And we know that God causes all to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
It is time for you to stop living in anxiety, stress, fear, and unrest. It is time for you to enter My rest with Me. This is not something I am asking you to do on your own while I watch. You must always remember that being in My rest is a partnership of fellowship, and not just an ordinary partnership but a Covenant partnership. You are not performing while I keep a checklist and judge you when you miss an item or, through weakness of the flesh, don’t do something I told you to do. It is a Covenant partnership where we are working together as one in vision, purpose and mutual honor and love. “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.” John 5:20. “But so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.” John 14:31.
Jesus said I was working until now, and that He was working as well. And Jesus told you how you would enter this partnership and work with us also. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:10-18. Now not only He is in partnership with Me but in Him so are you. We are all working together. And that is why and how I cause all to work together for good to those who love Me, to those who are called according to what I have set out for you and consecrated in advance. Romans 8:28; Ephesians 2:10.
Today we continue our series of “It is time to enter God’s rest,” with Life Lesson No. 4: “A Place of Covenant Partnership.” Covenant is the closest connection known to man, it is exemplified in the marriage covenant where two join together as one, but that is on the physical level and death removes that bond. But I espouse you to Myself in the spirit and that bond is eternal, it is forever. Death does not “do us part;” it unites us ever closer together. Jesus told you that My promise of the Holy Spirit that He would give you was that My Spirit would be with you and in you forever.
And this is key for entering and staying in My rest, the guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit, for I guide you with My eye upon you and I do it by My Spirit. You hear from Me by My Spirit. My Word is Spirit breathed. My Spirit leads you in the life of good deeds I prepared for you in advance in Jesus Christ. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:14-15.
How does My Holy Spirit lead you? Gently. “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ones.” Isaiah 40:11. In My gentleness I make you great. “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.” Psalm 18:30-35. There is a reason the Holy Spirit revealed Himself in the form of a dove when He descended upon Jesus at His baptism. He leads gently, humbly, He is not harsh, He is not a taskmaster, He is not an accuser. He testifies to you that your sins and offenses I remember no more. He reminds you of all I said, of all My magnificent promises that are “yes” to you in Christ. My Spirit witnesses with your spirit that you are My children and joint heirs with Christ. He is the comforter. The One ever at your side. He is your Helper. He is the one that pulls the helm with you when you are too weak to do so. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes (pulls the helm) for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for believers according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27.
The place of rest, My rest, is deep within Me, in My bosom. And the Spirit knows My deepest thoughts and shares them with you. Jesus is your good Shepherd and He is in you by the Holy Spirit. Look at that passage from My prophet Isaiah again, “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ones.” Isaiah 40:11. He carries you in His bosom. And I tell you that “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” John 1:18. Jesus is in My bosom, deep within Me, and the Holy Spirit also proceeds from Me. Jesus rests within Me, He told you that you were to abide in the vine as He abided in Me. And He prayed, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:20-21. I am in Him, He is in Me, and in Him you are in Us. The place of My rest, deep within the chamber of My bosom, My very heart, the Holy of Holies. And there was always perfect peace and quiet within the Holy of Holies.
And that word translated as “gently lead,” is the word “nahal” in the Hebrew in which it was first written, and that means “to lead or guide to a watering place, to bring to a place of rest, to refresh.” My Son leads you to a watering place and causes you to rest there. He comes to give you to drink of that living water that will spring up within you like a fountain of eternal life. He leads you to drink of the Holy Spirit. You will find the same word in Psalm 23:2, “He leads me beside the restful, healing waters of peace.” And what does He do there? “He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3. A new creation in Christ regenerated by the Holy Spirit. And the word “nahal” is from a primitive root that means “to run with a sparkle.” Selah.
Gently He leads you. Never condemning, but always correcting, always directing, always helping, always comforting, always giving you peace. Even if you get yourself in the dark valley of the shadow of death, even there He directs and guides out and comforts you. Psalm 23:4. In your wilderness, He will turn you into a worshipper to bring you back into My rest through the door of hope. “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her heart. I will give her her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor (trouble) as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth.” Hosea 2:14-15.
I did not give you a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (self-control and discipline). And He produces His fruit in you as you remain in My Word like a branch on the vine. And what is the fruit of the Spirit? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23. Do you see? Once you are abiding in My rest, you become partakers of the divine nature by My Spirit and you become just like Me. So in seeing you, people see Me, like Jesus your life explains Me to others who otherwise never see Me.
And as you abide with Me in My rest do not let the accuser of the brethren, Satan, cause you to lose your peace. If you have missed it that day, just confess to Me and ask for another opportunity to do perfectly what you failed to do. I give good things to those who ask Me and I make all work together for good for you who love Me and are called along the path I set before you. And I put My Spirit in you to give you words and a wisdom that will move the hardest of hearts.
But understand that the Holy Spirit leads gently. In My gentleness I make you great. Do not grieve Him or quench Him. He is gentle with you but when He comes on you to witness and to intercede, He comes as tongues of fire. And as He testifies to you about Jesus, He will set your hearts ablaze! Like He did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus. My Spirit shows you Jesus. He always has through all of Scripture and He always will.
And as you partner with Him and learn how to be led by Him, He gives you gifts of revelation, power, and discernment for the building up of the Body of Christ on earth.
Come enter My rest and I will give you the Holy Spirit to partner with you in the life of good deeds I prepared for you in advance in Christ Jesus that you might walk in them. My Spirit leads you on level ground.
I love you. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is for you. Forever. And if you yield to Him, He will keep you in My rest. Forever.