CURE FOR INSOMNIA...GOD'S PEACE

Judges 21:25 (Today's New International Version)
25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.


Judges 6:6 (Today's New International Version)
6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.



When there is no problem, most people hardly remember the Lord.
But when problem comes, they cry out to God.



Judges 6:11-24 (Today's New International Version)
11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."

Gideon was hiding from the Midianites while threshing wheat but the angel of the LORD called him mighty warrior. This was a prophecy because Gideon was about to become a mighty warrior as the Spirit of God would be with him.

13 "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."
14 The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"
15 "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."
16 The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."
17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the LORD said, "I will wait until you return."
19 Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
20 The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. 21 With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
23 But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."
24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

INSOMNIA is a present day problem all over the world. What keeps you awake? ...financial worries, midlife crisis, marital conflicts, unanswered prayers, bad decisions in life...Insomnia is the absence of peace.



There are three common things we struggle against:

1. world realities confronting us;

2. Satanic forces prowling at us; and

3. Our own flesh betraying us!



All these can cause stress and the tell-tale signs of a stressed-out person are:

1. questioning God



Judges 6:13 (Today's New International Version)
13 "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."

2. focusing on his weaknesses



Judges 6:15 (Today's New International Version)
15 "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

3. lack of faith and confidence in God's power



Judges 6:22-23 (Today's New International Version)
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
23 But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."



On the contrary, if you have peace or SHALOM there is:

1. completion and fulfillment

2. sense of wholeness

3. presence of God in your life

4. harmony in relationship


John 14:27 (Today's New International Version)
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.


Some say, "I will have peace if all my obligations are already paid!" or "I will have peace if I already saved enough for my retirement." They are consumed with earthly things that they forget that there are higher things that one must be concerned with. The spiritual determines the physical. If we focus on the physical, we end up losing both.


We must remember the things that take away our peace:

1. disobedience and sinfulness


Ephesians 2:3 (Today's New International Version)
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.


Isaiah 57:20-21 (Today's New International Version)
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.
21 "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

What to do:

Ask for God's forgiveness and have His peace...but more than that, receive God's forgiveness and sin no more.

Colossians 1:19-22 (Today's New International Version)
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

2. problems and worries over many things

Philippians 4:5-7 (Today's New International Version)
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

To restore the peace: have faith and confidence in God

Isaiah 26:3 (Today's New International Version)
3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Psalm 4:8 (Today's New International Version)
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

3. disharmony and discord

Matthew 5:9 (Today's New International Version)
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Romans 12:18 (Today's New International Version)
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

To restore peace: LOVE AND TRUST again!

2 Corinthians 13:11 (Today's New International Version)
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Colossians 3:15 (Today's New International Version)
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Invite the Holy Spirit to come into your heart to taste for yourself the sweetest fruits accorded to those who fully trust in Him.

Psalm 34:8 (New King James Version)
8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Galatians 5:22-25 (Today's New International Version)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

SHALOM! ...and may the peace of God be with you all.

What Pleases God?

Numbers 14:7-10 (Today's New International Version)
7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites.

The Israelites were destined to reach the Promised Land. It would have taken them only 2 years to do that but it took them 40 years because they did not obey nor please God.

Ephesians 5:5-10 (Today's New International Version)
5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

When you love somebody, you want to please whom you love. Let us now find out what pleases the Lord whom we should love with all our heart, mind, soul and strength:

1. FAITH

Hebrews 11:6 (Today's New International Version)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Believe that God will answer your prayer when you diligently seek Him. When you asked and you did not receive, then ask again. Don't stop asking. Never quit.

Hebrews 3:19 (Today's New International Version)
19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Do not forfeit God's promise in your life because of unbelief.

2. OBEDIENCE

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (Today's New International Version)
22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."

Hebrews 3:18 (Today's New International Version)
18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed?

Faith and obedience are always together. You cannot have faith if you are disobeying God. They are like the two sides of a coin; they always go together.

3. REVERENCE

Psalm 34:9 (Today's New International Version)
9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.

If you sow honor, you will reap honor. Those who honor God will have all they need.

Numbers 14:22-23 (Today's New International Version)
22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

4. HOLINESS

Romans 12:1 (Today's New International Version)
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is true worship.

Hebrews 3:16-17 (Today's New International Version)
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?

God wants to bless His people but if your life is like a cluttered garbage due to sins, this will hinder you from receiving His blessings.

5. THANKSGIVING

Psalm 69:30-31 (Today's New International Version)
30 I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves.

If you arrived safely at your destination, wherever it is, thank God; for there are so many accidents happening around the world and you should be thankful that God has protected you and has kept you safe all throughout the journey.

Do not be like the Israelites who complained and grumbled against the Lord and wished that they died in Egypt or in the wilderness, and wanted to go back to Egypt. What they professed with their mouth came true. They all have died and never reached the Promised Land. Only their children were able to step on the land flowing with milk and honey.

Numbers 14:8 (Today's New International Version)
8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.

Psalm 19:14 (Today's New International Version)
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Prayer: Father God, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be always pleasing to you, not only for my sake but for those who will reap the consequences of my actions and my decisions. Amen.

Whom Should We Believe?

We all believe in something or someone? Some believe in horoscopes, others in psychic predictions...feng shui, tarot cards, magic tattoos, amulets or anting-anting, scapulars, images and statues...and the power of the saints. Who do you believe?

Why is it hard for many to believe in God alone? Why do people entrust their unknown future into the hands of the created instead of the Creator?

It is important to know who your God is...who do you trust? "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31) . He is God who became flesh (John 1:1 and 14), lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), died for our sins (1 Peter 1:18), rose again to triumph over death (Luke 24:5-7), and promised to return to bring us into His eternal kingdom in heaven (John 14:2-3).

I am intimately acquainted with Whom I have believed...not just know Him by reading His Word but His Word lives in me. "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8). There is a big difference between "knowing" and "experiencing" His presence and favor each day of your life. Everyone knows what an apple looks like but you have to taste it to know how sweet it is to your palate.

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)...He is the Anointed One, The Messiah (Savior). He is Royalty and has a unique relationship with God, the Father, as His only begotten Son. We were buried with Him in baptism, but were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:12). We were dead thru sins but He has made us alive together with Him, having forgiven us our trespasses (Colossians 2:13). "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all pincipality and power." (Colossians 2:9).

Whom shall you be afraid? "For the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" (Isaiah 52:12). He will go before you taking care of everything before you even arrive at your destination, and will go after you as your rear guard making sure that you are safe always. Entrust your spouse and your children unto the Lord. As Paul declared in 2 Timothy 1:12, "...for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day."

There will be tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, dangers lurking from everywhere around us but "...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39).

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). The only thing required of us is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the first and great commandment; And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40).

There is, however, a protocol in approaching God: "...he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Doubt is a sin "...for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 6-8). You should love Him with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength...not halfheartedly or undecisively because if you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, He will spew you out of His mouth (Rev. 3:15).