Wake Up Call

How long will you slumber? The whispered words from Heaven sent a jolt through my spirit as a blaring alarm clock in the early hours of the morning. I sat bolt upright in my bed feeling a divine transformation taking place in the very depths of my being. It's time to get up! There is work to do.
I cannot tell you how many times in the past few months I have absolutely whined about everything. In part because I have been suspended in the mire of complacency, living an unimpressive life wandering about in an uninspiring, unproductive, lackadaisical spiritual walk. Feeling trapped in circumstances out of my control while being rocked by the waves of indecision and doubt and self-degradation, I had been lulled to sleep. I was not trapped. I was stalled. Body, mind, and spirit. Paused.

I cannot tell you how many times in the past few months I have absolutely whined about everything. In part because I have been suspended in the mire of complacency, living an unimpressive life wandering about in an uninspiring, unproductive, lackadaisical spiritual walk. Feeling trapped in circumstances out of my control while being rocked by the waves of indecision and doubt and self-degradation, I had been lulled to sleep. I was not trapped. I was stalled. Body, mind, and spirit. Paused.

"How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?" -Proverbs 6:9

We all have "stuff" within ourselves that we would like to be different. As humans, we constantly seek some sort of change whether physical, spiritual, financial, or circumstantial. That is how we grow and evolve into conceivably better versions of ourselves. For many months, in some cases years, I have sought God for deliverance from the "stuff" that ensnares and circumvents the progress I have longed for in many areas of my life. "You are God. You can speak the word and I can be changed instantly! You perform miracles all the time. Why won't you just touch me?" Those words came spewing bitterly out of my mouth. My cynical attitude gave birth to that disrespectful, putrid gripe session I called "prayer time." Honestly, I was a bit miffed at God for not waiving the wand over me. Poof, Changed! Well, guess what? God is not a genie. He does nothing whimsical. On the contrary, our Savior is methodical and EVERYTHING He does is in His timing not in our timing in His perfect way and usually not the way we expect or demand. Even when we believe we are praying noble prayers, God’s purpose and plan is for our good not always for our comfort, and certainly not just because we say so. I was behaving like a spoiled brat stopping my feet in a tantrum that reached a fever pitch.

How humbling when our Father must show us ourselves and reprimand us in our bad behaviors. But, oh how loved and how light I have felt this week! When my spirit man was roused from sleep, my eyes were opened. You know what? God did perform a miracle in me. He transformed my mind and washed me in the water of His word. Proverbs 25:28 leaped from the pages of my Bible and danced about in my spirit all week. The scripture tells us without self-control we are as a city with broken-down walls leaving us vulnerable to attacks from the enemy which is exactly where I found myself. I wrote down three different translations of this passage on an index card and taped it to my bathroom mirror so that I see self-control reflected in my image every morning.

Ever wonder why do these things keep happening to me? Maybe because you are an easy target, my friend. You have become a defenseless city. You see, I wanted instant deliverance, but sometimes we must walk that deliverance out so we will not return to those old ways, to that same captivity. We must do the work. We have to stand up! In doing so, we are in essence putting on our spiritual armor so that we can "take our stand against the schemes of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11)

Let us proclaim today that we are no longer a sitting, sleeping target, but we are standing our ground and we are making advancements in the kingdom! Wielding our weapons of warfare to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down everything that would exalt itself as idols in our lives, we are bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ as we are instructed to do! (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) Then, self-control is no longer just an attribute, it is a habitual way of living and a habitual way of walking. In taking our stand today, we have taken the plunder, we have regained control of self, and we are not going back! 

So, get up! There is work to do!


Psalm 32:7 "...You surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah."