Bread, on the other hand, is the food one needs in order to live. We take in bread in order to nourish and repair the body. Bread should provide energy. Bread should satisfy and sustain.

I remember when I got born again; June 1993 at one of the branches of Deeper Life Bible Church, Nigeria. It was my first time at the Church, a friend had invited me for their regular Sunday service. There was a talk on the importance of choosing heaven over hell; talk about a broad way that leads to hell and a narrow path which leads to heaven. Yours truly didn’t want anything to do with hell, so off to the front roll I marched as soon as the alter call was made for people to make a decision for Jesus. I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ; hell lost a soul; Heaven’s gain….

As I think about my spiritual rebirth day, I am reminded of the process that brought me to my current spiritual status of being alive in Christ. Having heard the message on salvation as was preached that day (deliverance through faith in Christ Jesus), the expected response from me was to confirm my believe by simply walking down the aisle towards the Preacher, who led me to confess the ‘sinner’s prayer’.

Twenty-eight years later, even with a little stormy time along my walk, my salvation status hasn’t changed; I know that I am born again. I received my salvation that day, and that hasn’t changed.

Unknowing to me, the only good thing about that day wasn’t that I got born again, no, I was also delivered from the curse (Sickness, Poverty and spiritual death), because the same sacrifice that bought my salvation also bought my healing.

Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was a blind roadside beggar. On this particular day when Jesus walked out of Jericho, Bartimaeus didn’t want alms, he’s learnt how to ASK and RECEIVE gifts through the years. Today, he wanted a different kind of gift;…. healing for his eyes. All attempts by bystanders to stop him proved futile. In the end Jesus connected with his faith, his sight was restored. Bartimaeus RECEIVED his sight, ….just like that. He believed Jesus could heal him, he asked for his healing and he got it.

“Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.“
Mark 10:52 NKJV

Do you believe Jesus has healed you? And if I may kindly ask; ‘have you received your healing in the same way that you received your salvation?‘

Healing confessions are no good if we lack the conviction that we are already healed. Our confessions and partaking in communion do not in themselves bring healing, they are ways in which we further proclaim and maintain that we are healed.

Someone asks; ‘Grace, I am currently taking medications for a health condition, do you advice me to discontinue?’

Not at all, drugs or not, the truth remains that Jesus bought our healing. As Jesus would say…..’believe comes before seeing‘. So believe and receive.

By His Stripes I am healed.

Lord I believe that by the Stripes of Jesus I was healed. I receive my healing, and I declare that I am working in it everyday.

Thank You Lord!!

Yes, God will send His Word to shine the light into our hearts, bringing illumination and understanding to help us take advantage of all Christ has done, and to help us see that He already healed us (I Peter 2:24). And the Holy Spirit helps us see that God already sent His Word and healed us. So do not let the enemy keep you in bondage with an expectation that your healing is coming from God, no, the Word (Jesus) already came and healed all your diseases.

“And we still have the promise that God gave those people. That promise is that we can enter his place of rest. So we should be very careful that none of you fails to get that promise.”
Hebrews 4:1 ERV

The above verse of scripture, speaks of a promise made by God to a set of people- the Israelites. A promise that according to the writer, can be inherited and experienced today by every believer in Christ Jesus- the promise of A Place of Rest. And one intrinsic attribute of God is that He keeps His promises. Indeed, all of God’s promises in Christ are Yes and Amen!

Hebrews Chapter 3 provides a background to Hebrews chapter 4. The writer briefly recounts the not-so-nice experience of the Israelites in the wilderness over a period of 40 years. According to God, these people were rebellious, they tested and tried Him regularly, and they generally exuded deep and annoying unbelief (Hebrews 3: 7-10). As a result of their choice and way of life, God swore that they will not enter into His rest.

“Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘they shall not enter My rest.” Hebrews 3:10-11 NKJV

What is The Rest Place of God?

The Rest Place of God is Not a Physical location

Generally speaking, a place is a location, a point or an area. A place is also a position- which can mean someone’s current location or situation. The Rest Place of God is none of these things.

The Rest Place of God is not the Day of Rest

Is The Sabbath the Rest Day?

The word ‘Sabbath’ might mean different days of the week for different people, yet for all Christians, it communicates the idea of a day of rest. For the Jews, the Sabbath day starts at nightfall on Friday and ends on nightfall of Saturday. And while some ‘Christian sects’ try to follow the Jewish Sabbath day routine, others have chosen Sunday as their Sabbath day. It would appear then that the whole concept of recognizing a specific day as the day of rest cannot be applied universally across the Christendom. Maybe what needs to be understood is what exactly the Sabbath stands for.

Understanding the Sabbath

Starting from Genesis 2:2-3, it is recorded that God observed the 7th day as a day of rest after the creation. So God Himself started the Sabbath Day tradition. The Bible records that God rested and was refreshed. So there is a refreshing associated with rest (selah).

Why did God Rest ?

Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 tells us that God created the whole world in 6 days! Everything, Made from Words!! And on the 7th day, God rested. Even though we read that God rested and was refreshed post creation, we are not told that He rested because He was tired. I believe that God rested because He thought to Himself; ‘My work is done, everything is complete and perfect, everything is good!’

God had faith in His Word. He trusted His Word. He knew everything was as good as it should be.

In Exodus Chapter 31:12-18, God gave a very strong command to the Israelites concerning the Sabbath; it was to be observed as a day of rest, a holy day to the Lord. The penalty for speaking ill of the Sabbath was death, anyone who refuses to observe the Sabbath was to be ostracized or killed. So the Sabbath was a big deal to God Almighty. However the Lord Jesus seemed to have neglected this great command of the Sabbath during his ministry.

Jesus walked into grainfields on a Sabbath, His disciples took of the grains of the fields on a Sabbath, Jesus performed miracles on the Sabbath, He taught God’s Word on the Sabbath (Matthew 12: 1-6, 9-14, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 6:5). So in summary, Jesus did not rest on the Sabbath day! And as you can imagine, the religious leaders of His time rebuked Him for not observing the traditions, commands and laws passed down from the fathers. In response to this, Jesus dismissed their allegations as simply hypocritical because they themselves do not commit totally to observing the Sabbath as a day of rest. It would seem that they didn’t even understand what the Sabbath meant. I find it very instructive how Jesus always puts compassion and doing good above keeping laws and offering sacrifices.

So the Rest Place of God is not a location, situation, physical position or a rest day.

So what is The Rest Place of God?

Let’s see Deuteronomy 5:12-15……

‘‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”
Deuteronomy 5:12‭-‬15 NKJV

Again, we see another mention of the Sabbath and its sacredness here. But see what God says in verse 15; “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm“…..

So God is saying 2 things here: 1. Do not work on the Sabbath. 2. Remember how you were slaves in Egypt until My mighty hand and outstretched arm brought you out. You were in bondage and helpless until I saved you!

What do these mean?

I believe God was saying; ‘remember when you were so powerless and couldn’t help yourself until I intervened to deliver you; remember this and do not be anxious about working on the Sabbath; remember this and trust that I can take care of you; remember this and trust in My ability to take care of you whether you work or you do not work.’

So indeed, the law about the Sabbath wasn’t necessarily about working or not working but a test of obedience, faith and trust in God. And as far as Jesus could see, the religious leaders of His time, knew the laws but lacked understanding and revelation of their true intent.

If we go back to Hebrews 4:1‭-‬3 ERV, we see the primary reason the Israelites could not enter God’s place of rest…..

“For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said” NKJV

They heard the gospel, but did not mix the Word they heard with faith. And because they refused to mix God’s Word with faith, the Word was not profitable or beneficial to them. So it seemed their prayers were not answered, it appeared God never heard their outcry. The resultant effect of this was that they were always anxious, worried, agitated, panicky. They were never at rest. They did not enter God’s place of rest. They could have experienced ‘Sabbath’ everyday but yet they couldn’t.

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? How we can sometimes get all worked up over something we cannot change only to start trying to calm ourselves down so that we don’t fall ill from anxiety.

Worrying is like seating on a rocking chair that takes you no where. Sometimes we’re struggling with not worrying… Oh! if only we would enter His rest….the place where God wants us to be at all times and concerning all things.

In the Rest Place of God, the Word of God is mixed with Faith. It is a place of knowing, believing and speaking what the Word says irrespective of the circumstances. It is a place of being fully persuaded. A place of confidence and peace. It is a place of faith and trust. It is a spiritual state that translates into a physical experience. So the believer can actually have Sabbath every time and every day.

How do we enter his rest?

1. Mix the Word with faith: Confess the Word and stay steadfast with your confession.…

Say what the Word says in every situation.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.“ Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

2. Believe in the efficacy of the Word: the Word is not dead, but living, powerful and sharp….

“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:11‭-‬12 NKJV

We can enter His Rest Place for (because) the Word of God is not dead or powerless, but living, powerful and sharp. Halleluyah!

Shalom!

The 6 Attributes of God I share in this blogpost are intrinsic to Him. They are His nature. And these attributes of God do not change irrespective of circumstances. They remain constant.

The resultant effect of the mercies and compassions of God is His goodness. When His mercies and compassions meet, His Goodness is inevitable. Halleluyah! So if His mercies and compassions follow me everyday, if they fail not, if God is steadfast, committed at sending mercies and compassions towards man, surely, goodness must be an everyday experience with God too.

God is God of all
And Father to all who choose Him.
Through Jesus Christ all can be become sons and He their Father.

Though God of all, He still hates all forms of depravity and profanity.
He Wills that all may become saved and sons, He becoming Father to them.
His loving arms are open to all.

By Grace and through faith all can become saved and sons.
Grace doesn’t excuse depravity or profanity.
Even in Grace, God is still a holy God.
He still abhors depravity and profanity.

From the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, to the time and ministry of Jesus Christ, to this time of the Church age, God is still a holy God, He loves all people but still hates depravity and profanity.

Most events of the old testament were written for our learning today, some things to emulate, others to abstain from.

The evil choices of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, fall into the group of things to abstain from….

“as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.“
Jude 1:7‭NKJV

“Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”
Romans 1:27 NKJV

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)”
II Peter 2:1‭, ‬6‭-‬8 NKJV

God’s ways haven’t changed.
His principles are still the same. Be ye holy as He is holy….

While this represents another display of the subtleness and schemes of Satan at derailing young people using what’s often considered modern and trendy music as bait, Christians must awaken to the fact that such unholy and worldly dress culture is fast becoming acceptable in the Body of Christ and is often been excused for weather conditions, traditions and fashion trends. No gainsaying, this is not God’s plan.

When The Doctor Says ‘No’ is basically a narrative of my walk through a health challenge and how the Lord walked me to victory. It is a short read, however the truths, knowledge and wisdom in it will last a lifetime.