Sabbath Reset: Trusting God Enough to Stop
by: Ann Allen Salter
February 18, 2026
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
I have just experienced a divine set-up—Sabbath style. Let me explain. As a member of the Triumph of Hope team, Jahan Berns asked that we all take a 2-day paid sabbatical to get quiet and intentionally seek the Lord personally and for the team for 2026. Since I’m a volunteer, I thought I’d go ahead and take 4 days—I knew a divine pause was needed. This happened 2 weeks ago. Today I received a text message from Anne Coleman Hufham, our incredible Community Relations Manger, “Ann Allen, do you have the capacity right now to write a devo on the practice of keeping the Sabbath?” I realized pronto this was a set-up—a Sabbath test. My journal entries from the sabbatical will shed light on what has been previously hidden in disobedient darkness.
I have not been honoring the Sabbath. I’m disciplined in other areas but not this one. As I started the sabbatical I wrote “Sabbatical Insights” at the top of my journal. Immediately I saw the word “Sabbath.” I’ll let my journal take it from here:
“Did God not intend for us to do this ‘Sabbath’ weekly!? Read Charlie Kirk’s book— Stop in the Name of God, Why Honoring the Sabbath will Transform Your Life. (I had pre-ordered the book, received it, but had not yet read it). The Hebrew word ‘Shabbat’ means ‘rest, cease from work.’ Ouch, I love to work. Bottom line: YOU, LORD, ARE THE LORD OF THE SABBATH and I need to receive Your direction and not my probably legalistic mindset of what it should and should not look like. You are giving me more work, not less, in this season. ‘AA, you no longer have the liberty not to use My created methods for max efficiency and work out-put. It comes by obeying and honoring the Sabbath—this is worship to Me; this is love for Me as you choose to obey—this is not legalism; this is liberty. This is not constraint; this is freedom. This doesn’t mean less time for work; this means max efficiency when you do work. This is like the shoes not wearing out for 40 years and none of the diseases of the Egyptians getting on the Israelites—-this is My supernatural hand at work.
Trust Me in this AA; test Me in this AA…. This principle will change your life and it is beyond time that it does! I AM teaching you and giving you the GIFT OF TIME—a supernatural gift. The Sabbath is a Kingdom principle; the Sabbath is on Kingdom time: Kingdom Standard Time.’
After reading Stop in the Name of God, several take-home points surfaced:
Purposely observe a Sabbath each week— not legalistically, but the receiving of it as a gift of time.
iPhone changes: Check phone after my time with You each morning; then only check it a few times daily versus gillions of times. I will see messages when working on the computer so not legalistically, just a time-saver and a distractor ridder.
Other distractors: I deleted most of my apps—wasn't using anyway; use social media only for Triumph/SBCM; stop the meaningless, time-wasting scrolling.
Teach me to know where the Sabbath balance is—the balance is in obeying Your voice and not being legalistic about it! ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’ (Mark 2:27). I suspect You want me to be like Tank (my 3 month old chocolate lab puppy): Sit. Stay. Fixing my eyes on You, not the treat in Your hand! ‘Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…’ (Matthew 11:28-30).”
Well, this was the fastest devotional I have ever written because it was already written in my journal! Only God! He is our perfect model and if He rested from His work, I know I desperately need to rest from mine. “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day he rested from all his work of creation” (Genesis 2:2-3, NLT).
This is my Sabbath reset—I’m trusting God enough to stop. Who wants to join me?
Prayer
“Father, I come boldly to Your throne of grace and I ask that You help me where needed as it relates to honoring the Sabbath—Your Sabbath. Thank You for the gift of time. For all the times and all the areas in my life where I am wasting time—please forgive me. For not honoring the Sabbath, for not “entering Your rest,”—please forgive me. I repent and truly want to turn in my mind and ways. Reset my life to please You, and You alone. I will “enter Your rest” and rest from work as You lead and guide me. Teach me the Sabbath balance; teach me to truly worship You each and every day. In the name of Jesus, amen!”
Worship: God Rested
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I have not been honoring the Sabbath. I’m disciplined in other areas but not this one. As I started the sabbatical I wrote “Sabbatical Insights” at the top of my journal. Immediately I saw the word “Sabbath.” I’ll let my journal take it from here: