Ephesians 5:8-20
For you were once darkness, but now
you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the
fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find
out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing
to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is
shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But
everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is
light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
‘Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’
15Be very
careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the
most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.17Therefore
do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18Do not get
drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the
Spirit. 19Speak to
one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music
in your heart to the Lord,20always
giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Have you
ever woken up and realized that you have been asleep? I don’t mean
asleep in your bed, I mean realizing that something inside of you was
sleeping?
I spent so much of my life asleep, going through
the motions of the Christian life. There were moments of clarity where I
would wake for a short while, but eventually the sweet sound of a life
focused on myself rocked me back to sleep.
In November
of 2008 God started nudging me. I had been in a deep sleep but like your
parents on a Saturday morning, this time He wouldn’t stop until I sat
up. He used images of impoverished children in Uganda and healing an
illness that had been plaguing me for over a month to wake me, and I
haven’t been able to ‘sleep’ since.
There is
something happening. There is a change that is coming. These past few
weeks I have been lead into so many conversations with other people who
feel like God is calling. God is pulling them out of a ‘sleep’. He is
awakening passions, dreams, and visions in their hearts. Some of it
makes sense and some of it is unclear, but one thing that is clear is
that He is on the move.
He is calling you. He is calling me. He is asking
us, our friends, the church, to wake up from our slumber and pursue the
life that is waiting in Him!
So when you feel His nudge, don’t
just roll over. Don’t ask for ‘Five more minutes.’ The time has come for
us to wake up and LIVE.
“A Voice
Calling Out”
By: Bethany
Dillon
I hear a
voice calling out
I hear a
voice in this wilderness
Where
darkness has reigned for so long
Ground is
being taken
The trumpet
sounds
And Your
glory touches the ground
And we all
stand in awe
Who is this?
This glory
far beyond us
I hear a
voice
I hear a
drum beating
heaven’s
drawing near
The sky will
open
Your people
are being healed
I hear a
voice
Heaven’s
battle cry
Rise
See the sun
light what was hidden
Heaven’s
heart beat
See is
moving
What was a
whisper is now
A voice
calling out
I see a
generation rising up
No longer
accepting lies
Running to
the battlefield
And losing
their lives
I see a
generation rising up
No longer
accepting lies
As a band of
worshipers run to the battlefield
They’re
finding their lives
I hear a
voice
