How your level of Rest will determine your level of Authority
By: Joseph Alexander
How your level of Rest will determine your level of Authority
Have you felt a resistance to your efforts recently? Perhaps you’ve been stressed out or even angered by something or someone. You may have even noticed that it’s affecting you physically, like a weight growing heavier on your shoulders or your muscles seem tightened up more frequently. These are different signs indicating that you need to enter a more rested state. A more rested state will allow you to think and communicate more clearly as well as move and feel liberated from any stress or anxiety.
Moses Strikes the Rock
Let’s first look at how not to handle stress and anger.
“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock in front of them, so that it will pour out its water. In this way you shall bring water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their livestock drink [fresh water].”
So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water]. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He showed Himself holy among them. ~Num. 20:8–13
The Lord instructed Moses to simply speak to the rock and fresh water would be provided to them. Instead, Moses hits the rock out of his frustration and anger with the Israelites. We see in the passage that the Lord highlights to Moses why he hit the rock instead of speaking to it; Moses didn’t trust Him.
Have you ever allowed anger and frustration to cause you to lose sight of trusting in the Lord? This kept Moses and those he was leading from entering into the promised land. Allowing our peace to be eroded by frustrations and contentions can keep us from the promises that can only be found in the higher levels of our lives.
Show the Storm Who’s Boss
When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus was sleeping. And the disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us, we are going to die!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peacefulness]. The men wondered in amazement, saying, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” ~Matt. 8:23–27
We see in this passage that Jesus’ disciples became incredibly full of fear when they saw that the weather situation was out of their control. However, Jesus was completely at rest. After seeing that His disciples weren’t going to voluntarily change their state of mind He spoke to the storm and they marveled at His authority. In another passage we see Jesus and His disciples out in the middle of a lake again with a similar interaction.
And in the fourth watch of the night (3:00–6:00 a.m.) Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately He spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!” Peter replied to Him, “Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water.” He said, “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw [the effects of] the wind, he was frightened, and he began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 Then those in the boat worshiped Him [with awe-inspired reverence], saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!” ~Matt. 14:25–33
Again, the disciples recognized His authority by His evident level of rest; Jesus was never worried about the storm because He understood the storm’s place. If we don’t see storms for what they are and what true purpose they hold we become susceptible to fear and anxiety.
Stress is a Mess!
Stress, fear, anxiety, worry and emotional states like these can be a mess for you biochemically. When we start to tense up as a result of any of these states we’re activating something in our body called a fight or flight response releasing a stress hormone called cortisol. As a result, this can boost your blood sugar and triglycerides.
Over time this can have serious negative effects such as:
•Suppression of the immune system
•Digestive disorders
•Muscle tension
•Short-term memory loss
•Premature coronary artery disease
•Heart attack
Physical Effects of Peace
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You — in both inclination and character],
Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]. ~Isa. 26:3A calm and peaceful and tranquil heart is life and health to the body,
But passion and envy are like rottenness to the bones. ~Prov. 14:30
You might be asking, “how do I avoid all of that mess?!” While you may not be able to avoid encountering stress or anxiety you sure can learn to turn it around into peaceful authority. Entering into and living in a peaceful state can do wonders for your body. Here are just some of the areas that are physically affected by peace:
•How Happy You Feel
•Your Mood & Feeling of Trust
•Your Nervous System
•Memory & Alertness
•Your Breathing
A New Way to Think
Pay attention to the signs that indicate that you need to enter a more rested state. From this place you can think and communicate more clearly and allow things to flow freely. Be intentional about relieving tension and lightening your emotional load. Entering into a more peaceful state will also remove barriers of seeming resistance between you and your goals as well as those around you.
Learn to Dance in the Rain
The good news is that Peace is available to completely obliterate any stress or anxiety that is trying to overcome you. Just remember these very simple and practical points:
•Keep your mind focused on Jesus because He is Peace
•Remind yourself of what you’re grateful for and who you Love
•Recognize what the storm is for and put it in it’s place
•Maintain a diet that is light and easy for your body to process
•Exercise and stay active even if you simply go for a walk
•Have some green tea and just breathe
