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Spiritual

A Tale of Two Sisters

By Marlin D. Harris

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

Luke 10:39-40

Charles Dickens wrote his famous book, “A Tale of Two Cities”, by beginning it with the tension of contradictory realities existing within the same historical era. He writes, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” What Dickens is trying to convey here is that within one single period of time, there can be contradictions to how we experience it. Two people can be living in the same moment, engulfed by the same environment, and be concurrently having two completely different experiences. This happens to me every time my wife and I sit to watch a Hallmark romance movie. 

We walk away having had two completely different experiences. She thinks it’s the sweetest, most romantic thing ever, and me? – well, I am sitting on the couch literally praying to be rescued by the next commercial! We were in the same place, engulfed by the same environment, but had two completely different experiences.

The same thing is often true in our spiritual relationship and experience with God. Some people relate to God from a position of ‘love’, and others relate to God from a position of ‘labor’. It’s the age-old dialectic of knowing God more as a Father or knowing Him more as a Master. To be sure, He is both our Father and our Master, but the question is which understanding of God drives your service and devotion to Him. One experiences God out of the depths of an intimate relationship with Him, the other experiences God out of the compulsion of duty and obligation to serve Him. For one person, it’s about ‘worship’, and for another, it’s about ‘work’. 

One person serves Christ deeply moved by their faith while following Him, another serves Christ deeply moved by their fear of failing Him. For so many of us, there is this strange dichotomy between duty and devotion; between service and surrender. I am not suggesting that either is wrong, but the longer I experience God, the deeper I find myself being drawn to one, far more than I am to the other.

Jesus addresses this duality of relating to Him when He took note of the vast differences between the way two sisters were entertaining His company. He had traveled to Bethany and, as his normal custom was, He turned in to the home of Mary and Martha to stay for the next few days. At the time of the evening meal, Martha scurried about in the kitchen to prepare the meal for Jesus and possibly even for His disciples to eat. 

She was performing a seemingly necessary task. These men had traveled a significant distance for the better part of the day, and now they were guests in her home. As their host, hospitality is her duty, and not to mention, Jesus, her Master, is sitting in the next room and no doubt waiting to be served. He is spending His time teaching, but she is convinced that when the lesson is over, He will be hungry, and deeply disappointed if the evening meal is not prepared. She thought to herself, “the work that I am doing is not an extracurricular activity, this is necessary work for the sake of the Master’s comfort and pleasure”. 

She franticly kneads the dough for the bread, heats the makeshift oven, prepares the spices for the meal, and hurriedly attends to the table settings. She is far too busy to hear the message that Jesus is sharing; she is preoccupied working for Jesus, and she simply doesn’t have the time to listen to Jesus.

Now Mary, on the other hand, was engrossed in a completely different experience. She has her eyes fixed on the Savior and is quietly and pensively seated at His feet, soaking in every word that He spoke. Her heart needed to be filled with the truths that Jesus was sharing, and she cherished this opportunity to be near the One whom her soul loved. The meal, though critically important to Martha, was not quite as important to Mary. 

Soon a complaint rises from the kitchen from Martha, the self-appointed attendant to the meal. She complains that she has been abandoned to toil in the kitchen alone, while Mary enjoys the luxury of relaxing in the living room with the guests.  

What is happening here is that Martha is experiencing frustration and Mary is experiencing fulfillment. Frustration is the feeling that you experience when your efforts don’t yield the results you were expecting. It’s a very difficult place of trying as hard as you are able, yet always falling short. This must be an exhausting way to experience your relationship with God. You try to serve Him, but You end up disappointing Him. 

You make every attempt to change your habits, thoughts, mindset, and behavior, but you only find yourself falling back into the same old patterns and the same old mistakes as before. You are faithful with church attendance, but you rarely feel fulfilled by the experience of worship. There is this emptiness in your heart that all of the songs and church services have never been able to erase. You are drowning on the inside, and nobody around you seems to notice. This is your Christian life and it has brought you to a place of deeply felt, silent frustration.

You are in the kitchen working and serving with rapt attention, but it seems as if Jesus and Mary are not even noticing your efforts. Beloved, if this describes your spiritual experience, I want to tell you that this is certainly not the way God intended for your relationship with Him to be.

Here is the one thing that maybe could make all the difference. You have to learn how to stop trying to live this life in your own efforts. God’s love for you is not at all dependent upon how good of a meal you make for Him. You can’t earn forgiveness from your past sins by trying to undo them with good deeds in the present, nor can you erase the feelings of your own inadequacy by an attempt at unrealistic moral perfections. Grace doesn’t come because we work hard enough for it, or because we deserve it. Grace comes because God loves you without there ever being any possibility of you earning that love. 

This is the truth about the freedom that we have been designed to have in Christ Jesus.  

Many of us are stuck in Martha’s misery, and never able to fully enjoy Mary’s mercy. One of the primary reasons for our misery is because we have judged Jesus incorrectly. We see Jesus through the lens of justice and not through the lens of mercy. We believe that He is a God who is judging us and we keep coming up short. We are incurably sin-conscience and we live our lives driving from the vantage point of the rear-view mirror. We have never truly accepted Jesus’ forgiveness. We have never fully believed that we are unconditionally loved. 

We are still trying to “be”, what Jesus says we have already “become”. This is Satan’s best-kept secret. He loves to keep you striving to become what you already are. This striving only produces failure. And that failure is the heart of our frustration and our unspoken sense of unworthiness.  

You have been called to be Mary and not Martha. 

Martha was miserable because ultimately it wasn’t Mary that she was frustrated with, it was actually Jesus. 

Notice to whom she addressed her complaint. She said, “Lord, send my sister to help me with my work”. She was saying to Jesus, don’t you care? Can’t you see me out here working? It is the same cry of the disciples who fought valiantly against the wind and raging water, only to have their efforts defeated hopelessly throughout the night by the storm that they were battling. In a moment of frustration, they came to Jesus and said the same thing Martha was saying, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?”. As long as you try to battle the winds of your life by yourself, you will feel the same frustration that the disciples and Martha felt. You will feel alone and eventually you will lose the battle that you fight. So many of us are fighting battles and serving tables and striving in the sea of human efforts, and God is calling out to us to come to Him and find rest.

Jesus’ response to Martha, is his exact response to us: we are “worried and troubled about many things, but only one thing is needed.” How freeing is that word from the heart of our Savior: “only one thing is needed”.  

If only we could see all of our life reduced to only one necessary thing. That one thing is to fully trust in the unconditional love of God. That is what Mary found, and Jesus said it will not be taken away from. If only you could find it, you too would possess it forever.

PRAYER

Loving Father, teach us how to receive Your Love so that our striving and working would finally cease. We rest in the love that You have given, and we lean on Your every word. May we be like Mary and find our rest at Your feet. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Practical

GET A LITTLE R&R, NOT A TOMBSTONE WITH RIP

By Dr. Reggie Anderson, MD 

(Content Taken From The One Year Book of Healing: Daily Appointments with God for Physical, Spiritual and Emotional Wholeness)

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you.

PSALM 42:5-6

Three chemical systems in the human brain—serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine—help us stay balanced emotionally. God created our bodies to have checks and balances, as well as backup systems to keep us healthy emotionally and physically. 

However, we were not created for a broken world. We were made to live in paradise. So there are times when our environment seems to overwhelm even our backup systems. At times it can seem as if the world is spinning out of control. The days rush by, and the more we do, the more we feel we must do. We never seem to get enough rest. 

I think the rat race is especially bad in the United States, where the American Dream has become more of a nightmare. Depression affects more than one-third of the population to the degree that they will need outside help at some point. There is no shame in needing help. And there is no shame in stepping aside to take care of yourself. I tell my patients the same thing I tell myself: Make time to recover from the battle. We all need to get some R&R (rest and relaxation), or we’ll end up with an RIP sign over our resting place. 

God knows we occasionally need a break from the world. That’s why he wants us to rest in him. He wants us to sing songs from happy and hopeful hearts. The writer of Psalm 42 asks many of the same questions we ask; but ultimately he knows that his hope is in God. At night when he is discouraged, he sings songs of prayer and praise. This ancient practice is the same thing that will help us live happy, balanced lives even when we have a chemical imbalance. 

Commit to getting out of life’s rut and seek others to hold you accountable. Restoring your soul might be as easy as sitting quietly and enjoying the simple things in life. Sadness is commonplace, but you don’t have to live there. You are not alone. Help is available. Step outside of yourself to find someone who can help.

PRAYER

Lord, help me to lean towards health today.

Help me:

To do something healthy

To say something healthy

To eat something healthy

To feel something healthy

To think something healthy 

To believe something healthy

In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Spiritual

SINGING IN THE FIRE

An excerpt from the Diary of Mrs. Susannah Spurgeon, wife of the famed 19th Century minister, Charles H. Spurgeon.

Article Commentary by Marlin D. Harris

Mrs. Charles H. Spurgeon suffered tremendously with poor health for more than twenty-five years. Her illness, which at times was acutely painful, caused her much discouragement, and she often wondered why God would allow her to undergo such suffering. The following has been taken from her personal diary.

“At the close of a very dark and gloomy day, I lay resting on my couch as the deeper night drew on, and though all was bright within my cozy little room, some of the external darkness seemed to have entered into my soul and obscured my spiritual vision. In vain, I tried to see the hand which I knew held mine and guided my weary feet along this steep and slippery path of suffering. In sorrow of heart I asked, ‘Why does my Lord thus deal with His child? Why does he so often send sharp and bitter pains to visit me? Why does He permit lingering weakness to hinder the sweet service I long to render to His poor servants?’ These fretful questions were quickly answered, but through a strange language, of which no interpreter was needed except the quiet whisper of my own heart.”

“For a while silence reigned in the little room, broken only by the crackling of an oak log burning on the hearth. Suddenly I heard a sweet, soft sound, a little clear, musical note, like the tender trill of a robin beneath my window. ‘What can it be?’ I said to my companion, who was dozing in the firelight; ‘surely no bird can be singing out there at this time of year or night!’ We listened, and again heard the faint, mournful notes, so sweet, so melodious, yet mysterious enough to provoke for a moment our undistinguished wonder.”

“Presently my friend exclaimed, ‘It’s coming from the log on the fire!’ And we soon ascertained that her surprised assertion was correct. The fire was unshackling the imprisoned music from the old oaks’ heart! Perhaps the old oak had acquired this song during the days when all went well with him – when birds tweeted merrily on his branches, and the soft sunlight painted his tender leaves with gold. But he had grown old since then and this old oak had hardened. Ring after ring of knotty growth had sealed up the long-forgotten melody until the fiery tongues of these flames have come to consume his callousness and hardened bark. But at last, the intense heat of the fire had now wrung from him both a song and a sacrifice at the same time.”

“Oh! What a thought! When the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed we are purified and our God is glorified! Perhaps some of us are like this old oak log – cold, hard and unfeeling; we would give forth no melodious sounds were it not for the fire which kindles all around us. It is the fires burning that releases tender notes of trust in Him, and brings cheerful compliance with His will. As I thought on this, the fire burned, and my soul found sweet comfort in the parable so strangely unveiled before me.”

“Singing in the fire! Yes, the fire is God helping us. If this is the only way to get harmony out of our hard, apathetic hearts, then let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before. (Daniel 3:19)”

Many rejoicing Christians never learned to sing until the flames were kindled upon him.

I read this story recently and began to think about the trials in my own life, and wondered if I have the kind of faith that 'sings in the fire'. It seems that lately many burdens and trials lay constantly at the door of my heart, and the waves of ministry stress and life stress come crashing down upon my frail vessel, and I have wondered if I can keep my ship atop the water. But then I read the Apostle Paul’s simple verse of truth in 2 Corinthians 4:17; “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”.  After reading this verse, and reflecting on Mrs. Spurgeon’s words, a comforting peace came over me, and my heart started to sing:

When Peace Like a River Attendeth My Way,

When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll,

Whatever My Lot, Thou Has Taught Me To Say,

It Is Well, It Is Well, With My Soul.

PRAYER

Lord may you always give us a song that we can sing, even in the fire. In Your Name, we pray, Amen.

Practical

GIVING THANKS

By Traci Brockman

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

What if you wake up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today? What a provocative question. It is not being asked to coerce or shame anyone into saying thank you, but rather to show how full and rich our lives are when we become aware of the blessings and gifts that God provides. Gratitude is the one spiritual emotion that makes us unmistakably aware of the blessings that we have been given. It immediately takes our focus off of what we don’t have and redirects it to what we do have. This simple redirection is perhaps the greatest foundational medicine for our mental and emotional health. Scores of data and research, as well as spiritual wisdom from the Word of God, tell us that there probably isn’t anything better for your mental health than daily practicing the powerful art of ‘gratitude’.

Mental health refers to our emotional state of well-being. It can also be described as feelings of contentment and satisfaction, despite the upheavals of life. Some signs of having good mental health include the ability to feel, express, and manage a range of emotions; the ability to form and maintain good relationships; and the ability to cope with and manage change and uncertainty. 

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, a readiness to show appreciation, and to return kindness. In some studies, the practice of gratitude has been shown to improve overall mental well-being by increasing happiness and reducing stress. 

Implementing a daily practice of gratitude can be done in a few simple ways. 

1. Write down your Thanksgiving. Consider keeping a journal or small notebook in which you can write down at least one thing you are thankful for each day. Try and do it first thing in the morning or set aside time each day specific to the practice.
2. Write a thank-you note to someone specific. Think of something nice someone has done for you recently, or how special they are to you. Write them a note expressing your appreciation and share it with them. 
3. Take action to help someone carry their load. Regardless of how heavy our own load seems at times, there is always the capacity to give to others and lighten someone else’s load a little bit. Take time to find a way to do something in service to others. 

While the practice of gratitude will not change our circumstances, it does have the power to change our mindset no matter what the conditions of our circumstances are at the time. If we learn to implement the practice of gratitude daily, we will be following the will of God to give thanks in every situation. 

PRAYER

Father, I am thankful for every blessing that you have so richly and mercifully given to me. When I survey my life, it is not filled with many extravagances and luxuries, but it is filled with love, family, peace, health, and the beautiful gift of time. These are worth more than all of life’s luxuries combined, and though saying thank You seems so inadequate, it remains the cry of my heart. In Your Name, I give thanks, Amen.

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Spiritual

THE GIFT OF SABBATH

By Sabrina Botts

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work…, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work…”.

Genesis 2:1-3

For me, rest, in general, can be a difficult concept to grasp. Logically, I understand what it means to rest, but transparently, I don’t give rest and relaxation the same value that I assign to work. For me, there is nothing more significant than executing good work. This mindset can be an incredible asset for accomplishing tasks, being productive, and achieving goals; however, lately, I am experiencing some ‘side effects’ of this constant ‘go’ lifestyle. It’s an exhausting lifestyle to always be continually needing to accomplish something. I find that I am still able to achieve goals, but my quality of life is beginning to suffer. 

This has me wondering if this mindset is the one that God intended for my life? Am I dishonoring God by not prioritizing rest and relaxation? It brings me to explore the biblical concept of “Sabbath” and how God intended for it to be lived out in our lives as modern-day Christians. 

Consider the above passage, Genesis 2:1-3. God did incredible work in six days, but on the seventh day, he chose to rest. Why is that? Some biblical scholars note that God’s resting signified that his work was complete, leaving no need to continue working. This is an obvious truth, but the importance and weight of Sabbath goes beyond that. As we look through scripture we see that God’s action to rest becomes a pattern for his children to follow. 

The first time we see Sabbath ‘instituted’ for his people was from the very beginning of when they became God’s people. 

Exodus shows us that once God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, fulfilling the promise to make them into a people for his own, the Sabbath was included in the commandments given at Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20:8-11). In fact, it was so critical that it applied to them, their children, their families, animals, and even visitors in the land. Additionally, note that in Leviticus 25:1-7 they were even commanded to give their land a Sabbath year. If we look closely, I think the reason will begin to emerge.

Notice, in Leviticus 25:3-4 God says to give their land a complete rest. “For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather your crops. But in the seventh year, the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.” This means that for an entire year, they were not to put in any work to bring about a harvest; no tilling, no pruning and he gave an added command for them not to store up what grew the six years prior to the Sabbath year. I can’t imagine what it was like to be an agricultural society, solely dependent on crops for food and for livelihood, and every seven years you are commanded to not plant, prune or harvest any crops for an entire year. To make matters worse, you can’t even store up a food supply for the year that you can’t work!  

But notice, in verse 6, they were allowed to eat whatever grew on its own during the 7th year. Grow on its own? Without any help from the landowner? Without fertilizing, pulling weeds, fighting pests, providing water? Yes, God was inviting them to watch, and see what He alone could do for them. 

See, Sabbath highlights an important principle that is critical for us to remember today. Sabbath is not about the prohibition to work, or the commandment of inactivity, Sabbath is about trust and ownership.  

Often the fruit of our labor can confuse us into believing that we are our own source. We have been blessed abundantly with material and physical gifts, and many of us are blessed to use those gifts to accomplish great things on the earth that reap financial rewards, enjoyable employment, accolades, and success. However, when we Sabbath, it forces us to push back, take our hands off, and remember our true source.  

When we recognize God as our true source, then it is much easier to ask Him to assist us, to provide for us, and to look to Him for a solution when things do not go as expected. Sabbath is our reminder to trust God with our growth, prosperity, and financial futures rather than doing it at any cost to us and our families. It forces us to trust Him to grow our ministries, build our families, improve our health and cultivate our hearts as we work, watch, and wait. God alone is our provider. This gift of sabbath helps us to rightly relate to Him in every area of our lives. For that, we are truly made better, and God is indeed glorified. 

PRAYER

Father, I am learning how to trust You and see You as my true and only Source. Thank you for commanding me to rest. To take my hands off of the driving wheel of my life, and let You step in and take over. 

May Sabbath not simply be a day for me, but make Sabbath a lifestyle. Remind me that in all of my labor, You are the One who produces every result. By the strength of Your Strong Name, I pray. Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

I challenge you today to sit before these scriptures and ask God to speak to you about the areas of your life that need the concept of Sabbath. Is it in your career? Your family? Your ministry? Some other thing? Are you able to trust God with it in such a way that you can push back and leave the results to Him? 

Practical

LET IT REST

By Marlin D. Harris

“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.”

Psalm 3:5 [KJV]

“I sleep and wake up refreshed because you, Lord, protect me.”

Psalm 3:5 [CEB]

Sleep is the body’s tithe of its overall energy. 

It is returning back to itself energy that has been expended in the process of the day. Everything sleeps. The day sleeps and gives way to the night, and the night sleeps as soon as the sun rises in the morning. All of nature sleeps, the bear that hibernates in the winter, or the squirrel that scrounges around in the day, but finds a nesting place for the night. God even commanded for the ground to sleep every 7 years as the farmer is instructed to not plant any crops or seeds within that 7th year allowing the ground time to replenish its natural nutrients for the next 7 years’ harvest. God even commanded our ‘debts’ to sleep every 70th year, the Year of Jubilee, when all debts are to be canceled. Wouldn’t it be nice if that was still a thing! All of this emphasizes the importance that God places on our sleep. 

Sleep plays an integral role in aiding our body with good health. Productive, consistent sleep at night empowers the body to recover and lets you wake up refreshed and refueled with the energy needed for the demands of the day. 

In so many ways, the best thing that a person can do to boost their overall health outlook is to find ways to get a good night’s rest.

Without question, nearly everything gets better when you learn how to ‘let it rest’. Marriages get better when you learn how to let some arguments rest, relationships get better when you learn how to let bitterness rest. You think clearer about problems or dilemmas that you are facing when you can just give your mind a rest. It’s the reason why companies include vacation time in their employees’ overall compensation because they understand that their employees’ productivity increases when they are able to get some rest. The same is the case with you. You actually get better, and sharper when you allow your body to get some rest.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, current national statistics tell us that almost half of all Americans say they feel sleepy during the day between three and seven days per week, with many saying it impacts their daily activities, mood, mental acuity, productivity, and more.[1]. This sleepy feeling indicates that many people are suffering from inadequate sleep. 

This reality is further confirmed by the Center for Disease Control, which found that 35.2% of all adults in the U.S. report only sleeping an average of fewer than six hours per night. [2] Getting less than seven hours of sleep can be harmful to human health, and if it happens repetitively, it can lead to sleep deprivation. Consecutive days of sleep deprivation causes a condition known as “sleep debt,” which represents a cumulative effect of insufficient sleep for any period of time.[3]   Isn’t it powerful to see sleep as a debt that we all owe to our bodies.

Now, a legitimate question would be, “why does all of this matter?” I understand that there are physiological implications associated with sleep, but are there spiritual and emotional concerns associated with sleep as well?  

The answer is a surprising – YES. Let’s begin with the emotional impact of limited sleep. When you deprive yourself of healthy sleep habits, it causes, and even exacerbates, disturbances in your emotional equilibrium. Emotions such as anger, depression, and anxiety can become byproducts of sleep debt and can lead to fatigue, irritability, and a lack of energy. [4] Even just one sleepless night can contribute to changes in the way your brain functions and processes data, as well as the normal way it releases hormones that control emotional stability. This is critical because your ability to manage your emotional expressions has a direct impact on your relationships, family, and home life, as well as your own personal sense of wellbeing. Many people are praying about their health, relationships, marriages, or their personal sense of drive and motivation, but very few realize that sleep may be at the root of many of these concerns.

The emotional toll that a lack of healthy sleep has on your body is quite significant, but it pales in comparison to the spiritual implications that it carries. 

When we fail to sleep it says something about us spiritually as well. In scripture, sleep is presented as a gift from God.  Psalm 127:2 says that God “gives His beloved sleep”. 

As a gift from God, when we deprive ourselves of sleep, it is to express defiance at the very gift that God gives. 

Not only is sleep a gift from God, but it is also an expression of our confidence and trust in the protective and loving care of God. Most people who are sleep-deprived are also suffering from stress and mental anxiety. How we handle stress, anxiety, and worry is covered for us in scripture. We are instructed by Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34 to “not worry”, and we are encouraged in Philippians 4:6 to be “anxious about nothing”.   Psalm 3:5 reminds us that if we know that God is in charge of the affairs of our life, then we should sleep and awake each morning ‘refreshed’. In some instances, sleep is really much more about my faith than it is about my time or my schedule. When I sleep, I have the calm assurance that God is working on my behalf, and when I awake, my physical and my spiritual strength is renewed.

PRAYER

We come to the Lord of the Sabbath asking You to grant us rest. Give us rest in the night, not only for our bodies, but also for our minds, our emotions, our daily worries, and our anxious thoughts. May the nighttime bring us restful sleep, while we trust in Your grace and wisdom to work all things together for our good, and for Your Glory. We pray for restful sleep, in Jesus' Name. Good night, and Amen.

PRACTICAL ACTION TODAY

Set a definite time for you to sleep. Make a determined decision to be in bed by that time.

Before you lay down to sleep, seek the Lord for His peace throughout the night, and commit your night’s rest unto Him as your “evening sacrifice of worship”. 

Let Worship be the last thing that you do just before you drift off to sleep. 

[1] National Sleep Foundation. (2020, March 7). The National Sleep Foundation’s 2020 Sleep in America® Poll Shows Alarming Level of Sleepiness and Low Levels of Action. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/professionals/sleep-america-polls/2020-sleepiness-and-low-action

[2] National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health. (2017, May 2). CDC - Data and Statistics - Sleep and Sleep Disorders. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html

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Spiritual

PERFECT PEACE

By Terence Watts

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Isaiah 26:3

In the movie "Kung Fu Panda," there is a scene where the legendary Master Shifu is attempting to meditate and find inner peace. He is sitting down in a quiet place with candles lit and he begins chanting "inner peeeace...inner peeeeace." While he is doing this he keeps hearing a flapping sound. Finally, he loses his patience, and his attempt at finding peace, and he yells "WILL WHOEVER IS MAKING THAT FLAPPING SOUND QUIET DOWN!" 

He then tries to return to meditating, but alas, the distraction has won.  

This is how it can be for us in life. We seek inner peace through our own efforts and inevitably we get distracted by the multitude of flapping sounds life has to offer: issues concerning employment, sickness and loss of loved ones, a global pandemic, relationships, family, etc. All of these are the noises that crowd our minds and disturb our hearts. How do we find peace in the midst of all of this flapping!?  

Fortunately, the Bible tells us how. The nation of Israel would soon go into exile under the powers of the Babylonian regime, and life would be difficult, to say the least. 

They would be taken away from their homes, and villages and farms and would be led away as captives into a country that they had never seen before. Families would be separated and torn apart, children would be removed from their parents and many of their husbands and sons would be killed on the battlefield in a losing effort to defend their nation and homes. But God promised that He would bring them back to their land and restore them back to their country. However, that prophecy would not come to pass for several years and would not change their immediate circumstances. So how were they to find peace in the midst of exile with only a promise to get them through it? God, through the prophet Isaiah, said the way to do this was to trust fully and completely in Him.

Isaiah then gives a list of the abilities of God to let the people of Israel know that God will keep His promises. He says that “in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:3), and that God “brings down them that dwell on high” (Isaiah 26:5). 

He also reminds this soon-to-be-exiled nation that God, who is the “most upright, weighs the path of the just” (Isaiah 26:7) and will bring righteous judgment to the earth. The words of the prophet were to be an assurance to the people, that though they would face the difficult tyranny of the exile, they would be vindicated by the Almighty God if they would not fail to trust in Him.

As it is written about Israel, so it is true with us today. When our minds are set and centered on God, He will respond by placing us and keeping us in His perfect peace. The scripture seems to be specific about the quality and nature of this peace. It is called a ‘perfect’ peace. This kind of peace is to be distinguished from the ‘peace’ that you may get from a nice relaxing walk, or from sitting in front of the fireplace curled up with a good book, or even from an afternoon at the spa. These are all peaceful, without a doubt, but they are not ‘perfect’ peace.  

Perfect peace is an unwavering and undisturbed peace that is maintained by God's promises and our trust in His power. 

This is the kind of peace that isn’t distracted by the flapping noises, and deafening sounds of the world that whirls and spins around us. This peace cannot be found by searching for it within ourselves, or in some fruitless and empty pursuit. This peace is only found when we trust wholeheartedly and unreservedly in God. Life will disturb us. But when we trust in the One who has not only promised to work out our situation, but also has the proven ability to do it, we can have perfect peace. As long as our minds are stayed on God, His peace stays with us as well.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we humbly submit ourselves to You and in You, we place our trust. Your peace is our deepest need, and we trust only You to provide it. When the noises of life are screaming around us, we pray that You will silence them. May we hear Your voice gently whispering to our spirit and may we have the courage and the faith to lean upon Your every word. This we pray, in the Mighty Name of Our Savior, Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Write out several passages of scripture that promise, or speak about the peace of God on small sticky notes paper.  

A few passages are:

Numbers 6:24-26, John 16:33, Isaiah 26:3, John 14:27, Philippians 4:6-7, etc.

Then post them somewhere in your home where you can see them every morning. Spend the first 15 minutes of your day reading and reciting those scriptures to yourself and claiming their truths in your life. This will help you place your mind on God and His promises, and then claim them for yourself.

Practical

PEACE OF MIND

By Melanie Reed

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Philippians 4:8

All too often in today’s society, it seems that the world we live in is full of news or stories about some tragedy or calamity taking place, whether it is globally, locally, or even within our own homes and families. “Breaking News” stories are no longer the exception but have become the norm. Whether it’s the nightly news reporting on local crime sprees, or the national news doling out the latest pandemic statistics that keep us awake at night; there will always be bad news to fill the headlines of our minds and frightening events that make the world feel just a little bit colder.  

If we allow all the negativity that we see and hear about to invade and consume our thoughts, then it will be easy for any of us to fall into a sense of hopelessness, depression, sadness, confusion, madness, and even despair. These negative events can take a toll on our mental well-being consciously or even subconsciously, and that is why we cannot deny or ignore the importance of taking care of our mental health. 

I certainly do not believe that the Bible supports the idea of ignoring the events around us, or placing our hands over our ears and pretending not to hear. But rather, not to let it be the loudest thing that we hear, and certainly not the predominant thing that we focus on. We are to form a regular habit of seeking to find the good in the cacophony of bad news that we are constantly bombarded with. And then to intentionally choose to limit the negative input, so that it doesn’t have a damaging effect on our minds.  

There is a time to tune in to the news around us, and there's definitely a time to ‘tune it out’. When you find that it is disturbing your peace, tune it out. When you see that it is affecting your mood, tune it out. When you determine that it is distancing you in relationships, tune it out. And certainly, when you notice that it is negatively impacting your relationship with God, tune it out, and tune it out with urgency! Your peace of mind is important for managing your heart and keeping you sane in an insane world.

Here are some suggestions that may help us to reset our minds so that we can gain and maintain a sense of peace. 

Activity: Resetting the mind

Daily

Thank God for something as soon as you wake up in the morning.

1. Pray, worship, and read God’s word early every morning.
2. Remind yourself that God will keep you in perfect peace if you keep your mind stayed on Him.
3. Surround yourself with positive people, and limit negativity’s access to your life.
4. Limit the amount of news you watch, read, listen to, and especially the time you spend on social media.
5. Take a minimum of 20 minutes in the evening to sit back and relax from the day
6. Pray, worship, and read God’s word before going to bed

Weekly

1. Do a weekly mental check-in with yourself and identify any areas that you struggled in and seek God’s guidance along with Godly counsel or professional counseling on how to improve or cope in those areas.
2. Practice a new hobby or participate in an activity that you enjoy.

Periodically

1. Plan a solo retreat/getaway a couple of times a year or a trip with a friend or family member (preferably with someone who will not disrupt your peace) 

Incorporating some of these practices on a regular basis will help us to redirect the storms raging in our minds and we will be able to say to the storms raging around us, the same words that Jesus said in Mark 4:39 when He calmed the sea, “Peace, Be Still.” So let us set our minds on the things that Paul listed in Philippians 4:8. Only then can reap benefits like more joy in our lives, better relationships with others, a spirit of kindness and gratitude, successful living according to God’s Word, more positive thinking, and finally, peace of mind.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, help me to find the quiet in the midst of all of the chaos. I ask You to walk with me on this path of life that You have chosen for me, and when negative influences would crowd out my mind, grant me the blessed assurance of Your peace. The peace that surpasses all understanding. I will not fear the daily threats that this world presents. You are the Master of my sea, and You will speak peace to the raging storm. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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As you read today's devotional, play "KNOW YOU" from the Sacred Whispers Playlist.

Spiritual

DARE TO HOPE AGAIN

By Marlin D. Harris

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God…”

Psalm 42:5

Who among us can forget those classic scenes in the “Rocky” movie series when Sylvester Stallone’s character, Rocky Balboa, is pummeled to the mat after suffering round after round of brutal punishment by his challenger? Almost every movie included the heart-wrenching scene of Rocky being nearly knocked out by his boxing challenger. Whether it was Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, or Ivan Drago, it was a certainty that Rocky was going to hit the ground. And hit the ground hard. I found myself on the edge of my seat praying that he would just stay down. I couldn’t bear to see the torture any longer. 

Rocky was being pounded, punch after punch, in each case with little to no mercy. His eye would be swollen shut, his ribs broken, and his face deeply bruised. 

Each of Rocky’s opponents was bigger than he was, stronger than he was and for all intents and purposes, they were winning the fight. But then – at that moment when you thought Rocky had nothing left to give – you would hear his theme music. That low-sounding horn belting out its rhythmic notes that just grew stronger and louder until it reached a symphonic crescendo. You knew, despite the beating he just endured, Rocky was getting up; he still had some more ‘fight’ left in him. Beloved, that is what ‘hope’ does!  

In days past you experienced great sorrows and pains, and now your heart seems empty, and your joy has been stolen. Your first impulse is to give up and make your home in the lonely village of despair with all of your hopes and joys dashed before you. Let this be a call for you to defy that temptation. Despair is a never-ending hole that once you fall in, it becomes tragically difficult to pull yourself out. Whatever it is that has dealt you blow after blow, and sent you crashing to the ground, you must not let it win. You have endured a beating, but there is more ‘fight’ left in you. You have to get up. Often we don’t always consider the other people that are at stake in our struggle for hope. This fight not only affects you. It affects so many people around you. Your spouse, your children, your family, your future, but most importantly, your God. Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit nudging you in your heart to get back up off the mat, clench your fist, and swing again with all of your might. 

So, how does our hope get stolen, and how can we get it back? First of all, hope is stolen when any particular disappointment visits our heart one time too many. You can bounce back from one blow, and maybe even two, but how do you bounce back from multiple blows crashing down upon you from the same sorrow. Many people have lost someone they love, and every holiday, birthday, and sometimes, just a ‘normal’ Friday, reminds them of how empty life now feels without them. The blows of grief visit them over and over again in successive waves. They understand what the prophet Isaiah meant in Isaiah 53:3 when he said even Jesus would be a man “acquainted with grief”. For far too many people, grief becomes their old familiar friend. Some people are grieving over a life that they dreamed of but never lived. The dream was so very real, which makes its loss so very painful. They struggle to find a reason to embrace the life that they have because they are left grieving the one that they missed.

Disappointment and sorrow cause deep scars that indelibly carve their story onto the suffering heart. We are never exactly the same after having passed through our deepest hurt. Be careful not to journey too far into that darkness; the trip will slowly cause your hope to leak away. Jesus warned us that “the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). There can be no clearer words that describe what despair will do to the human heart. 

But, take heart! This verse does not end at the word “destroy”! The next phrase is important. Don’t overlook it’s significance or the freeing power that it brings to the heart that will trust in it. This is the truth that God desires to plant deep in the rich soil of your soul every time despair knocks at your door: “I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b). It is almost as if God just couldn’t end this verse with the enemy destroying, because that is certainly not the end of the story. The story… your story… ends with life; even life more abundantly. Once your heart has embraced the unconditional and unimaginable love of our Savior, you will begin to see life pouring out of your cup and running over. 

I am talking about an abundant, extravagant, joy-filled life. A life that oozes from the inside despite what’s happening on the outside. This life only comes from Jesus. This life only comes from love. If only you could grasp “the breadth and length and depth and height” of this amazing love, you would find the courage to hope again. 

Yes, you are in a fight; and yes, you are suffering some heavy blows. But look around you. You are not alone in this fight. Your champion, the Lover of your soul is fighting for you.  

So, when life hurts, weep; but don’t weep blindly. 

Even through your tears, fix your eyes beyond the current sorrow and look for the joy that God promised would come in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Your morning might be yet for many days, but never doubt that it is coming. Give proper attention to the pain, but don’t focus on it. Look beyond the pain and find the strength. Hold on to the “joy that is set before” (Hebrews 12:2) you. 

This fight is growing you, strengthening you, and building your character. You are not yet the person that you will be once you come out on the other side of this battle. If you can endure the fire today you will come forth from it tomorrow shining like pure gold (Job 23:10). This is how you dare to hope again.

PRAYER

Merciful and Loving Father, I will yet hope in you. When Satan hits me with deep dark sorrows, I will look to You for light. You are my hiding place and my refuge from the storm. I know that You will come swiftly to my rescue and that You will be the lifter of my head. Heal my wounded heart, and grant me Your hope. In Jesus Name, Amen.

DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISE

Take out a sheet of paper and write down the following affirmations that you will repeat every day this week.

1. Because nothing can separate me from God’s love, I will not lose hope. (Romans 8:37-38)
2. Because God’s goodness and His mercy pursues after me, I will not lose hope. (Psalms 23:6)
3. Because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, I will not lose hope. (Philippians 4:13)
4. Even though I fall, the Word of God promises that I will get back up, therefore I will not lose hope. (Proverbs 24:16)
5. Because God promised me life more abundantly, I will not lose hope. (John 10:10)    

Practical

YOU CAN’T RENT SPACE OUT IN MY HEAD!

By Gabrielle Jones

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:32

Have you ever wondered how some of the beliefs that we have in our head ever got there in the first place? We believe we can’t measure up, or we believe that we are not worthy of love, or maybe we believe that joyful days will never come. 

Satan sometimes uses those closest to us to tell us we’re worthless, not enough, and not deserving of God’s love. 

He loves to manipulate our thoughts when we’re alone, or cloud our judgment when we’re confused. Surely the unguarded mind becomes Satan’s free-roaming playground.

Over time, those voices become louder and more constant and before we know it, we’ve given the enemy a lease agreement to rent out space in our head. This leased space in our minds then leaves an open door for depression, anxiety, and hopelessness to get invited in as roommates.  

A full house of lies and images leaves no room for God. These lies are an unruly tenant. They are not satisfied until they have spread out into spaces that they were not invited. 

Soon they leave no room for God. 

No room is available to discern God’s voice, to spend time with God in prayer, or to read and meditate on God’s word. 

Left unchecked, the lies of our enemies will soon overtake the entire house of our minds.  

It’s so easy to become blinded to the real culprit behind the thoughts that have claimed space in our heads. We begin thinking it’s the person who hurt us so deeply, or the friend who betrayed our trust, or even the loved one who failed to love us when we needed it the most. We find ourselves unarmed and ill-equipped for the mental battle that we are facing because we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

The source of the lies we think comes from a number of places. Television tells us we don’t have the right look, society tells us we are not the right race, our neighbors tell us that we can’t keep up, the rich tell us that we don’t belong, and the list of lies keeps on going. It’s time to break the rental agreement and evict every emotion that has held us captive to mental pain and bondage.

The way to evict the lies from our thoughts is to fill our thoughts with truth. Jesus reminded us that “the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Truth will never be found in the shallow images of our celebrity-driven culture, or in the malicious words of hateful people, or in the blind arrogance of those who are stuck in their own pride. You will never find truth if you look for it in any of these things. Truth is only found in Jesus. He is the Truth. If you make Truth the landlord of your thoughts, only then will you be able to evict the lies that have taken up residence in your mind.

In order to break the lease agreement, you must:

1. Submit to God.  “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:7-8
2. Evict every thought that is offensive to God.  ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’ 2 Corinthians 10:5
3. Pray for those who scorn you? “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
4. Give thanks to God every day for who He is.  “Give thanks to the Lord because he is good, because his faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
5. Sign a new rental agreement with the Author and Finisher of your faith by joining a New Life Church Life Group at https://www.newlife-atl.org/about-life-groups/

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, by the power of Your Name, and by the victory won through your Cross, I evict every lie and false thought that comes from the enemy. You are the Truth that crushes every falsehood. May You reveal Your truth to me through the words that You have spoken. Make them a lamp for my feet and a light unto my pathway. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download Fasting Guide

Listen To Sacred Whispers Playlist