Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves], that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [into which those in the wilderness fell]. Hebrews 4:11(AMPC)
God’s rest is an acknowledgement and celebration of the work He finished.
God’s rest is not about Him taking a break to get refreshed because He’s tired and worn out. God never gets tired or worn out. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever.
God’s rest is recognition of and satisfaction with what He has accomplished and finished.
Genesis 2:1-3 (AMPC) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. And God blessed (spoke good of) the seventh day, set it apart as His own, and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all His work which He had created and done.
We enter God’s rest when we see and get fully persuaded of what He sees and is fully persuaded of.
Therefore entering God’s rest is the same as walking by faith. This is because faith sees and is fully persuaded of what God sees and is fully persuaded of.
At first Abraham struggled in his own strength and works to get a son when He heeded Sarah’s suggestion to have a child with the slave girl Hagar.
But when he listened to and continued hearing the Word of God who said to him “I have made you the Father of many nations” Romans 4:17, Abraham saw and was fully persuaded of what God said. Romans 4:21. He entered into God’s rest. He got convinced of what God knew and saw and called already done. God knew, saw, and called already done, Abraham and Sarah who were old and barren having a son and from that son many countless descendants born.
We enter God’s rest by ceasing from our human wisdom and strength to make things happen and relying on His wisdom and ability to see things manifest in our lives.
Rest doesn’t mean to do nothing. It means doing everything depending on God’s wisdom and strength.
Rest is: – I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. Philippians 4:13 (AMPC)
Fear, worry, complaining, frustration, resentment, are all symptoms of a heart and mind that hasn’t entered God’s rest.
Confusion, stress, envy, the sense of unworthiness and inferiority, unhealthy petty competitiveness and comparison, performing to find acceptance, are all tell-tale signs of one still striving in his own strength and wisdom – one who hasn’t entered God’s rest.
God’s rest is completeness for our spirit, soul, body, relationships, and work.
God’s rest in our lives is peace, joy, health, strength, soundness of mind, and leads to confidence, effectiveness and fruitfulness.
We labor to enter God’s rest by continually rejecting and resisting the urge and temptation to do things our way in our own human wisdom and strength and instead depend on God’s wisdom and strength.
We depend on God’s wisdom and strength by believing, following and acting on what He tells us in His Word and in our heart.