​Life can be loud.
Noise bombards our senses continually, wearing us down spiritually, mentally and emotionally.  
It seems like someone is shouting or screaming about something doesn’t it?  
Cultural issues. The boss. Newscasts. Advertisements. Economic forecasts. Social media. Music. Entertainment. Relationship tensions. Even church. Life seems loudly out of control at times.
Negative noise disrupts our personal peace, leaving us edgy, agitated and uptight.
What can you and I do to silence the negative noise that disturbs quietness and tranquility? It is a question I have been asking myself for a few months.  
In the Old Testament, the prophet Zephaniah records a tremendous truth about God in chapter 3, verse 17. How many of you will admit that you have not visited the book of Zephaniah in quite some time? The two “Zs”, Zephaniah and Zachariah are two scriptural gems in the Bible.
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy. He will be quiet in His love. He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”
What a wonderful word for weary souls! God is with us as a victorious warrior who rejoices and exults over us with shouts of joy! I really like knowing that God is a victorious warrior who rejoices over me with shouts of joy! God is all of that because He is quiet in His love.
God’s love is quiet, never noisy. Think about it. The noise of the world does not disrupt God’s love or peace. Our Maker remains calm, cool and collected when we are falling apart!  I am so grateful that the Lord does not panic when I do. He is never upset by the craziness of mankind. When we are restless, He rests, quietly in His love.
I believe the Lord wants you and me to rest quietly in His love. God’s unconditional love drowns out life’s noise. His quiet love quiets our restless souls.
The picture I have in my mind is of my Heavenly Father quietly loving me, settling me down when I need it. I get it. I am a father and grandfather. More times than I can recount, I have comforted my little ones, and not so little ones now, when they were upset, thinking their whole world was falling apart. You parents know what I am talking about!
How did I quiet them down? I loved on them. I took them in my arms. Sat them on my lap (when small). Cuddled them up. Soothed them with calm, quiet, reassuring words that everything would be all right. I always let them know how much God loves them and that He would help them.
Eventually, depending on the magnitude of their perceived crisis, they would slowly but surely settle down. My quiet love for them helped them overcome the “noise” troubling them.
God loves on us with His quiet love.
Psalm 23:1-2 states “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Shepherd. His sheep, you and me, will never want for anything. There are times when we sheep are beside ourselves. Because He loves us, He makes us lie down in green pastures, and He leads us beside still, quiet waters.
Green pastures. Still, quiet waters. A soul-soothing picture of rest, refreshing, renewal and restoration for restless hearts.   
Isn’t it amazing how much God loves you and me? John 3:16 says it all. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life.” Oh my, God loves you and me so much that He sent and sacrificed His only Son for our sins so we could be saved and spend eternity with Him in heaven.
For me, salvation quiets my mind and heart like nothing else can. Incredible. Words are hollow and shallow to express how I feel that Jesus died for me so I could live with my Father in heaven who is quiet in His love. I agree with the words of John Newton, writer of the most beloved Christian song of all time “Amazing Grace”, said  “I know two things: I am a great sinner. I have a great Savior.” That’s Steve Roll too.   
In 2021, I want to be used by the Lord to help stressed out, restless, upset, hurting, spiritually lost people find the One who will quiet them with His love.
My Christian friends now is a great opportunity in our culture to share our faith with searching souls. Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is the answer we need for time and eternity. The noise of the world needs to be drowned out by the Good News of Jesus Christ!
Today at my home church we sang a song called “Raise A Hallelujah!” The chorus exhorts believers to “Sing a little louder, Sing a little louder.” Christians, lets sing a little, a lot louder, and raise a Hallelujah to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let’s sing so loud that our positive noise negates the negative noise of the world.
Those of us who have benefited from God’s quiet love are called to share Gods’ unconditional love with lost souls. Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.”  
 Today, tune out some noise. Be quiet in God’s love. Bask your soul in the sunshine of His lovingkindness. Sing the song of salvation a little louder in your circle of relationships.
Share your faith with someone who would love to know that God loves them!
“The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
“See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God, and such we are.” I John 3:1
A Word For Your Week: God’s love quiets restless hearts.

​Weary Christians need refreshed.
As we discussed last week, Christ’s followers find rest, refreshment and renewal in Him.   
The church, the body of Christ, is another place for believers to be refreshed.  
There are times when a scripture jumps off the page, hits you square in the eyeballs, then burrows deep down into your spirit.
Romans 15:32 reads “S o that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.” Wow! Refreshing rest in the company of the church!
REFRESHING REST.
The context of this verse is vital to understanding the depth, fullness and richness of what Paul is communicating to the body of Christ.
The Apostle Paul was a tried and true, tireless proclaimer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He traveled for years, conducting three missionary journeys to share God’s love with Jews and Gentiles across the known world. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he also penned thirteen books of the New Testament.
His focus was always to preach Christ crucified and risen from the dead. Multitudes came to the Lord through his itinerant ministry. Others resisted the message and messenger. Paul was mocked, taunted, persecuted, beaten, imprisoned and eventually martyred for his faith. Often Paul was on his own with only a handful of faithful sidekicks.
If you are ever having a bad day, I invite you to read II Corinthians 11:22-33 and discover what Paul dealt with on a regular basis. Your day won’t seem so bad, believe me!
In verses 29-33, Paul asks the church to pray for Him. If it is God’s will, he will travel to Rome to visit the brethren after he delivers an offering to the poor saints at Jerusalem.
Paul asks that he may come “in joy” and find “refreshing rest” in their company.
The John Wayne of the Gospel was tireless, but tired. Weary of being on the road so much, exhausted from the demands of ministry, Paul longed for “refreshing rest” from his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
What would “refreshing rest” look like? 
The weary warrior for Christ would be in the joyful company of like-minded believers. He would be secure, protected, provided for and able to take a few deep spiritual breaths away from the ministry trips. The church would be a safe harbor, a place where the Gospel trail blazer could relax, kick back, take it easy for a while. He longed for and looked forward to sharing the joy of the Lord with those who loved the Lord like he did.
Paul received “refreshing rest” in Rome before he set out on the next leg of God’s plan for his life and ministry.
Refreshing Rest In The Church

• Stay refreshed in the Lord so you can bring refreshing rest to others.
• If you are stressed out, get your act together before you enter the church. Surrender your stress and issues to the Lord. Receive rest in your soul from Him. Then enter the fellowship to share His refreshing rest with others.
• Life is not about you. It’ s about Christ in and through you to serve and minister to others, the church first, then the world.
• The church should never be a place of strife, division, gossip, backbiting, power plays, turf wars or plain old selfishness. These ungodly, sinful things hinder “refreshing rest” that someone may need.
• Minister rest to your Pastor(s) and brothers and sisters in Christ by encouraging them at church. Encouragement in the Lord always brings refreshing, restoration and renewal.
• Help create a restful, refreshing atmosphere in your church. Put a warm, joyful smile on your face. Hug somebody in the name of the Lord. Speak an encouraging word. Genuinely care about your brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Thank God every day for “refreshing rest” in Christ and His church.

“Refreshing rest” is rest that is refreshing!
The body of Christ, His church, should always be a holy haven of “refreshing rest” for His servants. Followers of Jesus, including you and me, need refreshed in the Lord when we gather with God’s people.
Let’s be honest. You and I will not find “refreshing rest” in the world, the workplace, in the company of unbelievers, and certainly not on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
“Refreshing Rest” belongs to the community of believers in Jesus Christ. There is no rest without Him and each other.
 What if your local church was a place of “refreshing rest”? What if weary, stressed out, frustrated, anxious, worried, troubled, fearful, hurting brothers and sisters in Christ would take a deep spiritual breath when they walk through the church doors, knowing the peace, hope and joy of God awaits them? Wouldn’t that be awesome? Of course it would!
So, do you leave your church services feeling rested and refreshed in the Lord? Do you do your part to contribute to a spirit of “refreshing rest” in your fellowship? Would visitors to your church say there is a spirit of “refreshing rest” in your assembly?
How can you bring “refreshing rest” to a brother or sister in Christ in the church this week?
“Repent therefore, and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19
A Word For Your Week: Refreshing rest is every believer’s responsibility in the body of Christ.  

​Exit 2020. Enter 2021.
As a Christian I am expecting 2021 to be a good year because of God’s faithfulness to keep His promises. But I will be honest. My soul is weary. How about yours?
According to the Bible, mankind possesses a spirit, body and soul. (I Thessalonians 5:23). Our soul is composed of three components: mind, will and emotions. Our thoughts, choices and feelings make up our soul.
Covid-19 uncertainty. Political upheaval. Civil unrest. Economic disruption. Relationship distancing. A host of other soul stressors have created a weariness in our world, nation, families and individuals. I am worn out just mentioning these things.
I think you know what I am talking about. Scratching our heads wondering about what is going on and might happen. Making choices we have not had to make before. Experiencing emotions that are confusing, contradicting, and downright troubling have plunged you and me into an unrelenting stress mode that produces acute and chronic weariness of soul.
Soul weariness is ugly to say the least. Constant tiredness. Overwhelming fatigue. Restlessness. A sense of feeling stuck in life. Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness because you seemingly cannot do anything about what is happening around you feed soul weariness.
So, what are you and me to do? Will the world system alleviate weariness? No. Science. No. Politicians. No. Media and technology. No. The Stock Market. No. Addictive substances. No. Spiritual or religious activity outside of Christ. No.
But I do know what, rather Who, will help us win over weariness. His name is Jesus. Soul rest in Jesus is the remedy for soul weariness.
In Matthew 11:28-30 the Lord invites all who are soul weary to come to Him for rest.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am humble and gentle in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light.”
Note steps to rest from a weary soul.

1. Come to Jesus weary soul. He will give you rest. Come is an invitation.
2. Take His yoke (hook-up, connect with  and learn from Him. Learn how to rest like Jesus does.
3. Find rest for your soul because Jesus’ yoke is easy and His load is light. Life’s load is easier when we handle it with Christ’s rest.

My weary friend accept the Lord’s invitation to come and find rest. If we do not come to Him for rest, we will remain weary and worn out. Life will be harder than it could be when we attempt to work our way out of weariness without God’s help.
Truth be told, it takes humility to admit that we need the Lord’s help to overcome soul weariness. We think (erroneously) we can handle it on our own. If that is you, how has that been working out for you? Just asking.
Come. Yoke . Learn. Receive. Rest. Sounds good to me right now, how about you?
Jesus is a bottomless well of soul rest, restoration and renewal that never runs dry.
Helpful Hints For Relieving Soul Weariness

• Soul weariness happens in life. Be aware when your soul is becoming tired. Do not blow through warning signs of soul fatigue. Melancholy moods, sadness, sorrow, grief, outbursts of anger, irritableness, feeling overwhelmed, worry and anxiety, helplessness and hopelessness, being disillusioned, discouraged, depressed and demoralized all indicate serious stress and weariness.  
• Talk with a mature Christian who is a good listener and encourager. Pray with them to receive rest from the Lord.
• Wait on the Lord. Get alone with Jesus. Be quiet. Give up your weariness. Lay your weary soul at His feet. Listen for His voice. Learn from Him. Receive His rest.
• Take a deep spiritual breath. Read a Psalm or two. Meditate on God’s promises. Then take a little nap!
• Stop feeding, fueling your weariness. Shut out. Shut off anyone or anything that wears your soul out. You can choose to tune out life’s negative, stress producing noise.
• Do not, I repeat do not make major life decisions when you are weary. Tired decisions are often bad ones.
• Be wary of taking advice from weary people. How can tired people bring rest to your tired soul?
• Withdraw from the world’s weariness. Take a break from the spiritual, mental, emotional and relational clamor of the world.
• Rest when the Holy Spirit directs you to. Pay attention to the still, quiet voice of the Spirit who will comfort you, ministering rest and peace to your soul.   
• People handle soul weariness differently. Cut folks some slack when they are worn out. Wouldn’t you want them to cut you some slack when you are so tired that you are like someone who said “I am too pooped to pot!”
• Rejoice and give thanks to the Lord for restoring rest to your soul.
• Share with a weary soul how the Lord refreshed you, restoring your vision, peace, comfort, strength and joy.

My fellow Christian and friend look to Jesus to give you rest from your weariness. His rest is the rest you need to overcome a weary soul. Weariness always must surrender to rest.
Take a moment right now. Say this to Jesus, my soul is weary Lord. I need rest. Hear Him say to you. (Your name) come to Me and I will give you rest. Release your weariness and receive rest from the One who is never weary. 
“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.” Psalm 37:7
“The Lord preserves the simple. I was brought low and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Psalm 116:6-7
A Word For Your Week: Turn soul weariness into soul rest by resting in Jesus.

​2021 has arrived.
Imagine with me for a moment this possible scenario this new year.  
You are surrounded by a band of corrupt, power-hungry, greed motivated, lying, hypocritical  evildoers who want to control then destroy you and your loved ones. How would you feel about your situation? What would you do?
King David of Israel was faced with such a dilemma. He writes about it in Psalm 27:1-3.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation. Who shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Who shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war rise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident.”
Three observations regarding how David chose to face his enemies with fearless faith.  
David’s declaration.  Note David declared that the Lord is “my light’,” my salvation”, “the defense of my life”. The king had it settled. He would not fear or dread anybody, even if he was surrounded. His heart would not fear. The evil ones who would “devour my flesh” stumbled and fell because the Lord was David’s light, salvation and defense.
In other words, David had a fearless faith that stood tall as he watched the evil horde fall.

• My friend, is the Lord your light, your salvation, and the defense of your life?

David’s determination. The king had predetermined, because of his trust in the Lord, that his heart would not fear. David would not be shaken even if an intimidating army of adversaries surrounded him and God’s people. David’s faith was settled long before enemies showed up.

• My friend, no matter what is happening in your life currently, or may happen in the future, will you determine that your heart will not fear?  

David’s dedication.  “In spite of this” is a tremendous, thought-provoking phrase. In spite of what?  A menacing, marauding, murderous army of evildoers on David’s doorstep, that’s what! Hard to imagine much worse than that scary scenario isn’t it?
The king’s fearless faith caused him to stand confidently, courageously and firmly in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  

• My friend, in spite of whatever may be happening in your life, will you remain courageously confident with fearless faith in the Lord?

 
It is time for you and me to wake up to what is actually happening in our society and world.  Evildoers and enemies are real. They are not fictitious.  There really are people in our world who are demonically inspired to carry out evil and wickedness. Evildoers do not do good things.
The day you and I live in requires and demands that Christians have fearless faith that wholeheartedly trusts in the Lord in the face of adversity. Spiritual, emotional, physical, relational, financial and political enemies surround us on many fronts.
Fair weather faith. Fantasy faith. Fake faith. Faltering faith. Fearful faith. Fractured faith. Fainthearted faith will not cut it. Only fearless faith in Christ will overcome evil doers.
Facts About Fearless Faith

• Fearless faith is biblical faith. Study the faithful biblical characters in God’s Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews 11.
• Fearless faith has no fear. Faith and fear cannot coexist.
• Fearless faith faces challenges head on.
• Fearless faith creates personal confidence and courage.
• Fearless faith inspires those who are fearful.
• Fearless faith encourages and builds up the faith of others.
• Fearless faith follows God’s path to success.
• Fearless faith finishes the faith race victoriously!

Do evildoers cause you to be fearful? Do evil enemies terrify you?
Does evil shake your confidence in God? Do evil men and women intimidate you, creating in you a spirit of anxiety and fear? Does fear of them disrupt your personal peace?
When fear comes knocking on the door of your mind and heart, will you stand boldly with fearless trust in the Lord? Will you declare “No entrance here fear”?
2021 will be your and my opportunity to face life fearlessly with singlehearted faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Life is going to happen, whether we like what happens or not.  
Today, this day, and every day after, trust fearlessly in the Lord even when evildoers and enemies surround you.    
 “But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7
A Word For Your Week: Fearless trust in the Lord is faith that overcomes life’s challenges.