WAKE UP

I find myself so busy during the day that I have a hard time winding down at night to finally go to sleep and then when morning comes I have a hard time waking up.    Such a vicious cycle LOL

I know it’s important that I wake up and get going so every morning…. that’s what I force myself to do…and really… I am a morning person and yet it’s still difficult.  

If I stayed asleep then I’d miss all the important things like work, family time, making various memories.    

Proverbs 6:9  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? (KJV)

Proverbs 20:13  Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. (KJV)

Now don’t get me wrong… sleep is important.    We all need it.    As a matter of fact God calls us to Him for rest.   

Matthew 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (KJV)

 What about those times we keep ourselves too busy and we don’t get the proper rest we need then 

sometimes He will force it upon us and it’s usually in a way that’s harder for us than had we just took the proper time to rest.   

Psalm 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (KJV)

He tells us that rest is good for our soul.   

Sleep is essential for everyone and an important part of life to rejuvenate our bodies so that we can work the next day… but we shouldn’t love sleep more than we love getting up and doing things for the Lord.  

So what happens spiritually when we stay asleep?    

We miss out on all the blessings that God wants to bestow on us.    

Staying asleep makes us lazy.    If a farmer slept through a harvest then boy would he be in trouble for the next year.   

When we are spiritually asleep the Bible warns us to WAKE UP!!!! 

1 Thessalonians 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. (KJV)

The Bible is our spiritual alarm clock.    

We must stay in Gods Word to keep ourselves spiritually rested and spiritually awakened.    

It gives us rest when we need comforted: 

John 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (KJV)

Gives us rest when we need strength:

Isaiah 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (KJV)

Or even when we just need some simple encouragement:

1 Thessalonians 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (KJV)

So what happens when we stay spiritually asleep?

The Bible calls us “watchmen” and have called us as watchmen to both stand guard or “watching” and to also continuously be “warning” of destruction heading our way.   

Isaiah 62:6  I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence. (KJV)

Isaiah 52:8  Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. (KJV)

As Christians we are watchmen and we are called to warn the lost of the destruction that’s ahead.    We must stay in close contact with the Holy Spirit and intercede in behalf of the people that don’t understand salvation and asking the Holy Spirit to go before us to deal with the hearts and prepare them to hear what we have for them and to give us in equal measure discernment and wisdom so that we know when to speak and when to be quiet.     Sometimes the loudest witness we have for the lost is not what we say but it’s actually how we act or react in situations that they observe.   We can’t call ourselves a Christian and then act the same as a lost or unsaved person.   

We are called to be different and to be a light that draws others to us.   

(I feel another future post about this coming on)

So most people know the story of Jonah.   He was called to go to Nineveh.    He refused to go because he didn’t like the people…. he got ate by the great fish (a whale) then when he was unable to do anything else then God was finally able to speak to Jonah and make Jonah’s heart understand the importance of this mission and Jonah repented, obeyed and Nineveh was gloriously changed.    

Or how about Jesus when he took His closest friends into the garden to pray and when He came back He found them all sleeping.    This happened several times until Jesus finally asked them “can you not even stay awake for one whole hour and pray?”

Mark 14:37-38 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?

Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. (KJV)

It’s up to us to be spiritually awake and to get the good word of God out so that others don’t miss heaven.   

1 Corinthians 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. (KJV)

He tells us it’s shameful that we haven’t spread the gospel more.    There’s people out there that truly think they are on their way to heaven because they are good moral people.   They don’t understand that it’s more than being good…but it’s about a close relationship with the One who gave His life for ours.   He calls us by name and wants to spend eternity with us.  

Isaiah 43:1  But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (KJV)

We are His sheep that He calls by name:

John 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (KJV)

Somebody was a watchmen for the Lord and prayed for me…and for you.    Somebody stayed awake that extra hour and deprived their self of sleep to stand in the gap and pray for me…for you and had a genuine burden for lost souls.    I’m so thankful that someone had a burden for me and begged the Holy Spirit to draw me to Salvation.   

Now isn’t it time….we woke up and got out of our slumber and began sharing the good news of Salvation and what it really means?    

One of my favorite songs is WAKE THE LAND that’s sang by the group 11th Hour.  

Some of the lyrics are

“

We know our days are numbered and yet we seem to slumber

Not watching for that final day

Go about our daily business

We know but we don’t witness

Very soon it will be to late  

Modern times are hectic

Some will be a sceptic 

Doubting his salvation plan

Preach it, pray it, sing it

Come on Christians bring it

His call will surely wake the land”

It’s up to us to get the Word out.  We must WAKE UP and start being about the Father’s business.   

We need  to remember the importance of living a good godly example with our lives and not just proclaiming with our lips.  

When we give the appearance of loving God without living His way, we are covering up sins which could eventually damage our lives and leave deep painful scars.   

Repair your life by living by the standards of Gods Word and don’t turn from it.    

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (KJV)

Be the one that WAKES UP and proclaims the gospel in action through living a godly example before people and knowing what Gods Word says so that you can shout it and proclaim it!