November 2007 | Posted in • Featured Content | (0) Comments |

God’s Overall Plan
We’re living in a time when the scriptures concerning the Second Coming of Christ are being fulfilled at a fascinating pace. It’s both an exciting and a dangerous time. With the Word of God as our guide, we can navigate successfully through this period, and be ready when Jesus decides it’s time to bring us home!

In the Old Testament, the sons of Issachar had understanding of the times, so that they would know what Israel ought to do.1 And today, the church has been given the wisdom of God through the Word to know how we should respond to world conditions and be prepared for the events ahead.

To understand what the Bible declares about end time events, it is necessary to understand God’s overall plan for the ages. Understand that God originally planned that we live in fellowship with Him for eternity in human bodies on earth! Death, sin, war, violence, and every other negative we experience in life were not part of His original plan.

Ephesians 1:9-10 in J. B. Phillips translations reads: For God has allowed us to know the secret of His plan and it is this, He purposed long ago in His sovereign will that all human history should be consummated in Christ, that everything that exists in heaven and earth should find its perfection and fulfillment in Him.

God’s plan is to restore back to us all that was lost when Adam sinned: restoring our fellowship with God, restoring immortality to the body, freeing the earth from the curse, and God’s enemy Satan being judged and removed from his place of mock authority. God devised a plan before creation that if man sinned, he would be restored back to his original place with Him.2
There is a scarlet thread of redemption that runs throughout scripture, and that is worked out through God’s people and through covenants He has made with them. It culminates with the return of Jesus Christ to defeat His enemies and to lovingly rule eternally over His creation.3

The Bible Divides the Human Race into Three Groups

To understand what is happening right now worldwide, we must realize that God divides mankind into three people groups: Jews, Gentiles, and the church.4 Each of these groups is dealt with in a different way by Him.
The Jews are God’s natural covenant people on the earth, and from them our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born!5 This covenant with them is still in force, and is yet to be completely fulfilled!6
The Gentiles (or unbelievers) have no claim of salvation. They have no relationship with God.7 According to the scriptures, though God loves them, there is a barrier of sin that prevents God from having fellowship with them. Jesus came to remove the sin barrier!8

The church is God’s spiritual family that has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. The church has been grafted into God’s family tree because of the unbelief of the Jews.9 Some incorrectly believe today in Replacement Theology, that is, that the church has taken the place of Israel in God’s eternal plan.10 That simply can’t be true, since many of God’s promises to Israel have yet to be fulfilled. In fact, the church exists today because of the failure of the Jews to believe!11

Four Eternal Covenants

To understand what’s happening in the world today, and to understand what will happen in the future, there are four major covenants that we must understand: The Abrahamic, the Palestinian, the Davidic, and the New Covenant. God made each of these covenants for a specific purpose, and each covenant is an eternal covenant, and will be completely fulfilled because God never lies!12
In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promised to bless Abraham and his offspring for eternity, and through them to bless the entire world! In the covenant God made with Abraham, God made eternal promises to Abraham concerning his ancestors and concerning certain lands that he has promised them for eternity.13
In the Palestinian Covenant, God promised to give the Israelites the land of Canaan as an eternal inheritance.14 The present land that Israel occupies is only a portion of what God has promised Israel. Anyone who tries to take away from Israel land that God has promised them will find themselves fighting against God. We need to be very careful as to what our policies towards Israel are as a nation. If not, we may find ourselves inheriting a curse instead of a blessing!15

In the Davidic Covenant, God promised David that his kingdom will be eternal. God promises him that one of His descendants (Jesus) will sit on the throne to rule over Israel for eternity.16
In the New Covenant, personal fellowship between God and the human race is restored.17 Through the blood of Jesus, we are cleansed from the state of sin, and made able to fellowship with a Holy God. Through the New Covenant, all of God’s promises to Abraham and his offspring become promises to every person who is born again!18
All of these covenants will be fulfilled! God always keeps His promises. There is a timeline for their fulfillment that we should remain aware of, and this timeline is found in Daniel 9:24-27.19

Daniel’s Prophetic Timeline

God gave Daniel a timeline that we use today to understand the season of the Rapture and of the Second Coming of Christ.
In Daniel 9, Daniel was praying and confessing the sins of his people. They had been removed from their land and taken captive to Babylon for seventy years. The prophet Jeremiah had predicted that Israel would be captive to Babylon for 70 years,20 one year for each year that Israel had violated the land rest Sabbath.21 As Daniel was praying, God gave him a word of wisdom concerning 490 years of Israel’s existence in the future, which would cover from the time that Israel rebuilt Jerusalem until the Messiah rules the earth!

This 490-year period is divided into three main parts. The first part is found in the beginning of Daniel 9:25,22 and covers a 49-year period, which includes the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem after Israel’s captivity to Babylon, and then the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem itself.23

The second timeline in this prophecy is found in the latter part of Daniel 9:25, and covers a period of 434 years, from the completion of the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem after Babylonian captivity until the crucifixion of Jesus.24

So from what we’ve just mentioned, 483 years of the 490 years of Israel’s future as revealed to Daniel has already been fulfilled. That leaves only seven years of Daniel’s prophecy to be fulfilled, and it hasn’t happened yet!
The third part of Daniel’s end-time timeline is found in Daniel 9:27: Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even the consummation, which is poured out on the desolate. Let me explain what this verse is saying to us.

This one week mentioned in verse 27 is what we call the Tribulation. It’s the final week or seven years of the 490 years of Jewish history as revealed to Daniel hundreds of years ago. The “he” in verse 27 is speaking of the anti-Christ. He will make a seven-year peace treaty with Israel and her neighboring Arab countries. This “anti-Christ” will break his peace treaty agreement 3½ years into the seven-year agreement. Again, this is where we understand that there is a period of seven years yet to be fulfilled in God’s dealings with the Israelites. And as we will see, it seems as though it’s almost time for its fulfillment!

Israel returning to their God-given land is a major sign of the Second Coming of Christ.

In Daniel 9:26, the Jews are predicted to be driven from their land. This happened in 70 A.D. when the Romans, led by the emperor Titus, destroyed Jerusalem and drove the Jews away. They were almost completely removed and dispersed from their land by 135 A.D., and the land was renamed Palestinia by the Romans, to eradicate any thought of the Jews’ previous occupation of the land. Please notice that there has never been a nation of Palestinians! The current proposal by our president of two nations side-by-side, one called Palestine, and the other called Israel, will never work. This proposal takes land that God promised Israel and gives it to Israel’s sworn enemies! Any nation siding against Israel and working to divide its land is promised to inherit a curse!25

Israel was removed from their promised land again in 70 A.D. because of their rebellion to God’s law and their refusal to obey His word.26 The Jews were in exile out of their promised land for almost 2000 years. During that time, the land became a barren desert.

The exciting thing for us to realize is that God has promised to bring Israel back into the land He promised Abraham just before the return of the Messiah!27 This return of the Jews to their land began in the late 1800’s and culminated in 1948, with Israel becoming a legitimate nation again! This is one the most notable signs to us that the Second Coming of Christ is near!

The Church Age is a Mystery

I want to briefly mention that the church is never mentioned in the Old Testament. The church is a mystery that has been hidden and was revealed by God after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.28 There is an undefined time period, a “gap” between Daniel 9:26 and Daniel 9:27. And that gap is the church age.29 Verse 26 mentions Israel being driven from their Promised Land, and verse 27 mentions the anti-Christ making a seven-year peace treaty with Israel. In between these two events is us, the church!

The church has been the center of God’s attention for the last 2000 years. And we’re living at the close of this church age, an age of the grace of God being in prominent manifestation.
The church age will come to a close with the Rapture of the church.30 And God’s dealings with the Jews will become the focus of God’s attention at that time. Remember that there are seven years of Jewish time yet to be fulfilled according to Daniel.31

The Tribulation

These seven years of unfulfilled Jewish time are what we call the Tribulation.32 This will be a period of unprecedented difficulty worldwide. It’s explained in detail in Revelation, chapters 6-19. And it’s mention by Jesus in the gospels in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

During the Tribulation, God will once again begin to deal with the Jews for their rebellion to His word and for their rejection of Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah. When the Tribulation begins, the church age as we know it will come to a close with the Rapture of the church to heaven. The Tribulation will be a period of the wrath of God being displayed against the rebellion and sin of mankind and against their mistreatment of Israel. Because the Tribulation time is a period of divine judgment, the church will not be involved!33 God has not appointed us as believers to experience His wrath. Jesus has endured the wrath of God for us already. Because of His sacrifice, we receive God’s mercy! When the church is raptured or taken suddenly to heaven, the Tribulation begins. According to Daniel 9:27, the anti-Christ will enact a seven-year peace treaty between Israel and their bickering neighbors. And when this occurs, we the church will be removed!34

The earth will spiritually revert back to God dealing with the Jewish race after the Rapture of the church. Many Jews will become born again during this time, and will become the evangelists of the Tribulation period.35
Jesus gave us pertinent signs to look for so that people living during this time could be aware of the coming judgment. He mentioned false religions, wars, ethnic strife and tension, famine, disease, earthquakes, and disruptive weather patterns as signs of the beginning of this time of trouble.36

Where we are right now according to the scriptures

It’s clear that right now we are at the close of the church age. The Rapture could occur at any moment! There are currently no scriptures to be fulfilled for this wonderful event to occur!
Israel has reoccupied their land. They obtained control of Jerusalem again for the first time in thousands of years in 1967. The Arab nations around them cause constant friction and are seeking their ruin. Anti-Semitism37 is at an all-time high. And the nations that are ruled by radical Islam are praying to their god for the total destruction of Israel and of any nation that aids her. The U.S. has become a target because we’re Israel’s strongest ally.
Iran has been seeking nuclear weaponry for years now, and is close to realizing its goal. The president of Iran is vowing the destruction of Israel and its allies, and the emergence of an Islamic-dominated world.

Russia, freed from the rule of Communism in the late 1980’s, is now seeking to re-establish itself as a world power. Ezekiel 38 and 39 speak of an attack on Israel led by Russia, Iran, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and perhaps other Islamic-dominated countries.38 It’s interesting that Russia and Iran now have military agreements, and many of the countries mentioned above are supported militarily by Russia and Iran.
The timing of this attack in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is not certain. It could come either before or after the Rapture of the church. But it is seems probable that the current instability will one day culminate in war.

A troubling thought is that the United States is not mentioned as a world power during the time of the Tribulation and the rise of the anti-Christ. The book of Daniel predicts the rise of European power during the time of the Tribulation, and seems to indicate that the anti-Christ will come from one of these European countries.

The present rise of Europe politically and now economically is a foreboding cloud for the U.S. The stretching of our military to the breaking point with current conflicts, the devaluing of our currency, the enormous debt of the U.S. government, and the destabilizing of family and cultural values in our country may speak of the U.S. falling from its status as a world power.

The political correctness that runs rampant on our college campuses, the inclusive ideology that rules public dialogue in the U.S. right now, and the disdain for Christianity in public life all point to a possible coming judgment on our nation.

Jesus told us that during this time, we should be ever watchful and prayerful. This is not a time to be lulled to sleep by the flesh. It’s a time to rouse ourselves from spiritual slumber and be ready to be used by God for a mighty moving of the His Spirit worldwide!

Paul said in Romans 13:11-14: And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Jesus said: But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed - weighed down - with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to (the business of) this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose; for it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth. Keep awake then and watch at all times (that is, be discreet, attentive, and ready), praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things (taken together) that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.39

And Isaiah’s prophecy is for what I believe is our time period: Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.40

Let’s be ready daily for the Father to use us to bring His truth and light to our generation. It looks as though “Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King!“ 41

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Resources & Endnotes

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Where did the last four years go?  It seems like just yesterday that Leslie and I moved our family to the Raleigh area from Nicaragua to put down roots and grow with Victory Fellowship Church.  But here we are again, getting ready to pursue missions in the country of Guatemala. 

Leslie and I will start our trek in mid-October.  We will ride to Texas together, at which point I will send Leslie ahead of me on a plane.  Tim Spurrier, the missionary with whom I’ll be working, will meet me in Texas, and together we will drive through Mexico and Belize into Guatemala.  Once we’ve arrived, we’ll have to hunt, and I mean hunt, down the things we will need to set up our home.  We’ve got an apartment in town reserved for us, but it doesn’t have any of the basics like a stove, refrigerator, or even kitchen cupboards.  It does have a shower with an electric wire running to the shower head to heat the water.  Somehow that doesn’t seem right, but it’s the way they do things there.

We will begin our work at the newly built Hospital Shalom, which is located outside the city of Flores.  It is a small hospital of about 14,000 sq ft, but it services the northeastern part of Guatemala, which is approximately 13,000 sq miles.  At this point, the hospital is primarily open for outpatient services, unless a patient is so sick that he would require overnight care.  It is staffed by only 14 people, including 3 doctors and 4 nurses, all of whom are Guatemalans.  Our jobs as missionaries there are innumerable, but the main tasks we will begin to tackle are:

1. Help with the organization of hospital procedures, supply rooms, and computer set-up.
2. Minister to the patients by sharing the gospel and in prayer.
3. Provide supplementary Biblical teaching for young pastors.
4. Help develop a program to take mobile medical units into villages.
5. Find resources (equipment and medical teams) for the hospital.
6. Assist in the organization of groups and medical teams that help out at the hospital.

We are always looking for medical groups and mission teams to assist with short-term campaigns.  For those of you who have never ventured out of the country or out of the state for that matter, let me invite, no challenge you, to venture out and experience a mission trip to Guatemala.  You will be amazed at how God will use you to minister to people, and perhaps be surprised at the wealth of biblical understanding you have accumulated from sitting under Pastor Mitch’s teachings.  It’ll be an unforgettable experience with eternal rewards.

Please keep in touch with us.  My email address is joe@vfgarner.com. I promise to write you back.  Please remember that if you don’t receive an immediate reply, our phone lines, electric or internet service may be out.  You will hear from us on a regular basis, and we already look forward to our future visits with you.  Please remember to keep us in your prayers, and we will do the same. 

As this chapter of our lives at Victory Fellowship comes to a close, I look back at the great gifts that God has given me.  He has prepared me in every way to accomplish this next assignment in Guatemala.  He has given me a solid foundation in the Word, and He has also given me many friendships that I will treasure for the rest of my life.  I appreciate all of the love and support you have shown our family, and from the bottom of my heart I want to say we love each one of you. Leslie and I will miss you dearly! 

September 2007 | Posted in • Life | (0) Comments |

His light shines and warms the earth
Seeds of hope awaiting new birth
Conquering power planted deep within
Protected from harm, prey and sin
Darkness and death attempt to abide
Until the blood and sacrifice are applied
Life springs forth, dancing in the sun
A new creation growing has begun

Weeds of sorrow and doubt
Deceitfully enticed to sprout
Until the Master Gardener takes hold
All evil invasion is pulled and controlled
Now, mature and bearing many fruits
A blessed harvest found in His statutes
Supported by God’s rich soil of love
A faithful Provider from above

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“Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven.“
Ecclesiastes 3:1

God talks to us about there being “a time to be born and a time to die…...a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…...a time to start looking and a time to stop looking…...a time to keep quiet and a time to speak out…...“ and so forth.  Ecclesiastes 3:4-8

His word expresses that there are various seasons of time. “It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time.“ Ecclesiastes 3:11

Don’t we wish we could say we have done everything at the right time in our lives! 

Over the years, both as a parent and as a youth pastor, I have received two very important revelations about timing….through experience! First, for everything there is a right time. Second, it is critical to every outcome that certain events take place in that right time.

God speaks about timing throughout His word. He has put a sense of eternity in our minds; yet mortals still can’t grasp what God is doing “from beginning to end” (of time). Eccl 3:11

While we may not be able to grasp everything about what God is doing in the big picture of eternity, I believe that through the Spirit of God in us, we believers can know the right timing to do those things God tells us to do. This holds true in our personal lives as believers, in our families as parents and spouses, and in our professions and ministries as well. 

It’s interesting how God gave us different personalities and how we respond to God through those personalities.  Yet, with all our differences, we each have within us the same Holy Spirit, Who will help us understand God.  We can learn to trust that inner voice in us…Holy Spirit.  When I need help, I ask for it and I get it.  When I need wisdom, I ask for it and I get it. I have learned to be dependent on God to tell me when, where, and how to live my life. To reach this place, I had to start with the small things of life and go through the process of building my trust in God.

There are those who may think that we shouldn’t bother God with the small, unimportant things of life, the things that we can do for ourselves. But God believes you are special. He cares about the little things in your life as much as the big things. God is a very personable Father, Who likes us as well as loves us. He wants to be involved in every part of our lives. 

In the past, I have asked for help when I should have been gone ten minutes ago but couldn’t find my car keys. And God through Holy Spirit gently spoke to me with an impression to go look so-and-so…and I did, and there they were…it was so cool!!! The impression was gentle, one you would miss unless you were listening.  I learned from those times that if He loves me enough to help me in the little things, He will help me in the bigger things also.

So often we ask God a question, and then don’t wait for His answer. How many good things have we missed because of that? Learning to wait for the right time can be as challenging as learning what is the right thing!  Both require us to trust, to be patient, and not to be in control of what is going on. That is really scary for many people, because control is a comfortable place. Both fear from the past and the unknown of the future can hinder our trust in God.  However, IF you can be courageous enough to allow God to take the controls and direct your footsteps, you will open yourself up to the unlimited opportunities of life that He has waiting for you.

God will instruct you what to do and when to do it through developing the ability to listen to that small, inner voice inside of you. God knows everything, from the beginning to the end, and He sees all eternity. In comparison, our lives are mere moments.  But as we trust God and yield our lives to Him, we will REST, knowing that… “everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven…it is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time.“

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I walked through my life desiring success,
But with the choices I made, I only hoped for the best.
The weight of the world increased the weight of my stress.
I dreamed for the most yet settled for less.

I lived how I lived just to pass through the time.
When thoughts of wickedness passed through my mind,
I stepped to the wrong side one inch at a time.
And the light that was there could no longer shine.

I made my own rules so that I could survive.
No cares, no regrets . . . then the pain arrived.
The pain, starting so small, became too large to hide,
So, in order to mask it, I started living a lie.

I smoked and I drank and the curses did grow.
My burdens grew heavy, and my hurts didn’t slow.
I moaned and I cried but continued to show
That the man I could be was a man I didn’t know.

I went on that way through the pain and the tears,
Lost respect for my family and replaced it with fear.
I couldn’t give love without my hate going near
To the ones that I cared for but mistreated for years.

I began to have thoughts of ending it all,
And with all my burdens, I continued to fall.
I could see no light; I felt surrounded by walls;
But when I finally gave up, I heard His voice call:
“I know how you’re feeling. I’ve watched as you tried
To live your own way and get swept by the tide.
The tears in your eyes I felt as you cried.
You were never alone - it was Me by your side.

“I saw how you drank. I saw how you smoked.
I heard all your cursing, knew inside you were broke.
I called and I called, but your ears wouldn’t hear.
You had to give up before you could come near.

“My arms are open, there’s a smile on my face.
My love will not fade no matter what you face.
I want to forgive you and help you replace
The pain that you feel and all your mistakes.

“I know where you’ve been, and I know where you are.
I’ve seen all the hurt, and I see all your scars.
You see what you’ve done, but I can see far.
Just trust in the One that made you and the stars.

“I was there when you fell.
I was there when you lied.
I could see all,
But you continued to hide.

“You are my child. I gave you free will.
I watched you the first time you started to steal.
I heard all the things you said in the dark.
The pain you felt was the pain from My heart.

“I wanted to save you and lift you up high
And give you My joy to replace all your cries.
I wanted to bless you and destroy all the stress,
Let you see your potential and forget all the rest.

“I wanted to tell you how much you do mean,
Cast away all your fears and replace them with dreams.
But the one thing that stopped me is the lesson you’ve learned:
You must ASK for salvation. It cannot be earned.“

Posted in • Life | (0) Comments |

We all know the story.  Your four-year-old repeatedly whines that he is not tired, even as you see him repeatedly yawning.  It is a fight to get him to lie down and go to sleep, but you know that as soon as his head hits the pillow, he will be down for the count.  You tell him that his body needs rest in order to grow and be healthy, but he argues that he just can’t sleep. 

“Why can’t you sleep?“ you ask.  “I don’t want to miss something,“ he answers.  “What do you mean, miss something?“  He is completely serious when he replies, “Something might happen while I’m sleeping, and I would miss it.“

At this point, you smile to yourself.  Your child has convinced himself that being overtired is worth waiting for something to happen.  You give him a lecture on sleep and its values to the body, hoping that he will grasp the awesomeness of how God created his body to function and why sleep is so vital to his health.  The sheer boredom of listening to you causes his eyes to close into peaceful oblivion. 

Hhmm.  Sounds silly when a child thinks that way, but adults are also guilty of staying up waiting for the elusive something. Most adults could say that their day consists of getting up, getting the kids ready and out the door, working, coming home, doing homework, fixing dinner, going to ball practice, going through the kids’ bedtime routines, doing dishes and a load of laundry, watching the news, and then sliding into bed wondering if tomorrow will be any different.  Wow!  Doesn’t that sound like fun? 

So, we cut corners trying to get to the something fun in life.  We stay up longer night after night, attempting to get more done, so that the next day will be easier and we will have time to do the things that we always want to do but never have time for.  We rationalize our lack of sleep as a way to end the cycle of monotony in our daily schedules. 

Missing a couple hours of sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but when added together over time, a noticeable sleep deficit is created.  Just think, one missed hour of sleep per night is equivalent to missing a full night of sleep by the end of the week!  It is a lack of sleep that drives you to hit the snooze button on the alarm, drink too much coffee, and crave a catnap every day.  But this is not the life that we are intended to live. 

God created our bodies to function correctly with a period of work and a period of rest.  Genesis 2:2 says, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.“  God created us in His image.  God worked for six days, and then God rested.  Our bodies are created to both work and rest. 

Proper sleep helps our bodies recover from the daily wear and tear of work and stress.  Sleep allows our muscles to relax, rejuvenates our skin, allows our hearts and lungs to enter “rested” states, and helps to boost our immune system.  Yet we disregard the Word in Genesis, “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work…“ When we do that, we miss the blessing of living in abundance. 

When we neglect to get enough sleep, our body faces a number of challenges that adversely affect our health.  Neglecting sleep diminishes productivity, leads to a tendency to make mistakes, and causes irritability, headaches, fatigue, memory loss, inability to focus, drowsiness, and moodiness.  With sleep neglect, we no longer operate to the best of our God-given abilities. 

We must realize that the world will continue to push us to work-work-work.  We live in a 24 hour-a-day busy lifestyle.  Stores are now open on Sundays, and some are open all night long.  Society tells us to climb the corporate ladder and to keep up with the Joneses.  But what do we sacrifice for the world’s way? 

We sacrifice living in abundance and the blessings of God.  Our sacrifice is the health of our kids and of ourselves.  Our bodies cannot maintain good health without proper care.  The world’s route to good health has been focused on the aspects of diet and exercise, so much so that we have missed a fundamental part of our health. 

Have you ever noticed how much harder it is to read your Bible when you are tired?  Isn’t it also harder to pray?  This is a tactic of the enemy to keep us worn down and spiritually numb.  When not properly rested, it takes so much energy simply to get things done, that when the Lord calls us to serve, we are too tired to obey. 

God commanded us to rest.  “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.“ (Exodus 20:8-11)

You may not be able to have Sundays off due to your work schedule, but you need to take the time for a “Sabbath rest,“ a period when you focus on the Lord and your own wellbeing.  Let’s not throw out the good diet and exercise routines, but also remember to get a healthy dose of sleep on a nightly basis. 

Recommended Daily Sleep Amounts