Do you know who Jason Bourne is? He’s an assassin who worked for a covert agency and is now trying to figure out who is he is. Perhaps, you have read the books or seen the movies.
In 1981, I was reading the Bourne Identity. I was at the part of the book where Jason Bourne is being pursued by various groups and under huge stress. His life is in constant danger and he experiences small fragments of his past life that come to him in moments of high stress.
In one flashback, he hears “Eat whenever you can. Sleep whenever you get a chance. Sleep is a weapon.” Except when I read it, I heard, “Rest is a weapon.” I tried to read it again and the same thing happened, “Rest is a weapon.”
I remember saying out loud, “That’s not what it says! That’s not what it says! It says ‘sl— is a weapon,’ and I couldn’t say ‘sleep’. It says, ‘Rest is a weapon.’” (It was too funny…and bizarre!)
In that moment, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to me, “I’ll give you rest.”
I turned to Matthew 11:28-30, and the Lord began to speak to me.
“Graham, when you’re weary and heavy laden, come to Me and I’ll replace your burden with rest. Step into a partnership with My peace and learn how I rest. Take any negative edge caused by stress and bring it to Me. You can get rid of anger, frustration, just by allowing yourself to feel My gentleness. I’m meek and humble in heart, and you learn faster with humility. I promise you will find rest for your mind, your emotions, and your will, your restless soul. In rest your burden is easier and lighter. Rest is a weapon.”
Since that time, I’ve been practicing rest as a lifestyle every day.
I work at it every single day. When something happens, rather than getting on edge, I choose to live from a place of rest and peace. I’m particularly intentional about using rest as a weapon against the enemy and what he is trying to do.
The enemy cannot penetrate your rest if you are practicing it as a lifestyle.
There comes a point where you start to lose the ability to be anxious and worried. This is a marvelous reality for me because I had always felt inadequate, insecure, anxious about things.
Let’s not be afraid when the enemy throws uneasy and stressful situations at us. If we learn how to practice rest as a lifestyle, we have a deadly weapon against him. One that upgrades us into new levels of peace, while crippling him in his tracks.
Now that’s a victorious life! Not to mention, rest makes for a far more enjoyable existence!
My sincere prayer for you over the next month is that you allow rest to become your weapon against fear and uncertainty. I will be in touch again at the end of month 12 with a special video.
Blessings and favor,
P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about what Graham has to say on the subject of rest, check out The Practice of Rest in our store.
