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 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 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! This week, as I was agonizing over a problem in prayer, one of my spiritual sons sent me a hilarious video. I laughed and laughed! I sensed, even with the timing, the Lord saying through the video ‘I’VE GOT THIS!! DON’T WORRY!!’ 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 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 set in consideration 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. Jesus said, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray…”  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?

Behold, I have given you authority (Grk. EXOUSIA) to tread upon (Grk. PATEO: trample) serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (Grk. DUNAMIS) of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise (OUDEIS OU ME – nothing no, never) hurt you. Luke 10:19 ASV

Do you believe that statement? Jesus said it. If you can’t trust His words here, how can you trust them in John 3:16, or anywhere else for that matter? If He lied to us here in Luke, then the whole Bible falls to pieces and Christianity is just another religion, full of good sayings but devoid of truth.

Authority is the ability to make a judgment, and to release power to enforce that judgment. If you cannot release power then your authority is meaningless. But you as a son or daughter of God can release power, if you learn to cooperate with the Spirit of God. You are seated at God’s right hand and invested with authority to bring His will from Heaven to earth. Slow down…sense and listen…then speak your prayer!

‘serpents and scorpions’ – Who are these guys? Are they literal serpents and scorpions, or something else? The first five references in the OT to a serpent or serpents refers to the devil himself, but the sixth – the number for man – refers to a man, a tribe of men, who will act like a serpent.

Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. Gen 49:17 KJV

Backbiters, people who will speak behind the back of another, will seek to undercut that one so that he falls. We have authority to shut their mouths, and you primarily exercise that authority by living a godly, honest life. Daniels enemies sought to find something against him, but they couldn’t; they had to lie to the king and make up a law against Daniels prayers to the true God to get him into trouble.

Let’s take the time to really understand these evil men as serpents. It will make a difference in how we pray!

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; 2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.7 All the presidents (THE LIARS! Daniel was a president, and he didn’t agree to this law!) of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Dan 6:1-7 KJV

Do you see how the ‘serpents’ manipulate the king to trap Daniel? Same reality today. The top political and religious leaders are often surrounded by serpents who control them, so when you pray for them, ask the Lord about who is trying to control them, and deal with that revelation according to the authority you have. Ultimately the ‘serpents’ fell into their own trap, and the lions got fed!

Here is a NT ‘serpent.’ Paul scraped him off the bottom of his sandal, after he tread upon him.

6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness… Acts 13:6-11 KJV

Who are the ‘scorpions’? Again, the word of God informs us.

6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. 7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. Ezek 2:6-7 KJV

We were all rebels by nature (Eph.2:1) and walked according to the course of the world. But these ‘scorpions’ are the most rebellious, and take pride in their rebellion, which makes them the most obnoxious and dangerous people with which to deal. We come against our enemies in an opposite spirit, a spirit of humble confidence, never backing down to them, but taking authority to trample their words and deeds.

‘power of the enemy’ – DUNAMIS is inherent spiritual power. What power does the enemy have, and where does it come from? This DUNAMIS refers to the whole host of the spirit army of hell, right from the top of the prince demons down to the lowest wicked spirit. So, the enemy has wicked spirits and evil men, and we have authority to deal with them as we are qualified and authorized by the Spirit of God.

‘nothing shall in any wise’ – It’s been said that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. Here is one of the strongest statements in the Greek NT, a double negative emphatically affirming that nothing shall have authority to hurt you. The only authority the enemy has over us is when we surrender our authority to him through sin. What does ‘eternal vigilance’ look like? The Word clearly teaches that engagement with the enemies and overcoming them is necessary to enter dominion rest. Are you ready to fight?

Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! 14 I should soon have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries. Ps 81:13-14 KJV

Dear one, the fight primarily is within ourselves to bring us into that place of hearkening unto Him daily, hourly, even moment by moment. One of the terrible realities of habitual sin is in that it dulls our spiritual senses to hear God. So, you must declare war on the habitual sins that keep you from the Lord. Choose the fear of the Lord. Choose the love of God. It’s in the heart of our choices that we enter into the rest of the Lord. Amen? Love you!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…