Stay Awake!

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus about walking in love. His exhortation went on to encourage us to live pure and holy and to walk in obedience. Paul then spoke about living in the light of Jesus Christ. “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Most of us need a dark room in order to sleep and the presence of light in a room can rouse us out of a deep sleep. Paul drew the parallel between darkness and spiritual slumber to light and being awake and alive.

We no longer live in the darkness, but are children of the light. As we walk in the light, our spiritual eyes are open to the realities of the world that we live in. Although we are not of the world, we live in the world and are surrounded by spiritual entities. We are able to discern between good and evil and to distinguish light from darkness. “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Everyone that we come in contact with, are operating under and are being controlled by certain spirits.

We are either submitted to the law of God and are being led by the Holy Spirit, or we are being led by the spirit of the world. “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). For this reason we have to remain alert and we cannot simply take everyone at face value. The only way to test and discern motive and intentions is to ask the Holy Spirit. Discernment is a spiritual gift and we have to exercise this in order to become proficient. Are you able to discern when someone is a destiny helper or someone who is an agent of darkness? This statement may sound harsh as we want to see the best in everyone.

While optimism is a good character trait, naivety and short sightedness can be costly mistakes. We have to exercise sound judgement and pray constantly about the people in our sphere of influence. Do you know why some people want to be close to you, or desire to be in your inner circle? You have to also assess whether or not some relationships are helping to draw you closer or farther away from God. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). “so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

A.P.-Y.