Episode 113| Are you getting enough rest?

Welcome to Hustle in Faith. This podcast is dedicated to helping you find your trail to a happier healthier you by discussing topics regarding Christianity, health & wellness, beauty & so much more! I’m your host Tosha Johnson.

This is episode 113: Are you getting enough rest?

Are you getting enough rest? With all of the chaos going on in the world right now, the answer to this question is most likely, “No.”  Although I understand the reason why, nonetheless, rest plays an essential role in our lives.

A lack of rest creates havoc in our bodies that lead to diseases and other problems. The majority of our attacks from Satan come when we are weary and tired (Lk 4: 1-13). It is during this period of time when Satan inflicts us with his negative traits such as anger, fear, frustration, depression, etc. what many fail to realize is that our mental health issues stem from a lack of rest. 

The events of Elijah in 1 King 18 & 19 demonstrate the pitfalls and mental anguish that stem from a lack of rest.  If you recall, Elijah’s ordeal left him truly exhausted emotionally, physically, and spiritually. When we are mentally drained, our thought life (heart, soul, and mind) is weakened and we become easy prey for Satan.

Exhaustion gives us less control over our spiritual life. As a result, confusion and depression can easily descend upon us, which is what happened to Elijah. In many traumatic situations, we need to calm down, rest, and reprogram our thinking to focus on God, His power and promises to us.

This mindset combined with rest and nourishment was God’s response to Elijah (1Kin 19:5-8). God’s prescription for Elijah confirms that simply getting enough rest and nourishment both physically and spiritually play important roles in maintaining our thought life. This is why Christ insisted on His apostles following the above prescription (Mk 6:30-32).

While we are resting, God uses this time to cleanse the entire body both spiritually and physically. Even Christ took time to rest from His busy schedule (Mk 4:38-40). To see the changes we wish to see in this world, we must get spiritual and physical rest.

1.    Spiritual Rest

Only through Christ can we rest our mind and soul. Hence why Christ said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (matt 11:28-30). Christ continues to say, “ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am ^[f]gentle and lowly in heart.” Through this process, you will find rest for your soul.  Christ’s yoke is easy and His burden is light.

When we truly seek spiritual rest, we pray often and don’t allow our souls to be consumed with worry (Matt 6:33). This is what Christ did. To maintain His sanity Christ often sought places of solitude so He could gain guidance and comfort by talking with God. Talking with God is what keeps us calm and gives us the ability to carry on.

There was a period of time when I felt like my life was spinning out of control. Everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. When I took time to examine my life, I noticed I left God out of my daily life. I was trying to do everything myself. So much of my dependency was focused on maintaining my 9 to 5 job at all costs.

In hindsight, focusing on a 9 to 5 job was dumb on my part; even if there was a job shortage. My desire and motto has always been, “I work to live, not live to work.” Sadly, I had lost sight of this fact. All of which caused me to forget that God is my Source and my 9 to 5 job is just one of many resources that God can use for my livelihood.

It was when I started studying the Bible more and really seeking God’s guidance for my life is when He led me down a path that introduced me to so many talents and opportunities that I didn’t know I possessed. Many of those skills are why I’m finally living the fulfilled life I always wanted to live.

I have a great 9 to 5 job in an industry that I never would have imagined myself working in a million years. I must say, many of those talents I discovered when I was unemployed. What I thought were just hobbies like voice over work, teaching English and dance classes, creating video tutorials, and my t-shirt shops God turned into side hustles. 

Taking advantage of my unemployment so I could get spiritual rest enabled me to put God first. As I stated before, God uses rest to cleanse our entire being. All of which brings me to physical rest. 

2.    Physical rest 

Our bodies are temples (1 Cor 6:19). A temple is something precious and requires proper care. One of the major ways to accomplish this feat is to ensure that we get enough sleep. It’s so sad that many of us (myself included) have either intentionally or unintentionally chosen to work ourselves to death. As a society, especially in America, it’s been engrained in us to be workaholics.

However, this was never God’s intention. God doesn’t want us to work harder. He wants us to rest so we can work more efficiently. His goal for us is to work smarter not harder. The only way this will be accomplished is by getting enough rest. In order to reinforce the importance of physical rest, God incorporated rest into the 10 commandments (Ex 20:8). 

Whenever I feel like life’s negative circumstances are starting to gang up on me, I take time out to pray, meditate, and go to sleep. Will my problems magically disappear? Most likely no. However, the combination of prayer and sleep renews my spirit in such a way that positions me to see life from a new perspective as well as offer me a solution to my problems. 

The aforementioned is why Jesus was always encouraging His disciples to take time to pray and rest, especially during life’s storms (Matt 11:28). Prayer and rest gives us the clarity we need. This combination will help us to recognize why God allowed certain circumstances in our life (Mark 6: 45-52).

It’s up to you how you choose to spend your time in the storms we encounter in life. Worrying and anxiety accomplish nothing. Focusing on God and His Word will place you in a position to rest spiritually and physically so He can calm the winds and waves that occur in your life.

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