What is happening in your mind every night before you go to bed? What are you filling it with, what are you seeing and what are you thinking.
I know for me, I say a prayer every night before bed and that is right before I fall asleep. But what is being done before that. During the time when you lay there on our phone, scrolling through social media. I know that there are good things on social media and there are also bad things. Late at night, when we are laying in our beds scrolling through every social media app, we can easily become susceptible to things we shouldn't, due to what we see.
Let's step away from the social media aspect of it. What do your conversations consist of before bed? For guys, conversations before bed are often things that you would never ever want to leave the bedroom.
My point is that the devil tries so hard to trap you and make you sin when we are so susceptible to pleasure and feelings late at night.
Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent. (Psalm 4:4-5)
I love that scripture. It's such a perfect reminder to not sin when you are on your beds. We are to search our hearts and to be silent. I don't know what that looks like for you. But maybe you need to put the phone done a little sooner and rest and God's presence. It is something that I have tried to do the past couple of nights. As soon as I text my girlfriend goodnight, I make sure that I do not get back on my phone until I hear my alarm in the morning. It's been great. I have slept better, and my mind has been on the things it should be before bed. God, family, girlfriend and friends. Maybe that might be a good option for you.
When you search your heart before bed, you will fall asleep so peacefully. Maybe you pray before bed, maybe you never have, or maybe you think about life. Try praying before bed sometime. It's amazing what the power of prayer can do. When I cannot fall asleep, my mom always used to ask if I have tried praying yet. That seems to work every time. When I find myself praying before bed, I am pretty sure I fall asleep taking to God every time.
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8)
The best you can do when dealing with any sort of thoughts you shouldn't be having at night, is to un from it.
Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way. (Proverbs 4:14-15)
The feeling I get when I search my heart and seek God before I go to sleep is an amazing feeling. It's tough to put into words. It is such a warm and comforting feeling and I know that feeling only comes from God's presence. It's like falling asleep in the light...God's light.
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble. (Proverbs 4:18-19)
I think that verse describes it pretty well. When you are setting your heart and your mind on things you should, you are doing what is right and are righteous. The path of the righteous is like the morning sun that is shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Sit there and think about. In the morning when you see the sun rise on a perfect cloudless day, it's nice and cool outside, and as the day goes on and on and as the sun rises, it gets brighter and warmer. When we are righteous and make the right decisions that is how it is for is. Brighter and brighter. We become more radiant to other people and people are going to wonder what makes us different.
So when you set your heart to the right thing, its like falling asleep in the brightness.
Lastly, what are we suppose to do?
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Keep your mouth free from perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:23-27)
I encourage you with all my heart to guard your hearts. The devil tries to make us sin and mess up all the time, but we serve a God who has already defeated him. We must guard our hearts because everything that we do flows from it. Our actions, what we say, how we love, how we treat other people, everything flows from your heart.
Keep your mouth free of perversity and keep corrupt talk far away from your lips. When you keep your mouth free of those things, it is amazing how much your mind and your thoughts change.
Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you. Don't look to the right or to the left. What you have in front of you is all of the amazing blessings that God has placed in your life . We should never have to look to the left or to the right in order to search for something else. What is straight ahead is your life. It's amazing how when you put your focus on what it straight ahead of you, how your life will change because you are focused on the things that you should be focused on.
Lastly, give careful thought to all that you do. I encourage you to guard your heart, set your heart on what is right before bed, and run far away from all the thoughts you shouldn't have.
You got this! You are loved.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good girth and of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Ponius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep his command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time-God, the blessed and only ruler, the King of kinds and the Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:11-16)
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