Encouragement When God and His Peace Feel Far

Take a deep breath and remember who God is—and who you are in Him. 

Our productivity-obsessed mindset keeps us running and trying to "earn" rest! rest!

But rest - real rest - isn't something we earn through hard work; it's a divine gift freely given.

As it says in Romans 8:11, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, bringing life and rest when we need it most - during our most vulnerable moments. 

Rest isn't about escaping the difficulties of life through short-term distractions. 

Rather, it's an invitation to experience soul-deep rest that reminds us we are loved and never forgotten. 

God's presence remains constant whether we're thriving or struggling, accomplishing or failing.

The cultural pressure to fix ourselves before approaching God creates unnecessary barriers to receiving His peace. 

Stop trying to prove your worth!

Instead, let His Spirit breathe resurrection power into every cell of your body and every thought that demands perfection. 

You can bring your frustrations, disappointments, and confusion to Jesus without fear—He understands your humanity because He lived it. 

Even if you once felt close to God but now sense distance, remember this truth: He hasn't moved, left you, or given up on you. He remains as close as a whisper, ready to welcome you home whenever you call His name.

For deeper exploration of who Jesus is and how He really feels about you, visit WPER.org, click "Resources" and then click "Knowing Jesus" to discover His truth directly from His word.

Let us know what you think - send us a text here!!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Well, hey, good, you're here.
Five Minute Encouraging PodcastIn the next five minutes just
looking for ways to encourageyou, to inspire you to lift your
day, if it needs some liftingRight.
I'm Eric.
This is my friend Heather.
If you need more encouragementafter the five minutes, you can
always listen again.
You can always listen to WPER.

(00:21):
That's Virginia's home forencouragement.
If you're outside that area,wperorg or you can download the
WPER app, okay so, before westart, take a deep breath and
remember who God is Now.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
take a deep breath and remember who you are in Him.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Romans 8.11 says he who raised Christ Jesus from the
dead will also give life toyour mortal bodies through his
spirit who dwells in you Now.
That same spirit that raisedJesus from the grave lives in
you right now, in this moment.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Okay, not just when you're thriving or when you feel
like you're doing all the rightthings or when you feel good,
but in your weariness, in yourwaiting, in your weakness.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
A lot of time.
I think we treat rest like it'ssome sort of reward for being
really productive.
But God's rest isn't aboutchecking boxes and it's
certainly not about earning restor peace.
No, rest is a gift.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Actually, I think we should look at it like it's an
invitation to rest in hispresence, because the spirit of
God isn't far away, because hedwells in you.
He brings soul rest.
That's the peace he brings.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
And we're not talking about a quick nap or, although
that sounds good, sometimes someescape from reality.
None of that.
It's the kind of rest thatreaches deep into your soul and
lets you know that you're loved.
You are not forgotten.
God is here with you in thismoment.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
So, contrary to what you may have been told or led to
believe, you don't have to fixeverything or fix anything
before you come to Jesus.
You don't have to fix anythingbefore you rest.
You don't have to provesomething to anybody to rest.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Maybe today's the day you just stop trying to carry
it all or do it all and simplysit with God.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, let his spirit breathe life into your heart,
into your thoughts, into thethoughts that tell you you've
got to work harder, work more,be perfecter for him or for
someone else.
Let his spirit breathe lifeinto every cell in your body,
because it's his resurrectionpower that lives in you in this
moment.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
You're loved by the one who restores and revives.
He's not going anywhere.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
No, and we don't have to be afraid to talk with God
ever.
Yeah, true, and we never haveto be afraid to talk with God
ever.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Yeah, true, and we never have to be afraid of
bringing our frustrations or ourdisappointments to him.
He can handle our anger and ourfrustration and our confusion.
Remember, he was human, fullyhuman and fully God.
So he knows what you're goingthrough because he's been
through it.
His word even says be bold inasking him.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
So be bold, ask him to show you that he's with you.
Ask him for the rest you needfor your mind, your body, your
spirit.
But be open to hearing from him, because you need to be open to
receiving the answer andreceiving that rest.

Speaker 1 (03:22):
Now, here's the thing Maybe you were close to Jesus
once.
Maybe you felt like you wereclose to Jesus once.
Maybe you felt like you wereclose enough to feel his touch
in your life, but now maybe notso much.
Please know that he hasn'tmoved, he hasn't left you and
he's certainly not given up onyou.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Oh my goodness?
No, not at all.
And the best news is he isnever going to give up on you.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah he's as close as a whisper, and if all you can
pray is simply the name of Jesus, he'll be right there by your
side, ready to welcome you home.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
Thank you so much for spending a few minutes with us.
If any of this spoke to yourheart, share it with someone.
You might need to hear thatthey're not alone either and
that God hasn't given up on themeither.
And if you wanna know the truthof Jesus from his word, then
head over to WPERorg, click onresources and then that first
tab right there says knowingJesus.

(04:13):
You're going to find the truthfrom his word, not only about
who he is, but how he feelsabout you.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
Hope this has encouraged you today.
Thank you for listening to theEncouraging 5-Minute Podcast.
If you need more encouragementnow, encouraged you today.
Thank you for listening to theEncouraging 5 Minute Podcast.
If you need more encouragementnow, you can always go to
Virginia's Home forEncouragement WPER that's at
WPERorg if you're out of thatarea, or you can even download
the app Yep.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
You can find everything you need at WPERorg
you.