Have You Fallen Asleep?
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. (Romans 13:11)
I watched a show yesterday that said something that made me think. The main character was told the following:
“You fell asleep. You gave up on the mission for creature comforts.”
A creature comfort is something that contributes to your physical comfort such as food and warmth. It’s something that makes a person feel comfortable and at home. Although being comfortable can be a good thing, if done too much, it can also make us less aware of the dangers that lurk around us (asleep to them) and we then become easy prey for the enemy to attack us. Scripture states we are always to be alert and sober minded:
1 Peter 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
It made me think about my own life, if in any way I have become too comfortable. If I have fallen asleep and fell back some on my own mission that God has called me to do. In all honesty, I can say “yes”. There are some areas I have allowed myself to become more comfortable in a peaceful time of life and I now have to change this. There are times I may not be as diligent in our ministry as I should. There are days I may not pick up my Bible or pray as often as I used to. It doesn’t mean I don’t read or pray, it just means it’s not as often in a day as before when life was much tougher and problems seemed to be on every side. Though no one likes the difficulties of life, we should be thankful for them because it is in those times that we cling to God, our faith becomes stronger, prayer is always on our lips and our Bible is always in our hands.
James 1:2-4
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
There’s a scripture that always stuck with me and it comes to mind periodically. In peaceful times, I have to remind myself of it so I never forget. It’s in Deuteronomy 8:10-18:
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
This scripture reminds me of who is in control and that everything we have is God’s because He has provided it. However, when times are good, we tend to look more at ourselves, all we have done and all that we have instead of looking at our great Provider…God. We can tend to lean back a bit and get comfortable in quiet times which sometimes means we become less alert and in tune with God. In times of peace, this doesn’t mean we stop preparing our hearts and fall asleep. It means though we can rest, we must still remember God and seek Him on a daily basis and continue preparing and cleansing our hearts, continuing on with our mission.
In times of peace, it is easy to become lax in our prayer life and our mission, whatever that mission may be. Maybe it’s your ministry or working on your healing. Maybe it’s your family and you find yourself spending less time with them by filling that time with other things (sports, games, cellphones, tv, etc). No matter what it is, you must get yourself back on track and that first starts by spending time with the Lord.
Take a minute today to see where you are at. Has life been tough and you are becoming weary? Don’t give up! Has life gotten better and you are enjoying the blessings God has given you, but you have slacked off on the mission? Get up! Or have you fallen asleep and turned your eyes from God to the creature comforts of life, forgoing the mission? Wake up! All is not lost. Ask God to wake you up, help you fight the flesh and get back in gear. Recognize the distraction in your life and be determined to remove it so God can once again be number one in your life.
“29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)
Father God, forgive me for becoming becoming lax in…(name the area in your life). Forgive me for becoming to comfortable and falling asleep due to the comforts of the world. Lord, help me to get moving again in (healing, ministry, family, etc). I can’t do this alone Lord. I need your help. Wake me up and break the idolatries of my heart because I want you to be number one in my life. Help me never to forget all that you have done for me and all that you will continue to do. Thank you Lord for all of the blessings, big and small, and for providing for my every need. I am grateful. In Jesus name I pray…Amen.