Encouragement

Sunday Scripture

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Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock. My refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him.
God is our refuge. Selah.
Psalm 62:5-8 CSB

The Pressure Is Off

I read this verse and immediately my soul took a deep breath. I sure did need it. Isn’t that just like the Word of God? His Word is alive and active and always doing a work in us. If you are like me, You are beyond grateful for that work. My 2017 was a year. As I am sure many of you can relate, I found myself on some pretty mountaintops and in some rocky valleys. The undercurrent of last year was an intense struggle in my mind. That is where the battle is, right? It doesn’t begin with our emotions or our actions. It begins with our thoughts.

For the most part, I am a disciplined person. I don’t normally have trouble with focusing on all things lovely and righteous and good. But, I think the enemy came for me. I have been sensing a shift coming, a breakthrough. When God is gearing up to propel us forward in our relationship with Him or in our calling or in building His Kingdom, the enemy is gearing up as well to destroy the plans of the Lord.

I think I tried to fight the enemy a lot in my own strength instead of letting God fight for me. Exodus 14:14 tells us,  “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” That is crazy hard for me! I am all kinds of independent and have difficulty letting people do for me, including God.

The posture of the verses in Psalms listed above points to all things rest. When I rest physically, I often feel unproductive. Unfortunately, that spills over into my time with the Lord. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the kind of rest Psalms talks about. It is an active rest where God does His part and we do ours. We actively stand on Jesus and the work of the cross. We actively declare His promises over our lives and situations. We actively trust Him by not trying to bring about a specific outcome. We actively take Him at His Word and He fills us with hope and expectancy. We actively pour out our hearts to Him and let Him accomplish His plans.

He is our refuge.

He is our strength.

He is our help.

He is our salvation.

Allow these verses to sink deep in your souls. Take a deep breath. Know that the pressure is off. There is no striving, only rest in Him.

Is there an area of your life where you have been fighting in your own strength and need the rest of God? 

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His Word is alive and active and always doing a work in us. // Words from @karina268 at @incourage:

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About the Author

Karina Allen is devoted to helping women live out their unique calling and building authentic community through the practical application of Scripture in an approachable, winsome manner.

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  1. Miss Karina,

    My heart was nodding along with every word I read… wow! This spoke so much to me. After I read that first verse I found myself smiling and relaxing into God’s amazing grace. (Thank you!) The year 2017 held a lot of hard moments… but even more so, so many beautiful ones. Exodus 14: 14 was an important verse for me in 2017 one I found myself writing on my heart over and over… our Heavenly Father is so faithful! In this very, “full” season of sudden, exciting, change as my family prepares to move I treasure moments like these when our LORD God reminds me to just take a moment and breathe. That He alone is enough. Your words were truly a blessing to me today; thank you. I pray that you have a blessed day!

    This side of Heaven,
    Summer Rae

    • Thank you Summer Rae! I love God’s perfect timing in bringing the right word at the right time! He is beyond faithful to us!!!!!

      Blessings to you sister!!!!

  2. Karina,
    Exodus 14:14 is one of my favorite verses. It reminds me time and time again, when I want to get in there and do battle, that I am not only allowed, but encouraged to rest and be still. The Lord will fight for me. What a great relief that is. God will go to battle with whatever I’m up against (and yes, our mind is a spiritual battlefield). He’ll use His mightiest forces to defend little old me. Even after He suits us up for battle with His armor, He tells us to stand. Rock, Refuge, Strength, Salvation, Shield, Rest, Be Still, Stand….Ahhh I can breathe again. The battle belongs to Him. I am to be still and trust. Beautiful reminder, Karina.
    Sunday Blessings,
    Bev xx

    • Karina~
      Your post has been such an AMAZING BLESSING to me THIS morning!!! The Lord heard my cry and spoke to me…. this year too has been quite a journey thru valleys and mountaintops. Then yesterday i fell off a mountain. I received some very sad & discouraging news and have been so unsettled with my faith for past 12 hours. I needed to be reminded (actually gently kicked) that HE IS IN CONTROL & NOT ME!!! I needed my HOPE restored and not shaken— as I remember, believe and trust—HE ALONE is my salvation and my rock! I know things work together to help us keep our focus and stronghold, but when the enemy attacks, I am weak and very forgetful!! Thank you so much for sharing (and reminding me) how your faith has been strengthened to ask Him to fight the evil thoughts and waves of discouragement and for us to REST IN HIM!!!! I feel so renewed today!
      Prayers of gratitude and for a BLESSED year ahead~
      Nancy

      • Nancy, thank you for reading and sharing!!!

        I am so glad the Lord spoke to you and met you where you are. He is beyond god and faithful sister!!!

        Be blessed!!!

    • Bev~
      I am technically challenged and accidentally embedded my comment/reply to Karina on ur feed— I apologize! I always love reading ur responses too and on my iPad thought I was responding to Karina. 🙂
      Hope you have a blessed day~
      Nancy

  3. Rejoicing along with you, Karina, that God has called us to an “active rest” — something that is only available by faith. Blessings to you as we begin a new year with this mindset!

  4. Thank you for these words, Karina. I have been fighting a deep restlessness for a couple of months now, and trying to discern whether God is calling me to a change (job and city) or if I’m simply discontent in the season God has me in right now. How I need to be reminded to rest in the Lord instead of spinning my wheels trying to figure everything out for myself.

    • Your words express exactly what I am sensing right now and I appreciate your honesty. Is God calling me to a change or am I simply discontent in the season God has me in right now. Between this wonderful devotional and your words reminding me to “rest and stop trying to figure everything out for myself”, I know what God wants me to do. I will rest in the Lord and expectantly wait for Him to answer.

      • Sharon,

        Praying for God to send a discerning heart your way. May you trust fully in His plans for your life. He knows best. Praying for guidance as to the next steps! Sit still & listen He will give you guidance.

        (((((Hugs)))))

    • Christina,

      Praying for God to send a discerning heart your way. May you trust fully in His plans for your life. He knows best. Praying for guidance as to the next steps! Sit still & listen He will give you guidance.

    • There are so many words I could say here to describe my 2017, but “resting in Him” would not be among them. It took some time to be able to come to that place of recognition, falling to my knees in sorrow to apologize for my lack of obedience. My lack of faith. I am treading carefully right now, allowing many quiet moments and listening carefully to discern and obey, but I’m resting in the fact that His way is better for me. This has been the most difficult phase of life for me – and the hardest time to rest in Him, yet. But I am grateful for what comes when we take to our knees and cry out every bit of that weight we carry. Why we try and carry it on our own is just beyond me. Praying for you, friend. And for your new year.

      • Friend, I am praying for you as well! Rest. Trust. They are not easy, but the reward is so great! Peace. Intimacy. Joy. I’m believing that we will have the best year!!!

  6. I am (in) couraged. This word speaks directly to my 2017 and reminds of what to do in 2018. I know He is Sovereign. I know and have experienced His providential care. I know Him to be a way maker. I know Him to be a defender. I know that He is the Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The End – so today I chose to be still and rest in The One who created Heaven and Earth.

  7. Such beautiful words to begin my Sunday with. Thank you for the encouragement and the challenge to actively rest in the Only One who can give true peace. Blessings to you!❤️

  8. I don’t know if I have described my time with God as active rest. I love the image it provokes of a give and take where God and I are both involved. Thank you for your words today.

  9. Thank you Karina for your (in)(en)couraging Sunday Scripture sharing – I can so relate to being “all kinds of independent and having difficulty letting people do for me, including God” – 2017 was one wherein I found myself in a maelstrom likely due to my type A, perfectionistic, in control personality – I had always thought that I had surrendered myself to Jesus, but upon reflection, I came to understand that indeed I had not – I was so busy being busy and productive (not) that I lost sight of the Lord – when I came to this epiphany, and finally gave up full control to God and His plan for me, suddenly I was able to give myself permission to REST and be STILL with Him every morning – Psalm 46:10 tells us “Be still and know that I am God” – so I breathe and rest in Him secure in the knowledge that “He is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold” – blessings to all

  10. Love this verse. I too love to be active, move and be in charge. I am learning to release, let go and let God do it. There are days this plays on me, like I feel lazy if I am too still or too much rest leads to no action. When these feelings come to me, I turn to a verse, or open my bible app and literally stop to connect with Him.
    I have slowed way down last year and now my coaching is teaching high achieving women to slow down and obtain high levels of peace in their lives. I know this can be done, because I did it, and it was messy, beautiful, tearful, joyful, and so much more, but my relationship is getting stronger with God. It is the only way.

  11. Karina~
    Your post has been such an AMAZING BLESSING to me THIS morning!!! The Lord heard my cry and spoke to me…. this year too has been quite a journey thru valleys and mountaintops. Then yesterday I fell off a mountain. I received some very sad & discouraging news and have been so unsettled with my faith for past 12 hours. I needed to be reminded (actually gently kicked) that HE IS IN CONTROL & NOT ME!!! I needed my HOPE restored and not shaken— as I remember, believe and trust—HE ALONE is my salvation and my rock! I know things work together to help us keep our focus and stronghold, but when the enemy attacks, I am weak and very forgetful!! Thank you so much for sharing (and reminding me) how your faith has been strengthened to ask Him to fight the evil thoughts and waves of discouragement and for us to REST IN HIM!!!! I feel so renewed today!
    Prayers of gratitude and for a BLESSED year ahead~
    Nancy

  12. Karina,
    I have struggled with this so much. God has been working on me, all through 2017, and on into 2018, teaching me this lesson of being still. Of giving things to Him. Like you, I find that the enemy thrives on my stubborn independence under his attacks. He laughs at us as we try to fight these battles alone. But our God is there beside us, waiting for us to turn our faces up to him and let Him fight for us. We are such toddlers sometimes aren’t we? My fiercely independent three year old, Jackson, shows me a mirror of myself daily. “Jackson can do it by himself!” Is kind of a mantra for him. Sometimes I pull back and watch him struggle, just like God does. I’m waiting for him to figure it out or turn his little face up to me for help. But I am there, and I am watching. Just like our patient Father. Thanks for the reminder this morning to be still. God Bless! Heather

  13. This is wonderful, powerful and true! Our GOD does have things He wants us to do in and for situations at times, that is my dilemma: being able to hear His voice for direction and to be bold in His power to do what He is directing, when that is the case and not just assuming always there is nothing for me to do. I pray for that wisdom from Him, I need it so desperately.
    Thank you so much Karina!

  14. Karina,
    Thank you for this beautiful reminder in the words you wrote for today’s devotional. I work 40 hours a week and sometimes it seems longer than that because a coworker has been struggling with outside personal stuff and it seems I’ve been having to pick up the slack….I definitely need God’s rest in my life and actually take time to understand what kind of rest that is. Please pray for me that I’ll find a way to be assertive and not angry or resentful, and joyful instead of grumpy and tired. Thank you.

    • Awe Jessica, that is hard.

      Father, fill your daughter with your unconditional love and compassion and grace. Give her the capacity to do more than she thinks. Flood her with supernatural joy, strength and energy! May she be a light to her co-workers through her obedience and service.

  15. I don’t want to add anything or I’d be repeating what my sisters have already said above 🙂 . I just want to say “Thank you so much for writing this post Karina!!! I’ve been very blessed by it today – it was a gentle reminder which perfectly fitted with my situation – yes, there is an area of my life where I have been fighting in my own strength and need the rest of God… I’ll remember to rest 🙂 !

    Blessings to you and thanks again!!!

  16. Karina, I always appreciate posts from you. This one is no exception. The verses you shared and accompanying thoughts just meet me right where I’m at. Blessings to you, sweet sister in Christ. Thank you.

  20. I can relate to the part where you say when you rest physically you feel unproductive!

  21. Karina,

    This post & the replies remind me to two great songs. Most notably “The Battle Belongs to the Lord” and an old Contemporary Christian “God is in Control”. This world is full of turmoil & stress. We need to stop, take a Sabbath rest & just be still & know. Listen for His still small voice. If you must do something-fight like a warrior on your knees. Get down & pray for yours or others situations. After that take a rest & let it go. He will handle it all for you.

    Blessings 🙂