Category: Awaken From Spiritual Slumber

⁷ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹ And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰ Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ~ Matthew 3:7-10

This is John the Baptist speaking. He was speaking to the religious people who thought that their religion would save them. They were not bearing fruit, well, at least, they were not bearing good fruit. They were walking around in long flowing robes and even praying long, loud prayers in the public place. They believed that they had all that they needed, not realizing that they needed the very one they would plan later to kill.

John advised them, “Look, you better start bearing good fruit. That is what bearing fruit in keeping with repentance means. Good fruit. Remember that the word repentance actually means to stop what you are doing, change the direction you are going in, and start heading in the very opposite direction.  You do not continue in the type of lifestyle you used to live. You begin living for Jesus now. Repentance requires work. You are not saved by works, but you are judged by your works. Therefore, bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Do not presume that God loves you too much to reject you if you stop bearing fruit or if you turn away from Him.

Look at what John ended with, “Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” This is a very serious matter; one day, we will all spend eternity in one place or the other. One place is blissfulness, and the other place is eternal punishment in a lake of fire. The fire is never quenched, and the flames are never extinguished. It is a place of eternal torment.

Here is what I suggest. I suggest that you begin taking inventory of your own life and noting those habits that are unprofitable. Then, change them. Those thoughts that lead you astray, change them, and begin living for Jesus, He is our only Hope.

Heavenly Father, please help me to change the things in my life that are unfruitful. Prune me so that I can bear even more fruit. I want to be ready for You when You return to get us; in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ~ Philippians 2:12-13

I don’t understand churches that teach that you can live any old way you want because you have absolutely no responsibility in your salvation, when obviously Paul said, yes, you most assuredly do.  You have a big part to play in your salvation. Matter of fact, you have all of the responsibility in working out your salvation.

Look at what he wrote. He commended them for their obedience; then he encouraged them to continue in that obedience. But notice, it was not just continue, it was continue much more, working out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Now, how can they say we have no responsibility in our salvation?

Listen to what he wrote to the Roman Church, ¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Romans 2:13

In other words, it doesn’t matter how much you go to church. It doesn’t even matter how much you read the Bible. I know that sounds a little out there, but it’s true. You can go to church every day and twice on Sundays and read your Bible for hours on end, and it will not matter when you stand before God’s throne if you are not obedient to God’s Word. Paul warned us it is not the hearers that are righteous but the doers that are justified. In other words, it is not the churchgoers; it is not the Bible readers, but only the obedient that will be justified.

So, I want to encourage you today to put some effort in your Christian walk. Get involved with your own salvation, and work it out with fear and trembling. Do not be a hearer only, but be a doer. Be who God has called you to be. You are called for much more than just a benchwarmer. You are called to do a mighty work for Jesus, but you can’t if you are just sitting on the bench, or if you are wavering between two opinions. You are either hot or you are cold. The lukewarm will be spewed out of God’s mouth.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are a forgiving God and are not waiting in heaven for me to make a mistake so that You can swat me. But in great love and abounding mercy, You forgive all who repent. Thank You that You remember that I am but dust, and You look at me with compassion. Help me to live my life for You, working out my salvation with much fear and trembling. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

⁴ You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ~ James 4:4

There is fear of speaking up. There is fear of telling the truth about what is really going on. Some say it is because of the fear of suicidal tendencies if you do, or the fear of getting a visit from the FBI, or at the very least, you offend people. I’ve seen the videos on the internet. I’ve heard the testimonies of those who lived it, and it is all for real.

But here is what Patrick Henry said, and I quote:

Should I keep back my opinions at such a time through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason toward my country and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

His fear of God and love for the Savior was stronger than his fear of man. It would seem that we are in the same boat, with warm handshakes and broad smiles and pats on the back, which deceives the brainwashed into overlooking the acts of war and the play for the subjugation of the American population.

As Patrick Henry said:

Suffer not your cells to be betrayed with a kiss.

We’re living in a time where we’d rather believe and bow to the lies of the world instead of standing on and for the Truth of our God. We are often beguiled by seemingly kind words of tolerance, peace, and unity when in actuality, all they are promising is to be an enemy of the LORD.

So, be on your guard. Awaken your spirit man, so that you might have a direct connection to the Holy Spirit so that He can guide you through the beguiling of the enemy.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for every time I’ve given into the world and its deception. Please awaken my spirit man within me that I might hear from you and discern right from wrong. Please give me the strength to stand for righteousness. Please guide me in everything I do, and be with me always. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

¹³  And the LORD said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men, ¹⁴therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”  ~ Isaiah 29:13-14

Some people read this as a rebuke from God. But if you think about it, it is not a rebuke at all. God is acknowledging their desire for fellowship with Him, though it is a bit skewed or distorted. Listen to what He said, “The people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips …” That is speaking of praise and worship. That is speaking of them seeking Him. They even have a seemingly healthy fear of Him. The problem is, their hearts are far from Him, and their fear is a commandment taught to them by their teachers, or at least their leaders, those who guide them spiritually. They do not know God personally for themselves, nor do they know His commands or even how to truly worship Him.

I heard a testimony from a Muslim who was actually in prison because of his involvement with Jihad. He was so intent on finding truth and making a connection with God to serve Him that he was praying more than 5 times a day and reading the whole Koran 10 times in a week. He was extremely devoted and actually had powers where he knew the conversations in other prison cells without him being there. To make a long story short, Jesus appeared to him in his cell and revealed Himself to this violent and murderous man. This man was not seeking Jesus personally, but he was seeking truth. He wanted to be close to God and had a desire to do His will. That is how it was with those people. They were not on the right track per se, but they had a desire to draw close to Him, and they desired to fear Him. They just did not have the right people in their lives to direct them to the right path.

Jesus told a parable about the Good Shepherd and the one lost sheep. In the parable, the Good Shepherd realized that one of His sheep was missing. He left the 99 other sheep and went in search of the one missing sheep. When He found it, He was happy and placed it on His shoulders and took Him back to the sheep pen to be reunited with the other sheep. That is exactly what is happening here.

Look at what God says, and I will paraphrase, “Because they have done these things, with a desire to know Me, but have no one to teach them, I Myself will show them My wonder upon wonders. And I will take away the false teaching that they have been taught.”

The bottom line is this, if you have a strong desire to know Him, even if you are off course, He will reveal Himself to you. Therefore, let me encourage you today that if you truly want to know God in a personal way, you can. Just start with reading the Bible. Not skimming over the Bible or reading it recreationally. I mean, if you have a true desire to know Him, to know Jesus, He will let Himself be found by you, but you must put in the effort.

Heavenly Father, I love You and desire to know You intimately. Please strengthen my desire and help me to learn to sincerely seek Your face. Hear me when I call, and answer me when I pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

²² He follows her impulsively like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding toward a trap ²³ until an arrow pierces its liver, like a bird darting into a snare  — he doesn’t know it will cost him his life. ~ Proverbs 7:22-23^CSB

Early one morning, I had a dream that I was cooking, and the food was smelling good, but then when I moved on of the plates, something started to move on the plate as well. It was a tiny viper. I immediately went to kill it but slithered right onto the floor. I felt so unalarmed that I even made a joke about cooking it up and eating it too, but then when I somehow cut it in half, all of these worms started slithering out of its body and going in all directions, really freaking me out. The head of the snake just kind of slithered away, and I never actually killed it. The fright from the was woke me right up. A lot of us are like me in this dream.

See, according to different sources such as Animal Planet and National Geographic, a viper at a baby stage is more dangerous than a fully grown viper. Why? Because when they bite, they release a lot more of their venom in that bite than an adult. And the person who is bitten will die. In my dream, the snake looked so tiny that the dangers of the snake didn’t even cross my mind, so I didn’t take it seriously. Then the event escalated and no longer was it just the baby viper I had to worry about, but now I had to worry about all of the worms seeking a new host as well.

Sometimes, sin looks extremely innocent and non-threatening. It looks silly and like a joke, causing us to put our guard down and even joke about it. Not at all being concerned with our safety or the safety of those around us. And if we keep joking and playing around with it, it will bite us, and we will spiritually die from the bite.

Therefore, as Paul told us, avoid every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), even if it seems innocent enough that you could get away with. Usually, sin that seems innocent is the most deadly. Why? Because we don’t realize it will cost us our lives.

Therefore, study the Scriptures daily and meditate on them. Pray and seek the LORD so that He might open your eyes to the dangers of the baby vipers around you. Fast and worship so that you might build up your spirit, man, and he might be able to help you overcome your flesh.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Play With The Viper.

¹² There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. ~ Proverbs 14:12

Spiritual slumber is the main cause of the state of the Church today. I heard a story of a lady who was living in sin and she explained that even though she read in the Bible that it was a sin, but because she felt no conviction about it, she felt like it was okay. Here’s the problem with this, if you have spiritually fallen asleep you will not recognize that you are on the wrong path. Because the thing that is presented to you might feel good. It might even seem good, but the end of that road is death.

See, spiritual slumber will numb your connection to the Holy Spirit. It will numb your connection to the Good Shepherd. You will no longer hear His voice or feel His gentle nudge that you’re being deceived. When our flesh has reigned without any restraint for a long time, our spirit man inside weakens to the point that he doesn’t respond to the gentle whisper of God.

Therefore, we can’t always go based on our feelings. Matter-a-fact, very few times, rarely, can we ever trust our feelings. Why? Because the heart is the most deceitful of all, and who can even understand it (Jeremiah 17:9)? Therefore, we must walk by faith and not feelings. We have to go by what the Scripture says and not what we feel. Otherwise, we will be led astray by those feelings.

We have to follow Scripture every day and deny our flesh. We have to build up our spirit man with worship, reading and meditating on the Scriptures, and prayer, along with fasting. We have to crucify our flesh daily so that it won’t overtake us and control us, but rather that we will control it and force it to obey Christ. This is the only way we can truly grow in Him and learn His voice, so that we can feel true conviction and see through the enemy’s deception.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Crucify Til Awaken.