There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. Heb 4:9 NKJV
Is every day a struggle? Do you continually battle against enemies in your life? Does your heart cry, When will the battle end? There remains a rest (actually, two rests) for the people of God. We must learn how to enter into that rest, and remain in it, to enjoy the more abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
SABBATH REST
The word for ‘rest’ in Hebrews 4:9 in the Greek text is the word SABBATISMOS, from which we get our English word, Sabbath. This is the only place in the Greek New Testament that this word is used, making it singularly important. There is a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
‘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…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…. Deut 5:12-15 NKJV
Rest, and remember two things: that you were dead, and now you are alive. Hallelujah!
Now, we are not under a ‘seventh day’ law, or any other law, for that matter. But God gave the law for a purpose, which was to do good for Israel and keep them alive. Think about that! The law was given to teach people to fear God and be blessed.
And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Deut 6:24 NKJV
If we fear God, and observe the good that is in the law without getting legalistic, then we can greatly benefit. The Lord thought so much of the keeping of the Sabbath that He made it a capital crime in Israel to break it (Ex.31:14).
What is so important about taking a full day off each week? You need to fear the Lord, and joyously rest with Him. We live in a 24/7 world, where the drumbeat never stops, that says, You need to be continually connected. No, you don’t! You need rest. Your body needs rest. You are setting yourself up for disease when you do not rest regularly. Derek Prince tells the story of visiting a pastor in the hospital. Derek asked the Lord, Why is he here? The Lord solemnly said, I will have My Sabbaths (one way or the other). We can fear God and be blessed, or learn to fear God by suffering the consequences!
Sabbath rest is a key component of entering into dominion rest…
DOMINION REST
But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. 1 Kings 5:4 NKJV
The Word says that when a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him (Prov. 16:7). Here it says that in dominion rest there is not even evil occurrences. Think about that! Dominion rest is so thorough that you can live the days of your life in such authority that there aren’t even evil occurrences. Consider that your enemies, like chronic illness, poverty, fear, loneliness, despair and confusion, or even human enemies, can be put under your feet, spiritually.
How do you enter into dominion rest?
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest ( Grk. KATAPAUSIN), let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 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. Heb 4:1-2 NKJV
There are two key Greek words that are translated ‘rest’ in the Greek NT: ANAPAUSIS and KATAPAUSIS. ANA means ‘up’ and PAUO means ‘to stop,’ so ANAPAUSIS means to pause and be refreshed. KATA means ‘down’ and PAUO means ‘to stop,’ so KATAPAUSIS means to stop and go down for rest. ANAPAUSIS is used in Matthew 11:28…
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Grk. ANAPAUSIN). Matt 11:28 NKJV
He is saying, I will refresh you! Isn’t that exactly what He does? You go to meet Him, and you get blessed! He is refreshing! He is life, joy and peace. But He is more than that, as well. He is rest. Our rest, KATAPAUSIN, is in the finished work of Christ. You ought to read the whole fifth chapter of Romans!
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Rom 5:1-2 NKJV
The first great key to dominion rest is to so thoroughly know who we are in Christ, that there is just no doubt in our minds and hearts. Ask the Lord to give you a passionate concern to study the New Testament, and find your identity in Christ. You may have done this years ago, but if you attack the study of the NT Pauline epistles with renewed fervor, they will open up to you with fresh anointing! Trust me, dear one, you HAVE NOT seen it all…
In the law it is written: “With men of other tongues and other lips I will speak to this people; And yet, for all that, they will not hear Me,” says the Lord. 1 Cor 14:21 NKJV
Now, when you check this quote in Isaiah, it adds the following…
To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” And, “This is the refreshing”; Isa 28:12 NKJV
This reference to rest is in light of speaking in tongues. Note the reference to the aspect of ANAPAUSIS (refreshing) and KATAPAUSIS (rest). Speaking in tongues, when done in love, produces both rest and refreshing. A key tool in achieving dominion rest is speaking much in tongues. Why not make speaking in tongues more than an hour a day the ‘new normal’ in your life?
I humbled myself with fasting; Ps 35:13 NKJV
The Lord does not want you to starve. But, fasting with the right motives and done with wisdom can produce humility, which positions you to receive favor. If you want to go up, you must go down.
With these basics in place we are ready to look at the specific instruction that will give us authority to walk in dominion rest…are you ready to reign?
Watch for Part Two!
Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…