Awaken From Spiritual Slumber Archives

December 3, 2022December 3, 2022

Do You Pant For God?

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ~ Psalms 42:1-2

Many of us started out our Christian walk with a strong desire and love for God, but the longer we serve Him, the more we begin to take God for granted. So much of the Church today has a watered-down love for God. A very basic surface-level love that has grown cold. A love that doesn’t consist of action but only talk. Why? Consider the things you did when you first got saved and see if they equal what you’re doing now. Do you feel the passion that was there in the beginning? Is your soul still panting for God as a deer pants for water?

We want revival, but we refuse to spend time in prayer. You’re not panting like the deer; our souls are not thirsting for God. We aren’t striving for the only source of living water. We’ve lost our desire. It’s like when we want to lose weight, but we don’t have the willpower to eat properly and proportionately. We don’t have the discipline to exercise. We want to get good grades in school, but the desire to study is not there. Without desire, there is no discipline or self-control.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pant For God.

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Jump Out of The Water

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

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. Snow White had no clue the apple was poisoned; otherwise, she would not have partaken.

You see, sometimes we get so caught up in the disguise that we don’t see the evil inside until we have taken a bite, and it’s much too late because the poison has already entered our body. This is how evil is presented to us. Nice and beautiful. Delicious and sweet. Like a red shiny delicious apple, and we take a bite, and we don’t even know that we have fallen asleep.

It’s not presented as evil by the most wicked person we can think of. Neither does it come from a man with horns and a pointy tail, dressed in a red suit waving a pitchfork. But rather, it comes like an innocent old lady. A grandmother type with a basket of beautiful red delicious apples.

Evil is presented by a family-friendly entity that appears harmless that seems to have good morals and good intentions. But the reality is, it’s the devil in disguise. Disney movies, from the beginning, are filled with spells, curses, hexes, magic portions, and invocations. From innocent-looking Snow White to Beauty and the Beast to The Little Mermaid. The majority of us have all seen these presets designed to lull us into accepting darker and darker magic. It’s not giving it to us all at once, but instead, it’s like the proverbial frog in hot water. You won’t know you’re boiling in water until it’s too late.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Jump Out of The Water.

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Choose the Latter

⁶Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! ⁷All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ⁸Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” ⁹Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. ~ Daniel 6:6–9

The enemy’s goal is to spiritually kill us. So, he makes certain parts of our faith illegal with each and every generation. Some of us hold on regardless of repercussions, as Daniel did, but others of us fall prey to the enemy’s plan. One day, he’ll even set up a system that the consequence will be death to all who refuse to bow their knee to the normalized sin of the enemy. This system isn’t too far off, it’s already here in certain parts of the world, but one day it will come to the west. It’ll overtake us by force like a flood we can’t run from. There will be two options set before us, just like Daniel, spiritual death or physical death.

But don’t be discouraged or frightened. Our bodies aren’t our own; we belong to Christ. We are the Temple of the Living God, and He will have vengeance on anyone who destroys His Temple. He will bring Justice and cause an end to the wickedness of this world. He will come back to redeem His people and bring His rewards with Him. Therefore, be encouraged. If the world is against you, then God is for you. Stay awake, for the hour is coming when darkness will fully reign, and there will only be two choices for all people.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose the Latter.

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Get Ears to Hear

⁹And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ~ Mark 4:9

Jesus makes a rather odd statement after teaching. He says, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” This seems pretty odd because everybody has ears. He didn’t say all who have the ability to hear, let them hear. He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” Keep in mind that even the deaf came to Jesus. Therefore, Jesus must’ve been spiritually speaking. He was talking about our spiritual ears, not our physical ears. See, some of us are spiritually deaf. We hear the Gospel, but it doesn’t cut us to the heart. We hear the good news of God, but it doesn’t change us. We’re physically hearing these things but not spiritually; it’s like our spiritual ears have been cut off.

This is because the fire in us has grown cold. Our spirit has chased other spirits instead of the Spirit of God. We have to do more than go to church and hear the word of God preached on Sunday mornings. Those who taught the Scriptures in the time of Jesus led the persecution and murder of Jesus and His followers. We have to seek a relationship with Jesus, and in doing so, He will give us ears to hear. And once we have ears to hear, He’ll begin to mold our hearts to seek His Kingdom first above all else.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Get Ears to Hear.

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Be Prepared Regardless of the Season

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:10

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ Jesus. It’s not according to who you are. Or what you have done. It’s not according to the high position you held in this life. It’s not according to who you think you are. It’s not even according to if you believe or not. It’s this: “We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” There we will all be judged according to what we have done according to what is written in the books.

If we have hidden secrets like hate in our hearts or unforgiveness, and believe me, it will show, then the LORD, who is the judge of all the earth, will know. The Spirit of Slumber is ravaging through our world and Church taking many as its victim. Jesus is coming soon. The closer we come to that day, the more aggressive the Spirit of Slumber becomes, but don’t succumb to its attacks. Be prepared in season and out of season so that when the Son of Man, that is, Jesus, returns, He will find you doing what it is He called you to do. Then you will receive a great reward.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Prepared Regardless of the Season.

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Redeem Your Eternal Soul

³¹On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. ³²Remember Lot’s wife. ³³Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. ~ Luke 17:31-33

Lot, his wife, and his two daughters were saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were warned by the two angels not to stop or to look back because if they did, they’d be swept away. The Church is given the same warning, and just as Lot’s wife looked back, so are some of the Church. We, the Church, are the body of Christ. We’ve been redeemed from the coming destruction, so we don’t live in fear of the coming of Christ, but instead we are to say, “Come Jesus, come.” Yet, some of us look back just as Lot’s wife did.

How do we look back? By refusing to do the will of God for fear or losing all that we’ve built in this life. Today, the Church remains silent, refusing to correct or expose darkness for fear of backlash and the loss of comfort, but Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, that our lives aren’t our own because we were bought by the blood of Christ. This is why Jesus plainly states that whoever seeks to preserve their lives will lose it, but those who lose their lives will keep them. This isn’t just talking about physically dying for Christ. This is talking about spiritually dying to your wants and desires, so that you might live for Christ. This is why Jesus compared it to Lot’s wife looking back, because she didn’t want to give up the life she had for the life God had in store for her. She couldn’t imagine a better life than the one she built in Sodom, so she looked back wantingly. We are commanded by Christ not to seek to keep what we’ve built, just as they were commanded by the two angels not to look back. We have to give up the life we have planned for ourselves and all that we’ve built, in order to have the life Christ has in store for us.

This is the cross we are to carry as Christians, to be the light in this dark world. The only way we can light up this dark world is to speak the Truth and expose the darkness regardless of the consequences. This isn’t an easy cross to carry, but it is the only way to eternal life, for the blood of the wicked will be on the hands of all who remained silent as they blatantly sinned (Ezekiel 33:8-9). Don’t allow the fear of losing temporary security or your temporary body keep you from saving your eternal soul.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Redeem Your Eternal Soul.

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Pay Attention To The Gate

¹³Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. ~ Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus instructs, even warns His hearers, “Enter by the narrow gate. Keep away from the broad gate.” There are two gates because there are two paths. There are two paths because there are two destinations. One destination is life, and the other is destruction.

Oftentimes we get so caught up in the journey that as forget the destination. It’s as if we’re living according to the quote, “It’s not about the destination, but the journey.” That sounds so profound, and yet it’s so wrong. What good is a fun night of drinking if the destination is to drive home drunk and you kill someone or yourself? What good is a fun one-night stand if the destination is an abortion or a forced relationship with the wrong person? What good is a fun life of sin if the destination is Hell?

Don’t get caught up in the moment. Wake up your Spirit of Discernment. Look around you. Look at the road you’re on. Is it broad or narrow? Does it follow the path of Jesus or the world? Is it easy or do you have a cross over your shoulder?

Living for Christ isn’t easy. It will be the hardest thing you do in this life. Denying your flesh, putting Christ first, and carrying your cross are difficult. So many give up right before they reach their final destination. So many give up right before they receive their reward. Don’t give up. Awaken From your spiritual slumber, analyze your life, find the narrow gate, pick up your cross, and run to Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pay Attention.

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Beware The Ungodly Distraction

²After some years he (King Jehoshaphat) went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.” ~ 2 Chronicles 18:2–3

Ahab did not come up to Jehoshaphat, but rather, Jehoshaphat went down to Ahab. Please understand sin is not attracted to Godliness, but rather, Godliness is distracted by sin. Sin will pull and pull until it drags you down to where it is. It will cause you to lose your mind and your sense of direction.

Ahab then convinced Jehoshaphat to go into the war wearing his royal garments while he himself would go in disguise. So, when the enemy saw Jehoshaphat, they immediately thought it was Ahab, king of Israel, and turned to attack him, but when he cried out, they turned and stopped chasing him. So, his life was only narrowly spared.

The problem with ungodly alliances is that they will take you further than you want to go and cause you to make the wrong decisions without even realizing that it is against God’s earthly will for your life.

Just as Jehoshaphat didn’t expect to almost lose his life in an alliance with King Ahab, so do many Christians expect not to lose their spiritual life in an alliance with sin and darkness. We’re in the battle, in the real enemies’ clothes, instead of our spiritual armor. So, what happens? We’re attacked and chased. This is where the Church is. We’re on the brink of death. The enemy has us in his sights. There’s no escape that we can see. It’s time for us to cry out to Jesus. That is the only way we will be spared. Cry out and live. Jesus is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life. Turn to Him and live. Wake up from your spiritual slumber caused by the deceit of the enemy.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Get Out of Bed With the Enemy.

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Tear Your Hearts

¹² That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. ¹³ Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. ~ Joel 2:12-13 NLT

Joel prophesied to the people of Israel that the LORD was coming, so repent because that day will be a horrifying and dark day. It will be a day of great sorrow and fear, for the LORD’s wrath was coming. Today, it’s no different. The LORD is coming. He is on His way. He is preparing to come for His people to bring them to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, but for the wicked, those who refuse to bow their knee to the Almighty, He is treading the great wine press of the Wrath of the LORD.

Many of us believe that we will escape this great wrath because we’re Christians, but that word no longer means what it did so long ago. There’re Christians that don’t stand for righteousness and believe they’re okay because God loves them, but they’re not the only ones deceived. There are Christians who lack love. Paul said if you can speak in the tongues of man and of angels but don’t have love, you are like a noisy gong. You can even move mountains, prophesy, and understand all the secrets of God, but still be nothing if we lack love. There is nothing greater than love.

So many Christians lack love today. We feel no sympathy or empathy for those who we believe deserve what they get, not realizing that we ourselves deserve to burn in the Lake of Fire for all eternity because of our sin. It’s only because of grace that we are saved by faith, not because we are better than anyone. We don’t deserve this gift of God. We don’t deserve life, but God graciously gives it to us because of His great love for us. So, love others with the same love God has loved us so that when Christ returns, we might escape that wrath and be welcomed into the rest of the LORD.

Don’t just treat your outer garments so that people think that you care or that you’re a good person. Don’t just retweet or repost a post. Don’t just comment praying hands. Get down on your knees and pray. Don’t just make it an outward appearance, but an inward appearance. Let it tear your hearts enough that you cry out to the LORD for mercy and grace over the lost, hurting, angry, and deceived. Let the love of God perfect you in every way possible. Let Him turn your heart of stone to a heart of flesh so that you might not be lost with others.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Tear Your Hearts.

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Prepare Your Hearts

³⁷And He came and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? ³⁸Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ~ Mark 14:37-38

To see revelation, we must remain awake when others are asleep. Jesus went out of the presence of others and spent time in prayer and worship with His Father in Heaven. Never was Jesus without an answer for His accusers. It wasn’t because Jesus was, is, and always will be God because, on earth, He set aside His Godliness and became man. This was because He was awake in prayer when others slept. In fact, if we go to the last day before the crucifixion, we find that Jesus didn’t sleep. He spends the evening and night preparing His disciples and then spends the rest of the night not just praying for His own strength but for the strength of His disciples. Peter, James, and John were called by Jesus to come and pray with Him, but each one of them fell asleep. None were able to stay awake and pray with Him. Because of this, all of their earlier statements fell short, and each one of them fled. One, presumably John, ran away naked. Peter denied even knowing Him. Judas, who left after the Last Supper, only returned to betray Him.

They couldn’t stay awake in prayer, and so their spirit was weak. I’m not saying that we must never sleep; what I’m saying is that if you want to be able to withstand the coming persecution of the Church (Matthew 24 & 2 Thessalonians 2), then you have to seek God early in the morning and late at night when all others are asleep, especially in times of distress or when seeking a specific request from God or in times of need. All of us will give up sleep for something, whether it’s TV, spending time with family or friends, food, concerts, books, games, etc., but very few of us will stay awake for prayer to see a breakthrough in our lives, or to receive peace or strength. If you can stake awake for the world but not for God, your love has already begun to grow cold. Now is the time to build up your faith and love for God. Store up your food in the summer, don’t wait for the winter when the harvest is over. Prepare yourselves now. Seek God while He can still be found.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare Your Hearts.

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Category: Awaken From Spiritual Slumber

Do You Pant For God?

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