Rest

Healing of The Body

And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.

Exodus 33:14

Everything needs rest. (Well…except for bugs and some small children). Even God needed rest from creating. If we don't get rest, many things fall apart. Rest is vital to the human BODY, the MIND and the SPIRIT. It brings recuperation, regeneration and strength – LIFE.

THE BODY

To keep things simple, I am going to divide the body into two functions.

Movement and Regeneration.

Movement includes: All arms, legs, head motion, brain activity, digestion, elimination, sexual activity, respiratory and cardiac output – day activities.

Regeneration includes: Repair and cleaning of all tissues – night activities.

Sleep brings healing to the body since it is not having to use energy for movement.

During the day, significant amount of blood and nutrients go for movement and at night during sleep, the body can now slow down and send extra blood and nutrients to organs and tissues that need cleaning, repair and regeneration from the day’s demands.

You no sleep, you no repair!

Quality Sleep

Many of the patients I have seen over the years for various issues, typically have had one common problem. They get to bed too late. Not enough rest.

Many experts talk about the quantity of sleep, but actually it is the quality that determines adequate rest. It is the hours before midnight that determines rest. The hours before midnight equal to double the sleep.

So if one goes to bed at 9:00 PM, that is equivalent to six hours of sleep before midnight and 12 hours total sleep if one woke at 6:00 AM.

However, the hours after midnight equal to minus 2 hours of sleep. So if one goes to bed at 1:00 AM and gets up at 6:00 AM, that would be only 3 hours of total sleep. Get it?

Some say, “Well I go to bed late and sleep in late.” No, no, doesn't work that way.

Here’s the reason why. Like most animals, our bodies are regulated with the sun. When the sun goes down, our bodies slow down, circulation decreases, regeneration and repair begin.

If we are still demanding movement from our bodies long after the sun goes down when we should be sleeping, then we miss quality time for them to repair. That’s why we feel worse working a night shift or going to bed after midnight, even though sleeping 8 hours or longer. Some like to stay up late getting work done while the house is quiet. So go to bed early and get up early, and get the work done. Sometimes easier said than done!

When my kids were small, it did not matter what time I got up, because they had this little alarm clock inside their tiny bodies that would tell them …..mom is awake! Just having my eyeballs open would wake them up!

Soon after the sun goes down, you go down. Unless one has small children which prevented sleep or one lives in a part of the world where seasons bring light at 10:00 PM or darkness at 4:00 PM!

If at all possible, try to live by the saying, early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy wealthy and wise.

Benefits of Sleep

Stress, sickness, disease, obesity, emotional issues, addictions and relational problems can be improved with going to sleep 3 – 4 hours before midnight. When our bodies are tired, we can’t handle life very well. If upon awaking, one does not feel refreshed, but desires to possibly sleep forever, there are things the body could be lacking. Quality sleep, water, nutrients, peace of mind, or too much sugar or alcohol.

Sleeplessness

Difficulty sleeping or insomnia can be either having difficulty falling asleep or difficulty staying asleep. Too much caffeine is a huge factor in both, as well as products containing the substance “Sulphur,” medications, stress, anger, wrongdoing, physical or emotional pain and sugar.

My recommendations for sleeplessness:

Always first above all things, get up and go read your Bible. Do not stop until Jesus teaches what you need to hear.
Get off of caffeine. It is a major cause of insomnia no matter how early it is consumed.
Check with your pharmacist for side effects of insomnia from medications.
Check with your pharmacist if drugs are contraindicated with each other.
Get off of refined sugar and drink lots of water.
Exercise to help manage emotions and reduce stress. Hard labor produces wonderful sleep. Reduce idleness.
Write down emotions and stressors filling your mind. Writing things down helps to clear the mind and reduce swimming. Thoughts can either swim in your head at night or they can swim on paper.
Get help for the physical. Here is a rule of thumb to remember. If one has physical pain at night in bed, anywhere in the body WITHOUT MOVEMENT, they need to get it checked by a doctor. This is a sign that an area or organ has inflammation/disease.
Get help for emotional pain. Seek the LORD and His Word, make things right with whomever you have wronged, seek a recovery group.

The sleep of a laborer is sweet.

Ecclesiastes 5:12

When you lie down , you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24

Night Class

Regarding the first suggestion to read the Bible for insomnia, I truly believe that the best time for Jesus to get our attention is at night. It’s quiet, no distractions, no conversations, no music, no activities to deaden His voice. So if you can't sleep, there is a good chance He is trying to get your attention to teach you something. So go read the Word of God and listen to what He desires to say. Then when He is done, He will put you to sleep. (Or keep you awake if you’re not listening!!)

Many nights for many years, He woke me. Unable to fall back asleep, He would nudge me out of bed and to His Word and reveal wisdom I needed to learn. Then, very gently, put me back to sleep when the lesson was done. He continues to do that even to this day. I am very grateful for all of those sleepless nights. God’s version of taking a night class!

Prayer: Lord, I am tired and need sleep. I can't fix this problem, so I ask for your wisdom and your promised rest. Teach me through your Word. And according to your Word, I declare these verses over my life, my loved ones, my small children, my spouse who snores or anyone else in my household that needs sleep!

Thank you Jesus for your sweet sleep.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

3:24 Proverbs

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Psalms 127:2

Sabbath Rest For All Three

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. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:9-11

I tell my kids, God has given you SIX whole days to play and get your work done and He gets one. Its His, not yours, you got your six and you have been given PLENTY of time to get everything done. Don’t even think about taking His. That one day, He has designated for rest. Why? Because He knows, we NEED it. Six days, do your work, and on the seventh do not work. Jesus said man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath made for man. God knew that our minds, bodies, families and businesses needed rest. When we don't get rest on that one day, we feel it in the days ahead.

Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work.

Exodus 23:12a

The Sabbath rest day accomplishes two things. Recuperation from the week past and refreshed preparation for the coming days. Literally, the body, mind and spirit needs a day of rest after a long week of work. It is necessary for replenishment of the body, peace for the mind and quietness spent with God for reflection of the heart, and spiritual preparation for the coming days. If we continue to work/exercise without a day of rest, then all the individual areas begin to break down.

Nightmares/Images

To discuss this topic, I am going to be very blunt and not beat around the bush. If you have a problem with it, then you don't have to take the advice. You get to choose.

If God gives peace in sleep, then the opposite would be from the enemy and typically in the form of fear. If someone is having nightmares or seeing strange things, than the devil is somewhere in your house and has been given an invitation through an open door either through strife, legalism, drugs, alcohol abuse, sexual immorality, pornography, movies, books, movies or books about witchcraft, games or video games. Search and pray and get it out! Pray over your house everyday, with the Word of God and anoint every door with oil in the marking of a cross. Tell the enemy, this house is covered in the Blood of Jesus and command him and his minions to leave - person, house and property and go back to the abyss from which you came from. Then YOU physically get those things out which you have invited in.

Show us LORD where we are inviting the devil in.

Do Everything To Enter That Rest.

Link to Witchcraft