Thursday, March 31, 2022

Knowing Christ More Intimately Through the Gospels

 


By: Donna Bucher

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

In this season of Lent, I find my soul prefers a slower, more deliberate walk with Jesus. In fact, no other way offers the deep intimacy garnered journeying with Christ to the Cross.

 

Lent invites us aside into a time of stillness and contemplation; a time of seeking Him and a fuller understanding of His sacrifice of Love. We do this by walking slow, lingering long, and listening with our hearts.

 

Wooing us from the mundane and busy, Lent moves us to experience the extraordinary in His Presence. A welcome fast from things vexing our souls, assaulting our ears and blinding our eyes, we look to His Way: The Way.

 

Spending time together the past three weeks marveling at God’s Word and ways we can seek to know God, His Ways, His Thoughts, His Identity, His Love, and His Penultimate Plan for dwelling with us for all of eternity. We explored methods for reading the Bible perhaps a bit differently than you have before.

 

Given the Bible is God’s Story, his memoir if you will, we want to read it to know Him more intimately.

 

As Lent turns our minds more towards Jesus Christ, this week I share two plans for reading through the Gospels. The Gospels fully share every aspect of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection, providing the perfect plan for knowing Christ more intimately.

 

The first plan encompasses reading all four Gospels in forty-five days, simply reading two chapters each day, starting with the Gospel of Matthew. Simply begin day one with reading Matthew chapters one and two.

Continue in this fashion until you finish reading all four Gospels.

 

The second plan encompasses forty days, and incorporates grace days for rest in between the chapters read. For this plan you begin on day one with reading chapter one of Matthew, Luke and John. On day two you will read chapter two of Matthew, Luke and John; you read in this manner for five days, concluding with chapter five of Matthew, Luke and John. Then take two Grace Days (days six and seven).

Then begin again on day eight with reading chapter 6 of Matthew, Luke and John. Continue for five days, concluding with chapter ten of Matthew, Luke and John. Then take two Grace Days (days thirteen and fourteen). Pick up on day fifteen as above. Reading in this manner concludes the Gospel of John on Day twenty-nine at which point you begin reading the Gospel of Mark in sequence concluding all of the Gospels on day forty. Here is a handy diagram for better illustration.



 

I prefer the second Bible reading plan for the Gospels as it allows you once again to see connections between the Gospels instead of a straight read through each one in order.

 

If you missed any of the previous posts on God’s Word, check them out here:

HaveYou Feasted Lately?

Let’sREAD the Bible! (READ Technique for Bible reading)

WhenReading the Bible Feels Hard



 

 








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Wednesday, March 30, 2022

All You Need

By: Jenifer Metzger

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need.
My power works best in weakness.” So now
I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so
that the power of Christ can work through me.
2 Corinthians 12:9


May I pray for you today?

Father, I lift up the woman reading this. I pray that You would touch her today. Remind her that Your grace is all she needs. When life weighs her down, when her struggles seem to much to bear, when her planner feels overwhelming, when the pain is too much, let her feel Your grace. Let her know that Your power is made perfect when she feels weak. Help her to lean into Your arms and trust in You. Give her what she needs today and all the days to come. In Your name, amen.








It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.




DaySpring New Year Resources

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Heavenly Minded....And Earthly Good

 By: Rebekah Hargraves



Photo Courtesy Of:  Jon Tyson


"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do."

~Ephesians 2:10



We’ve probably all heard the cliche phrase, “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.” But I would say that this common admonition reveals a complete misunderstanding about what it even truly means to be heavenly minded. Because what we see in Scripture is that if we are thoroughly and biblically heavenly minded, we WILL be earthly good!


The Proverbs 31 woman is presented as an example for many of the different ways a godly woman can spend her time serving others - and one of those ways is be reaching out to and caring for the poor.


Jesus tells us our great commission is to go out and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that He had commanded.


James tells us the evidence of true religion is to care for the widow and orphan.


Paul says that those who don’t provide for their own who are in need are worse than an unbeliever.


Jesus said that when we clothe those who are naked, feed those who are hungry, give water to those who are thirsty, and visit those who are in prison, we are, in essence, doing those things to Him.


Paul makes it clear throughout his epistles that we as the church are the body of Christ, meant to act as His hands and feet in this world.


So, friend, if you are truly heavenly minded and your mind is fully fixed on the things of Christ, you will undoubtedly be earthly good. That is your calling as am image bearer of God and ambassador of Christ!

Monday, March 28, 2022

What is Defining Us?

By: Joanne Viola 


I open my refrigerator door, look inside, and take note:

  • Diet Coke bottle holds….. Diet Coke
  • milk container holds….. skim milk
  • light cream container holds….. light cream
  • Redi Whip can holds….. whipped cream

Taking this all in, I remembered a quote I once read:

“What defines a vessel is whatever the vessel holds.”

(Taken from “Altar’d by Jennifer Kennedy Dean)

We would never open a container of milk and expect to fill a glass with Diet Coke. We grab a container and know exactly what we will be able to pour.

In Genesis 2, we are told:

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (verse 7, NASB)

 From this verse, we learn that God breathed His very own breath into man and man came to life. We house the very breath of God in our human bodies. We hold the breath of God in our vessels. Our lives contain the Holy Spirit.

If “what defines a vessel is whatever the vessel holds”,
then
God should be our defining factor. 

The problem really lies within us. What are we storing up? Jesus addresses this very issue when He says:

For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." (Luke 6:43-45, NASB)

The word “overflow” is meant to give a word picture of leftovers, or a surplus. We will display the leftovers of our heart. Eventually what we are housing inside of our storehouse (our hearts) will make its way out and be visible.

We need to ask ourselves, What is being seen in us each day?

May we be a people defined by the breath of God in us. May we have a heart that is full of His Word so that we have good leftovers to share with others. 

 

Photo by Daphné Richard on Unsplash 


 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Revolution in World Missions

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey
all the commands I have given you. And be sure of
this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20

We are called as Christians to go into all the world and make disciples. This is the calling of every single Christian. For some of us, that means go into our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, and circles of friends. But for some, it literally means taking a road less traveled and going into world missions.

K. P. Yohannan is one who was called to world missions. In his book Revolution in World Missions, he shares his journey to change a generation.

#freebook #gfa #gospelforasia #missions #greatcommssion


Through his book, you will hear true stories and experiences of life in the mission field. The miracles and struggles. The good and the bad. You will read of his passion for sharing Jesus.

You can get a FREE copy of Revolution in World Missions! To order your FREE copy, click HERE.


Saturday, March 26, 2022

Bible "Quiet Time" Envy

by: Melanie Moore


Maybe you've seen photos of the perfect Bible study "quiet time" on Instagram -- the soft-focus lighting, perhaps with a beautiful mug of coffee and a twinkling candle that smells like sugar cookies even through your phone, surrounded by a white cashmere blanket softer than the feathers of angels, and there in the middle, a beautiful Bible perfectly highlighted and color-coded with margin notes written in handwriting so neat, you wonder if it might be a font.... 

Then, perhaps you're like me, and look into the mirror during your "not so perfect" Bible quiet time to see last night's mascara creating a black eye that would make Rocky Balboa cringe, a Bible that is being held together by duct tape, and a flickering lightbulb that is on the brink of going out shining its light upon a notebook filled with messy handwriting and ripped pages. 

My quiet time is not very pretty. 

Most of the time, I'm a weepy or sleepy mess, begging the Lord for His help as I read His Word. My Bible study time is not usually even the first thing I do in the morning. I really want to be that person to wake up before dawn and read my Bible. However, to be honest, I hardly remember my own name before my first cup of coffee. Anything I read before that first sip normally doesn't stick around in my head very long.

It's totally fine if your Bible study quiet time is messy and imperfect too! God cares more about our desire to know Him than whether our Bible study time is beautiful to the eye.

Please hear me out -- there is absolutely nothing wrong with creating a beautiful space for Bible study and sharing that space with others! God is the Creator of beauty! I believe that sharing that beauty and love of Bible study through social media is actually a wonderful evangelistic space, and I know I have personally been so inspired by the believers I see online.

What I want you to know, though, is that is it okay if your Bible "quiet time" doesn't look like that, every day or any day.

Sometimes, I can get caught up in comparing my life to others (especially what I see online), and it's tempting for us to even do that with Bible study. Please give yourself permission to have time with God in whatever way that works best for you.

It may not be "Instagram-worthy", but what matters the most is what God is doing inside our hearts. The next time your coffee splashes onto your notebook filled with tears and messy handwriting as you study your Bible, just give yourself a smile. I'll be high-fiving you from here as we seek God together in the mess.

... even if it's after that first cup of coffee.




Friday, March 25, 2022

If You Are a Bruised Reed

 



BySarah Geringer 

He will not break a bruised reed,
and He will not put out a smoldering wick;
He will faithfully bring justice.

Isaiah 42:3 HCSB

Do you feel like a bruised reed today? One that has been on the edge of a pond all winter, now stomped on by thoughtless animals or relentlessly slashed by the wind?

I feel like a bruised reed myself. I've been through so much pain and suffering since the beginning of this year. Though we're halfway through the Lenten season today, a journey from death to life, I still feel like a dilapidated reed on the marshes, too sodden to fully welcome spring.

Maybe you are a bruised reed today, or a smoldering wick. One who's on her last leg, but not quite out for the count. You may be straggling to stand up tall in your faith, or you may feel like you are almost totally burnt out and depleted.

Even though I'm feeling bruised and smoldering, I find great comfort in this verse. First Isaiah prophesied it about the coming Messiah. Then Matthew repeated it in his gospel account (see Matt. 12:20). 

This is one of God's beautiful promises - the Savior of the world, the King of Kings, will not crush us with his almighty strength. 

Though Jesus could have come with blazing power, he chose to come with compassion. He himself was a bruised reed and a smoldering wick at his crucifixion. He knows what it feels like to be beaten down, rejected, cast off and trampled. Because he knows how it feels, he chose to empathize with our pain and show his tenderness and gentleness to us, especially when we are feeling down.

I take comfort knowing that Jesus is seeking justice on my behalf. He knows more about my enemies than I do - the ones who keep trying to stomp on me when I'm down. The ones who try to blow out the tiny flame on my wick right when I have the strength to light it again. He will handle them as he sees fit when the time is right.

He has already secured the victory for me against my real enemy, the devil. Jesus draws me close in his comforting presence while I pray, watch and wait for justice to be served according to the Father's ways, will and timing. 

If you are a bruised reed today, take comfort in the Lord. Spend time alone with him. Pour out your heart and your tears in his presence. Ask him to hold you in his embrace. Also don't hesitate to reach out to a godly friend, pastor, or counselor for prayer and encouragement, like I'm doing myself.

Jesus will be faithful to you when it seems no one else is faithful. He will whisper words of encouragement to you as you depend on his strength to support you and rely on his light to rekindle your hope.

Need more encouragement for hard times? Check out my popular post titled When Life Beats You Down on All Sides HERE. Also, consider calling Focus on the Family for a free, one-time counseling call like I did years ago. It has made all the difference in my healing journey.


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Have a blessed weekend!


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Thursday, March 24, 2022

When Reading the Bible Feels Hard



By: Donna Bucher 

“This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

Psalm 18:30

From the moment I opened my eyes I knew. “Challenging” was my new word attempt at fending off the negativity of describing things as “too hard”. But truthfully the anxiety swirling in my stomach spoke more of overwhelm than “challenge”.

 

Perhaps better planning may have eased the burdens of the day. But despite my best efforts I still had no idea where to even begin. As Alexander of children books fame lamented, “Today was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day.”

Have you ever had a day start off in this way?

 Gently offering guidance over the past two weeks for developing a regular Bible reading habit, we can still feel much Like I did upon waking up to my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, regarding our Bible reading! Having no idea where to begin or make sense of it.

 

Truthfully, the Bible feels intimidating to some, while others, new to the faith simply have little understanding of it.

 At times life batters us about and in our weariness connecting with the Bible feels hard.

 Other times life’s demands extract so much mental energy we have little left to engage scripture in a meaningful way. And then there are those times when we have no plan and our random readings provide little in the way of encouragement or direction.

 Ultimately, the Bible is God’s Story, his memoir if you will.

  From beginning to end He intimately shares His Ways, His Thoughts, His Identity, His Love, and His Penultimate Plan for dwelling with us for all of eternity. Reminding us that,


“All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  2Timothy 3:16-17-KJV

 

Therefore reading the Bible becomes fully necessary for our spiritual well-being, growth and service for God. But perhaps more importantly, reading the Bible forges intimacy with God as we learn more about Him through the pages of His inspired story.

 We cannot truly know God without reading His Word in its entirety, and I encourage you in that direction. W2W Ministries has Bible plans for reading through the Bible in a year or reading through the Bible in three years.

 

But, methods for reading scripture abound, especially for those times when checking off chapters in a larger plan feels “challenging”.

 

Today, I share an easy Bible reading plan I have used over the years for those dry seasons, or hard to navigate paths life throws our way sometimes.

 

The Psalms and Proverbs reading plan is designed to be completed over a one month period according to the calendar days of the month. Ideally a thirty-one day month works best, but it certainly can be accomplished in a thirty day month.

 Begin on the first day of the month reading Psalms 1, 31, 61, 91, and 121. Read also Proverbs 1. The second day of the month you read Psalms 2, 32, 62, 92, and 122. Read also Proverbs 2.

 

You are taking the day of the month for the first psalm read, then adding “30” to that number for each subsequent psalm, totally five psalms per day.

 You proceed in this fashion through the thirty days of the month, ending on Day 30 with Psalms 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150. Reading Proverbs 30.

 Except on Day 29, you skip Psalm 119. On day 31, you read Psalm 119 and Proverbs 31.

 

Reading the Psalms in this fashion allows you to view the connection between the themes of the psalms which are not visible on reading them through in chronological order. If adding Proverbs feels burdensome, skip them. You can do just a Proverb each day on another month.

 I love reading psalms this way by reading two-three of the psalms in the morning, and the remaining psalms at night. The psalms provide much encouragement and reveal many of God’s attributes. Making this Bible reading plan truly helpful.

Let me know in the comments if you have tried this plan before or if you plan to give it a try!












Find more encouragement and FREE Resources at Serenity in Suffering!

 

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Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Empowered

By: Jenifer Metzger

Empowerment.

We constantly hear the world talking about empowerment. And the truth is, we all want to be empowered in some way. So why not be empowered with more of God?

#Dayspringcards #Dayspringaffiliates

Dayspring and (in)Courage have a brand new devotional to help us do just that. Empowered: More of Him for All of You will help you as you dive deep into five areas we need to seek God for empowerment; physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual.

Empowered: More of Him for All of You teaches us that it is important to cultivate and grow in each of these areas because God cares about our whole being. As we allow Him to empower us, we begin to grow and live fully as He created us to.

With sixty devotions -each falling into one of the five areas above mentioned- we see how God can empower us in each area of our life. Each day has a Scripture verse, a relatable story and lesson, a prayer, and reflection questions to help you dig deeper.

#Dayspringcards #Dayspringaffiliates

Empowered: More of Him for All of You is a book every woman can relate to. I highly recommend this book no matter where you are in life.

To order Empowered: More of Him for All of You, click HERE.








It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.




Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Busyness....God's Way

 By: Rebekah Hargraves




Photo Courtesy of:  Vitolda Klein


"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

~Titus 2:3-5


I don’t use the NIV very often, but one day I happened to read the passage of Titus 2:3-5 in that version. It instantly struck me how the NIV words the portion pertaining to working at home:



“…to be busy at home…”



In our hustle culture, the term “busy” often gets a bad rap (and understandably so - sometimes we just flat out are too busy with misplaced priorities!). But just because we aren’t called to hustle and strive and be workaholics doesn’t mean it’s automatically wrong to “be busy”.


It all comes down to what we are busy doing.



There is something to be said for resting and finding refreshment, for going at a slower pace when needed, and for living life from a place of peace.



But that doesn’t mean we also should not be filling our time with important things.


The truth is that we are called by God to redeem the time well. 


The truth is that we were tasked by God to live out the Great Commission.


The truth is that God ordained before we were even born that we would walk in good works.


So we are called to be *busy with good things*.


Sometimes that will look like cleaning our house, cooking for our families and guests, loving our husbands and children well, and extending hospitality.


Sometimes that will look like meeting a deadline at work or pouring ourselves into ministry outside our home.


Sometimes that will look like prioritizing our friendships and going out to coffee with a friend who needs a shoulder to cry on. 


And, yes, sometimes that will look like slowing down, resting, and ceasing from our work like God Himself did.


But no matter what each day and each season calls for, we are allowed to be (and perhaps actually called to be!) busy….as long as we are busy being about the priorities the Lord has for us in any given moment.


We don’t have to boycott the word “busy”. We need only walk by the Spirit in our busyness, yielding to His direction in it all. 💕

Monday, March 21, 2022

Pray Like This


The Lord’s Prayer. It’s familiar, often quoted, even memorized.

A recent and slow read stopped me in my tracks recently. Let’s visit Matthew 6 for a few minutes …

Jesus is the one who is speaking and addresses the topic of giving:

But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” 
(verses 3-4, NASB)

In addressing the topic of prayer, Jesus says:

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
(verses 5-6, NASB)

It was the concept of doing things privately, “in secret”, which stood out … give to the poor without blowing your own horn; pray alone where no one hears your words.

So often the large givers are recognized, and we admire those who pray out loud beautifully, poignantly, using words which move our hearts. And those both have their place and value.

But … God sees, and knows, and values that which we do in secret.

Before leading them in prayer, Jesus makes one more statement:

“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
(verse 8, NASB)

There is an intimacy our God longs to have with us. It is a precious one on one relationship, and it begins with prayer.

All that we do should come from a desire to serve and honor God. Our motives should not be for gaining favor or recognition. And yet, our humanness can get in the way and skew our motives so easily.

Jesus knows this and gives us the model, a pattern for prayer.

  • We acknowledge God and His kingdom, praying for His will to be done.
  • We pray for our own daily needs.
  • We pray for forgiveness and the willingness to forgive others.
  • We pray for protection from the enemy.
  • We close with acknowledging it is God’s kingdom, and He holds all the power and is to get all the glory in all He does.

“Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
‘Give us this day our daily bread.
‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
(Matthew 6:8-13, NASB)
 

In giving us this model for prayer, Jesus teaches us how to pray as He prayed ,and brings us boldly before the Father.


 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash


 

 

Saturday, March 19, 2022

God's Abundant Gifts

by: Melanie Moore



Work deadlines. School plays. Sports practices. Doctor's appointments. Pickups and drop-offs. 

Does  this sound familiar to you?

My life has been unusually chaotic lately, and my energy (and spiritual) tank has felt like it was running on empty. I'm sad to say that when life gets chaotic, two things normally occur in my life:

I don't make time for God's Word.

I stop noticing all the blessings God has given me.

I hate to even admit those things, but I now in my heart it's true. This week our family has enjoyed a much-needed break away from the chaos of our "real life", and it's given me a chance to reflect on how I want to spend my time when we get back home.

Somehow, the draw of the "urgent" has replaced the need for what's really "important" in my life. How many times have I rushed from one activity to the next without stopping to appreciate all of the gifts God has placed along the way? 

As I stood along the ocean, I took a moment to breathe in deeply and thank God for this moment. For this sunshine. This fresh air. The health I have to enjoy this day. The family that surrounds me. Their crazy laughs and antics.

All gifts from God above.

I want to live each day in appreciation and thankfulness for God's abundant gifts. I want to intentionally take time to notice all that He is doing in and around me, and to respond in thanks to Him. How could I ever be too busy to notice and appreciate all that God has done for me?

 

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.
~ Psalm 145


Let's endeavor to live each day in awe of God's goodness and power. He is in the vastness of the ocean, and the depths of the sea. He is also in every tiny detail of our lives, creating each grain of sand. 

Would you join me in taking some intentional time today to pause and be still before the Lord? What do you see, taste, hear, smell, or touch around you that has been graciously given by God? I encourage you to join me today in identifying each of these gifts, perhaps take out a notebook and jot down each thing that you notice from the Lord.



Friday, March 18, 2022

If You Are Sleep Deprived

 



BySarah Geringer 

This is what the Lord says:

Stand by the roadways and look.
Ask about the ancient paths:
Which is the way to what is good?
Then take it
and find rest for yourselves.
But they protested, “We won’t!”

Jeremiah 6:16 HCSB

Are you sleep deprived this week due to the time change? It always takes me a week to recover, and this spring is no different.

As I type these words on Thursday evening, I'm so sleep deprived my head is bobbing. The time change, bad dreams and unexpected drama have caused me to lose sleep all week. Even when I tried to nap today, the adrenaline and cortisol mixture brought on by stress kept my heart rate up, and I couldn't go back to sleep.

Many of us suffer from sleep deprivation. The CDC reports that over one-third of Americans aren't getting sufficient sleep every night. I'm sure this is due to a variety of factors, such as too much screen time, stress and overly busy schedules.

I wonder if many of us have self-induced sleep deprivation. Like the ancient Israelites, we know what we need to do to find rest, but we refuse it. This costs us much in terms of physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual health.

I'm looking closer at today's focus verse to know what to do about my sleep deprivation this week. Which is the way to what is good? What has worked since ancient times? What does God want me to do about my sleep deprivation, which has started to put up a barrier between me and him this week? Here is what is working for me this week.

If you are sleep deprived, you need to slow down. First, slow down your mind by meditating on a single verse of God's Word. This week, God has brought me back to my meditation verse of 2017, which was Isaiah 26:3. He's also reminding me to meditate on Zephaniah 3:17 and Psalm 46:10 before I go to bed or if I wake in the middle of the night. Slowly thinking through these verses quiets our minds and invites peace into our overworked neural pathways.

Another tip: You can also sing scripture-filled praise songs in your mind if you're too sleepy to remember a specific verse. 

Second, slow down your body. I am using breath prayers while I take deep breaths, which slow down my heart rate so I can enter a more restful state. You can get a free printable of my favorite breath prayers HERE. These simple prayers focus us on God and help our autonomous nervous systems settle down.

Third, slow down your intake. I have been reading clean novels before bed, rather than watching television, to tamp down my brain stimulation. While reading just a few pages, I find myself nodding off. I've also stopped eating or drinking at least two hours before bed to put my digestive system to rest, and this helps me settle into sleep. Slowing down your intake of anything stimulating can ease you into sleep.

It's important to remember that God cares about your body. He cares about how much sleep you get, because he wants you to be as healthy and energetic as possible for kingdom work. That's why I'm signing off now and getting ready to lay down for a little while. I don't want to stubbornly resist the rest God has promised me. I want to accept it so I can be more fruitful tomorrow and in the week ahead.

I hope these tips will help you get better rest. Enjoy your Sabbath - and you have my permission to take a nap if you need one!

Need more help for better sleep? Check out my popular posts on insomnia HERE.


If you enjoyed this post, please share on your favorite social media site using the buttons below.



Have a blessed weekend!


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NOTE: I am an Amazon Influencer, and if you purchase items on Amazon from any of the links I've shared above, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you in advance for supporting my writing ministry with your purchases!