This post has been adapted from the chapter, “Lie #7: God Can Set Others Free from Pornography Addiction, but Not Me,” in my new book, 10 Lies Men Believe about Porn. This post is part 4 in an 8-week series on life-changing faith. If you would like to begin at part 1, you can do that here.
When you are burnt out and exhausted, there is nothing that feels better than rest. It’s the only thing that can recharge you. Jesus understood this deep desire for rest within us, which is why He frequently combined His offer of life with the promise of rest:
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).
Jesus clearly promised rest for all who follow Him, so why are so many of us burning out? Why are we exhausting ourselves trying to live moral lives but still going nowhere?
To answer that question, let’s take a look at Hebrews 4:1–2:
God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God (Hebrews 4:1–2).
The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that God’s offer of rest is still good. The reason some who were professing faith in Christ hadn’t experienced it was because they didn’t actually trust what Jesus had done for them. They said they had faith in Him, but their actions proved otherwise. They weren’t experiencing rest because they wouldn’t stop working to earn their salvation.
A few verses later, we see how fully believing in Jesus really does lead to rest:
All who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world (Hebrews 4:10).
In order to experience God’s rest, you must trust Jesus when He says there is no work left to do in regard to your salvation. You must believe that it really is finished. Hang up your hat, sit down with Jesus, and rest in the fact that He has already completed the work for you.
To further clarify this, let’s look at a few behaviors that may expose a belief that there is still work left for us to do:
- Do you keep asking for forgiveness every time you sin? Could that be a sign that you don’t believe Jesus when He says all your sins were forgiven at the time of His death? If you don’t believe your sins are already forgiven, you will keep trying to earn more forgiveness.
- Are you going to confession to seek restoration from a priest? What does that say about your trust that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man, or your ability to have access to the throne of God? If you don’t believe you can speak directly with Jesus, you will seek out religious rituals in order to feel spiritual.
- Do you keep making promises to God to become a better person? Is that a sign that you don’t really believe you have been transformed into a new creation? If you don’t believe you are already a new creation, you will keep trying to change yourself.
All of these actions expose a belief that Jesus needs your help to save you. There is still work to be done. But no matter how hard you try to contribute, these things will never work. And as long as you keep chasing after them, you will never be able to rest.
The only thing that will provide rest is to trust that every word Jesus said was true—even for you. Trust that your salvation is secure and rest in the fact that the work is done.
Only we who believe can enter his rest (Hebrews 4:3).
Continue to Part 5: If Jesus Promises Me Peace, Why is My Life so Hard?
When God calls you to do something that requires tremendous trust—to “take a leap of faith” as we sometimes say—He isn’t doing it to test your ability to generate faith. He is doing it to offer you an opportunity to receive more faith. The more you trust Him, the more He allows your faith to grow.
A well-known story tells of a tightrope walker entertaining a crowd at Niagara Falls. At first, he simply walked across a cable strung above the waterfall, but as the crowd grew, he continued to up the stakes. He did a lap while juggling and another lap blindfolded. He even rode a bike across the line. The crowd watched in amazement, wondering what he would attempt next.
One of my favorite parts of Jim’s biography was being allowed behind the curtain to see how he brought the Muppets to life. Many of the Muppets required two performers to operate them—one to work the mouth and left hand, and a second to work the right hand (a literal “right hand man”).
When you watch The Muppet Show, it’s obvious the human guests believe they are interacting with a living character. The conversations, 
If you ask any man what his favorite movies are, you will more than likely get a list of classics such as Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Iron Man, and other movies involving swords and explosions. Few men will add Sleepless in Seattle or The Notebook to their Netflix queue unless an attractive female wants to watch it with them. When was the last time you heard a guy say, “Hey bro, wanna grab a pizza and watch 
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, that just happened to me two days ago. And to say it hurts would be an understatement.
In the movie, Daniel-San approaches an elderly man from Okinawa named Mr. Miyagi, and asks him to teach him Karate. Mr. Miyagi agrees to train him as long as he does whatever is asked of him without question. Daniel-San agrees, but quickly starts to regret that decision. Instead of being taught how to fight, his time with Mr. Miyagi is spent painting fences, waxing cars, and sanding floors. Daniel-San begins to feel as if Mr. Miyagi is only using him for free labor.
God has made it clear to me through a variety of ways that He wants me to leave the door open for the possibility of reconciliation. All throughout scripture I see God restoring what is broken rather than creating something new. I hear the command to love my wife as Christ loved the church, and He continued to love the church even as they rejected Him over and over. Ultimately, God has put His unconditional love in my heart for her—which means my love for her is not conditional on her returning any love back to me.
It’s no secret that the Superman story is heavily influenced by the life of Jesus. Both men willingly set aside their superiority in order to experience life as a human being. Both men came to Earth with unbelievable powers, yet chose to use them for the good of others rather than their own gain. Ultimately, both men were willing to sacrifice everything in order to save mankind.
