Whether after a long day at work or after months of battling a major challenge, it’s good to take time to rest. God even made rest a commandment! But be careful, resting doesn’t mean letting yourself go.

Weight-loss diets are very popular in January. Losing weight is one of the most popular resolutions. But we all know that after a while, we get exhausted from following restrictions and let ourselves go. Our resolution requires effort, and logically, after putting in a lot of effort, we want a break. In the case of a diet, the break is often gorging on fatty or sugary foods! That is, of course, often the beginning of the end for our diet!

That is also what happens after a spiritual battle. When we face a significant challenge (such as financial hardship or illness), we tend to pray more and confess God’s Word. And because we truly need God’s presence, we don’t neglect church services or giving to charity as much as possible. But when we achieve victory, we enter a time of rest where we might be tempted to do nothing. Exhausted from the struggle, we want to rest and stop all activity. Since prayer and Bible reading are no longer our lifeline, we tend to put them aside. Because we had deprived ourselves of sinful pleasures to maintain God’s favor, we are now tempted by those same sins.

That is what happened to King David. He no longer faced the great threat of Saul; he was winning all his battles, so he decided to stay home while his army went off to conquer. He wanted to rest and enjoy the peace in his kingdom. And that is where he saw Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), who committed the greatest sin of his life. After having so many great victories, after having so much favor from God, how could he have fallen so low? It’s because he wasn’t at rest; he was lax.

We must not confuse rest with laxity. If we listen to our flesh, the definition of rest is a time for entertainment and escape, for fleeting pleasures to indulge ourselves after so much work. But that’s not God’s definition of rest.

First, let’s clarify that rest is very important. God himself took rest and imposed rest on His people. Our bodies weren’t created to be constantly in attack mode, nor were our thoughts. Even athletes who want to develop their muscles don’t spend all day lifting weights. They know that for their muscles to develop, they must allow them to rest. It is during a time of rest that what is broken is repaired and becomes stronger. Rest is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Not only for the body, but also for our mental health. When we take a break, our hormones regain their balance, our immune system strengthens, and our thoughts become clearer.

So what is the true definition of rest, according to God? Rest according to God is a time of restoration and worship; it is stepping aside to put God back on the throne of our lives. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Psalm 23:1-3 NKJV). After a great battle in the Spirit, we need rest, but the rest we need requires us to stay close to God’s heart. Instead of praying and reading the Bible to fight our enemy, we must now pray and read the Bible to receive peace, healing, and guidance for what lies ahead.

Moses gave all the laws to the people before they entered the Promised Land because he knew that after fighting all the foreigners to conquer it, the people would enter their promised land exhausted and worn out. And exhaustion can cause laxity. The laws were there to prevent them from slackening in their faith. Well, it didn’t work for them; they quickly began adopting the sinful practices of the foreigners, but this should teach us a valuable lesson. Let us be very vigilant when we win a battle. Rest is sweet and absolutely necessary, but our rest is found in God. Let us not confuse rest with laxity.