No Time to Sleep

1 Thessalonians 5:5–9 ESV

For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The DNA of God is forward only. There is no reverse in God.

Never one time in the Bible do you find God going backwards.

Everything about God is forward motion about moving forward, about pressing on

More, greater, forward, higher, deeper, driving, reaching, stretching, pressing,

These are the words that express the attitude of God when it comes to the Christian Life.

I believe the sentiment, and the spiritual D.N.A. of the Christian life could be expressed in this one scripture

Exodus 14:15 ESV

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

This is what I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying today. Tell the people to go forward.

Now I want to recognize that even as I tell you to move forward, there is a fact of life we have to contend with

There Will be Times of Exhaustion

I feel like most of the church world, is feeling today, just like the Israelites felt that day when they heard Moses speak those words to them.

They felt like Moses had lost his mind. First of all they were worn out physically, mentally, and emotionally. They were exhausted. And no doubt they were very disappointed in Moses, because it looked like he had led them into a trap. They no doubt felt just like multitudes are feeling today Drained, empty, wiped out, tired, and sleepy.

Every body needs a cheer-leader in their life, but lets be honest about it Sometimes the last thing you want is a cheer-leader.

Sometimes you don’t want to cheer up. You don’t want to be happy You want to be tired. You just want to sit down and mope. You want to be upset for awhile. You just want to sleep.

Praise the name of Jesus that God loves us too much to let us be comfortable in our dysfunction.

In the great classic Pilgrims Progress, one of the greatest threats to pilgrim and his companion hopeful, on their journey, was the enemy of sleep.

Let me read to you an excerpt from this great classic

"I then saw in my dream that they went till they came into a certain country, whose air naturally tended to make one drowsy if he came a stranger into it. And here Hopeful began to be very dull and heavy of sleep; wherefore he said unto Christian, "I do now begin to grow so drowsy, that I can scarcely hold up mine eyes; let us lie down here, and take one nap."

CHRISTIAN. - "By no means, lest sleeping, we never awake more."

Hopeful. - Why, my brother? sleep is sweet to the laboring man: we may be refreshed if we take a nap.

Christian. - Do not you remember that one of the shepherds bid us beware of the Enchanted Ground? He meant by that, that we should beware of sleeping; wherefore let us not sleep as others, but let us watch and be sober.

Hopeful. - I acknowledge myself in fault; and had I been here alone, I had by sleeping, run the danger of death.

This is one of the tactics the enemy is using against the church today He is wearing out the saints. The saints are becoming weary. And they are just looking for a soft place to go to sleep. Not to say that they are lazy, or that they are not great warriors, but they are tired.

The dictionary defines sleep as... a condition of body and mind that typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended.

It's interesting that when referring to going to sleep, you never hear phrases like... I leaped into sleep, or I jumped off to sleep.

But instead we use the phrases like he fell asleep, or I fall asleep.

The inference is that you don't overcome sleep, but sleep overcomes you gradually.

That's the battle we're in today, people are being overcome by sleep... the desire to just lay down and surrender to a spirit of slumber.

We Need to Wake Each Other Up

Like never before, we need the cheer-leaders, even if we don’t want to hear them. We need to hear them thundering from the pulpits Wake up O sleepy heads, your journey is not over. Theres many more giants to be slain.

Joshua 13:1 ESV

Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.

There is much land, much property, much spiritual territory, that belongs to the children of God, but the enemy has moved in and become a squatter. It's time to evict the squatter and take back, and repossess the land that belongs to us.

One of my favorite little verses in the Bible is right here in 2 Kings

2 Kings 4:24 NASB95

Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you.”

I feel like this is a word for the church today, as though the Holy Spirit himself is saying Drive Go forward Slack not....don’t slow down unless i tell you

Slack not. Don't back up... Don't take your foot off the gas... Wake up... Get busy.

Ezekiel 1:12 ESV

And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.

Again in Ezekiel 1:12 And they went everyone straight (forward:) whither the Spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

This is the word of the Lord today Get up, and get moving. Get in gear. You’re not home yet. You cant afford to get caught sleeping.

I know were tired. I know were battle weary. I know it feels sometimes like your efforts don’t make any difference at all. But they do Every movement in the right direction keeps the kingdom of God advancing.

Every prayer, every testimony, every hallelujah.

Every time you quote a scripture, every time you clap your hands in faith.

Every time you sow a seed, every time you speak in tongues, you are fighting back the hordes of hell.

Upward, onward, higher and higher, more and more, greater and greater, glory to glory.

Its like the old song Higher Ground says

Vs 1. I’m pressing on the upward way, new heights I’m gaining every day, still praying as I’m upward bound, Lord plant my feet on higher ground.

Vs 2. My heart has no desire to stay, where doubts arise, and fears dismay, though some may dwell where those abound, my prayer my aim is higher ground.

Never think you have arrived. There are higher mountains to be climbed, wider rivers to be crossed, bigger giants to kill, greater glories to behold.

There is no place to turn around. From the day of your new birth it is an upward journey. Beware the Enchanted Ground There is no time for sleep.

The Christian life is not for pansies or the timid and fearful. The Christian life is a life to be seized. To be lived boldly, fearlessly, and aggressively.

Genesis 26:13 Speaking of Isaac, says:

Genesis 26:13 ESV

and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.

Notice that Isaac only became very great (by going forward).

Forward is not an Accident

Forward is not an accident. You can slide back effortlessly, but you can't go forward without intention and effort and an unwavering determination.

We are not going anywhere by accident... The only way we progress in this Christian life is, through intention and effort.

The Holy Spirit is waiting to put his Super on our Natural; but He won't do anything until we do something.

Remember this very simple yet powerful truth When Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit in the Bible, he introduced him as our helper. Not our servant. The Holy Spirit is sent by God to assist us, to help us, to give instructions and directions. He comes to guide and counsel, and to empower us as we move our feet.

In other words, as we do our part he is activated.

The Bible says that Samson would shake himself and then the anointing would come upon him.

This means to me I have to do the natural, and he will do the Supernatural.

The secret ingredient of faith is: Push.

Somebody said I'm just waiting for opportunity to knock at my door.

Somebody else said: The door of opportunity is marked (push).

I am certain that many more doors open by pushing than by waiting.

Of course we know that there is such a thing as waiting on God. But that is speaking about the lifestyle of communion and fellowship and depending on his presence. It is not speaking about living with your hands folded waiting for God to bring every thing to you.

*The woman with the Issue of blood went after her healing.

*Bartimaeus went after his sight.

*Zacchaeus climbed the sycamore tree. He went after Jesus.

*The Syrophenician woman went after deliverance for her daughter.

*Jairus went after Jesus, to raise his daughter from the dead.

*The widow whose son died rushed to Elijah to restore life to her son.

*The desperate leper fell at Jesus feet seeking his healing.

Too often in the church today we have come to a place of cheap grace and easy faith.

We need to get back to some fiery mountain moving, bold and aggressive faith. The kind of faith that doesn't just sit around on its hands, but it works.

James 2:20 ESV

Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

I'm going to say it again, the secret ingredient of faith is push.

The master key to the Christian life is faith.

According to your faith be it unto thee.

It may not sound like a big deal, but I have to tell you, sometimes it takes a lot of faith just to keep moving.

If you ask me today what was the key to the great deliverance of the Israelites at the red sea? I would have to say

They kept moving

*They didn’t feel like it, but they kept moving.

*It didn’t make sense, but they kept moving.

*They were afraid, but they kept moving.

*They were tired, but they kept moving.

*They felt like quitting, but they kept moving.

*They were frustrated, but they kept moving.

Repeat with You

It may not sound like a great deep revelation, but I can tell you personally, and from the word of God, that many times, to just keep moving is the difference between life and death. You have to keep moving.