R.E.S.T. 12/02/07
From 11/27 ~ Whatever I listen to, I hear.
Whatever I hear most often, I believe.
Whatever I believe, I obey.
Whatever I obey, I reflect.
Albedo ~
Whatever I reflect, I am.
This is true with all 5 senses. Tasting, touching, smelling, seeing and hearing.
Do I taste the sweetness of God in a situation,
or only bitterness ~
Do I smell the winds of spring and life,
or the stench of rotting and faded dreams?
Do I experience His touch as a gentle caress or a harsh fist?
I play around in this sensory kingdom, trying to bring my physical realizations into His court.
To see ~ ra’ah ~ observe, perceive, understand, examine
This is kind of prophet-ie. He has vision, he examines the past and projects the future.
To taste ~ nakar ~ discern, regard, recognize.
Taste death, taste heavenly gifts. (Heb 2:9, Heb 6:4, 1 Pet 2:3)
Has a flavor of apostle. He discerns the climate, the spiritual atmosphere.
To touch ~ naga ~ touch, smite, reach, strike. To kindle, to cling to, to fasten to.
To touch the heart, the sense of emotional involvement.
Sounds like a pastor to me!
To smell ~ ozo ~ ozme ~ a sweet smell.
Fragrance that ascends to God through a person, a result of sacrifice.
An evangelist can “smell” ripe souls a mile away.
He will not rest until he contacts that soul.
To hear ~ sama ~ hearken, listen, obey, publish
The teacher often has a direct listening line to revelation knowledge
that is relevant to times, seasons and people groups.
To use all our senses~
to discern, to understand and to relate to the world around us is a high privilege and gift.
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I saw a hammock, hanging from a large tree.
God told me to “rest” in it. He told me more than once. He told me numerous times.
Now this hammock was large, like the chair kind ~ where your feet lift off the ground when you sit in it all the way.
So I would sit on the edge of it, keeping one toe on the ground ~ in case there was something pressing I just had to do.
It’s amazing how “busy” my life is when the command is to rest in His hammock.
My toe prevented the free movement of the hammock, but it was the only way I could quickly exit, should I be “needed” elsewhere. I also discovered that total freedom for the hammock meant total capture for me and I didn’t like it one bit! If I tucked both feet into the hammock, as I needed to if I were going to really relax and rest, then I had no control (I say.. I had NO CONTROL) over how or where the hammock positioned itself. Totally unnerving and very uncomfortable to be rocked and swayed in ways unexpected. Rest? I don’t think so.
However, His command never deviated. “Rest.”
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REST ~ Nuah ~ to remain, to rest, to be quiet. To cease from struggling.
1st occurrence is
Gen 8:4 when the ark came to rest on Mt Ararat.
An actual physical settling down.
2 K 2:15 the Spirit of Elijah “resting” on Elisha.
Meant total and complete envelopment and permeation.
Prov 14:33 Wisdom “rests” in the heart of one who has understanding.
In the New Testament, rest is ~ ana pausis ~ cessation, refreshment, rest.
Not rest FROM work, but rest IN work.
The harmonious working of all faculties and affections ~
of will, heart, imagination, mind, conscience because in God,
each piece has found the ideal sphere for satisfaction and development.
R.E.S.T. Restoring. Everything. Satan. Takes.
Re-store is a RE word! (See “Albedo and Obedience” from 11/27/07)
Restore means to give back, make good, make amends, furnish completely.
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Back in the hammock…
I see it is made from 2 white ropes that are artistically knotted at strategic places for strength, comfort and endurance.
The first rope is called Faith.
Faith Rope is the full knowing of God’s revealed truth.
“ is personal surrender to that truth.
“ is day by day empowered behavior, inspired by believing Him.
The second rope is called Love.
Love Rope is how God manifests His extreme and complete care for us.
“ is realizing and accepting that He truly does cherish us.
“ is day by day empowered behavior, inspired by receiving His love.
If only I would put my feet in that hammock and let God have all of me!
Oh to truly REST!
Oh to truly TRUST!
Oh to truly BELIEVE!
Oh to truly be filled with JOY!
1 John 4:7,8
Beloved, let us love one another, for love springs from God.
He who loves his fellowmen is begotten of God
And is coming, progressively, to know and understand God,
to perceive and recognize, to get a better and clearer knowledge of Him.
He who does not love has not become acquainted with God
does not and never did know Him, for God is love.
The very reason for Christmas is His Love. (hammock rope #2).
His Christmas gift to us is Faith to believe Him! (hammock rope #1)
These ropes are entwined together to such a degree that it is impossible to separate them.
One leads to the other and the other leads to one. Love and Faith.
1 John 4:13 the Love Rope.
…if we Love one another, God abides and lives and remains in us!
His love ~ that love which is essentially His ~ is brought to completion,
to full maturity, runs its full course, and is perfected in us.
Vs 18 There is no fear in Love (dread does not exist)
But full grown, complete, and perfect Love turns fear out of doors
and expels every trace of terror!
For fear brings with it the thought of punishment,
and so he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of Love.
He has not yet grown into Love’s complete perfection.
1 John 5:4 the Faith Rope.
For whatever is born of God is victorious over the world ~
and this is the victory that conquers the world ~ even our Faith.
These 2 Ropes, twined so tightly, creating a heavenly hammock that is knotted so supremely ~ that I am safe to REST, truly rest, in their arms.
And while in this place of hammock (surrendered) RESTING (R.E.S.T.ing),
I AM Restoring Everything Satan Took.
