"But be on your guard. Don't let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it's going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don't go to sleep at the switch. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that's coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man." Luke 21:34-36 (MsgB)
The bible speaks of a time of great temptation coming upon the earth just before Jesus returns. We have assumed that the danger ahead is that of persecution, but scripture indicates that it’s more a time of sleepiness coming upon Christians. Of course there will be persecution and violence but this verse particularly warns us to pray and be watchful so that we don’t fall asleep spiritually, and lose our cutting edge.
In this day and age there are so many ‘things’ that distract us. So much that clamours for our attention and this could cause the day of the Lord to sneak up on us unawares, if we are not careful.
With all these distractions we can be dulled to the presence of God and hardly hear His voice anymore.
There was a minister and a North American Indian walking through the noisy, busy streets of New York one day. The Indian suddenly stopped and said that he could hear a cricket. The minister said, “Don’t be silly, how can you possibly hear a cricket in the midst of all this noise?” He then went next to a rubbish bin and unearthed a cricket. “How did you hear that?” said the Minister. “It depends on what you are tuned too,” said the Indian. “Watch this,” he said. He took some loose change out of his pocket and dropped it on the pavement. Immediately heads turned and honed in on the sound of the money. This proved his point, it all depends on what we are tuned too.
We are so tuned into the world that it’s hard for God to get our attention anymore. Look at how we constantly talk to each other on mobile phones all through the day and can hardly give the Lord a minute of our time. Have you ever tried talking to someone who is busy looking at their mobile phone all the time? They are not really listening to you, and so is it with God when He tries to talk to us.
So often we start our Christian walk alert and watchful, but as time goes by we fall asleep and shuffle around in our spiritual pyjamas. We are not alert anymore and just drift along.
My wife and I went on a media fast for a month where we didn’t watch any secular television, or have any impute from the world through media. No watching the news or checking Facebook for instance, but we did still use our mobile phones to call people and receive necessary emails. It wasn’t easy to do but it was one of the best things I have ever done for my spiritual health. During this fast we would only watch ‘Christian Television’ and read the bible and Christian books. It was really hard at first but gradually the joy of hearing from God made it all worthwhile. I soon realised how I had been loving the world too much, and have endeavoured to be more watchful now.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17
The trouble is we have become so immersed in the world that we don’t realise how we are being influenced by it and how it’s contaminating our lives. We may say. “Where are you Lord?” But He hasn’t shifted, we have.
Let us wake up before its too late, for the Day of the Lord is nearer than we think. Don’t be like the foolish Virgins who left off what they knew they should be doing, procrastinated and subsequently were shut out of the Marriage Feast. Matthew 25:1-13
If this parable is meant to be a prophetic warning, then only 50% of Christians will be prepared for the Lord’s Return. Don’t be one of the unwise Christian.