Propped Open and Destroyed

Read: Mark 14:32-42

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

                                                                                                                Jeremiah 31:25-26

     We all have days where we can barely drag ourselves into school or work. It seems that sometime during the night someone came and tied twenty-pound weights to our ankles and hung lead anchors from our eyelids. Even toothpicks would bend under the strain of having to prop them open. Science has shown that when our bodies are worn down and tired physically, then we are much more susceptible to sickness and disease. When we feel the physical drain externally, then our bodies have a much harder time fighting internally, as well. We open ourselves up for a cold or the flu to settle in much easier when we are exhausted.

     Amazingly, the same is true spiritually. When we are tired physically, it leads to spiritual struggle, as well. How easy is it to have good devotions and a great time in prayer when you cannot stay awake? How much easier is it to get discouraged when your eyelids have to be propped open? When you lack the physical energy to function well, it makes it so much harder to say no to a temptation. The devil is looking for ways to attack you where you are weak, and when you are tired, he has the advantage. In Mark 14, we read that Jesus was hungry and physically exhausted after spending forty days and nights in the wilderness, and the devil came and tempted Him to sin three different times. If he would try to get Jesus to sin, how much more vulnerable do you think we are to his attacks? You see, all the devil needs is to get you to give in to one big temptation when you are weak, and he could ruin your spiritual effectiveness for the rest of your life. At such a young age, you have way too much potential to just throw it all away because you were too tired to fight.

     So what is the solution? It is very simple: go to bed. I’m not giving you a free pass to be lazy, but especially as a young man, you need sleep. You may have an excuse to stay awake if you are studying hard for a big test or if you are helping someone late into the night, but most teens are tired because they stay up at all hours of the night playing video games, watching television, or surfing the internet. The next morning, they can’t figure out why they can’t keep their eyes open. When your eyes have to be propped open, you are propping open your spiritual life at the same time and giving the devil an invitation to make you fall. Put down the video game controller, turn off the television and the internet, and get the rest you need to help fight the devil’s advances.

 

Quote of the day: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” – Vince Lombardi