Awaken

"Experience verifies to us there are different levels of sleep. The lighter one sleeps, the more aware he is of what is happening around him. The deeper the sleep, the less aware one will become until eventually he is completely oblivious to his surroundings. So it is in the spiritual world as well. "

“and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory…” (Luke 9:32)

Jesus was transfigured, showing for the first time on earth His eternal glory. Elijah and Moses were there having a conversation with the Lord about the Cross of Calvary.

Peter, James, and John were sleeping.

In the presence of Glory that none other had ever seen; and they were sleeping. The bible says that after they were fully awake – then they saw His glory.

The church is much like these men in many ways. First of all, we cannot see His glory while we are asleep. It is for this reason that our enemy does so much to put us to sleep. We are like Samson; seduced to sleep on the lap of Delilah. Sleeping in the lap of our enemies; of whom we have deceived ourselves into believing they are not the threat God says they are.

But herein lies the power of deception and the power of sleep. The deceived are unaware. Those in deep sleep have no consciousness of what is happening around them. Tragically, both are oblivious of the dangers surrounding them. Nor do they see their need for change. Worse than being unaware of the danger around them, they are equally incapable of seeing and experiencing God. They miss His presence. They are unaware of His nearness. This is a bitter truth that ought to move us to earnestly watch and pray! May each man honestly examine his own heart whether he be sleeping or not. Where you stand, I cannot say, but as for the church as a whole I say with boldness: She is sleeping. She is in a deep, dark sleep. Father, help us! Your sons and daughters desperately needs to be spiritually awakened.

Experience verifies to us there are different levels of sleep. The lighter one sleeps, the more aware he is of what is happening around him. The deeper the sleep, the less aware one will become until eventually he is completely oblivious to his surroundings. So it is in the spiritual world as well. Only when we are fully awake will we truly be able to see Him and His Glory. Jesus had been transfigured for some time, conversing with Moses and Elijah; yet the disciples did not know it. In order to see they first had to be awakened. The same is true for all today. God is at work. He is alive and active, moving in our midst. Everywhere. At all times. In every day. If we can’t see it, the only acceptable explanation is that we are asleep. All of us are guilty. Some may be sleeping deeper than others. Many have never been awakened. But to some degree – we all sleep, spiritually speaking. The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. May we learn to humbly depend upon God to help us be awakened to His Glory. May we re-commit our hearts to the disciplines that bring us to an awakening and may we continue in them. The disciplines of prayer, bible reading, and church attendance – of which there is no substitute for the awakening of the soul.

Lord, awaken your church. Lord awaken me. Awaken me more and more with each passing day that I may see You more vividly and hear You more clearly than ever before. Lord, show me Your Glory.

#humility #integrity #trust #jesus #obey #live #love #wait #faith #family #fun