Chief Among the Offenses
That Kindled His Anger
Psalm 37:7 · Psalm 62:1–2 · Hebrews 3:15–19
Pastor Abraham Adesayo
Dear Church Family,
What happens when God has spoken, God has provided, God has delivered, and God has repeatedly shown Himself faithful - but we still refuse to trust Him?
In this powerful message, Pastor Abraham challenged the church to examine one of the deepest issues that can keep us from experiencing the rest God has promised: unbelief. Unbelief is not simply doubting whether God can do something. It is refusing to rest in what God has already said and demonstrated.
The children of Israel witnessed God's deliverance from Egypt, the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, supernatural provision, water from the rock, and manna from heaven. Yet they continued to doubt and rebel. Hebrews tells us that because of their unbelief, they were unable to enter God's rest.
The message is therefore both a warning and an invitation: God is calling His people to rest in Him.
The Root of the Problem: Unbelief
Several expressions of unbelief were identified in the message:
- Not resting in God's promises
- Not trusting in the power of His presence
- Not obeying delegated authorities
- Not remembering His wonders
- Challenging His almightiness
- Walking in the counsel of the ungodly
- Being too quick to surrender to adversaries and adversarial situations
These are not merely outward behaviors. They reveal what is happening inside the heart.
When we stop trusting God, we begin trying to carry what God never asked us to carry. We begin to fret. We become anxious. We try to control everything. We allow circumstances to speak louder than God's promises.
But Scripture gives us another way.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.
What Does It Mean to Rest in God?
Spiritual rest is more than taking a break from physical activity. It is not simply a vacation, a nap, or the absence of trouble.
Spiritual rest means releasing the struggle to control everything and learning to rely completely on God's strength instead of our own human effort.
It means finding peace in God even when circumstances have not yet changed. It means trusting that God has already gone before us. It means recognizing that our confidence is not ultimately in what we can accomplish, but in what God has already accomplished.
God's works were finished from the foundation of the world.
This changes the way we pray, work, serve, and face difficult circumstances.
We do not have to fight for peace as though everything depends on us. We can work from a position of rest.
Why We Need Spiritual Rest
Honor the Divine Blueprint
God established a rhythm of work and rest at creation. He rested not because He was tired, but because His work was finished.
God made the heavens and the earth and rested on the seventh day.
Rest reminds us that our worth is not determined by how much we accomplish. Our identity does not come from constant activity. Our confidence comes from God and His finished work.
We do not rest merely to prepare ourselves for more work. We learn to live and work from a position of rest.
Spiritual Rest Saves Us From Burnout
Burnout is not a sign of spiritual maturity. Sometimes it is evidence that we have attempted to carry God's work in our own strength.
Elijah experienced this reality. After one of the greatest demonstrations of God's power, Elijah became physically and emotionally exhausted. He ran into the wilderness and eventually sat under a tree asking God to take his life.
But God did not condemn Elijah. God allowed him to rest, eat, and receive strength for the journey.
An angel touched him and said, Arise and eat... and he did eat and drink, and lay down again.
There are moments when what we need is not another frantic effort but a return to the presence of God.
Exhaustion can distort our perspective. It can make us see things differently than they really are and can cause us to believe that God has abandoned us when He has not.
Spiritual Rest Enhances Our Ability to Hear God
Elijah also teaches us something important about hearing God's voice.
There was a great wind. There was an earthquake. There was fire. But God was not revealed to Elijah through those dramatic manifestations. After the chaos came a still, small voice.
And after the fire a still small voice.
Sometimes we are struggling to hear God because our hearts and minds have not become still. Our minds are constantly calculating, planning, traveling into tomorrow, revisiting yesterday, and trying to solve problems that have not yet happened.
Sometimes we need to slow down.
Be still, and know that I am God.
Stillness does not mean doing nothing. It means becoming quiet enough to recognize God's voice and confident enough to follow His direction.
Spiritual Rest Protects Your Heart From the Lies of the Enemy
When the heart is constantly stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed, doubt can gain room to grow.
Resting in God's promises becomes an act of spiritual warfare because it declares that God is greater than the battle we are facing.
The enemy can introduce thoughts and suggestions that do not originate from God. We therefore need to guard our hearts and refuse to allow those thoughts to become our reality.
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
We must learn to recognize what is coming into our minds and bring our thoughts back under the truth of God's Word.
How Can We Enter Into This Rest?
Come to Jesus and Accept His Offer of Rest
Jesus did not tell the weary to work harder before coming to Him. He said:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
His invitation is simple: come. Come with the burden. Come with the questions. Come with the anxiety. Come with the uncertainty. Come with the restless soul.
Jesus offers rest - not merely for the body, but for the soul. (Matthew 11:28–29 | Jeremiah 31:25)
When we come to God in prayer, we can come with confidence and say, "Lord, I have come to receive Your rest."
See Unbelief as a Serious Form of Ingratitude
One of the strongest challenges in the message was the connection between unbelief and gratitude.
The Israelites had seen God move repeatedly, yet they continued to question Him.
God Himself asked how long the people would continue to reject Him despite all the signs He had performed among them.
Before asking God for the next thing, take time to remember the previous things.
- Remember the doors He opened.
- Remember the protection.
- Remember the provision.
- Remember the people He sent.
- Remember the situations He brought you through.
- Remember the places where there was no way, and God made a way.
Your current condition may be real, but God's faithfulness is also real.
Sometimes what God is looking for is not another request, but heartfelt gratitude.
Allow the Word of God to Mix With Faith in Your Heart
God's Word carries the promise, but we must receive that Word with faith. The Word must be mixed with faith for it to produce the rest God intends.
The message heard by the Israelites did not benefit them because it was not united with faith.
Faith takes God's Word seriously. Faith allows God's promise to become the foundation upon which we stand even when circumstances have not yet changed.
That is why we must continue to hear the Word. (Romans 10:17)
The Word must move from something we have heard to something we believe and live by.
Trust God's Immutability
God does not change. His character does not change. His faithfulness does not change. His promises are not dependent on the changing conditions around us.
I am the Lord, I change not. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. God is not a man, that he should lie.
If God could change, our confidence would constantly be at risk. But because God is unchanging, we can anchor our hope in Him.
What He has promised, He is able to fulfill. What He has spoken, He is able to bring to pass.
We can rest because the One in whom we have placed our trust does not change.
Seize the Now
Another powerful instruction from the message was to receive God's grace for the present moment.
Anxiety often causes us to live in a future that has not yet happened while using strength that God has not yet given us for that future. But God gives grace for today.
Recognize the gift of God in the present moment and enjoy the fruit of your labor.
Do not allow tomorrow's problems to steal today's assignment. Do not allow tomorrow's uncertainty to rob you of today's grace.
There is something God wants you to do today. Do it faithfully. Live fully in the grace God has provided for this moment.
Your Present Can Be Preparation for Your Future
What we call hardship may actually be preparation.
Joseph had a dream of leadership, yet his journey took him through Potiphar's house and eventually into prison. But even in those places, Joseph continued to demonstrate the qualities that would eventually be required of him in the palace.
Moses was called to lead God's people, but before leading a nation, he spent years shepherding sheep.
The circumstances changed, but the preparation was already taking place.
Instead of constantly complaining about your present position, ask God:
Lord, what are You preparing me for here?
What you are doing today may be developing something you will need tomorrow.
Be faithful where you are. Keep serving. Keep encouraging. Keep praying. Keep helping people. Keep doing what God has placed in your hands.
Rest in the Promises of God
The message brought us back to a simple but powerful prayer:
Oh Lord, give me rest.
Rest in your soul. Rest in your body. Rest in your spirit.
Refuse to fret. Refuse to surrender to anxiety. Refuse to allow circumstances to convince you that God has forgotten you.
God cannot fail. God does not change. God will remain faithful to His promises - and in His faithfulness, we can anchor our hope.
Am I Truly Resting in God's Promises?
- Am I truly resting in God's promises, or am I trying to control everything myself?
- What has God already done in my life that I need to remember and thank Him for?
- Have I allowed the noise and busyness of life to make it difficult for me to hear God's voice?
- What situation am I carrying today that I need to surrender to God?
- Am I allowing God's Word to mix with faith in my heart?
- What can I faithfully do today instead of worrying about tomorrow?
Slow down. Be still. Remember what He has already done.
You Do Not Have to Carry Tomorrow Today
You do not have to solve every problem before you can have peace.
God is faithful. His promises remain true. His presence is still with you. His character has not changed.
Slow down. Be still. Remember what He has already done. Let His Word settle your heart, and trust Him with what you cannot control.
Rest in God. Trust His promises. Receive His grace for today.
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