Tag: Awaken From Spiritual Slumber

Lamentations 1:12-16

[12] “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow, which was brought upon me, which the Lord inflicted on the day of his fierce anger. [13] From on high he sent fire; into my bones he made it descend; he spread a net for my feet; he turned me back; he has left me stunned, faint all the day long. [14] My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail; the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand. [15] The Lord rejected all my mighty men in my midst; he summoned an assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah. [16] For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my spirit; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.”

Jeremiah starts the book Lamentations mourning for Judah going into exile and Jerusalem being destroyed and ransacked. Then he says to the people “Is it nothing to you, all who pass by?” Jeremiah then switches his focus to himself and those pass by him without care, worry, or concern.

See, Jeremiah had just spent years prophesying warnings to the people of Judah and they did not listen, now God’s judgment had fallen on them. He had been persecuted by their own hands for his prophecies, and now that they have come to pass, they still have no care for him. Today, the Church is very similar.

Missionaries go to places we don’t want to go in order to share the Gospel, yet we, as a whole, have no care for them or their anguish. Some of us even belittle them and if they die, say it’s their own fault. It has become nothing to us to see the Church persecuted, oppressed, and/or killed.

We turn a blind eye to it. Why? Apathy. If it does not directly affect us, we don’t care. Our love has begun to grow cold. Jesus said, “They (the world) will know you by your love for one another,” yet, we love only ourselves. We are like those who passed by Jeremiah without even giving him out the situation a second thought.

See, apathy lulls its victims to sleep so that they never even feel their own spiritual death. It’s like the scene in the Jungle Book. Mowgli is lulled to sleep by Kaa so that when Kaa went to strike and devour Mowgli he was unaware. Completely subdued, unable to fight back or defend himself. It takes Bagheera intervening to save Mowgli.

Apathy is a dangerous foe. It doesn’t beat you down like other strongholds. It plays the ally as it seduces you. So, quiet its lullaby. Follow the words of Christ and love your brother/sister. Pray for missionaries and the Underground Church. Don’t turn a blind eye to them or their pain.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Plug Your Ears To Their Lullabies.

¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ~ Ephesians 6:18

The story of Pinocchio was written as a warning tale. One to sound the alarm, “Hey! If you continue living your life in this way, there will be major consequences that you won’t be ready for. Stop! Change! Do better!” We all know Pinocchio learns his lesson, does good, and is rewarded with his dream being a reality. Pinocchio becomes a real boy. His friend, Lucignolo (Candlewick), was not so lucky.

What made Pinocchio so lucky? Well, it wasn’t really luck. It was that Pinocchio had someone looking out for him. Pinocchio meets and gains the friendship of a fairy with turquoise hair who tries to teach him right from wrong and show him the right way. Pinocchio continuously messes up. Each and every time you think he’s about to hit his breakthrough, he gets distracted by something else. He’s easily persuaded and led astray by others. The night before he is to be turned into a real boy, Lucignolo (Candlewick) convinces him to leave with him to Toyland.

Toyland is where both of them turn into donkeys and are sold to different people. Pinocchio is ultimately freed from this horrible fate and saved from the life of a slave circus donkey by his fairy. Lucignolo (Candlewick), however, dies as a donkey who was worked to death by his owner. There was no one looking out for him. No one intervening in his life the way the fairy with turquoise hair did in Pinocchio’s life.

This is the same fate that many face today. There are many Lucignolos (Candlewicks) in the world. Here’s what I mean. Lucignolo (Candlewick) represents those people who don’t have anyone praying for them. Both Pinocchio and Lucignolo (Candlewick) continuously got themselves into trouble. Were rude. Disobedient. And ultimately ran away from home so that they’d never have to work or study again, but could relax and play all day, every day. Lucignolo’s (Candlewick’s) decisions were no worse than Pinocchio’s decision. The only difference was that Pinocchio had someone watching over him. Someone who loved and cared about him, who could do something to help him, whereas Lucignolo (Candlewick) did not.

The prayers of a righteous person availeth much. Our prayers can make all the difference in someone’s life. Because prayer isn’t just empty words or good thoughts sent towards someone to make them feel better. Prayer is communicating with the God of the Universe. The Creator. It’s pleading, begging, and seeking the LORD God Almighty for His Divine intervention. So, why don’t we do it more? Think about it this way, for every prayer you pray for another person, might just save the soul of the person you pray for. There is nothing more important to the LORD than saving souls because He loves those souls.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Souls.

2 Timothy 4:1-2 ESV

[1]  I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Paul warns Timothy that he needs to be prepared in and out of season. What does that look like? The best example of this, is Jesus Himself. Jesus came to Israel and the fig tree didn’t have any fruit on the tree. So what did Jesus do? He cursed it.

The fig tree represented the Israelites. The physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Jesus came to them, they weren’t ready for the Messiah. They didn’t recognize Him. Instead, they hated Him. Accused Him and had Him killed. They weren’t prepared out of season.

The LORD is returning. He’s coming at a time we wouldn’t expect. At a time that just may not be when we’re in season, so what are we to do? Bear fruit. The LORD uses us and calls on us to be prepared whether we think the timing is good or not. So what are we to do? Bear fruit.

We are to constantly be on guard, bearing fruit, seeking the LORD, so that we might be ready for anything. Why? Because the LORD doesn’t work according to our time, but according to His own. Therefore, we must always be ready for the LORD.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Forget About The Season.

¹⁷ And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; ¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; ²⁰ the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. ²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ~ Acts 2:17-21

The Church today seems to be more dead than any previous generation. It seems to be more in danger of being spit out of the mouth of Jesus than all of the generations before. So, what are we to do? Is there even hope for our generation of the Church? A lot of pastors say there will be a second outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but I’m not so convinced. We have the Holy Spirit now. He didn’t go anywhere. He didn’t vanish. He didn’t stop working. He didn’t change. So, what did? We did. We changed.

We became lazy. Complacent. Worldly. We forgot our first love. We lost the passion, the drive, the desire for the things of the LORD, and became distracted by the things of life and this world. So, does that mean we have no hope? No. As long as there is breath in our lungs, we have hope. The Holy Spirit is still here. He is still working in our midst. He’s just waiting for us to seek revival.

According to the late great Charles Grandison Finney (he’s one of my Dad’s heroes), especially in his classic work “Lectures on Revivals of Religion,” published in 1835, he advocated that revival is not mysterious or accidental but occurs when God’s people meet certain spiritual conditions. The top five causes of revival, according to Charles G. Finney, are:

1. Extraordinary Prayer

• Finney taught that revival is always preceded by prevailing, united, and persistent prayer
• Prayer that is specific, faith-filled, and burdened, and is often led by a few deeply convicted believers
• In other words, “Revival is born in prayer.”

2. Deep Conviction of Sin

• According to Charles G. Finney, one of the greatest revivalist preachers to ever live, outside of brother Paul and the LORD’s Apostles, and maybe others like Philip the Evangelist, said:
  • Revival requires a profound awareness of sin, both personal and corporate. Honest repentance, confession, and forsaking of sin are necessary.
• A brokenness before God: “There can be no revival without deep conviction of sin.”

3. Bold, Clear Preaching of Truth

• Finney also emphasized the necessity for plain, direct preaching that is aimed at the heart and confronts the conscience. Preaching that appeals to the will, not just emotions. Obedience to God is demanded, and sin is named clearly.
• We have to get back to the old-time preaching if we want to see revival.

4. Immediate Obedience to God

• Mr. Finney sincerely believed that people must respond now, not later. You cannot put off conviction.
• No delay in repentance must be tolerated, or the conviction will pass, and that soul will be lost.
• Public and decisive commitment to Christ was the first and foremost priority. “Sinners must be made to feel that now is God’s time.”

5. The Church Must Bear Responsibility for Revival

• Mr. Finney also taught that revival depends largely on the spiritual condition of believers, not unbelievers. Lukewarm Christians hinder revival. Revival begins when God’s people humble themselves before Him.
• He also taught that “A revival is no miracle… it is the result of the proper use of the appropriate means.”

Unlike his predecessors, such as Jonathan Edwards, Charles G. Finney was deliberate and intentional about bringing about and promoting his revivals. He had a methodology that he adhered to—a system to follow and often said that revival came about by “using the right spiritual means.”

He was deliberate… intentional… and focused… That’s what we’re missing in the Church today. Intentional, deliberate, focused seeking of the LORD. Seeking of His Spirit, so that He might turn this heart of stone to flesh once again. So that He might renew a right spirit in us. So that we might see the Church awaken from its deep spiritual slumber.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Revival.

The church in Ephesus had gotten into the “same old same old” routine. Jesus commends them for:

• Their works
• Their labor
• Their enduring patience
• Their resistance to evil
• Their firm commitment to His Name

But He also brought to their attention Their flaws. Their shortcomings. The church in Ephesus had settled into the “same old grind.”

• They were busy
• They were doctrinally sound
• They were active
• They were enduring

But they had fallen from the heights they once soared at. In Jesus’ own words, they had abandoned their first love—the love they first had for Him.

They had abandoned:

• The passion
• The drive
• The desire
• And the devotion they had at the beginning
• They were going through the motions
• They were having church as usual

The danger with that is that your worship becomes stale, and outward—a thing to be seen and not experienced. Your song stirs the senses but never waters the thirsty soul. Your works are deeds that ease the conscience, but don’t fulfill the spirit.

In time, your heart drifts. So, Jesus gives them the remedy: repent, and do the works you did at first. In other words, return to Me, and I will return to you. Remember what you used to do, not just what used to happen.

Dear LORD, thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace. Thank You for being a forgiving God. Please forgive me for letting my love grow cold. Please forgive me for letting the fire die out and the flame quench. Please light the fire again. Please give me another chance to serve You with all that is within me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Genesis 5:28-29

[28] When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son [29] and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”

From Adam to Noah is ten generations. Lamech (Noah’s father), when his wife gave birth to Noah said that he would bring relief to the people. Lamech didn’t know how, but he knew something was special about Noah. Something was different about this newborn baby. Lamech’s spiritual eyes were opened, and he was in tune with the Spirit.

Noah ended up being the sole reason eight persons survived the flood. Survived the punishment of God upon sinful mankind. Noah not only fulfilled his father’s prophecy about him but he fulfilled being the tenth from Adam.

See, 10 is the number of covenant. It is Noah whom God makes a covenant with because of his righteousness and obedience. It’s because of Noah that God made a covenant with all on the earth that He would never flood it again.

Noah truly lived up to his name, the prophecy, and his place in his generation. Are you? Are you living up to what the LORD has laid out for you? Yes, it’s difficult because of distractions, temptation, etc. but is that truly an excuse? Noah lived in a time that was so evil and wicked, filled with temptations and distractions that God destroyed all of them except for eight people. Noah’s day and age was difficult as well, but his desire was to please God, not please man.

Today, ask yourself, who am I trying to please? Others? Myself? God? Whose plans for my life do I want to follow? God’s or man’s? God has plans for our lives, but so does mankind. But God’s plans are for our good and not our harm. Plans to give us  and a future.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Sleep On God’s Plans.

Who is blind but My servant, Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the Lord? ~ Isaiah 42:19^NASB1995

If you really take a moment to think about this statement by the LORD, it is pretty frightening. He is not talking about the blindness or the deafness of these heathens, or those who hate Him. No, God is talking about His own people, His own servants. These people who are supposed to be following and working for Him. The one who should have a close relationship with Him. But instead of closeness, we find distance. Instead of intimacy, we find lukewarmness.

Just because we claim a relationship with the Almighty God does not mean we have one. God’s people, the ones who should know Him intimately and serve Him wholeheartedly, are the very ones who are trampling the blood of Jesus underfoot and making the name of the Holy One something common. That’s why God asks the question in Isaiah 1:5, “Why will you be struck anymore?”

In other words, why continue to rebel after He has redeemed you with His own blood, and now you’re receiving just punishment, punishment that He takes no pleasure in. It is not God’s will that anyone perish, but all come to repentance. But we refuse to draw close to God because we love the pleasures of the world. Let us forsake evil and turn from lukewarmness and cling to God in pursuit of holiness.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pursue Holiness.

2 Timothy 4:1-2 NIV

[1] In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: [2] Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

This is Paul warning Timothy to always be prepared. See, Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Paul actually had to circumcise Timothy because the Jews they were going to only knew his father was a Greek. Timothy ends up being set up as a leader of the Church by Paul to ensure they don’t stay from sounds doctrine while he’s gone.

Paul’s warning was about keeping watch and not repeating the mistakes of his people. See, just a few years back the people of Israel denied and rejected the Messiah. They went as far as to have Him crucified by the Romans. Jesus came at a time they didn’t expect as a person they didn’t anticipate.

Jesus showed the severity of their spiritual slumber when He walked past the fig tree (out of fig season) and cursed it for not bearing fruit when its maker/creator walked by. This was symbolic of the Jewish people. Jesus, their God became man and dwelt among them, yet they didn’t see Him. They couldn’t recognize Him. They were spiritually asleep.

Paul was warning Timothy not to repeat their mistakes. Paul was warning Timothy to stay ready. See, we don’t know when the LORD will call on us to do something, to witness to someone. Teach a lesson. Share the Gospel. Or change our lives completely. God’s timing isn’t always our timing.

So, we have to make sure we are always awake. On guard. Watching. Praying. Seeking. And never sleeping. Regardless if we are in season or out of season. Regardless of whether it’s expected of us by those around us or not. Whether we have a platform or not. Whether we are wining in life or not. We are to be ready for God to call us regardless of the time or season.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stay Ready.