenished and fresh and pure, unadulterated from the impurities without. I do not wish for you to allow your lamp to be full of inferior oil, mixed with the impurities of strain, worry, and heavy burdens. For if you allow impure oil to burn in your lamp, foul odors and black smoke will fill the air.
Therefore come and rest and refill with My pure oil, scented and fragranced from the rarest and purest flowers and spices. You must have rest to do your best, and your very best is but to rest. Rest wholly in Me. Prove Me. I want you to prove Me. I need you to prove Me, that My power may rest upon you. Prove Me by taking leave, by pulling back and entering into My bedchamber. Prove Me by trusting in Me, that as you stop and take this time with Me, I will take care of all the problems.
You have done well to embrace My loving, and in this I am well pleased. How I long to continue making sweet love to you in the bed of passion and fire and fervor as we love and love and love!—That in the white-hot fire and passion of our lovemaking, you may be strengthened and empowered to carry on.
Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Mat.11:28).
1. The secret of that calm and peace and rest and patience and love is resting in the Lord.
4. You cannot feed others from an empty shell, an empty cupboard, an empty and overburdened heart‚ a strained body that has not even enough for itself.
6. People are a lot like batteries; They need rest, they need recharging, and they can't stand too much draining. You've got to take care of them.
7. The Lord said, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light"—but there's one condition to it—"come unto Me!"
10. You must have rest to do your best!
11. Faith and trust in God gives you a feeling of rest of body, peace of mind, contentment of heart and spiritual well-being.
12. To "die daily" does not mean to kill yourself off with overwork and worries!
13. If the job seems to be too hard for you‚ take it to Jesus
16. You need to know when to fight and when to be still, when to give and when to save, when to work and when to play, when to feed and when to pray!
18. You shall find rest to your soul. (Matt.11:29) Not many people understand that the soul is a body with a spirit. If you don't rest in the spirit you are going to wear out your body.
19. The bottle has to hold still so you can pour into it. It has to hold still and be real quiet to get filled up.
20. The one that has not learned the secret of renewing his mind will soon faint in his mind.
21. No one can continue to keep pouring out to others without spending some time alone with the Lord getting filled up again.
22. You cannot do the Master's work without the Master's power.—And to get it, you must spend time with the Master.
23. We all need more quiet time alone with the Lord in rest and refilling.
24. Take time to be holy—wholly His and whole in mind, body and spirit.
25. Lord, help us to remember we can't go on without the heavenly vision You give.
26. You wouldn't worry and fret so and be so upset if you'd spend more time with the Lord.
27. No work is too important to stop for a few minutes of inspiration and refreshing from on high, spiritual renewal and physical rest—a little love feast with the Lord.
28. If you've missed a trip into the temple of His Spirit today, you've really missed something.
29. He can solve all your problems in one little glimpse! He can refresh your whole spirit with one deep breath. He can clarify all your thoughts with just one sweet strain of heavenly music!
30. He can wipe away all your fears and tears with just one little restful moment in the perfect peace he gives when your mind is stayed on Him and Him alone because you trust Him.
32. He says, "I'll never leave thee nor forsake thee." (Heb.13:5) It's not God that's not always there, it's we who are not always there. We sometimes run off some place else and leave Him way behind.
33. Jesus said but one thing is needful, and that is to sit at His feet and learn of Him, and pass His Words on to the world. Those who have chosen this good part, it shall never be taken away from them. Too many of us have been encumbered with too much serving and not enough listening. We've had too many Martha's and not enough Mary's.
34. We are to wait upon the Lord. He that waits upon the Lord shall renew his strength instead of wearing out.
35. You must save your best for your King, give first place to Him, His fellowship and His love. You need to learn to rest in His arms and not to work so hard.
36. Strength cometh from the Lord Who made Heaven and Earth and your body‚ and He knows what you need most of all!---Rest and peace and fellowship with Him and feeding on His Word.
37. The first place must belong to Him in peace and quietness and rest and feeding and fellowship with the Lord.
39. Help us to let You take good care of us‚ Lord, and to give You all the cooperation we can by getting proper rest, proper exercise, and proper diet so that we may be physically whole, well, strong and able to serve Thee. Help us most of all to get the rest, exercise and diet of Thy Word and Thy Spirit so that we may be spiritually whole, strong and happy in Thy service.
43. We rest in You, Lord, we sleep in Thee, in the hollow of Thine arms, within Thy hands, under Thy wings, in Thy secret place. We abide under the shadow of the Almighty. It's like Thy special force field around us, Lord, like an aura, a special kind of glory that protects us.
44. EXO.33:14 My presence shall go with thee‚ and I will give thee rest.
45. 1KI.8:56a Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people.
46. PSA.4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
47. PSA.37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth is his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
48. PSA.55:18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
49. PSA.55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
50. ECC.4:6 Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.
51. ISA.30:15 For thus saith the Lord God‚ the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
52. MAT.11:28-30 Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden‚ and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.
53. HEB.4:3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the World.
54. HEB.4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
55. 1PE.5:7 Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.
The one who trusts really rests in the Lord.
If you know that God loves you and cares for you and is going to take care of you no matter what happens, you can have peace of mind and you can just rest in the Lord, knowing He's going to take care of everything. But if you're in a big stew, confused and worrying and fretting and fuming, you're not trusting. You don't have the faith you ought to have.
The secret of that calm and peace and rest and patience and faith and love is resting in the Lord!—Getting calm before the Lord and praising the Lord and seeking the Lord first. Trusting is a picture of complete rest‚ peace and quiet of mind, heart and spirit. The body may have to continue working, but your attitude and spirit is calm. Jesus said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest!" (Mt.11:28)
Help us‚ Lord‚ not to be so pressured that we put off our time with Thee. Help us to put Thee first each day, spiritually to bask in Thy sunshine, rest in Thy arms, drink deeply of Thy Word and inhale of Thy Spirit! Hallelujah!
"There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot molest, Near to the heart of God. O Jesus, blest Redeemer, Sent from the heart of God‚ Hold us who wait before Thee, Near to the heart of God."
(Grandmother: ) Greetings in the name of our wonderful Savior! The Lord bless you and make you a blessing and give you a wonderful day! Welcome to Meditation Moments and may this meditation be a blessing to your heart; it has been to my own.
In Isaiah 40, verse 28, that very familiar passage that has been such a blessing to so many, it says: "Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heart that the everlasting God‚ the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the Earth fainteth not, neither is weary?
"There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall,
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint." Those wonderful words, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."
That's a very precious and wonderful verse to me because I've had to ask God to renew my strength so many times, and as you grow older, you'll find that's true of yourself also.
I will be 79 years of age, and yet I have such a busy life: counseling, speaking appointments and writing! And I have my homework also‚ so life is a busy thing for me, and many times I have to look to the Lord to renew my strength, and I think about this verse.
I'm giving you that personal testimony because it has been such a large part of my life and I feel like it may strengthen your faith to know that there are those that really depend upon the Lord for their strength: they just draw their strength from Him!
You're drawing strength from the life of a young man, 33 years of age, when you take the life of the Lord Jesus Christ! Many times when I've been so weary I felt I couldn't take it any longer, I've depended upon this very waiting on the Lord to renew my strength.
When you read these words and words like it and you get quiet in your spirit, then you begin to realize how much of the clang and jar and hurry of the street that's gotten into your soul! But there's a remedy for that! And there's a place that you can find quiet and repose and strength!
"They that wait upon the Lord." I know when the feverishness gets in my own spirit and the restlessness in my mind and tension in my body—I've gone through that just like you have, many times—then I get alone and read His Word and search my heart and spend time in prayer.
And if you'd only do that until there is restored that perfect peace that the Lord promises‚ and that sweet rest that He always gives—there's a mighty repose in it, I can assure you of that—then you'll mount up with wings as an eagle, you'll just feel like your spirit is on a high flight indeed!
I know the need with many for a place for such repose. There are so many places to go and so many things to do and it's so easy to get there and so fast these days, and sometimes the very thought of staying home and not doing anything doesn't appeal to many people.
Not going anywhere would be shocking for some folks! And to seek God's presence and to read His Word that they might refresh their soul and clarify their thoughts and take the fever out of their lives‚ well, they seem to think that would be a real waste of time!
But unless they do that, they'll never know this mounting up with wings as the eagle, this running and not being weary, this walking and not fainting! Yet millions down through the ages have found that only in the presence of God as they wait upon Him, do they find rest and peace.
Every symptom of restlessness can be subdued in this way: all that restlessness can go out of your soul if you just get quiet before Him and wait upon Him. You'll find that prayer makes available the power of God that will just take all that strain out of your life‚ you'll get so quiet and in such repose!
God's Word says, "They who have believed have entered into rest."—Now that resting place that He speaks of here comes through faith in God, and faith comes by reading God's Word! How many times have we repeated that verse:
"Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!" And God's Word says, "There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God." You don't have to wait to get to Heaven to get that rest! (Rom.10:17, Heb.4:9.)
I don't believe there was any hurry or straining the life of Jesus Christ! Although He had such a busy life, His Spirit was always calm and undisturbed. When the crowds grew too great and the demands were too pressing, He went aside to be alone with God, and then He would recapture the serenity of His Spirit: that's why He went apart and alone so many times!
He knew that in the difficult moments of His life, He could never meet the complexities of His calling unless He could lay His Spirit on the bosom of God until He was just encompassed with peace and confidence for all that awaited Him. But we poor humans, we've got so much to do, haven't we? So active and such a hurry!
The fact is that we just go 'round and 'round and we don't get anywhere‚ and so much time is wasted and we could really do twice the work and accomplish so much greater things if we'd take time just to let our hearts go up and up to the Throne of God until His peace and rest would come down and equip us thoroughly for the work of the day.
Did you ever get up some day and just have everything go wrong? You broke dishes or you spilled something, or the phone wore you out, and all those things that happen?—Perhaps because you hadn't waited for Him the first thing in the morning.
Just walk with God down the avenues of His Word and tarry a while with some of His promises, and read some of the passages like I read you just now, until faith will just flame and leap up in your soul! Don't hurry! "They that wait upon the Lord."—You can't ever get a blessing or comfort from the Word of God in a hurry.
Just pause a little over the Words of Jesus Christ and give Him time to work in your heart. He wants you to leave with Him every care that you have, He wants you just to drop your burden right with Him and realize that His promises are unfailing.
I can assure you, the longer you tarry to read God's blessed Word, the greater will grow your confidence that all the things in your life will work together for good to them that love the Lord. Oh, what rest and quiet that brings! What peace that brings to your heart to know that!
A restless feverish spirit, a hurried life, is not so willing to give time to God to work. The Holy Spirit's a wonderful teacher when you're quiet and unhurried before Him.
For the help and healing, the strength and comfort which makes life livable and bearable amid all this that that's going on today, will never be found in any system of thought or philosophy, but it's found in a Person, and that's the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And you find Him there, closer and closer to your heart in the written Word, the Living Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Paul found this secret, for he said, "My life is hid with Christ in God." And I might say that I believe with all my heart that amidst the storm of life that is today beating so mercilessly, and the burdens and pressures that weary so in this world today and the condition it's in,
God can empower and sustain you and can help you live joyously and triumphantly and victoriously, if you'll just wait on the Lord. Wait, I say! God's Word says, "Wait on the Lord."—The dear Lord bless you. Give Him time, give Him a chance! He's still on the Throne and prayer will change things. Amen.
5. Resting in the Lord:
A. The Bible instructs us to "rest in the Lord":
Psa.37:7Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him
Heb.4:3aWe which have believed do enter into rest
Heb.4:9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God
B. Take time to sit at Jesus' feet:
Lk.10:38-42Mary...sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word. But Martha was cumbered...serving. Mary hath chosen good part
C. Cast your burdens and worries on the Lord:
Psa.55:22Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee
Mat.11:28-30Come unto Me‚ all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...unto your souls
1Pet.5:7Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you
D. Quietly meditate on God's power:
Gen.24:63Isaac went out to meditate in the field at eventide
Job 37:14Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God
Psa.46:10Be still and know that I am God
1Thes.4:11Study to be quiet
E. Be humble before Him:
1Ki.3:7[King Solomon prayed to God:] I am but a little child
Isa.57:15The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity...I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit
Mic.6:8What doth the Lord require of thee, but to...walk humbly with thy God
6. Drawing close and resting in the "Secret Place":
Heb.4:11Let us labor...to enter into that rest
Jam.4:8aDraw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you
A. The "secret place" of God's presence:
Psa.91:1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty
Psa.17:8Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings
Psa.31:19,20aThou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence
Psa.61:4I will trust in the covert (secret place) of Thy wings
(See also Psa.27:5; 32:7; 119:114.)
B. Rest in "the shadow of His wings":
Deut.32:11,12As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young...so the Lord [watches over His people]
Mat.23:37b[Jesus longs to gather us to Him] even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings (See also Lk.13:34)
Psa.91:4He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust
Psa.57:1My soul trusteth in Thee...in the shadow of Thy wings
(See also Psa.36:7b; 63:7b; Ruth 2:12)
7. The benefits of taking quiet time with the Lord:
A. God heals and restores our souls:
Psa.23:2,3aHe leadeth me beside still waters...restoreth my soul
Mal.4:2Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness [Jesus] arise with healing in His wings
2Cor.4:16We faint not; though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (See also Eph.4:23)
B. He gives us joy:
Psa.5:11Let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice...Let them that love Thy name be joyful in Thee
Psa.16:11In Thy presence is fullness of joy
Psa.40:16Let those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee
Psa.51:12Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation
(See also Neh. 8:10b; 1Pet.1:8.)
C. He gives us spiritual strength:
Isa.40:29-31They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings...and not be weary
Isa.41:1Keep silence before Me...renew their strength
Isa.30:7Their strength is to sit still
Isa.30:15In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength
Dan.11:32bThe people that do know their God shall be strong
Judg.5:31Let them that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might
Eph.3:16That He would grant you...to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man
Col.1:9,11Strengthened with all might, according to His...power
D. He gives us rest in the Spirit:
Exo.33:14My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest
1Ki.8:56The Lord...hath given rest unto His people
Mat.11:28–30Come unto Me...I will give you rest...unto your souls
E. When we take time to love Him, He loves us:
Pro.8:17I love them that love Me
Jn.14:21,23He that loveth Me (Jesus) shall be loved of My Father
Jn.16:27The Father...loveth you, because ye have loved Me
F. Other benefits of loving the Lord:
Deut.30:16Love the Lord...walk in His ways...that thou mayest live ...and the Lord shall bless thee
Psa.91:14Because he set his love upon Me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he hath known My name
Psa.119:132Be merciful...unto those that love Thy name
Psa.145:20The Lord preserveth all them that love Him
Pro.8:21I...cause those that love Me to inherit substance
Eph.6:24Grace be with them that love Jesus Christ in sincerity
1Cor.8:3If any man love God, the same is known of Him
Jam.1:12The crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him (See also 2Tim.4:8.)
(See also Deut.11:13-15,22-23; Psa.36:10.)
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