How to Survive and Thrive on No Sleep

How to Survive and Thrive on No Sleep 

I can honestly tell you that during the week I average, if I am lucky, 4 hours a sleep per night. You may ask, why is this Dave?  My answer: it is my own fault because I like to stay up at night either watching a cooking show like Chopped on the food channel, practicing my guitar, surfing the net or mindlessly looking at Facebook, when I should be in bed asleep. In fact, for whatever reason, I look for distractions to keep me from doing what I should be doing. Sleep is important, but I tend to shift my focus on other things that keep me from a pillowed laced slumber.

Life in general is a major distraction for me. My mind endlessly drifts from one thought to another, happily dancing around to wherever it suits my fancy. Even when I am focused on God, I tend to drift to another thought even though I initially establish a good footing in the God Zone. I am aware of this brainwave behavior and the misfiring of my synapses, but it never fails that I will at some point stray from my Master. But as quickly as I drift off into the void of utter nonsense, I then return to my focus on God because I realize that the dream like places I go in my mind always lead to nowhere. I have learned that when I drift away from God and get caught up in the minutia of life, I realize I am wasting precious time considering non options while indulging in circular thinking. I know now that life without God really has no purpose, while life with God is filled with purpose and adventure. One only needs to consider a step of faith and maybe even a leap out of their comfort zone to live the abundant life God desires for His children.

I am guilty many times of wanting to live a comfortable Christian life, if there is such a thing. The fact that I desire this life is somewhat ridiculous because there is nothing comfortable about becoming a true follower of Jesus and humbly dying to self. The Christian life I have come to know includes God asking me to mature in my faith, repenting from my sin, developing Godly Character, becoming Christ-like, loving my enemies and other stuff like that does not represent the old self that I used to identify with. Becoming a follower of Jesus also includes bearing the consequences of the sin in my life and those decisions I make when I exclude God from the process.

So I would say, comfort no, but blessing, yes. I am blessed that life does not work apart from God. When I humble myself before Him, admitting that I need Him in all areas in my life, He is willing to open the floodgates of wisdom and direction that give me what I need to live the abundant life. God wants me to succeed.  I love this verse from the book of Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 29:11

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I have also learned, The Christian life is like a race.

The bible uses the race as a metaphor for the Christian life in these verses:

Acts 20:24 NIV 
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace

1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV 
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?

Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Galatians 2:2 NIV 
I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.

But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.

2 Timothy 4:7 NIV 
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Hebrews 12:1 NIV 
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

How does a Race and the Christian life compare to one another:

·        Both are Challenging  

  

·        Both require skill and good Judgment    

·        Both have a finish line

In the end, we will spend eternity either in heaven or hell      

(With God or separated from Him for all time)

The Good News: We don’t have to run the race alone (We have Jesus):

Jesus runs right alongside us. He encourages us, refreshes and recharges us when we grow weary.

Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

Philippians 4:13 NLT

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Jesus reminds us of our mission so the race we run has purpose. As His Followers we have access to the joy of His companionship all along the way.   

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

John 15:9-11 NIV

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

When we begin the race, Followers of Jesus receive the gift of the Holy Spirit:

Romans 5:5 NIV 
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Ephesians 1:13 NIV 
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

John 14:16 NIV

 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—

The Holy Spirit plays a major role during the race - the everyday life of a Christian:

Acts 1:8 NIV 
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Romans 15:13 NIV 
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may

overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:7-8 NIV

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor

will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

John 16:13 NIV

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

John 15:26 NIV

"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

Romans 8:9 NIV  
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:13 NIV  
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

Galatians 5:16 NIV  
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

 

So even though the goal of living the Christian life is not rooted in our comfort, we can still experience joy, peace, comfort and rest due to our relationship with Jesus. Our God is an awesome provider and we can trust Him to guide us in this Life in preparation for eternity. All along this great race we run, we will face circumstances that affect our minds and our hearts. Some are difficult, some test our faith, and some are used by God to mature our faith. It is good to know that God is always working to accomplish His greater purpose which is for the benefit for those who love Him.

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.

It is important that we stay determined to finish the race and not act on the temptation to take an easier road and live a purposeless life. There is a good reason to hang in there with Jesus.

James 1:2-5 NIV

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the

testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Romans 5 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Isaiah 25:8 NIV   
he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

With the hope that we have in Christ, we can even rejoice when the race gets really tough.

Because God is sovereign and in complete control, we can trust Him with our lives.

Daniel 5:21 NIV 
He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  

The next time you consider taking the easy road, think twice. Hang in there. Remember there is still an eternity with God to look forward to. While we are here let’s remain faithful and patient. With God’s help we can produce fruit and serve with excellence even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

We have a God who loves us and cares about us. We can trust Him to help us navigate through this life.

Micah 7:7 MSG

But me, I'm not giving up. I'm sticking around to see what God will do. I'm waiting for God to make things right. I'm counting on God to listen to me.

Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

We can look forward to God’s promise that life in heaven will be so much more awesome than the life we are living here now on earth. What awaits us is truly heaven and suffering will cease to exist for those who are in Christ.

Revelation 21:1-4 NIV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

So, with confidence in hope we have, and the awesome future we can look forward to,

let’s run the race and strive to hear these words from Jesus’ own mouth.

Matthew 25:21 NIV 
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

For me, life really is a race. From the time I get up in the morning till the time I go to sleep at night, I am either living each moment for God’s greater purpose or just in service my own. This is the tension and challenge I live with every day.

I know that it is difficult to live a God focused life in a fallen world, but God has called us to do so. With all the distractions this world has to offer, it takes every ounce of strength to live and hold on to a Godly perspective. The pull of this world has the tendency to keep us in turmoil but it cannot imprison us for we have freedom in Christ. Even when we are running on fumes, we have the Holy Spirit to keep us going, filling us with His supernatural strength. I have experienced this supernatural strength many times in this life and through the power of the Holy Spirit I have not only been able to survive on no sleep, but live with greater abundance and hope. The truth has set us free and we can live with a greater perspective and purpose due to our relationship with Jesus.    

We do have an awesome God. Let’s rejoice about our salvation. Let’s rejoice about the promises God has made about our future.  Let’s share this hope with all those God puts in our path. Let’s savor each moment of life we have been given. There is a key to living an abundant life. That key is Jesus.

John 10:10 NLT

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and

satisfying life. ( ”I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”)

Even though I have yet to fix my daily lack of sleep issues I know that through Christ I can make the necessary changes to get more sleep.

When it comes to life in general I am reminded that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I also know that apart from Jesus I can do nothing, yet if I abide in Him, I can bear much fruit for His Kingdom and for His glory (John 15:5).

Just Sayin………………..Dave