Hurried & Frazzled to Dazzled
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
As we buy and sell with God, which moves us to living by faith in Him in ALL things, we experience the manifestation of God in our lives …
For years, I’ve been buying and selling with God and as a result gaining deep rest and power in my life. One specific area I want to share with you (because it’s often overlooked for the death trap it is), is in the area of s l o w i n g down in life.
In my life a part of the old things was functioning as a Grand Master Taskmaster. I lived by lists, schedules and managing my time efficiently because I got a lot done (in my estimation) and felt internally & externally rewarded for it. Sure my body was tense and my life stripped of the rest, peace and enjoyment that could have been, but I was blind to all that. I didn’t realize there was truly a better way.
I would rush here and there … rush to relax. Letting the world govern what “needed” to be done, I was a slave to its demands that became my demands upon myself and my life. So who was I really serving? To accomplish all I “needed” to, I had to be efficient, highly productive and that meant being the ultimate taskmaster. But as I continued to buy and sell with God and gain faith in Him in all areas, this aspect of my life had to be purged for it was the world’s way of living, not His, thus a sin that manifested death in my life.
As a previous Master Taskmaster, this transformation was no small habitual rut to change because this mentality was deeply imbedded in me affecting most areas of my life in some form. When God first opened my eyes to this area, it seemed like a small issue, but as He showed me the ripple affect, the impact was vast and deadly. Obedience in the small things matters a great deal, because in reality what we may judge small isn’t when it plays out. If a plane is off course a few degrees from its desired endpoint, after miles of travel it ends up hundreds of miles from its destination. This was happening to me. The more I strived the further I got away from the abundant life God wanted to give me. Being in that state was the opposite of trusting Him.
In my alone time with God, He showed me how my spirit needs to remain in that same state that I am with Him in the morning; peaceful, trusting, connected and at rest so He could move through me as He willed. If I wasn’t at rest, I wasn’t in His will. The rushing around, as I use to do to fit in all my plans and lists, put me in a mindset of being focused on my effort instead of His. It’s a state where it’s difficult to hear Him, thus follow His lead. Did Jesus ever rush around? No, when you are walking in the power of God, you don’t need to.
As God showed me how my spirit needed to be in a calm state, I started to slow down, literally. On the flip side that meant I needed to trust Him with all that “needed” to be done. When I started to rush, in faith I stopped and functioned according to His power. As I did it His way, He rewarded my faith. Not only did I get done what was truly needed, but I was in a peaceful and enjoyable state the entire time, I more deeply engage others instead of rushing off to the next task, and I was more productive and had more downtime because I trusted in His power moving through me and not my efforts. …. But as you abound in everything–in faith 2 Corin 8:7
As I was faithful in one area God moved me to the next; to forfeit my extensive planning and lists and trust His guidance. Being encouraged by the result of His previous counsel, I had the faith for this next step, again buying and selling with God. I stopped with all the lists. Again, He blessed my activities and time, and I accomplished more of what was important. Again, it seemed like a small thing, but I learned I was being driven by my will instead of His, which is HUGE.
A hurried and frazzled lifestyle, accepted as normal and even necessary in today’s world, is contrary to abiding in God’s rest, which is a central aspect of a believers life. God is Lord of our lives, not us. For this to be the case, we have to be in a state of trust which leads to a literal mindset of rest. It’s a state where we forsake our effort and let Him move through us as He wills in His power. In this state, God governs our thoughts desires, words and actions, which are paramount to living a life of faith in Him and having Him manifest Himself in our lives.
Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience
Instead of being hurried and frazzled, I’m now dazzled by the perfection of His counsel and how His power moves through us when we trust Him and do it His way. When we do everything in faith (trusting in Him to performs all things for us and in His ways of working) then we find a life we’ve yearned for, we enter into His rest as He calls us to, and our lives glorify Him and His power.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Living Light 
January 30, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Rachel, I found this to be true, too.
When I was praying, the Lord told
me to take notice of how fast my
spirit was running inside, which was
literally like a race car. Then he said,
you have to consciously slow that down.
Take note of it,- to notice it, and then
consciously slow it down.
January 31, 2012 at 10:24 am
Hi Glenn – like the analogy you shared … when our spirits are in that state it’s about us, fear, lack of trust … all the things that oppose deep communion with God.
January 31, 2012 at 2:09 pm
I think the concept of self is pretty
much an illusion because it’s based
on changing perception. Our responses
are based on the challenges we face,
so the measuring rod becomes
inaccurate, which induces us to
the patience we require being
extended to others, then becoming
the new measurement.
God created it for us.
It just makes your faith, that much
prettier.
February 1, 2012 at 10:30 am
Hi Glenn — I think I know what you are saying … that God defines who we are …is that right?
February 1, 2012 at 12:24 pm
Yes, simply put.
When your batting in baseball,
you have to learn to keep your eye
on the ball, or you’ll miss every time.
When we talk about self centered,
is your eye, on the ball,
~or off, the ball?
It’s Catch 22.
January 30, 2012 at 8:20 pm
Praise the Lord! These words are truly deep and this is where the truth lies. Only those who move with the Lord in faith would understand what you are talking about. I am blessed by your words, Sister.
January 31, 2012 at 10:25 am
Hi Iroshan – it’s true you can’t fully understand the impact of this dynamic until you experience it, what a blessing to know the true rest of God, thus His power in the details of your life.
January 31, 2012 at 7:14 am
thank you rachel, it’s really hard to control our thoughts especially when unexpected situations come. we may easily get distracted, and start looking for solutions… I am also a taskmaker, often, i find myself slowly losing sight in my connection with Him, because all I thought I can carry them all, but it’s not.. our God is wiser than us and I always remind myself to TRUST HIM.
January 31, 2012 at 10:27 am
Hi Lori – following God’s counsel in this and walking in faith in the small things is working out our salvation, our life in Him, there is nothing more important. Thanks for your comment 🙂
January 31, 2012 at 8:01 pm
I loved this Rachel, and am still in the learning process! He really began talking to me about it last summer, and helping me to de-stress and instead, rest. Everyone around me judges by how much one does, so “rest” and not running and working full tilt, is really looked down upon. Still, He leads me and I will follow and know that rest instead of stress. 🙂 And still get done what really needs to be done! It’s so much more fun this way!
God bless you and how you share His lessons with us!
February 1, 2012 at 10:33 am
Hi Debbie – stress is such a killer of our spirits and bodies … it’s a sure sign we aren’t trusting in God, and that trust comes overtime as we fellowship with Him daily growing in the knowledge of Him on a very intimate level. But how important to be in rest .. it’s His commmand to us, for it’s the fruit of trust thus Him truly our Lord in truth.
February 1, 2012 at 1:55 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you for putting towords exactly whats been pressed upon my heart for the last 2 years, so beautifully! May Adonai richly bless you and all He does to, thru, and with you! Grace and peace in Yeshua the Messiah!
February 1, 2012 at 10:34 am
Hi – so glad it was confirming for you. May you continue to diligently seek to enter into His amazing rest. 🙂
February 1, 2012 at 2:01 am
Reblogged this on hisimagenme and commented:
Amen!
February 1, 2012 at 3:49 pm
😆 Rachel! I’m just the opposite. I need to be a bit more organized, but the advice still holds true. When God leads me through the day (instead of me just drifting from one thing to another) I find I can be at peace instead of rushing off at the last minute with half the things I should have done — still waiting for later. 😦 I like it so much better when He’s in the driver’s seat. 🙂
February 2, 2012 at 11:04 am
Hi Cindy – how true … it goes both ways. The bottom line is to be directed by God’s will and led by Him and not our own understanding and efforts; to actually trust Him as God. Life is FAR better when He is governing our soul. Just as there is no comparison between light and darkness, life and death … they are complete opposites just as walking in God’s power and righteousness and going our way.
February 1, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Dazzled for sure! Thanks, faith in Him does indeed bring peace and rest. Praise Him!
February 2, 2012 at 11:06 am
Hi Tom – how a life of faith is indeed powerful and life … so often is becomes a theoretical concept that lacks a realness instead of a way of living and thinking in the details of our lives.
February 2, 2012 at 9:21 am
Hi Rachel, GRACE is simply: God loves so much that HE gave knowledege of Himself. Howmuch grace we have, depends on how much we study & believe;receiving God’s love. —FAITH: believing God; Heb.II, is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen; receives divine approval; we understand the world was created by the word of God; is an acceptable sacrifice for approval as righteousness; even after death, one’s faith still speaks; by faith, the person will be taken up to God; concerning events as yet unseen will come as warnings from God; by faith a person obeys the word of God; by hearing, accepting & following the word of God, as did our forfathers, we become heirs with them of the same promises; by faith we receive power in the natural order of life. Before Jesus set up the new covenant, all who held faith in God, died in faith, not having received what was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Today, we who believe God and are taught by God through the Holy Spirit’s leading through the word, are the city God has prepared. Our faith can invoke blessings on future generations. GOD’S two wittnesses 1 Tim. 19: holding FAITH and a GOOD CONSCIENCE. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith. —For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yeilds the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
February 2, 2012 at 11:10 am
Hi Eldon – faith is the victory … though we haven’t seen the fullness of that victory as death still reigns in the world. Part two of God’s salvation plan in beginning to manifest in which the power of life from Christ will flood this earth.