Awake Or Dreaming?

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Awake Or Dreaming?

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Referencing a movie I saw many years ago, which life would you choose if given only two options?

Option one: a care-free life, having most all the desires of your heart. You would possess a magnetism that people can’t resist. Success would come in all you lay your hand upon. Health, wealth, and beauty would never leave you. However, there’s a catch. You would be asleep throughout, and the life you live would simply be a dream. An artificial reality. None of it real.

Option two: a life led in reality. You would be awake, with times of feasting, joy, happiness, peace, and laughter. But your experiences and circumstances would also be difficult and painful in famine, rejection, loneliness, grief, betrayal, and remorse.

It leads to the question: Are you awake? Many unknowingly live in a lucid dream that God never intended for any of us. Without the awakening wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit who indwells in each trusting believer, one may never experience the true peace, joy and sharing in the awesome purpose and plan that God set out before His creation of the universe.

“For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before Him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:4-5, CSB).

The Movie

The two aforementioned life choices were inspired by a 2001 film called “Vanilla Sky.” A wealthy, self-indulgent playboy experiences a horrible car accident, disfiguring his face and body. Having lost most everything, the consequences threw him into a depressive darkness. A cryonics company offered to give him a life of living in a lucid dream, where experiences, people and the views of himself would be his ideal, much like his life before the accident. However, he would not be aware that his new “reality” was a dream. As the man opted for this fake life, there was a mishap in the program. His perception of experiences, people, and of himself in his artificial life became muddled with the broken and dark reality that he actually was living. At the very end of the film, a soothing voice says to the man, “Open your eyes.” (Note: this film is a psychological thriller, and not the happiest of stories, with many spirit-grieving scenes, so it’s not a recommendation of mine).

But Not Just A Movie

Though not a Christian-based film, it exemplifies how many are living their lives spiritually. They choose to live apart from God, neglecting the spirit. Bent towards carnality, the natural man or woman looks at what he or she has or desires through their earthly eyes and heart. 

In short, the natural life is hedonistic while in a state of spiritual slumber. Poor stewardship of the life given by God. An unfortunate waste of life. Despite the worldly success and admiration by many, none of it will matter at the end, making the entire experience somewhat of a silly dream. 

From Natural to Spiritual

As believers, we’re elevated, functioning quite differently as spiritual beings who are connected to Holy God than the natural man or woman. Each of us started as a natural being, but we have been saved by the grace and mercy of God, transformed through the sacrificial shedding of the blood of Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, for the old has passed and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). God’s Word says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

When Jesus Christ is kept at the center of all you are and all that you do- your reason and purpose in all things- His Spirit is transforming you daily, molding you into His image and likeness. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV).

This is true success for us in the eyes of the Lord. And when you live in this surrender to Him, the resulting fruit is a transforming into the likeness of Christ, while we store treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21, NASB). We are promised that a pure heart will see God (Matthew 5:8, NIV), and He will give us the desires of our heart when we delight in Him, aligning our heart with His (Psalm 37:4).   

It’s truly a life worth living according to Jesus as our Creator and Savior (Colossians 1:15-17).

Adversity

Even in experiencing adversity, God has something better for us than we can ever imagine for ourselves. The rejection, loneliness, betrayal, abuse, injustice, and loss are God’s work tools for our transformation. Paul said, “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5, NIV). 

We can’t grow without adversity, and we certainly can’t grow when we choose to stay asleep. “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). 

Can you say that you are on the potter’s wheel each day, trusting God to mold and shape you to His liking, into the image of Jesus Christ?

The Choice Is Yours

We can build empires on earth. We can have more wealth than King Solomon. We can have beauty that could launch a thousand ships. And God can allow for these things, according to His good purpose and plans. But if you had the choice to have these worldly advantages, as opposed to becoming the person that God intended you to be through surrender to Him, which would you choose? 

How were these things sacrificed and invested in allowing Jesus to live His life through you each day? How were they used to bring the lost, the broken-hearted, the abused, and hungry into the arms of the Savior and Shepherd who binds up all hurts, and dries the tears of all weeping eyes? 

And we can pray:

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. I pray that I find rest in you, but never fall asleep on seeking your wisdom and discernment each day. Guide me in my steps, and may I decrease so that you can increase in me. I pray all of these things in your powerful and almighty name. Amen.

Check out “Lost To Perception” if you want to read more on this devotional topic.

Health  

Sleep: How It Affects Your Health

A lack of sleep - especially a lack of deep sleep - has been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's, a form of dementia, in numerous studies. It was found that people who slept six hours or less per night in their 50s and 60s were more likely to develop dementia later in life. 

In addition, a new study says as little as a 1% reduction in deep sleep each year for people over 60 years of age equals a 27% increased risk of developing dementia.

Medical experts suggest most adults get between seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

According to CDC data, 70% of US adults say they get insufficient sleep at least once a month, and 11% report insufficient sleep every night.

Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality can lead to other issues: anxiety, depression, digestive issues, brain fog, and huge decreases in physical and mental performance. 

Lack of Sleep and Weight Gain

The amount of sleep you get each night has a huge effect on your weight. When you’re short on sleep, you experience more intense cravings for “comfort foods”—things with lots of fat and sugar. This is because your brain’s reward centers are overactive after a lack of sleep, seeking something that feels nice.

What Causes Poor Sleep?

🚩 Poor gut health

🚩 Eating too close to bedtime

🚩 Taking caffeine too close to bedtime 

🚩 Napping too long (which may be from not getting good sleep the prior night)

🚩 Stress 

🚩 Watching TV before bed

🚩 On a computer or smartphone 

🚩 Too much electric signals being emitted in your bedroom from electronics 

🚩 Not dark enough

🚩 Uncomfortable bed

🚩 Drinking too much before bed which means getting up to go to the bathroom later

🚩 Medications

🚩 Too noisy in or outside bedroom

🚩 Artificial lights 

🚩 Not enough melatonin being produced 

🚩🚩 Is the Holy Spirit nudging you, to bring your attention to something important?

🚩🚩 Have you wronged someone and it’s weighing on you?

Ways to Get Better Sleep

✅ Get enough morning light, 20 minutes, to create melatonin which will help with a good night’s sleep in the evening 

✅ Consult with your doctor about a magnesium supplement

✅ Consider supplementing with glycine and glutathione (consult your doctor)

✅ Take binders like chlorella and activated charcoal before bed to remove heavy metals may positively affect sleep (consult your doctor)

✅ Get amino acids during the day

✅ Have your doctor examine your liver

✅ Consider herbs, teas, and natural supplements to improve liver health (consult your doctor)

✅ Use a weighted blanket

✅ Put away laptops and TVs 2 hours before bed

✅ Take devices out of room or turn phone to airplane mode

✅ Install blackout curtains 

✅ Wear an eye mask

✅ Make the air cooler in your bedroom- lowering body temperature just 1 degree makes a difference

✅ Purchase a new mattress

✅ Wash sheets in a more natural detergent without perfumes 

✅ Sleep on back with pillows on each side, or between legs

✅ Play sleep music

✅ Don’t eat too close to bedtime

✅ Get in bed earlier- 10 or 10:30 PM. If you usually go to bed later, roll back 15 minutes earlier each night

✅ Consider pathogens or parasitics may be in your body, which are active at night

✅ Take a vitamin D supplement if needed, especially in winter

✅ Take a shower or bath before bed

✅ Breathing exercises throughout the day and before bed

✅ Cut caffeine for a few days and just have one in the morning

✅ Herbal teas that can help with adrenal fatigue (consult your doctor)

✅ Exercise. Exercising in the morning is best for most people that will give better sleep at night. A study at Appalachian State showed 75% of people got better sleep when they exercised in the morning. 

✅ Sleep apnea- get a CPAP machine that helps open air passages

✅ Get a massage from a massage therapist 

✅ Read

✅ Pray

In case you missed it, you can check out last week’s devotional and health article below. Or click here for the full archive.

_{†All health information in the articles is exclusively gathered from clinical/medical resources that have been industry vetted, with no conflict of interest in the information they present/publish.} 

_{*Holy Nutrition does not diagnose, treat, or give medical advice. Information provided is not medical advice and should not be relied upon for diagnosis or treatment. Consult with a healthcare provider or medical practitioner for any health concerns, questions, or before making any decisions related to your health. Individual health conditions and needs may vary, and therefore, professional medical advice is essential for personalized guidance. Holy Nutrition is not responsible for any harm or damage resulting from the user's reliance on the information contained in the articles.}