Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

I don’t know about you, but there are times that I am just worn out to the bone. Rest is more than a vacation. Some say they need a vacation from their vacation. You can escape to a spa, take a long overdue nap or even a 24-hour break from everything. You can do all these things and still feel exhausted. I read somewhere that rest stands for (R)eleasing (E)very (S)abotaging (T)hought. Sometimes it is our thoughts that hijack our peace, polluting our minds with worry. How do we go about capturing our thoughts? First, we must realize what we are thinking about when we become anxious. Then deflect them on something different such as the word of God, prayer or just saying the name Jesus. We need to learn to release those thoughts and replace them with God’s thoughts and plans. When we operate from a place of possibility, fed by a supernatural trust and then we are blessed with right thinking, we get to have joy and peace in our lives. Do you need peace today?

Dear God, I need your peace today. Thank you that I can come to you, and you are always there for me to give me what I need. Help me to remember this all the time, to take captive my thoughts and replace them with yours. Give me the ability to pass this on to others. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.