Are You Awake? — Part 2: Stay Awake

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, waking up is one thing. Staying awake is another.

If you read Part 1 of my August 20th post and found yourself examining your heart, I want to encourage you: conviction is not an invitation to shame. It is an invitation for us to come closer. Sometimes we don't intentionally drift away from God. Life simply gets loud.

Responsibilities pile up. Our bodies become tired. Disappointments weigh heavily on our hearts. We become so busy trying to make it through the day that, before we realize it, our time with God has slowly become whatever time we have left. But the good thing for us is that God is still there.

Jesus told His disciples, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” — Matthew 26:41

There is so much grace in those words. Jesus understood their weakness, just as He understands ours. Yet He lovingly reminded them, as He reminds us—to stay watchful and prayerful.

So perhaps today is simply a time for a heart check.

What has been consuming your attention lately? What have you been feeding your spirit? When was the last time you sat quietly with God—not asking for anything, not presenting your list of needs, but simply enjoying His presence? These are questions I have to ask myself, too. We are all works in progress.

There will be seasons when our prayers feel powerful and seasons when all we can whisper is, “Jesus, help me.” There will be days when studying the Word comes easily and others when we have to intentionally make room for it. The key is for us to keep showing up. Open your Bible. Talk to God throughout your day. Worship Him and cling to Him in the good seasons and in the difficult ones. And when you realize you've drifted, don't run away in shame—run back to Him. God isn't standing over us waiting for us to fail. He is calling His children closer.

So, Body of Christ, let's encourage one another to stay awake. Let's pray for one another. Let's sharpen one another. Let's remind one another that this world may compete for our attention, but Jesus is still worthy of our affection. Part 1 of my last post sounded the alarm: Wake up. Part 2 is the encouragement: Stay awake. Stay close. Keep going.

"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." — 1 Thessalonians 5:6. If you realize today that you've become spiritually tired, distracted, or distant, don't be discouraged.

The beautiful thing about waking up is that when you open your eyes, you'll discover that God never left.

Let’s wake up. Stay awake. And keep our eyes on Jesus.

Written in Love and Urgency for the Saints, Kamilia Watson