Sleep in Peace
What keeps us from resting like a little girl in her daddy's arms? Many of you already know the answer. (Thanks for the responses to the last post!) We all let scary stuff in...in the form of movies, newspapers, and books we read. We invite creepy, debauched images in, and call it entertainment. Then, we live in fear of what's around every corner. That is not how God wants us to live! He wants us confident by day, so we can do His work and go where He sends us. He wants us to rest peacefully at night, so we can be refreshed and recharged for the next day's work.
Sleep in peace. Starting tonight. Here are some practical tips:
1. Stop letting creepy stuff in. Only you and the Holy Spirit can determine together what that stuff is. (Hint: the first thing that came to mind when you read that sentance? That has to go.) I know years ago the Lord whispered in my ear that Stephen King books were out for me. At the time, I really enjoyed reading Stephen King. I also suffered terrible nightmares. I let the books go and I've never regretted that choice.
2. Pray before bed. Not just the cursory "God blesses", but really pray. Pray that the hours of rest be a type of Sabbath to you. A time set apart. Pray that the Lord speak to you in the night. Pray against bad thoughts and dreams. Even my littlest ones pray, "Lord, may your angels surround and protect me tonight..protect my thoughts and my dreams."
3. Don't care what others are doing. None of us are too old for peer pressure, darn it! What everyone else is watching (wearing, saying, listening to) really affect us. We want to do what our friends are doing. Cut that out! Who cares what your friends are watching? If it's not good for you, don't ingest it. If they offered you salmonella-drenched sushi, would you eat it? No! Then don't eat the shows they're offering, either.
4. Rebuke the Spirit of Fear. "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power and a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) There IS a Spirit of Fear, and it's not from God! Send it away, in the name and by the authority of Jesus Christ. It might sound something like this, "In the mighty name of Jesus, I send the Spirit of fear away from my life and my heart. You have no place here! I belong to the King and I will not fear! He will protect me and keep me safe."
5. Use Netflix. Yes, you read right. The movie stores are simply horrible and there's nothing there you or your kids need to see. Nothing. I don't care if you're stopping in for a Dora the Explorer tape, during your visit you'll see a lot more than you bargained for. Order safe and family-friendly, Christ-honoring DVDS via the mail with Netflix or another service. Bonus! No late fees! And they are simple to return...just pop them in your mailbox! You'll thank me!
6. Get Plugged In. This is an online service of movie reviews from a Christian perspective. The only thing I don't like about Netflix is their reviews are according to pop culture. Therefore, we've had some unpleasant surprises, mostly concerning PG-13 movies. Plugged In will allow you to read everything about a movie before you watch it either at home or at a theater. Often a movie is 98% fine for your family. Plugged In will warn you of the scene or two that you'll want to skip. Check it out at www.pluggedin.com.
1 John 4:18 says perfect love drives out fear. It's a promise and it's for you. The one who is perfect love personified is Christ himself. Ask Him to conquer fear in your life. Then be obedient to the Holy Spirit as He shows you what you need to cut out or cut back on.
Let me know how it's going, sisters! I'll be praying for you!
4 comments:
Excellent advice, Martie! I don't watch movies anyway, and I spend 0 time in movie rental stores, but I can still relate to the praying before bedtime and rebuking the spirit of fear. The sad truth is we can't totally avoid the creepy, scary stuff. All we have to do is turn on the evening news or pick up a newspaper, and it's staring us in the face. When I click on the Internet, Verizon is more than happy to serve up a smorgasbord of all the evil the world has to offer on any given day. Once in a while, curiosity overcomes me and I sneak a peek at a story I know I'd be better off leaving alone. Those stories do serve as a reminder, though, that evil and tragedy are constantly at hand, and we live in a world desperately in need of the good news of Jesus Christ.
Linda
And I thought a good night of sleep required NyQuil. HA! I do not watch scary movies. My mom use to make my sister and I watch them with her when we were little. We lived back in the woods and had no A/C so we slept with the windows open and I knew something was coming to get me at night. I still sleep with the covers up to my neck. :-) I swore I would never do that to my kids.
However, I never introduced scary movies to my daughter she picked up on that all by herself. She loves them. She says they are funny and not real. I remind her that Satan is real and he likes to sneak up on us via scary movies and music(another scary subject for me). He is always around the corner. She is 17 and knows everything so I don't push it but I do remind her to guard her eyes and ears. She doesn't always listen but I know she hears me. I'm a good nag. Thanks for the great blog!
Laura Lancaster
What a beautiful reminder and a wonderful picture!
Mom,I really like this article!
I love that you have a piccture of me.
I prayed every night before I go to bed.
Even when you don't come in I still pray.
Love,Julia
Post a Comment