Tag Archives: sleep

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Snare of Spiritual Slumber | Bible Gleanings | November 2-3, 2024

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Exhausted from battle, Sisera catnapped beneath a rug, believing he was safe from danger—and he awoke with a tent peg lodged in his head (Jud. 4:17-21). Samson slept in Delilah’s arms without a care in the world, and she shaved his locks, sapping him of strength (Jud. 16:19). David swiped Saul’s spear while he obliviously slumbered on the ground (1 Sam. 26:12). When there is danger afoot, you cannot afford to carelessly fall asleep—you might wake up hairless, weaponless, or even dead. That is why Paul the apostle admonished all Christians to, “Be on the alert” (1 Cor. 16:13a, NASB).

Believers must be wide-awake, wary, and watchful for spiritual danger. Disciples of the Lord must keep their eyes peeled for spiritual danger lest they become blindsided. Soldiers in Christ’s army must keep their ears to the ground for spiritual threats so that they don’t end up on the ground in defeat. Saints must stay on their toes so that their feet will not slip into temptation. Victory in spiritual warfare requires vigilance, but sleeping on the job results in vulnerability and being vanquished.

And the threats believers should watch out for are the Tempter and temptation. Peter exhorted believers in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” If you are a believer, you must stay sharp because Satan is always stalking you. Similarly, Jesus commanded Christians: “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). As a believer, your only defense against temptation is keeping your eyes peeled for the things which seduce you, and keeping your eyes on the Lord in prayer.

The Scripture tells us that the threats presented by Satan and posed by our own flesh are so cunning and crafty that we must watch for spiritual danger even while we pray. As Paul said in Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Thus, like a soldier during the night-watch, we must stay awake and remain aware of Satan’s illusions and inducements, and our own fleshly inclinations to wander into wickedness. We must watch our surroundings and watch our souls. We must look around for the devil’s deceptions and look within, diligently watching our hearts which are prone to many seductions and lusts.

It is when we get caught napping that we fall into trouble. The great Puritan, William Gurnall, who wrote an impressive volume on spiritual warfare, said as much when he warned,

“The saint’s sleeping time is Satan’s tempting time; every fly dares venture to creep on a sleeping lion. Thus, the Christian asleep in security may soon be surprised so as to lose much of his spiritual strength.”

Sin and Satan never sleep, so neither can we.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Phony Peace | Bible Gleanings – August 19-20, 2023

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“Do you know how to blow up balloons, Brandon?” the surgical staff asked. Of course I knew how—I wasn’t a sissy. In fact, one of my proudest moments as a kid was inflating a balloon by myself. But, instead of handing me a bright balloon to enjoy, the medical team strapped a mask on my face and instructed me to blow into it like I was inflating a balloon. They were administering anesthetics through it to knock me out during my tonsillectomy, and after two breaths, I was in Snoozeville. 

Anesthesia is a godsend in modern medical advancement. It is better than chomping down on a hunk of wood or chugging a bottle of whiskey to make painful procedures bearable. But the sedation-induced sleep doesn’t last forever, and it doesn’t compare to hitting the hay after a long day. The pain-free sleep that anesthesia provides lasts only a few hours until its effects wear off. At best, it offers temporary tranquility and peace that isn’t permanent. 

The world also offers a perishable peace and spurious serenity that wears off faster than anesthesia. It lasts for only a little while, and then you wake up in distress all over again. The world may tell you that peace comes to those who follow their heart and fulfill their selfish ambitions, but the end result is always dissatisfaction and chaos. The world’s prescription for peace is found in pill and beer bottles, but such external things can never produce internal peace in the soul. And the reason the world’s peace is fleeting is because it is false.

James warned that pursuing selfish ambitions produces disorder, not peace (James 3:17). Living life for yourself results in death, not a happy and harmonious life: “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6; cf. Isaiah 48:22). And peace cannot be found in drugs or alcohol, as they are simply “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). True and lasting peace can only come from Jesus: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

The best the world can offer is anesthesia for your soul. But the “God of peace” will grant you a “peace that surpasses all understanding” if you will trust in Him and believe on His Son, Jesus (2 Thess. 3:6; Phil. 4:7). And Jesus invites you to seek true peace from Him: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28-29). What kind of peace do you have: phony or permanent? Do you have “anesthesia” for your soul, or have you come to Jesus for the real thing?

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Sleeping Savior | Bible Gleanings – May 20-21, 2023

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How on earth did He sleep through it? While a furious sea storm threatened the structure of Jesus’ boat, He was in the stern, snoozing on a sailor’s pillow. As Mark said, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion” (Mark 4:37-38a). How was He fast asleep in an uncomfortable position during a raging tempest and while His disciples raced around frantically (cf. Mark 4:38b)?

Because Jesus was a man, and He was incredibly exhausted. The Scripture is clear that Jesus was God (John 1:1; Col. 2:9), but He was also a man just like the rest of us, “yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15b). The Gospels tell us that Jesus became hungry (Matthew 4:2; 21:18), thirsty (John 4:7; 19:28), physically weak (Luke 23:26), and tired (John 4:6). He was so human that He even died (Acts 2:29). Because of this, Jesus knows what it is like to be you—He was you.

This is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said,

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested” (Heb. 2:14-18, NLT). 

Simultaneously, Jesus is also fully God, with all authority in heaven and on earth, including authority to calm raging storms. As Mark also said, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). He was overcome with exhaustion, but He overcame the raging storm by the power of His word. Jesus was “man enough” to sleep and “God enough” to rule creation. That is why the poet Amy Carmichael said, 

“Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,

Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea,

What matter beating wind and tossing billow,

If only we are in the boat with Thee?”

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Wake From Sleep | Bible Gleanings – Feb 19-20, 2022

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The German theologian and reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) once told a sobering legend about what makes the devil happy:

“The devil once held a great anniversary,” he explained, “at which his emissaries were convened to report the results of their several missions.”

One minion remarked, “I let loose the wild beasts on a caravan of Christians, and their bones are now bleaching on the sands.”

“What of that?” the devil scolded. “Their souls were all saved!”

“I drove the east wind against a ship freighted with Christians,” said another, “and they were all drowned.”

“What of that? Their souls were all saved!” the devil chastised once more.

But said another, “For ten years I tried to get a single Christian asleep, and I succeded and left him so.”

“Then the devil shouted, and the night stars of hell sang for joy,” Luther concluded.

Luther was correct: nothing delights the devil more than a sleeping Christian. If you are a believer, Satan isn’t gratified by your death. But he exults and makes merry when you slumber on the bed of apathy and lukewarm spirituality. Those who snooze on the couch of indifference pose no threat to the savage kingdom of darkness (Eph. 2:2; Col. 1:13; 1 John 5:19). Those who catnap on the recliner of spiritual lethargy are unsuspecting prey to the roaring lion’s ferocious attacks (1 Pet. 5:8).

The Lord calls you to keep your eyes peeled for spiritual danger like a soldier on nightwatch, no matter how tempting it may be to catch a wink. That is why Paul wrote, “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:6-8). Don’t doze off. Remain vigilant. You can’t afford to sleep when you are fighting a deadly war (Eph. 6:10-20; 1 Pet. 2:11).

One dependable way to stay awake is to remain active in the Lord’s service. You are less likely to drift into the coma of moral carelessness and laxity when you are engaged in activity that is pleasing to the Lord. Idleness, on the other hand, will quickly lull you to sleep. Stay awake, and you’ll stay alive: “Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler” (Prov. 6:4-5). Wake from sleep, dear Christian, and rob the devil of his delight!

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Hit the Hay | Bible Gleanings – Aug 14-15, 2021

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It eats up one-third of your life, and there are over eighty disorders that prevent you from doing it: sleeping. Hitting the hay is the God-designed mechanism that allows you to physically recharge. Therefore, sleeping like a log is crucial for your brain and body. However, a large number of people are restless and can’t sleep a wink. According to the Sleep Foundation, many individuals aren’t sleeping well or long enough, regardless of how many sheep they count.1

Although many of us suffer from sleeping ailments such as insomnia or sleep apnea, King David was one of the few people who always got a good night’s sleep. He once said, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me” (Psalm 3:5). And similarly in Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” But what was his secret for snoozing? It wasn’t a shot of Nyquil or sleeping on a Tempur-Pedic mattress, since neither existed back then. Apparently, David slept peacefully because of his faith in a trustworthy God. While David slept, the Lord was awake, keeping watch over him all night—and that tranquil thought was a pillow for David’s head.

A lot of things will keep you up at night. Anxiety is a restless pillow. Worry is an itchy blanket. An unclear conscience is a bed of nails. Sometimes melatonin knocks you out. Sometimes a hot bath soothes restlessness. But the greatest medicine for a deep sleep is resolute trust in the sovereignty of God. As C. H. Spurgeon said, “The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.”

God can run the world without you. He will take care of business while you sleep because He doesn’t sleep: “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3-4). You don’t have to sleep with one eye open—God is watching over you. God is not a man, so He doesn’t need seven to nine hours of rest to function properly—but you do. 

Are you worried at night? Does your mind wander in the nightmarish realm of uncertainty? Then pray, trusting that God will meet your needs: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

Are you restless because of unconfessed sin? Confess your sins to the Lord and He will purify your conscience (1 John 1:9).

Lay down tonight and rest, “For he gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2b).

  1. 35.2% of all adults in the U.S. report sleeping on average for less than seven hours per night. As many as 15-30% of males and 10-30% of females have some form of sleep apnea. See Suni, Eric. “Sleep Statistics.” Sleep Foundation, 8 Feb 2021, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/sleep-facts-statistics
Bible Gleanings is a weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky. In the event that the column is not posted online, it is be posted for reading here.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He is proud to be the pastor of the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English shepherd), and Dot (beagle).