Skip to main content

Hard work versus working from rest

Hard work versus working from rest 

by Toyosi Adegunle



Hey there!

It’s heart-to-heart o’clock! Back story, growing up, I used to think that plenty of work, lots of activities and engagement means productivity, success, and many achievements too. I liked the sound and thought of it. I wanted to be that person that could come through for anybody at any time and this mostly happens at the expense of my emotional, mental and spiritual stability. I wanted to put in a lot of work, more like investing so much work in a space to the extent that I believed more in the work and my effort than I trusted in God.

 “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the LORD.”- Proverbs 21:31 NKJV

This is my word, and maybe yours too. I do a lot and I end up subconsciously believing that my work and efforts will pay off. This is not to negate the place of hard work, focus and consistency, but I’m here to tell you that, while you work so hard, ensure three things:

  • Rest in the perfect peace of God
  • Trust in God, like you’ve not done anything
  • Don't normalize the concept of stress
It’s so easy to get lost in numerous activities that you begin to only see the amount of work you do as a the determining factor for your success in life. It’s either of this:

  • You think your work is what gave you all the good things of life that you have now
  • You think it’s your work that will take you to where you really want to be

Where do you belong? It’s not your fault that you are in any of these groups, but the systems of this world has made us believe that your work and efforts equals success - yes it does, most certainly, but what happens when you work so hard and still don’t find yourself where you really want to be? Would you still be hyped, joyous and happy? Yes, you should and you will, because joy is a part of our default setting.

“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” - Proverbs 10:22 NKJV.

I love the Yoruba interpretation of this scripture, it bangs and hits the akinwunmi of my bones (lol, as in, it is deep) and it just always reminds of the mercies and favour of God upon us. God is too faithful to leave you when the work system fails you.

If you have answers to these questions, please share with me - How much work did Jonah put into keeping his life in the belly of the fish? How much work did the Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego put into staying safe in a fire, how much work did you put into keeping yourself through 2020? Fam, in 2020 (cos it's not over yet) and 2021, and the other years to come, work hard, but trust in God harder, work well, but rest in the perfect peace of God better and much more because you would need a lot of it.

Jesus is the peace that calms the storm. You have Jesus in your boat, you have peace, no more fear, no more anxiety, no more fear of the unknown and the other many things around it because Jesus would always come through for your sanity, safety and sanctification.

Tell me below, what's the highlight of 2020 for you?

Comments

  1. People of the World would stress when they do these things, as Children of God we should'nt, stress is not normal for Us, because we have help we are not left on our own...If only we would Listen God has something to say to Us about everything we do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you bro, this is indeed a timely word for me. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always get answers to lingering questions in my heart either from your newsletters or YouTube videos. Thank you Aunty Bibi for always coming through. I love you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What does it mean to be complete in Christ?

What does it mean to be complete in Christ? When you look at yourself, what do you see? Do you see someone who is imperfect and lacking in many areas? Do you sometimes find yourself thinking these thoughts? God is angry with me. I’m too dirty and damaged for Him to accept me. Why would God want to be with me when I’m a hot mess. Let me give you a secret, it doesn't matter how you feel or what you think. All that matters is what God has said in His word. His word says you are Complete in Christ! You are whole! Nothing missing, nothing lost, nothing broken! This is not by your deeds or something you are on your own. This is because you're in Christ!  Are you in Christ? Colossians 2:9-10 (NKJV) For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead [a]bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all [b]principality and power. Colossians 2:9-10 (TPT) For he is the complete fullness of deity living in human form. 10 And our own completeness is now found in him . We are co

Righteousness consciousness versus sin consciousness

Righteousness consciousness versus sin consciousness If you follow me on twitter for a while now, you will see that I always talk about how powerful your righteousness consciousness is compared to sin consciousness. I often roll my eyes when I see people discussing if something is sin or not sin. Do you know someone that is always talking about what is sin or isn’t sin? Or have you found yourself saying “I must be careful not to sin today, God help me not to sin” every day? This is being sin-conscious! You have not sinned yet but you are over-focused on the power of sin rather than the righteousness of God that you are as a believer . Hebrews 10:2-3 (TPT) For if animal sacrifices could once and for all eliminate sin, they would have ceased to be offered and the worshipers would have clean consciences. Instead, once was not enough so by the repetitive sacrifices year after year, the worshipers were continually reminded of their sins, with their hearts still impure. &q

Does God love me personally?

Does God love me personally? by Bibi Babatunde-Ikotun Do you ever wonder if God loves you personally? Or you’re sharing His love with the rest of the world? After all, John 3.16 says For God so loved the world, the world is 7 billion people. How can He possibly love you? This is why it's easy for us to think of His love as generally divided amongst all humans, we never get to see it in the personal details of our life. But I want to remind you of the truth that his love for you is really personalized. Answer me this, d o you know that if you were the only human on earth, He would still have sacrificed His life for you? Romans 5:8 (NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Sometimes we think God’s love for us is dependent on our love for him. Like if we ever stopped loving Him, He will decide to stop loving us. This is untrue because the bible tells us in 1 John 4.9  (NKJV) We love Him because He first loved us