The Secret of Spiritual Rest: Leading God's people, #4

By Zacharias Tanee Fomum

"We are in a world without rest. Many people lack rest outwardly. A few are outwardly calm, apparently at peace, yet many are at war on the inside."

These are the words of the author, Zacharias Tanee Fomum, which justifies his burden for writing this book: to satisfy God's need to produce people who through the work of the cross and of the Holy Spirit, are at rest regardless of the outward circumstances in which they find themselves and wherever they are.

The book is based on the life of Isaac, a Bible character who made spiritual progress in the area of dying to personal glory along the long journey of his life.

Read this book and enter into the experience of the deep rest which Isaac knew and therefore be able to serve the Lord full of the peace which comes from Christ and not from man.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Books4revival
• Release date: Dec 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310977060

Zacharias Tanee Fomum

For FREE books from Zacharias Tanee Fomum: https://books.bookfunnel.com/ztf-free-ebooks. Professor Zacharias Tanee FOMUM was a man of uncommon spirituality, a leading voice for revival, a workaholic, a prophet-teacher, and a world-shaping spiritual genius. He was a bestselling Christian author (with over 350 books, over 10 million copies in circulation in over 100 languages) and a professor of Organic Chemistry (with over 160 published scientific works of high distinction (earning him the award of a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Durham, Great Britain). His books and the millions of people he influenced in more than 40 years of Christian ministry continue to impact the world with the Gospel today. He founded Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMFI), a missionary movement that has planted churches in more than 120 nations on all continents. He believed in a life of simplicity and with the support and dedication of his wife and their seven children, his all—time, money, heart, and soul— was dedicated to spreading the Gospel. He carried out exploits for God through the making of disciples for Christ, planting of churches, building spiritual leaders according to the model of the Bible, and serving the body of Christ, especially as a teacher on prayer. Learn more and read exclusive excerpts at: https://ztfomum.org

Book preview

1

THE NEED FOR REST

This is a restless world. Many people are outwardly restless. Few are outwardly composed, apparently at peace, but most people are at war inside. A young girl saw an older woman remain calm in the face of deep provocation. She asked the older woman, How come that you are so much at rest in the face of such great provocation? The older woman said, Oh, you do not know how I am boiling inside. To be composed outwardly and to be boiling inside is a characteristic of the world. Through discipline and self-control a person can be composed outwardly. Only the Holy Spirit can bring rest inside.

The problem is that even many who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit are restless. They do not know inward peace. If they know it, they know it at such a superficial level that that peace can easily be disturbed. Many believers can be described as having rest and restlessness in succession.

For others, it can be represented as follows:

The goal of God in the new creation is to produce, through the working of the cross and the working of the Holy Spirit, people who are at rest, regardless of the circumstance and regardless of what and where they are. This condition of permanent rest is evidence of spiritual maturity.

Those who have walked with God for some time and have made progress in the areas of self-denial and unconditional surrender to the Lord, know something of God’s rest. They must each press on until they abound, not with the peace that comes from man, but with the peace that comes from Christ—His peace.

Turbulent times await the children of God in the future. May all labour to enter into the rest of God now, so that they may be able to handle His affairs during such times. Turbulent times are on now, and those who know God’s rest are needed to manifest His grace.

Rest is needed today for all believers.

Rest is needed today for you.

May the Lord lead you into His rest.

Amen.

BEGINNING AT REST

2

BORN AT REST

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.’ And she said, ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would suckle children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age’ (Genesis 21:1-7).

Isaac’s birth was unusual. He was born when his parents had given up hope. Abraham was already one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety. They had very much desired children and pleaded with God for children and made mistakes in their search of children.

Abraham had had a son by Sarah’s maid and that son, Ishmael, had satisfied his craving for a son. He had waited and waited in vain for the promises of God to be fulfilled, and after he had Ishmael he was satisfied. God spoke to him some time before Isaac was conceived, saying,

As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her; I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live in thy sight! (Genesis 17:15-18).

Abraham no longer expected a son. It was like a closed chapter. Sarah no longer expected a child. It was a closed chapter. Both of them had reached a point where they were at rest with themselves and with the situation. It was at that moment that God stepped in and caused Isaac to be born. He waited for Abraham and Sarah to come to the place where, biologically, they could not give birth, so that all the glory for Isaac might go to God. The Lord waited for them to get to the place where all the plans they could have made for children and how to use them to exalt themselves had perished, so that when Isaac came they would let God have His way unhindered in his life.

So, Abraham and Sarah were at rest when Isaac was born. He was born to parents who were at rest!

GOD IS WAITING

Are there outstanding needs in your life? Are there issues over which you have prayed and prayed but God does not seem to hear you ? Could it be that you are seeking those things for personal glory? Could it be that you want to use what God will give you to show off? If that is the case, then that may be the reason why God has not yet answered you. He wants you to come to rest. He wants you to come to an end of desiring things and be satisfied in Him. When you come to that position, He will give you what you have been asking for.

The Lord is seeking for people who are satisfied in Him, so that He might make them into the custodians of His things. When He finds such people, He will give them much to keep and to use for Him. The people will have much, but they will be uninfluenced by the things.

Your greatest need is God. Seek him. Be filled with the fullness of Him. You will then be at rest in Him, and every desire of yours will then be granted; and after it is granted it will bless the Kingdom of God and bless you. Amen.

3

THE REMOVAL OF THE RIVAL OF THE ONE BORN AT REST

And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac. And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, Be not displeased because of the lad and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your descendants be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring. So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba (Genesis 21:8-14).

Many believers have the problem of dealing with their rivals, enemies, persecutors, and all those who stand in their way in one way or the other. In the world people plan all kinds of schemes, plots manoeuvres, etc, to get rid of people who stand in their way in one way or the other. Rivals, enemies, persecutors, etc, make life uncomfortable and seem to frustrate even God’s purpose for the natural man and for the carnal believer; that is the believer who has not entered into the rest of God or who has not maintained or walked in the rest into which he was born. All rivals, enemies and persecutors cause restlessness. And the carnal thing is to use worldly methods to try to get rid of the problem.

Believers can use the spiritual weapon of prayer to carry out their carnal plans. For example, they can pray to the Lord, saying, Father, this person is standing in my way. He is blocking my progress. He makes things difficult for me. He will not let me have the promotion that I deserve or need. He will not allow me or allow us to preach the gospel in that place. In the name of Jesus, Father, cause him to die; remove him from office; may some evil befall him; may his sins be exposed, etc.

People who pray in this way have not entered into the rest of God. They are not at rest while an enemy or rival exists. They are not at rest while an obstacle remains in their way. They are not at rest while a cherished plan is hindered. They try to use God to accomplish their schemes. Their praying is not solely for the glory of God. They do not know or they do not believe the promises of God which say that God is in absolute control.

The word of God exhorts the believer as follows:

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, ‘Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles’ (Matthew 5:38-41).

The one who turns the other cheek cannot at the same time be praying that harm should come to his enemy or rival. The one who is gladly going a second mile will not wish evil on that one who has caused him to go that way.

There is one way to treat the rival or enemy. It was taught and lived by the Lord of glory, the One who was always at perfect rest. He said,

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect(Matthew 5:43-48).

The Lord exhorts that the enemy be prayed for. The prayer that He has in mind is not a prayer that God should deal harshly with the enemy or give him what he deserves, but that the Lord might bless him. Believers would like to limit the Lord’s blessing of their enemies to their salvation, but the Lord thinks about their enemies’ well-being, not only in the other life, but also in this one. So the believer at rest will pray that the one who persecutes him be blessed in his

health,

family life,

job,

possessions,

etc.

He will pray that his boss who persecutes him be blessed at his place of work, even though the blessing may mean that he will continue to be persecuted.

The Lord Jesus never prayed that the religious leaders who persecuted Him should receive what they deserved. He instead prayed that the Lord should not lay their sin to their charge. He never prayed or wished for the death of the high priest, Pontius Pilate or Herod. He was at peace.

The apostles did not pray that God should destroy the notorious Saul of Tarsus, who was a menace to the Church. Can you imagine what the loss would have been had they prayed that Saul the persecutor might die so that it might be proved that his opposition of the gospel was against God? They did not pray that Herod the king, who had laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church, killed James the apostle with the sword and arrested Peter with the intention of eliminating him, should be destroyed. They were at rest and knew that God was in control.

Isaac indeed had a rival. Ishmael was the first son of Abraham. The best that could happen to Isaac was that he would share the inheritance with Ishmael. Isaac was not preoccupied with the inheritance. He was not worried about inheritance. He was not worried about position and possessions. People who have entered into the rest of God have ceased to worry about promotions and property.

Although Isaac was not bothered about heirship, God had His plans and God was well able to execute those plans, and He did execute them. It was God’s will that Isaac should be the sole heir. Because it was His will, He went out to execute it. He moved Sarah to ask that Ishmael and his mother should be sent away. It was not because Isaac, out of covetousness, had prayed to the Lord that Ishmael should be removed. It was also not because, out of greed, he desired to be the sole heir. He had no such desires whatsoever. He went on untroubled by his brother’s presence. He was very unlike his son, Jacob, who strove right from the womb to be the first-born and,when he failed, laboured through life, using every method possible, to have the birthright. Jacob strove for the birthright and had it, but was restless for most of his life. Isaac did not desire the birthright. He did not labour for it. He was at home in the Lord. The Lord decided to give him the inheritance that he never coveted.

When Sarah asked that Abraham should send Ishmael away, he was grieved. He was a man who had entered into rest, yet he was grieved. People who have entered into the rest of God are not emotionless people who have no feelings. Abraham, though grieved by the thought that he had to send Ishmael away, nevertheless, manifested the fact that he had entered into the rest of God by his reaction to what God said to him. The Lord said to him, Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your descendants be named. He was not told, Whatever I say to you, do as I say, for through Isaac shall your descendants be named. Most believers would like that; for they would gladly say, The Lord spoke directly to me about this matter! However, God asked Abraham to do whatever Sarah would say to him. He was a man at rest and, to continue to be at rest, he had to be prepared to do whatever the Lord said to him through another, even through a woman! He had to be humble, very humble. The proud of heart cannot enter into the rest of God until they abandon their pride and learn the humility of the Lord. There will be many times when God will speak to us through others. Sometimes He may speak through people who are not as spiritual or as experienced or as knowledgeable as ourselves. He will use that which is foolish to shame the wise and what is low and despised to speak to those who consider themselves important. Abraham was a man at rest, and he was open to the fact that God had chosen to