The Great Snare

Finding a Place of Rest

Trying to serve God and do His will in our own strength is a great struggle. We cannot know the approval of God or His grace while we are doing what we think is best. When we move in our strength to do our will or to try to do what we think is the will of God, the only resource we have is ourselves. In this place, we are tossed by our desires, our emotions, our weaknesses, and by every influence that comes our way from this wicked world.

Paul said of himself before he came to Christ that what he wanted to do, he could not do, and what he did not want to do, he did. This is truly a place of bondage. We are bound by sin and unable to deliver ourselves. Paul's final cry was "Who shall deliver me from this body of death?" What was the answer? "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." That is why Christ died, to deliver us from this place of death. The only thing that will deliver us from death is life. We are saved by His life. (Rom. 5:10)

We find the same message proclaimed in the book of Hebrews, chapters 3 and 4. The example given is Israel. God wanted them to trust Him for all things. He said that He would provide. Instead, they continually turned to their own strength, their own wisdom, and their own resources. Every time they did, they failed, and the final end was a trail of corpses scattered through the wilderness. We are told that they did not enter into God's rest because of unbelief and disobedience. We are commanded to be diligent to enter the rest, and to fear, lest any of us fall short of it. Do we believe this warning, or do we think it's for somebody else?

What are we to believe and obey? First, we must accept the fact that "apart from Him we can do nothing." That is a real place of faith. If we believe what Jesus said, and are willing to obey, we will come to an absolute end of trying to do something for God. This will touch every area of our lives, and if we are serious before God, the Holy Spirit will show us exactly what that means. Secondly, we will wait before God until we come to a place of perfect rest and peace, daring not to move unless God speaks. This will take time, as most of us are running at top speed, trying to keep up with this world and accomplish something that will make our lives seem worthwhile. Our lives are filled with so much activity that is self-initiated, that we have pushed God out. This must be reversed. In this place of quietness, we will become sensitive to the Holy Spirit. He will put His finger on things that have been hindering our relationship with Him. As He does, we must act, responding to His discipline. All of this will clear our relationship with God so that we can begin to live from the tree of life, as God intended. Our steps in the beginning may be small, but it is like learning to walk all over again. We are entering into a place of actually living the life of God instead of just talking about it.

Next: A Final Word