The Sabbath is mentioned throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament, and although this can be a contentious issue in some circles, Hebrews 4 makes it clear that as New Covenant believers in Christ, our Sabbath rest is to be found in Him.

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His Rest

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. (Hebrews 4:1). 

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief (Hebrews4:9-11).

The Sabbath rest that was foreshadowed under the old covenant, finds its fulfilment in Christ. Man was created on the 6^thday, to live in the 7^th day. This is the true power of the Sabbath that God wants us to understand.

With that principle undergirding our understanding of the Sabbath principle, let’s explore further ways that we can practically apply this spiritual discipline to our lives, and the benefits that we can experience from it.

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God Given 

We know that God is the giver of good gifts (James1:17), and in Exodus 16:29 it says: See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath. In my opinion and experience, the principle of keeping a regular weekly Sabbath is extremely beneficial, and life giving. Not only is this true in our modern world – where stress is at an all-time high, but also in the city that we live in!

Spirits

Unlike almost every major city in the world, Johannesburg wasn’t built near a major water supply, but rather grew swiftly following the discovery of large amounts of gold. The city was built on the foundation of something called “the Gold Rush”, and in those two words, we see the two presiding spirits that have a stronghold in this city. Those spirits are: Materialism (“Gold”) and Busyness/Hurry (“Rush”).

There are prevailing/dominant spirits or principalities in every country and city in the world, and anyone who has lived in this city for a period of time will attest to the fact that those two spirits heavily influence people and everyday life here. Thankfully, we have a God-given strategy to combat this…

Warfare

Instigating a regular Sabbath is actually a way of defeating both of these spirits!!

Firstly, rather than working on a day for material gain, taking a Sabbath rest cuts at the core of the spirit of Mammon, showing that we rely on God as our source, not our own effort.

Secondly, taking an intentional Sabbath rest rather than being swept up into the busyness of life is also waging spiritual warfare against the spirit of rush and hurry by coming in the opposite spirit.

So, instigating the Sabbath in your life can be a brilliant form of spiritual warfare!

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Components of Sabbath

The first time the Sabbath as a principle is mentioned in the Bible is in the creation account in Genesis2:2-3:

 Andon the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Here, we see the 4components of Sabbath: Ended (finish a work), Rested, Blessed, Sanctified. So this is a blueprint for how our Sabbath should look. We must end our work, rest up, bless (speak life over), and sanctify (consecrate the time to the Lord) our Sabbath time.

Our Sabbath

My family and I have a Sabbath evening on Friday nights where I end my work week early to come and spend time with them. We often rest, spend some time in worship (sanctify), and enjoy a meal together. Our favourite part is when I, as the head of the home, bless each lady individually, starting with my wife, then my 2 daughters. This time of blessing/speaking life over them has been hugely beneficial, and all 3 of them will always end by praying for me.

In the above account, which is a typical Friday evening for us, you can see that the 4 components of Sabbath are all included, and we’ve found that this regular discipline in our lives has empowered us in our walk with the Lord and each other.

Although a weekly Sabbath can look different for everyone, I encourage you to seek the Lord on how best you can instigate this in your life and pray it will be as much of a blessing to you as it has been for us!