At the start of each new year, it is my custom to ask God for His word for our church. Last year, 2009, it was “the acceptable year of the Lord”,a most blessed time when salvation and the free favours of God profusely abound. This year, God said to me one morning, “Restful increase — the year of restful increase.” God wants to give increase in every area of our lives this year, but it comes through rest, not stress. What He said got my heart really excited!

Beloved, for 2010, whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish, don’t try to do it all by yourself, and don’t think that it all depends on you. As I’ve said before, without Jesus we cannot, and without us, He will not. God wants you to be yoked with His Son Jesus. Let Jesus lead and guide you into restful increase this year!

Come To Jesus

Look at Matthew 11:28–30. I’m going to show you how God gives us rest and how we can find rest. Whether it’s a baby you want this year, better health or a breakthrough in your financial status, it comes through rest — rest before increase.

Matthew 11:28–30
28 Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He didn’t say, “Come to a denomination” or “Come to this man of God”. He said, “Come to Me…” It all begins with going to Jesus.

“Labour” here is not referring to your work or job. Jesus was actually speaking to the Jews, who were labouring to keep the law of Moses. They were “heavy laden” by the heavy yoke of the law and wearied from trying to keep all the commandments. He was offering rest to these people. All they had to do was put their faith in Him, for He was going to die for their sins and fulfil all the righteous requirements of the law on their behalf.

Rest That Is Given

My friend, this rest for the conscience is given, when a person puts his faith in Christ, instead of trying to observe religious laws and rituals to earn God’s salvation. You may already be a believer, but are you worn out by religion? Are you tired of trying to keep all sorts of religious rules to please God and earn His acceptance and love? Come to Jesus and let Him give you rest. See how He has already done everything at the cross for you to have God’s forgiveness, acceptance and love.

Rest That Is Found

Let’s look at what else Jesus said. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” We just learnt that rest for our conscience is given when we believe in Jesus. Now, rest can also be found — I am talking about rest for our souls. Wouldn’t you agree that after we are saved, the biggest area that needs rest is our emotions and minds, that is, the soul realm? Your prosperity and health are linked to the prosperity of your soul. God’s Word says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2)

So how do we find rest for our souls? Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…” We find rest for our souls when we are yoked to Jesus and we flow with Him. Do you know what a yoke is? Look at the picture. That wooden contraption across the necks of the two oxen is a yoke. When the lead or older ox turns left, the other younger ox will also turn left. When the lead ox stops moving and rests, the younger ox will do well to stop and rest too. If the younger ox decides to move on, or turn right when it’s supposed to turn left, then it would find the yoke painful, and whatever work it’s doing would be stressful and tiring for it.

Being Yoked With Jesus

Jesus wants us to be yoked with Him and to learn from Him. He is the master trainer and we are the trainees. When He moves, we should move. And if He tells us to just rest and listen to the birds singing, we should do just that. Beloved, when we flow with Him, when we follow His leading, we will find rest for our souls.

Being yoked to Jesus and following Him is also not a burdensome thing. He said, “… My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Anything that oppresses you, causes fear or forces you to make a quick decision is not of God. No, His leading is gentle, easy and light. So don’t fear that following God is tough. It is not. In fact, there is an inner buoyancy about following God. When you do what He tells you to do, you will find that the task is easy and light because He equips and empowers you.

How God Leads Us

“Well, Pastor Prince, how does God lead me? How does He speak to me?”

Many a time, God doesn’t speak in words. It is usually a peace, a rest, an easy and light sensation in your spirit. It is like a witness in your spirit. Remember that you and Jesus are now one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), so He leads you in your spirit. His leading is like a gentle prompting or desire to do something. The Lord said, “I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them.” (Hebrews 10:16)

You don’t have to attend an exclusive seminar to learn seven steps (that only a small group of “elite” Christians have mastered) to hearing God’s voice. Even if you are a baby Christian, all you need to know is the peace He leads you by. Just as a baby recognises his daddy or mummy’s voice, as long as you are God’s child, you will know His voice. (John 10:27)

When Our Rest Is Violated

Sometimes, we know that we are not following Jesus when our rest is violated. Actually we should always be at rest, following the peace, such that when we do something that causes us to lose that peace, we know that we are not following Jesus and going astray.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say that you want to buy a bigger car. You can’t afford it, so your plan is to take a bigger loan. But the more you think about it, the more you pray about it, the more you feel troubled in your spirit. There is no peace to do it. There is like a check in your spirit not to do it. That’s the Lord telling you not to do it. And if you ignore His guidance and buy the car, there will be no rest for your soul because you will have a hard time paying the instalments!

But if you will listen to Jesus and hold off that purchase, you will find rest for your soul. And with rest comes increase!

Rest Before Increase And Commanded Blessings

Our natural minds tell us that if we want increase, we need to work and strive for it. The last thing we want to do is rest. But God’s way is rest before increase. God told the Israelites to rest the land for one year after they have cultivated it for six years. Some of the farmers must have thought: “What are we going to eat in the seventh or eighth year if we don’t work the land in the seventh year?” Maybe you are asking the same question: “How can there be increase if I rest?”

What is God’s answer? “… I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.” (Leviticus 25:21) God told the Israelites that He will make sure that they are so blessed in the sixth year that there will be enough produce for the next three years! My friend, when you observe God’s principle of rest, be it in your business, career, ministry or family life, you will not lose out. In fact, you will gain more than if you had not rested! You will have God’s commanded blessing. When He “commands” it, you will surely get it. Whatever is in the way will be removed!

Do It God’s Way

So rest brings God’s commanded blessing. With rest comes increase. That’s God’s way. Now, I am not talking about sitting at home and doing nothing. Remember that rest is simply being yoked with Jesus and flowing with Him. It is Spirit-directed activity, not inactivity.

Beloved, be yoked with Christ, flowing with Him in the unforced rhythms of grace, and find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:29, The Message) The principle of restful increase you have learnt here will bless you in every area of your life. May 2010 be a year of restful increase for you!