For we wrestle not against flesh and blood , but against...the rulers of the darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12)

I have come to realize that tired and cold and hungry equals grouchy Jennifer. Not a good combination. I am learning (even at this age) that the thing to do is to take care of those needs and I am not so grouchy...most of the time it helps. Take care of those basic needs and not be grouchy, hummm. But sometimes I just don't know how to get out of the grouchy and I feel stuck, and I feel like I am "wrestling with the rulers of darkness" (Ephesians 6:12). And it doesn't feel very good and it is a real battle. What to do? How to get out of this...this yuck? Let's see what the Lord suggests about being tired, hungry, and cold so that we can make this "wrestle with darkness" winnable.

Let's start with "bed"...The Psalmist says: "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds" (149:5). I have to admit this made me smile, especially picturing me singing in bed, aloud. (For some reason I pictured myself standing on my bed singing at the top of my lungs, in my pajamas, pretty funny image.) Instead of counting sheep, we could sing hymns..."The singing of hymns is one of the best ways to put ourselves in tune with the Spirit of the Lord" (Elder Dallin H. Oaks) to help fight the darkness and receive more Light. Here is a list of Hymns in alphabetical order. You can click on that link and pick a hymn and it will bring up the music and will even play the tune for you if you would like. Great way to dis-spell a black mood and bring in Light.

Sleep is a good thing to get when one is a lacking Light and "wrestling the rulers of darkness". One of the things suggested by the prophet Alma in The Book of Mormon is: "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and He will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that He may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day" (Alma 37:37). When we lie down at night, lie down unto the Lord, take time to listen and take counsel from Him, not just counsel Him. "The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him (Lamentations 3:25). He is good to us. Heavenly Father wants us to pray to Him and seek His guidance and counsel in all our doings. We have nothing to lose and we can win our battles against the dark.

What is interesting is that "sleep" can be symbolic of physical death (see Mormon 9:13) and spiritual death (see 1Cor. 11:30, 2 Nephi 1:13; see Guide to the Scriptures). I find it interesting that we are told to counsel with the Lord before we sleep. When we want His protection, both physically and spiritually, we should seek His counsel and help. Sometimes, even though we may think we are awake, we are really sleeping spiritually and missing out on some of the most important messages that are being sent to us. There is a time to sleep so that we can "rest", and a time to be awake. We are told by Paul, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not (1 Cor. 15:34). We can't afford to be asleep when it comes to righteousness. We must be alert and well rested, rested in the Lord. We can't be afraid to stand up for what we know is right, even when the world is telling us we are wrong. Sometimes, we will need to "Dare to Stand Alone". But really, the Lord will never leave us alone, He will give us a Comforter (see John 14:18). Let us not sleep unto sin, but "Awake to righteousness" (1 Cor. 15:34). We will have no regrets.

How to get warm is definitely with a good blanket, and the Lord provides such a thing. He calls it the Comforter: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26). The Holy Ghost will keep us "warm" through helping us remember Christ in our most darkest of days, even our gray days and our most difficult wrestling matches. And those days happen. Sometimes they are longer than others, but it sure helps to have that Comforter as our companion. Remember, we aren't alone, Christ said: "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14:18). One of the reasons we go to church each week is to partake of the sacrament, in remembrance of Jesus Christ, eating the bread, which is symbolic of His body which was bruised, broken, and He died and was resurrected for us. Both the death and resurrection help remind us that we need His help in our daily battles against spiritual death, and He can resurrect us spiritually as we repent and focus our hearts and minds and our lives on Him.

I love eating fresh baked homemade bread. It is soooo yummy! And what better thing to provide for us to eat than bread? Christ said: "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48). Plain and simple. He is life, both physically and spiritually. Without Christ we are nothing. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51). When we repent (return to God with all our hearts and minds daily, and renounce sin to which we are naturally inclined) and follow Jesus Christ we are partaking of the Bread of Life. We are able to eat "without money and without price" (2 Nephi 9:50). That is a darn good deal. It doesn't cost us money, it only requires our heart (see D&C 64:22) . The "rulers of darkness" would love to have our heart (see D&C 78:10). "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon" (3 Nephi 13:24; Luke 16:13). Eating bread is the best way to "wrestle with the powers of darkness" (Ephesians 6:12) because God "shall not fail nor be discouraged" (Isaiah 42:4).

Hungry, tired, and cold are basic needs that we all have and should be addressed so that we can "wrestle with the powers of darkness" that happen all too frequently, without having to worry about making sure we are taken care of. Christ takes care of us and provides for us if we choose to eat, are well rested, and are Comforted. This I testify is a the way to win a battle and get more Light.