***Listen To Audio Version: By His Grace Audio 527
Opening Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you. I thank you, God, that we’ve made it to a new evening. Thank you, God, for traveling mercies. Thank you, O God, for your grace that has gotten us through this day. I thank you that as the mighty woman of God is ready to rest as she lays down her head tonight, O God, I thank you that every heavy burden is going to break.
She can rest fully, God, knowing that she is safe in your arms, O God, safe in your presence. I pray in the name of Jesus that this evening devotional be blessed, O God, that it be full of exactly what she needs to hear. Lord, I thank you right now that she is not alone.
The mighty woman of God is surrounded by you, O God, that you rejoice over us with singing. That’s what Zephaniah 3:17 says, that you will rejoice over us with singing. Lord, I thank you right now for your faithfulness. You are the Lord our God. You are mighty to save, mighty to deliver, and mighty to set free.
So Lord, I thank you. I bless you, O God. I bless you that she is here now, that she is at rest before you, O God, that she can lay down the world, lay down every heavy burden, and be still, knowing that you are God. I thank you, Lord God, for her peace of mind, for her heart being centered, for the weight coming off her shoulders immediately in the name of Jesus.
I thank you, God, that every burden is being lifted, and only the grace of God, the thing that you’ve given her, O God, the yoke that is easy and the burden that is light, only that remains. Lord, have your way, King of glory, for you are our great God. Thank you, God, for being our strong tower, our great defense. Lord, I thank you, God, and I pray in Jesus’ mighty name, amen.
We were never meant to carry it all.
We were never meant to carry on the heaviness of all things that we do day in and day out. We have a society that has the spirit of Mammon in it, and the spirit of conquerors, the Babylonian spirit, which goes forth to conquer, to preoccupy, to distract, and to overwhelm. So it feels like you can never get ahead. It feels like no matter how hard you work, that rest is fleeting.
We live in a society that criminalizes rest before the Lord. It almost seems as if, if you are being still, or that you are resting, or if you’re in a season of rest, that you’re somehow being unproductive, and the guilt that we sometimes carry doesn’t make it any better. The ability to rest in the presence of the living God is not a privilege.
It is something that God has called for each of us. It is what God has given us as a gift. It is a gift from God for you to be able to rest, for you to know His love, for you to know His Spirit. The enemy steals our rest and makes us feel guilty. We can see the story of Martha, who was preparing for a meal. That is the right womanly duty for her at that moment.
But then Mary does something different. Instead of doing the womanly duties, and helping her sister, and carrying the weight just like her sister, she decides to be still before the Lord, to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen. And the Lord tells Martha that this will not be taken away from Mary, that she’s chosen a good thing, and that it will not be taken (Luke 10:38-42 KJV).
The moment you decide to operate in the heart and the spirit of Mary, and you rest before the Lord, it will not be taken. No one can steal what God gives you. No one can take your rest. You can only cede your rest. You can only surrender it to the to‑do list. You can only surrender it to the plans that you have and the plans that you hope prevail.
You can only surrender it to anxiety, worry, and fear, but we lay down those burdens now. We give no thought to tomorrow, for tomorrow gives many thoughts unto itself (Matthew 6:25-34 KJV). It will take care of itself. It will take care of its troubles when it comes. But here and now, remember Psalm 46:1, that the Lord our God is a very present help in the times of trouble.
He will not fail us. He keeps us. He holds us in His mighty hands, and nothing can separate us from the hands of God. That’s what the scripture tells us, that nothing can take us out of His hand. The moment you take that on as your truth, the moment you take that on and you stand on that word, then everything else comes down.
In scripture, in Romans 8:38-39, in the King James Version, it states:
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39 KJV
We also see in scripture, in John 10, where the Lord admonishes us to know that nothing can take us out of His hand. So as the enemy attempts to do so, we can tear that down. We can tear down that lie quickly. John 10:28-29 in the King James Version reads:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. - John 10:28-29 KJV
And in verse 30, he takes it a little bit further. In verse 30, the Lord says:
30 I and my Father are one. - John 10:30 KJV
Immediately, they wanted to stone Him because of that, but the Lord is mighty. His word is true, regardless of whether no one likes it.
Nothing can take you out of the hand of the Father. Nothing can take you out of the rest of Jesus. Nothing can steal your rest. You can only give it away. Nothing can undermine you. You can only allow it, because the Lord has given us the ability at any moment to lay down our burdens, as it tells us in Matthew 11:28-30.
It tells us, very clearly, how we can get our rest. It tells us how we can lay down everything and completely trust God. So in Matthew 11:28-30, it reads:
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:28-30 KJV
He is the Lord of the breakthrough, and I pray that tonight becomes a breakthrough for you. I pray that this devotional is a turning point that begins to change things for you, to remind you that here and now, you can take authority over the atmosphere. You can rest in the presence of the living God. You can worship. You can sit. You can meditate. You can trust God, that he is with you in the name of Jesus.
And the Bible tells us to meditate day and night (Joshua 1:8 KJV). So maybe, just maybe, if you’ve never taken the time to sit before the Lord and meditate on the scriptures, meditate on his word, then maybe, just maybe, tonight would be the time to start. I pray a blessing to you, that this devotional reaches you and that it blesses you in Jesus’ name. I’ll see you in the next Evening Devotional.
It May Be Time To Launch Into Your Purpose
This is the season to step into purpose. The world is getting darker, but God has equipped us to be the light in the midst of this darkness. (Isaiah 60:1-3 KJV)
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