The Joy of the Journey: Rise-up!

A few years ago, I was staying in a hotel and had to attend an event I was scheduled to speak at.  I’d always relied on my phone to wake me up, but for some reason, I called the front desk and asked them to give me a wake-up call at a particular time. Thank God I did because my phone, for some reason, was not set to the correct time, and the wake-up call allowed me to be at my appointment and not late.  

We all have an appointed time with God! A time when He will come for us. We need to be ready, awake, and alert when He comes!   It is time for the church to wake up! There are more lost souls than ever walking around us.   I’m not asking God to send Revival; I’m asking God to begin an Awakening in the church (True Believers)! We have allowed our passion for reaching a lost and dying world to be replaced by being comfortable in the pew and chairs of our churches.  The definition of awakening is an act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something.  I believe that something that we need to become suddenly aware of is that Jesus is coming soon! Many have said, “Well, it won’t be in my lifetime.”  This statement couldn’t be further from the truth. You see when your life ends, you meet Jesus!  So you might ask, what do I need to rise up to?

We must rise up to the fight that is around us. Not a fight against people; the apostle Paul made it clear in Ephesians that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.”  So today, I challenge you with this…to choose to fight and not slumber, to step into God’s purpose and anointing.  Ephesians 6:10-18 says for us to put on God’s armor.  Every Christian needs to get dressed up and ready to fight.  The Captain of our soul commands us to move in His name! To engage the spirits of addiction, anger, bondage, strife, bitterness, and fear.  But most of all, to bind the Spirit of religion!  To offer the hope of Jesus to this world.

We cannot sit by with the knowledge that souls will be lost this day while we bask in the Grace and peace of our God.   We must move… Move FORWARD!  This has a cost, and we must be aware of that fact.   To free those who are captive is to invite the enemy to attack our lives.  Satan is delighted when the church is slumbering.  However, when we decide to make a difference in people’s lives, we better believe the fight is on. It’s time for a wake-up call. It’s time to wipe the sleep out of our eyes and fight.   Ephesians 5:13-14 says, “13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

It’s time to wake up! Beautiful things are ahead of you and me. I hope you have a blessed week.

In His Love,

Pastor P.