Awake, O Sleeper: Why Christians Must Wake Up to God's Purpose

In a world that seems increasingly disconnected from spiritual truth, many believers find themselves spiritually asleep, missing God's purpose for their lives. The call to wake up isn't just for the lost world around us—it's for the church itself.

The World Hits Snooze on Eternity Every Day

Romans 13:11 reminds us that "now it is high time to wake up out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed." While the world around us remains spiritually asleep, chasing dreams but sleeping through truth, we cannot afford to join them in their slumber.

People will wake up for football games, sports events, and entertainment, but they hit the snooze button when it comes to eternal matters. They're flooding off from work, going through their daily routines, but many are spiritually unconscious to the reality that eternity is closer than ever before.

A Sleeping Church Cannot Shake a Dead World

The problem isn't just with the world—it's often with us, the church. We should know better, yet we too can fall into spiritual sleep. A sleeping church cannot shake a dead world. We must be awake to who God is and what He desires to do through us.

When God becomes our priority, other things become less necessary. We need to start our days right—not rushing straight to work, but spending time in His presence first. This isn't about earning salvation; it's about being faithful to the One who lives within us.

What Does It Mean to Be Spiritually Awake?

Jesus spoke to the church of Sardis in Revelation 3:1, saying, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up!" This wasn't directed at unbelievers—this was Jesus speaking directly to a church.

Being spiritually awake means:

 

  • Recognizing that the kingdom of God is within us
  • Being sensitive to God's voice and leading
  • Living with eternal perspective rather than worldly priorities
  • Understanding that we don't get a second chance at the first resurrection

 

The Urgency of Our Times

Mark 13:32-37 tells us that no one knows the day or hour of Christ's return, but we are commanded to "watch" repeatedly. The time is urgent because eternity is closer than ever before.

Satan and the forces of darkness are singing lullabies to a gullible and deceived world, trying to keep people spiritually unconscious. We cannot afford to tap our feet to those same lullabies.

True Surrender Costs Everything

While salvation is free, true surrender costs us everything. Just as Jesus said in Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done," we must offer the same surrender. His surrender wasn't weakness—it was obedience in full strength.

Luke 9:23 calls us to "deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me." This kind of surrendered life doesn't make sense to an unsurrendered world. We become peculiar people, set apart, just as Noah seemed strange building an ark for 120 years before the flood came.

Faith looks foolish until fulfillment comes.

How Do We Wake Up and Stay Awake?

Start with Absolutes

There are certain non-negotiables in the Christian life:

- Start every day on your knees in God's presence

- Be part of a community of believers (lone wolves starve; only the pack survives)

- Get into God's Word regularly

- Build altars of worship and prayer

- Seek freedom from any bondage

Fall in Love, Don't Rely on Willpower

What keeps us awake spiritually isn't willpower—it's love. When we fall deeply in love with Jesus through spending time in His presence, His oil affects our affections permanently. It's love, not willpower, that compels us to live differently.

Understand This Life is a Fight

Kingdom rest is promised after the fight, not instead of it. Jesus didn't die to make us comfortable; He died to make us conquerors. Everyone has something they're called to conquer in God's strength, but we can't win battles if we're sleeping through them.

We Gather to Know Him, We Scatter to Make Him Known

The ultimate reason we must stay awake is because there are people who need rescue. Proverbs 24:11 commands us to "deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter."

Our world, our cities, our communities need to know that Jesus died, rose again, and is coming back. There's a place prepared for them, but they need someone who is spiritually awake to share this truth.

We gather in church to know Him better, but we scatter into the world to make Him known.

Life Application

This week, commit to starting each day in God's presence before rushing into your daily routine. Set your alarm 15-30 minutes earlier and spend that time in prayer, worship, and reading Scripture. Ask God to show you His specific purpose for your life and how He wants to use you to reach others.

Consider these questions:

 

  • Am I spiritually awake to God's purpose for my life, or am I hitting the snooze button on His calling?
  • What areas of my life need to be surrendered more fully to Christ?
  • Who in my sphere of influence needs to hear about Jesus, and how is God calling me to reach them?
  • Am I living with eternal perspective, or am I too focused on temporary, worldly concerns?

 

The time is urgent. Eternity is closer than when we first believed. It's time to wake up, rise up, and fulfill the purpose God has placed within each of us.