“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT
This world’s culture is rocking the church to sleep! We are not even aware of our spiritual drowsiness because we are so consumed in the daily behavior and customs of this world. The enemy (the devil) has infiltrated the lives of believers in the church and has sold them a bill of goods – that is more bills than goods.
He (the enemy) has hypnotized the church to the point that we are listening to his voice over God’s voice. When our eyes, minds and hearts are only focused on this life, we become spiritually sleepy to the things of God.
We MUST wake up and understand the day and the hour in which we live. We are living in the critical late hour of the church. And you better believe, the later it gets, the sleepier the enemy wants you mean to get.
In the famous story of Jesus in the garden right before the betrayal of Judas and before the cross, we find our Savior praying a prayer that shows the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and the agony, pain, and the suffering of calvary.
Jesus asked a few of His disciples to watch and pray. We see in the story that they physically got tired and fell asleep, although I do believe it wasn’t just physical but also spiritual.
In the most critical hour of Jesus’ ministry, they allowed their flesh to be stronger than the purpose of the Kingdom of God!
Matthew 26:36-46 “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
Guzik says, “If Peter woke up (both physically and spiritually), and drew close in dependence on God, he could have kept from denying Jesus at the critical hour….just like us – Peter failed in later temptation because he failed to watch and pray. The spiritual battle is often won or lost before the crisis comes.”
Today, we do NOT need to wait for the crisis to wake up. When the crisis comes, it might be too late for our souls. Now is the time to shake off this world’s culture and do whatever it takes to defeat spiritual sleepiness!
Romans 13:11-14 “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Guzik wrote, “How important it is to awake out of sleep! We can do many Christian things and essentially be asleep towards God. What a difference it makes when we are awake!”
- We can speak when we are awake – Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” We can speak life when we are spiritually awake.
- We can hear when we are awake – Revelation 3:22 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
This is concept is mentioned several times in the Word of God about listening. Look what Jesus says about the church at Laodicea…
Revelation 3:14-18 “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; …..
- We can walk when we are awake – 2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Sleepiness walks by sight.
- We can sing when we are awake – Psalm 96:1 “O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.” There are no songs of joy when you are sleepy.
- We can think when we are awake – Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
If you are spiritually sleepy right now, it’s late – very late – it’s time to wake up. There’s no room for drowsiness in Kingdom Culture.
