It’s High Time

Title: “It Is High Time: Standing at the edge of 2026”

Text: Romans 13:11–14 (KJV)

The dawning of a new year is a time to reflect

we should be reflecting on our successes

We should be reflecting on our short comings

But I think for me it is a time to reflect on my

Paul says something that should arrest every believer’s attention:

“Knowing the time…”

That tells us something right away — God expects His people to be aware of the season they are living in.

Time is not neutral. Time is not random. Time is moving us closer to standing before God.

Every year that passes brings us closer to accountability, closer to purpose fulfilled or purpose postponed, closer to hearing either “Well done” or “What did you do with what I gave you?”

And Paul does not speak softly to this moment. He does not ease into it. He declares with urgency:

“Now it is high time.”

Not next year. Not when things settle down. Not when life becomes easier.

Now.

This text is not written to comfort — it is written to confront. It is a wake-up call to a church that knows God but may have grown comfortable with delay, compromise, and spiritual drowsiness.

Tonight, God is not asking us what is our new year’s resolution He is asking what condition are we entering the new year.

Awake or asleep? Prepared or drifting? Clothed in Christ or weighed down by the flesh?

Church, this moment matters. And the Word of the Lord to us is clear:

“Now is high time.”

I. Wake Up

Romans 13:11

Paul is speaking to believers, not unbelievers.

This is not physical sleep, but spiritual drowsiness.

Paul is speaking to believers, not unbelievers; this is a call to the church to rise to awareness (Ephesians 5:14 — “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead…”)

Spiritual sleep is not the absence of faith, but the absence of alertness and responsiveness to God (Matthew 26:40–41 — “Could ye not watch with me one hour?”)

A sleeping believer can be active in religious routine while disconnected from spiritual urgency (Isaiah 29:13 — “This people draw near me with their mouth… but have removed their heart far from me”)

Spiritual sleep causes delay—what God calls for now, we keep postponing (Hebrews 3:15 — “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts”)

When believers are asleep spiritually, sensitivity to conviction becomes dull (1 Thessalonians 5:6 — “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober”)

Comfort can replace consecration when sleep sets in (Amos 6:1 — “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion”)

Prolonged sleep makes compromise feel normal and conviction feel uncomfortable (Romans 12:2 — “Be not conformed to this world”)

Paul connects awakening to understanding the season—“knowing the time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 — “To every thing there is a season”)

Every passing year reminds us that time is moving us closer to eternity (Psalm 90:12 — “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”)

Spiritual awakening does not happen accidentally; it requires intentional response (James 4:8 — “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you”)

God’s call to wake up is an act of mercy, not judgment (Revelation 3:2 — “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain”)

Awakening often begins with honest self-examination and repentance (Lamentations 3:40 — “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD”)

To wake up spiritually is to realign priorities and refocus devotion (Matthew 6:33 — “Seek ye first the kingdom of God”)

God desires an alert, watchful, praying people (Luke 21:36 — “Watch ye therefore, and pray always”)

Carrying spiritual sleep into a new year is dangerous because it weakens discernment (Proverbs 19:15 — “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep”)

This moment is a divine invitation to shake off complacency

The call to wake up is preparation for purpose, not punishment

God is calling His people to wake up because there is still work to do

Sleep dulls awareness. Sleep delays response. Sleep makes us comfortable when we should be alert.

At the end of the year, this is a moment to ask:

Have I become spiritually comfortable?

Am I alert to God’s voice, or have I been hitting the snooze button?

Have I been busy, but not watchful?

Paul reminds us that salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

We are closer to Christ’s return, closer to eternity, closer to standing before God than ever before.

Challenge: Do not carry spiritual sleep into a new year.

Wake up to prayer.

Wake up to purpose.

Wake up to holiness.

II. Cheer Up

(Romans 13:12a)

Paul reminds believers that darkness has a limit, but God’s light is advancing

“The night” represents seasons of sin, confusion, suffering, and spiritual opposition (Isaiah 60:2 — “Darkness shall cover the earth… but the LORD shall arise upon thee”)

“Far spent” means the night is already running out of time (Psalm 30:5 — “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”)

“The day is at hand” speaks of God’s intervention, clarity, and righteous living (Malachi 4:2 — “The Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings”)

God never calls His people to stare at darkness—He calls them to anticipate light (Hebrews 12:2 — “Looking unto Jesus”)

If we are going to cheer up we must look up

Looking up prepares us to move forward instead of living in the past (Isaiah 40:31 — “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength”)

When we look up, fear loosens its grip (Luke 21:28 — “Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh”)

Looking up keeps us from thinking this season is the final word (2 Corinthians 4:18 — “The things which are not seen are eternal”)

This is not our home, when we look up toward our home it will naturally cause you to cheer up

Application: Stop letting last year’s disappointment define next year’s expectation. Lift your eyes. God is closer than you think.

III. Clean Up

(Romans 13:12b)

Paul calls for removal, not management, of the works of darkness (2 Corinthians 6:17 — “Come out from among them, and be ye separate”)

Darkness thrives in secrecy, compromise, and excuses (John 3:19 — “Men loved darkness rather than light”)

“Cast off” implies decisive action, not gradual tolerance (Hebrews 12:1 — “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin…”)

Works of darkness include anything that pulls us away from God

Cleaning up spiritually requires honesty before God

God never calls us to clean up so we can earn grace, but because we have received it (Titus 2:11–12 — “The grace of God… teaching us that, denying ungodliness…”)

Cleaning up requires repentance, not regret (2 Corinthians 7:10 — “Godly sorrow worketh repentance”)

What God calls us to cast off cannot be carried forward

A clean heart creates space for a clear direction

God is not asking what we intend to change—He is asking what we are willing to release

End-of-year cleansing positions us for new-year purpose

Application: Ask yourself honestly: What is God telling me to let go of now? Release it tonight. Don’t carry darkness into daylight.

IV. Suit Up

(Romans 13:12c)

After casting off darkness, Paul commands believers to put on protection (Ephesians 6:11 — “Put on the whole armour of God”)

Armor is necessary because living godly invites resistance (2 Timothy 3:12 — “All that will live godly… shall suffer persecution”)

The armor of light represents visible righteousness and spiritual readiness (Romans 6:13 — “Yield yourselves… as instruments of righteousness”)

Armor is worn daily; yesterday’s preparation is not enough for today’s battle

God never calls us into a season unprotected

Suiting up requires discipline, not convenience (1 Corinthians 9:27 — “I keep under my body…”)

Armor is not for display—it is for endurance (2 Corinthians 10:4 — “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal”)

your armor identifies who you belong to

armor of light lets others know who we are and who we are against (Matthew 5:16 — “Let your light so shine before men”)

A believer who fails to put on their armor is vulnerable to distraction and defeat (1 Peter 5:8 — “Be sober, be vigilant”)

God equips us because He expects us to engage, not retreat (Joshua 1:9 — “Be strong and of a good courage”)

Suiting up means choosing obedience over ease

The coming year requires spiritual readiness, not spiritual casualness

Application: Stop relying on last year’s devotion for this year’s battles. Commit to prayer. Commit to the Word. Commit to obedience—daily.

Suit up. What’s coming requires readiness.

V. Stand Up

(Romans 13:13)

God calls His people to visible integrity, not hidden compromise 2 Corinthians 8:21 “Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”

To be visible you must stand out and to stand out you must stand up

Standing up means refusing to blend into darkness (Joshua 24:15 — “Choose you this day whom ye will serve”)

Standing up requires courage when righteousness is unpopular (Daniel 3:16–18 — “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter”)

to walk one must stand up

Walking honestly means our lifestyle matches our confession (Titus 1:16 — “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him”)

Paul lists behaviors because conduct reveals alignment

Standing up means setting boundaries, not just beliefs (Romans 12:9 — “Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good”)

Standing up often means standing alone “Tho none go with, still I will follow”

God honors those who stand when others bow

We cannot sit comfortably when God is calling us to stand boldly (1 Corinthians 16:13 — “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith”)

Standing up is evidence that awakening is real

Application: Stop sitting quietly where God is calling you to stand boldly. Draw clear boundaries. Live openly. Choose obedience—even when it costs.

VI. Man Up

(Romans 13:14)

To man up spiritually is to accept responsibility for how we live and lead (1 Corinthians 16:13 — “Quit you like men, be strong”)

Putting on Christ means surrendering control, not just claiming identity (Luke 9:23 — “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself”)

Man up means choosing discipline over desire (Galatians 2:20 — “Not I, but Christ liveth in me”)

Paul warns against making provision for the flesh—planning for sin is spiritual immaturity (Romans 6:12 — “Let not sin therefore reign”)

Man up means cutting off what feeds weakness (Matthew 5:29 — “If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out”)

Christlikeness requires intentional daily submission (John 15:5 — “Without me ye can do nothing”)

Man up means leading your life, home, and faith with conviction (Joshua 1:6 — “Be strong and of a good courage”)

God is calling for mature believers, not spiritual spectators (Hebrews 5:12 — “When for the time ye ought to be teachers…”)

Putting on Christ means letting Him shape attitudes, actions, and appetites (Philippians 2:5 — “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”)

Man up means taking ownership of obedience (James 1:22 — “Be ye doers of the word”)

The new year requires grown faith, not borrowed conviction

God is calling His people to rise in maturity, responsibility, and Christlikeness

Application: Take responsibility for your walk. Your habits. Your obedience. This new year requires grown faith—not borrowed conviction.

Man up. Live like Christ actually lives in you.

Conclusion: The Urgency of Now

Paul’s message is clear:

Wake Up — stop drifting

Cheer Up — stop despairing

Clean Up — stop compromising

Suit Up — stop coasting

Stand Up — stop hiding

Man Up — stop yielding

Church, this is not just another year ending.

This is the beginning of a new year that makes us one year closer to the Lord’s return.

“Now is high time.”

Right now is your moment to respond. Right now is your opportunity to reset. Right now is your call to alignment.

Don’t step into a new year unchanged. Don’t walk forward half-awake.

Now. Is. High. Time.