Last night I read Matthew 11. As I read the final three verses, I had these thoughts. Rest brings a deep inner work that affects us spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Hebrews 4:10 says, “For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”

Let’s take the subject of rest into our thoughts. All actions come from our thoughts. Can we truly rest when our thoughts are chaotic, racing, or clamorous? Absolutely not! Rest requires a pause, as in music.

In order to truly find rest, we have to first quiet our mind. Psalm 131:2 says, “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” How do we practice quietness? We take our focus off ourselves and our circumstances. Then we fully concentrate on the Lord through His written word. Our heart will stand in awe of Who He is at all times.

Fear is covert sin that is a result of misplaced faith. Mark 11:22 says, ‘…Have faith in God.” When our focus is on the Lord alone, our faith is grounded and unshakable. 

As we read Lamentations 3:23 we hear Jeremiah’s declaration, “…Great is Your faithfulness.” Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.”

2 Timothy 2:13 is another declaration. It says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Isaiah 41:10 is one of my anchor verses. It says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Job’s declaration at the end of his trial is another one that grounds me. Job 42:2 says, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.” Fear is a spirit according to 2 Timothy 1:7. Don’t dialogue with it.

Hebrews 12:15 says, “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” I have a great visual for how bitter roots defile. 

Years ago I tried to take out a bed of candytuft. I went to pull up one plant, only to discover that the roots went every which way. Roots are hidden. Bitterness is a covert sin. It seeps into all of our thought processes. 

Peter nailed Simon in Acts 8.9-24. Verse 22-23 is a perfect description of covert bitterness. It says, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

The roots of bitterness are pulled up as we forgive the one or the circumstances that we are bitter against. Think of the words corrupt, decay, rotten, etc. One rotten apple hidden in a barrel will defile every apple around it.

Worry is covert sin. It takes place with hidden thoughts in our heart. Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” The Strong’s says that worry comes from a word meaning to divide into parts. Strong’s definition: distraction, preoccupation with things causing anxiety, stress, and pressure.

Fret means to gradually wear away (something) by rubbing or gnawing. I have several friends who lost bone in their hands because of fretting. Worry and fretting cause wear and tear emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Worry is based on presumption. I adopted David’s prayer years ago. I encourage you to also. Psalm 19:13 says, “Keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me…”

Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” When I was young I had a rebellious heart (covert sin). I obeyed on the outside, but my inside thoughts were rebelliously opposed. Can you relate?

In order to emulate the Lord through Christlikeness, our message and messenger have to match. Our thoughts dictate our actions, attitude, and habits. Matthew 18:35 says that we are to forgive from the heart. That means that our thoughts towards the person who hurt us reflect the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23.

Is the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control evident in your life? We cannot bear fruit on our own. John 15:4 says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

Until the Holy Spirit gave me this title, I had never connected covert sin with James 4:17 before. It says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” All “good”and “bad” actions come from our thoughts.

Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Unforgiveness is covert sin that can lead to open sin. Our words can crush or heal. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Spewing verbal death words come from harboring sin in our heart against that person we just slimed. We are called to edify or build up others. Since we know that is God’s way (doing good) and we don’t do it ~ that is sin.

Galatians 3:2 says, “This only I want to learn from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Verse 5 says, “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

Obedience is rooted in faith. Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place where he would receive an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

The devil hates our faith and will use temptations to get us to doubt God’s word. James 1:6-8 says that a doubter is likened to a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. Doubting makes us unstable. Steadfast faith does not dialogue with even one of satan’s suggestions.

Mark 11:23 says, “…does not doubt in his heart, but believes…” Faith believes and stands in God’s word, in the face of each impossibility, hardship, trial, and adversity. 

We strengthen our bodies through exercise. How do we exercise our faith? We believe God’s word and act on it. Romans 10:17 says that we increase our faith by proclaiming God’s word out loud. Our ears hear it, and it goes down into our heart.

Trials add resistance to our faith to make it stronger. We can compare trials to high intensity exercises that put pressure on our bones, increasing their density. After the age of 50 our bone density decreases. FYI: if you go to americanbonehealth.com you can download a pdf called, “Do it right and prevent fractures.”

Faith is the structural backbone of our walk with the Lord. Hebrews 11 is called the faith chapter. Each account starts out with, “By faith…” Verse 6 says that without faith we cannot please the Lord. Colossians 2:7 says, “Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith…” The deeper our faith is rooted in God’s word, the more consistent our faith’s testimony will be to those around us.

Daniel purposed in his heart long before he was ever tempted. Daniel 1:8. Job made a covenant with his eyes. Job 31:1. What are you doing to resist temptations? Predators look for a weak link in a herd. 

Therefore we shore up our weak areas by hiding God’s word in our heart. The devil’s preplanned temptations are geared to entrap us in our weak area. For instance, in my case, he would not use something that has no hook in me. Yet, he would use a temptation that I used to be ensnared in. 

John 14:30 says, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” Unlike us, Jesus had no unresolved issues. The things that we bury give the devil inroads or hooks.

We are to guard our hearts. Proverbs 4:23. Process things as they come up, instead of burying the emotional pain. Forgive when we are offended, instead of allowing it to become a burr in our saddle.

We are tested through trials, adversities, and hardships. 1 Peter 1:7 that our faith may be purified. Every temptation is designed to derail us, with the evil intention that our faith would fail.

I love what Jesus said to Peter. He had told him that satan wanted to sift him. Luke 22:32 says, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Did you catch it? Jesus knew that Peter would come through the sifting, because He prayed for him.

Jesus intercedes for us as well. Hebrews 7:25 says that as our High Priest He lives to make intercession for us. He also made provision through His word to help us fight each temptation. They will come again and again. Luke 4:13 says, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.”