February 27, 2012

Wake Up Thou That Sleepest!

Kathleen Maples

Isa 52:1 Awake, awake; put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for no longer, there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Isa 52:2 Shake yourself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. without money. Isa 52:3 For thus says the LORD, You have sold yourselves for nothing; and you shall be redeemed Isa 52:4 For thus says the Lord GOD, My people went down at first into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Isa 52:5 Now therefore, what have I here, says the LORD, that my people are taken away for nothing? they that rule over them make them to wail, says the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

Isa 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that does speak: behold, it is I.
Church of Jesus Christ, those of you who are not where you should be, those of you who are asleep, listen. He says it twice, wake up! Rouse yourself, stir yourself to move from where you are. Open your eyes, look around and get excited about what you will see. Wake up! Be excited! He is talking to a people who are captives, exiled by this time to various lands conquered by Assyria and Babylon. The Northern Kingdom of Israel, whose capital city was Samaria, was conquered by Assyria. The Southern Kingdom was taken by Babylon who at this time had not risen to power. When Uzziah was king, Assyria was on the move, conquering one nation after another in the east. Having turned westward, they were marching steadily toward the Mediterranean Coast, conquering one nation after another with harsh brutality. After Uzziah died, evil kings arose over God's people, and there was infighting, murderous treachery and everything fell apart. This left them vulnerable to Assyrian attack. When our hearts are divided, or God's people are divided, and fighting among themselves, at war with each other, it leaves them vulnerable. Israel and Judah had turned from God and followed the desire of their human nature were drawn to the idolatry of her neighbors. They were soon conquered by Assyria, a brutal nation who captured people and deported them from their home to other, foreign, conquered lands. The Assyrians stripped them of everything that would even remind them of their identity, their nation, their faith. 10 tribes of Israel were taken and assimilated into other nations, with other mixtures of captives. But before this, some had left Israel and went to Judah. They were the remnant, in Judah who could still hear, still had a heart for God even though they may have sinned. This is who God is talking to through Isaiah. They had suffered much for their sins. They were taken away from the land God had promised and given them. They were taken into captivity, as slaves of a foreign nation who cared nothing for them or their God. Still, Babylon wasn't as bad as Assyria. All that was left in Israel and Judah were the poorest of the poor, those who were considered to be not a threat. (2 Kin 17) Judah ended up in the same condition, following the footsteps of her sister, Israel. Israel has ceased to be. Judah is in captivity. She's not where she's supposed to be, she is clothed with filthy rags of her captivity, bound by her enemy. Yet God is talking to her, through the prophet Isaiah. Wake up! He says. You don't tell someone already awake to wake up. This is for those who are asleep. What could have put the people of God to sleep? Sorrow? Sorrow for their helpless, hopeless condition, for the pain they suffered in their captivity? Carelessness? Distraction, compromise? Let's look at how sorrow can put God's people to sleep, and the danger of it. In Luk_22:45, the Lord and three of His disciples are in the Garden of Gethsemane. The disciples, who weren't strong enough to stand what was coming, slept. They sought relief from their tortured minds, their fearful and confused thoughts. They struggled with an overwhelming fear, confusion and uncertainty. Jesus had been warning them He would be arrested and tried and murdered. How could this be? Their hearts cried out in agony and rebellion at the very thought. They would see everything they had trusted in, given up their lives to follow, put on trial, found guilty

and put to death. They'd seen Him walk on water to get to them in their storm, He was the One who commanded the winds and the waves in the storm on the sea. The winds and waves obeyed Him. He commanded the demons to come out with a quiet Word of authority and they did. Demons feared and trembled before Him and begged Him for mercy, for reprieve from their darkness. The disciples watched in stunned wonder as a dead man got up out of his grave when Jesus told him to. They'd seen a cripple rise and walk. They had watched in the synagogue as Jesus had spoken instructions to a man with a withered hand and saw it made whole. Leprosy had fled at His Word, leaving men whole and clean. See Him leave the wisest of religious leaders speechless! Watch Him embrace the children when others were impatient or too busy. See His compassion for a grieving mother who has lost her only son. Watch Him command new life into that young man! See Him show us how to defeat temptation and lies from the devil and put him in his place-defeated! He takes ignorant fishermen, teaches them wisdom. Crowds follow Him, wanting to make Him King. Religious leaders hate Him because He exposes not only their hypocrisy but also their impotence. He made them look bad and they resented Him for it. He had the power they craved but would not surrender their religious ideals to His truth and walk in His light. How tragic when the Lord begins to reveal truth to a people who instead of receiving it, will rebel, offended, and refuse to let go of their traditions taught them by men of religion. The disciples saw all of these things. They saw Him moved with compassion for the hungry, the poor and needy. He came and turned their world upside down, showing them the reality of the Scriptures they'd heard misrepresented their whole lives. He had gone outside the walls of the Temple to minister. He didn't hide behind rich, priestly garments, but dressed simply. He walked holy, with real power and authority in a dark, corrupt and sinful world. Yet He wasn't stained by it, the world didn't influence Him-He changed it. He was and is the way out of darkness, lies and death. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. To refuse Him is to embrace the opposite. He was what He preached. He was so confident of His Father, He could sleep peacefully on a boat that was in a storm which terrified His disciples and wrecked the other ships that tried to follow without Him on board. When a devil possessed man tried to intimidate Him, He set the tormented man free, and cast the demons into the swine. See Him in the crowd of people, on His way to raise a sick girl up. Someone comes to tell Jairus not to bother the Master, she's dead. It's too late. Nothing can be done. Jesus turns to look at the man who's just received the worst news a parent can hear. See His eyes lock with Jairus' panicked, grief stricken gaze with assurance. "Fear not, only believe." He says. Those holy eyes that pierced through the grief with reassurance in the face of impossible odds. See the little woman who is weak from the many years of bleeding and yet one touch from Him makes her whole. When she thinks to hide, He calls her out into the open from obscurity. He would not only heal her, but remove her reproach, the social stigma that branded her unclean and an outcast. Call not what He has cleansed unclean. He opened the eyes of those who were born blind in darkness. He touched the untouchable, those no one else would go near, He reached out, unafraid and touched them. See devils cower before Him in obedience, asking for a reprieve. See the paralytic brought before Him and watch him rise in new strength, able to walk at the Master's Word, forgiven and completely restored. We can see the religious try to debate Him, losing every time. When they tried to provoke Him, He refused the bait, having nothing to prove to them. When Satan came, he found nothing to exploit in Him. When people laughed at Him in scornful unbelief, He was not moved or deterred from His purpose. He knows what it's like to lose a family member to murderous, corrupt men in power. He offers comfort, encouragement and strength to those who were weary, burdened, discouraged and depressed under the load placed on them by religious men who would not carry the same load and didn't really know what they were talking about in the first place. Now, after seeing, hearing, being astounded and amazed by these things, in the darkness of Gethsemane the pressing time is here. Peter, James and John are weighed down with despair, fearing for themselves, their future, wondering how they'd survive if He was taken from them. How could He allow this to happen when He could stop it with a Word? They are so full of sorrow, and confusion they seek escape from their tormented thoughts in sleep, exhausted by the battle in their minds while He prays nearby in agony. He'd warned them to watch and pray because the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. That word for sleep means to slumber, decease, be dead, without life. The natural man is dead to the things of the Spirit, of life. Jesus acknowledges their sorrow over His warnings of what was coming in Joh_16:6. They could not, with carnal minds, understand why it had to be this way. He encouraged them with a promise that their sorrow would be turned into joy.

They were sleeping, they weren't praying, and when the soldiers came to take Him, they tried to fight back, with their feeble and inadequate human resources but fled in fear when this was ineffective. They deserted Him, with the shame and self loathing over their weakness and cowardly actions haunting every step. Not knowing what else to do, in panic and fear, they ran away. In Ezra, the some of the exiles have returned from Babylon. Zerubbabel, who was born in Babylon, but was a prince of Judah, in the second year of the return from captivity in Babylon was the one who raised up the altar and laid the foundation of the temple on the ruins of the one which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. But the Samaritans, and the mixed population around Jerusalem, who persecuted and opposed the work, succeeded in stopping it for about fifteen years. This surely discouraged the people, who faced an overwhelming task of rebuilding this city that had been destroyed by their enemy. During this time, Zerubbabel and the other people who had left off building the Lord's house, had been busy building expensive houses for themselves-building for their own selves, trying to survive in this hostile environment. Even as they worked, they were haunted with fear because of the opposition of the people of the land around. Their enemies did whatever they could to hinder the work. They sought to intimidate, frighten, and frustrate the people by hiring advisers to give out misinformation, so they might defeat the work going on. They sought to divide and conquer. They wrote to King Artaxerxes and misrepresented what the Jews were doing, and encouraged him to order the work to stop, which he did-giving permission for the use of force, if necessary. By then, the foundation of the Temple had been laid. The opposition grew, the pressure and resistance of the enemy increased, and they gave up and went home and built up their own houses. But no matter how hard they worked, or how much money they made, it came to nought. It was as if they put it in a bag that had holes in it. When they farmed the land, looking for a good harvest, they brought in little. Why? God said He blew upon it. Because they neglected His House, He with held His blessing. He called for a drought in the land. This message came to the people through Haggai. Scripture says then the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel and Joshua, and the remnant and they came and did the work in the house of the Lord. So they had to hear the Word from the Lord, but then He had to do a work in them, He woke them up, opened their eyes, gave them a vision, or understanding, that motivated them to move, in obedience to His Word. That word 'stirred' in Hag_1:14 is the same Hebrew Word in Isa_52:1. Get up! Rouse yourself, look, open your eyes and see what is going on, see the provision I have given you, made for you, and get excited about building up My house! We, today, are the House of the Lord, His temple, the place His Holy Spirit lives. And many of His people today are in this same situation. It's because of sorrow, because of discouragement, being wounded by religious people, the constant warfare of the enemy, false teaching of others, who are nothing more than hired counselors who seek to defeat, divide, and discourage that remnant who seek to walk in truth. They have seen it, have tried to resist it, and ended up hurt, worn out, and discouraged. They gave up and walked away, unable to bear the pain and confusion any longer. But God is sending them a Word and enabling them to hear and see again. He's stirring their spirit to rise and do as He bids them. In Ezr_3:2 Joshua and Zerubbabel, the leadership, the priest or ministry, and the governor of God's people, respectively, stood up in a hard situation, among the ruins of God's house, and built up first the altar of God and set it up on its base to offer burnt offerings to God, as He ordained through Moses. Prayer must be re-established. The communion of His people with Himself is vital. The first step to restoration is to get back in the altar, praying and seeking God, and saturating our minds with His Word. Make time to get alone with Him and make it the number one priority. This is preparation for the next step. Two months later, Zechariah came with another message. In Zech 1-3, The Lord reminds these people of their fathers' sins, how they refused to heed God's call to return to Him so He could return to them. You only try to reunite with those whom you love, and miss and long for. God is talking to this prophet by an angel, a messenger that He sent to help him understand and speak to the people. These people had been brought out of captivity from Babylon, and had returned to Jerusalem to begin to rebuild the Temple, the city, and the walls. The system of worship, the law of God, these had been torn down by an enemy who gained access because of the disobedience of God's people. Time and time again through out the Scriptures we can see God from Adam to Zechariah, the Lord, seeking a place, a relationship with His people. And we can also see every time temptation from the enemy designed to exploit the weakness of their human nature drew them into a place where they wandered away from God, and into sin, where ultimately, if they did not repent at His rebuke, at His mercy call, had to be judged. Still, God always tries to draw them back. Even as He allows their enemies to oppress them, even as He's is grieved with their misery, knowing they

full well did it to themselves, He, in such great mercy calls to them, return to Me and I will return to you! Come back! Just acknowledge your sin so I can forgive you and return to Me. I will restore you! To me, that is absolutely astounding. It's a testimony of His great, unfathomable love for an undeserving people. I count myself just as guilty as they. Some of God's people today have grown so weary of the battle, they just stopped trying to be a spiritual habitation for God, stopped trying to seek Him and walk in His truth. They have sought comfort in natural things, they have sought distraction from their tormented thoughts by other things-whether it's books or movies or activity that has no spiritual value-and can indeed be detrimental to spiritual life. The result is feeding the carnal appetite, building up what natural life they have. Inside they are grieved for what they see they have lost, but feel helpless and don't know how to get it back. The enemy would love to deceive them into thinking their hope of returning is gone, they've gone too far from God and He doesn't want them back, there's no hope of restoration. But the Scriptures prove he lies. We see in Zech 1 God is offering mercy. If the people will turn back to Him, He will turn back to them. If they will listen and obey His Word, He will be their Help. HE is jealous for His people, displeased with their weak and pitiful condition. He is displeased with their oppressors who live in ease while His people struggle. But He says He has returned to Jerusalem, His house shall be built there. We know He is talking about Jerusalem, but I believe this also applies to His church, spiritual Israel, His people. He will build His temple-and we are His temple, the habitation of God's Holy Spirit. Now He tells Zechariah how this will be done. He says in Zec_2:5 He will be to her a wall of fire around about her and will be the glory in the midst of her. Did not this happen when the Holy Ghost fell on the 120 in the upper room in Acts 2? He says deliver yourself, Zion that lives with the daughter of Babylon. Babylon is a place of mixture. The name Babylon comes from the word 'babel' which means confusion. If you're in a place of mixture, where the spiritual and carnal are tried together, and the result is confusion, get out of that place. It's a place God hates and judges. It's a dangerous place. He says come out from among her. Now. He is not the Author of confusion. We see in Zec 3 the ministry is spotted and stained with filthy garments. The enemy was standing right there to accuse and attack the priest, Joshua. The name Joshua means the salvation of the Lord. We see the Lord Himself rebuking Satan, and extending mercy and pardon for the sin of the priest, and causing his iniquity to pass from him. He clothed him with clean garments-His own righteousness. He told him if you will walk in My ways, and keep the post, protect the duty I give you, then you will give My Word and minister My judgments to My people. You will keep My courts and have access to them who are there. This ministry would be from God to the minister to the people. In chapter 4 Zechariah says this messenger that told him all these things from the Lord, came back again and talked with him, and waked him as one that is wakened out of sleep. He opened his eyes, showed him what was going on, showed him the way to accomplish the ministry laid before him. He hears the charge of the Lord in chapter 3 and goes to sleep? In chapter 4 the Lord sends the messenger back to wake him up again, and this time show him how it would be accomplished. Could it be that Zechariah, upon seeing his condition, on seeing Joshua's spotted and stained condition, and hearing the command of the Lord to straighten up and fly right, was overwhelmed with sorrow and despair and having no idea how this might be changed, sought refuge from his sorrow in sleep? He saw the Lord pardon Joshua's iniquity, and clothe him in clean garments. But still, surely he wondered how could this possibly be done? These people won't listen for long, they always transgress. They always wander from God to idols. How can that ever change? Scripture says the messenger, identified as an angel of the Lord, came and opened his eyes, gave him a revelation of how this was to be done. He lifted him up from the sleep of sorrow, and showed him the way. What do you see, Zechariah? I see a golden candlestick, with a bowl on its top, and seven lamps. Next to it are seven pipes that run to the seven lamps which are on top. Beside it, I see two olive trees, one on each side of the candlestick. I'm going to quote Pastor BH Clendennen on this from his message "The Testimony of Life" Lesson 1, The Conflict Series, School of Christ. "The oil being emptied out of the living olive trees through the pipes and into the bowl provided fuel for the light. It's a very comprehensive illustration and is something that is alive. The prophet doesn't say there are cisterns, tanks, or reservoirs of oil, but the oil is flowing out of living olive trees continually, ever fresh, into the candlestick, burning with its steady, undying light. This is a light which doesn't vary, that doesn't go out but is maintained at full strength continually. The light is the testimony of an undying, all-sufficient life. It's not abstract, not stored up, but something coming all the time from an inexhaustible spring. As the light burns, it's a constant declaration of victory over death at all times. It burns in the midst of surrounding death that has no power to

quench it. Whether it be the candlestick in the tabernacle or the golden candlestick in Zec_4:2, we know in both cases it represents the living expression of Holy Ghost energy." Zechariah described what he saw, but he didn't understand what it meant. The angel asked him, do you not know what this is? He said no, my lord. Then he answered and said "This is the Word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, "It's not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit", saith the Lord of Hosts. This won't be accomplished by human strength, human effort, or human wisdom. The strongest of human strength is unable to overcome its own moral weakness and failings. It's unable to stand against a wily devil. But, God says It will be My Holy Spirit who will do this. For His power is limitless, His strength unfailing, and His wisdom infallible. The Lord sees the opposition, sees their discouragement, their compromise and sin that led to the ministry being clothed with filthy garments. He's willing, able and ready to provide what is needed to correct this situation and strengthen His people to do His will. His House has to be built-it is the place of His Presence among His People, the light and life in the midst of a world of darkness, deception and death. Without His Presence, the people of God are just as wrong, for all they will have is a dead letter that wounds and kills. They will be just as ineffective, just as dead as the other religions of the world. Back to Isaiah 52. Wake up, Wake up, put on your strength, Oh Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, Oh Jerusalem, the holy city for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Wake up, My people! Rouse yourself, stir yourself, open your eyes and be excited about what I will show you! You can be triumphant! You can overcome the temptation to give in to the despair you feel because of how dark and hopeless it looks all around you. You can overcome the temptation to bury your head in the sand and close your eyes and hope it works out somehow. I've already given you everything you need to overcome this! In your own strength you will wear out, you won't be able to cope with the trials and frustration, the warfare of the enemy. He will strike hard and fast to try to knock you out. Put on your Strength, Oh Zion. This means to clothe one's self with, or be clothed with, to dress, wrap around. Strength, here in the Hebrew means the force, security, majesty and praise, the boldness, might and power of another. This can only describe Jesus Christ. It's truly amazing how when I am studying Scriptures in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit always points me to the New Testament reality of this Old Testament illustration. There are many, but I'm going to go quickly through just a couple prime examples of what He is instructing the people to do and how to do it.
Rom 13:11 And this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. put on the armor of light. Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and envying. Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

The word for sleep here is the Greek word hupnos. It's where our word 'hypnotized' comes from. Those of you are spiritually asleep, in a spiritual stupor, as one hypnotized, lulled to sleep by whatever it was that distracted you or lured you away from God, it's time to get up, and go back to God. The time of moral ignorance and darkness, the time when those who have been exhausted, hurting and despairing and sought refuge in the escape of sleep to get up. Put away, lay aside everything that weighs you down, get rid of anything in your life that occupies your mind and time with things that darken your mind or vision. God has given us tools, weapons, that when we put them on we will shine with His light, His truth, via divine revelation. Let us live honestly, decently, as reflections of HIM, not ourselves or our society. Live in His light by His life, not indulging the appetites of our carnal nature on the intoxicating things of this world. When we partake of such, it dims our spiritual vision, causes us to relax our labors for Him, and will put out our light. The word 'rioting' refers to how the Gentiles took part in nightly processions and festivals celebrating the idols of the world-be it celebrities, sports games, or musical concerts, political events, movies, whatever it is that reflects that heart and treasure of this world. Theirs centers on self, beauty, prosperity, money, fame, accumulation of things. It's all going down. It's indulging every appetite and desire, no matter how wrong it is. It's a letting loose of restraint and satisfying self.

To indulge in such things leads to the spiritual senses being dulled, because the wrong appetite is being fed. He said in Romans if we walk or live according to the desire of the Spirit we will not fulfill the desire of the flesh. To fulfill the desires of the flesh leads to death. Don't be chambering-or sleeping in your bed, cohabiting with that which is unlawful. Kick it out. Don't yield to lust of the flesh, taking part with a world whose behavior is in excessive, outrageous and shameless, insolent against what is right. Don't be quarreling or debating, or jealous of those around you who do these things and seem to be happy and successful. No, as God's people to overcome this, there is only one way-to put on the armor of light:

Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be weighed down with carousing Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (surfeiting), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Luk 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these

See how the mercy of God warns us? This is not just about those who are indulging their flesh in sinful things. Be careful, make sure that you are cautious that you don't allow yourselves to become overly burdened. Surfeiting means seized with pain from a headache or hangover from over-indulgence or gluttony. Eat too much, you get sick at your stomach. Your blood sugar goes too high. Your cholesterol could become too high. Worry too much, you lose sleep, get distracted with grief or heartache, and sometimes people retreat in depression from the Source of their life and strength. Your heart, your mind, feelings and thoughts can be weighed down with worry, busy with distractions and begin to neglect the prayer closet, the Word, communion with God. It could be because of concerns over how society and our nation is falling apart, morally, behaviorally. We live in a country where the Superior Court of our nation legalizes murdering the unborn, to the politicians who fight that it remain legal while trying to forbid the church of Jesus Christ from mentioning His Name publicly. There are concerns over wayward family members, over grandchildren, or children, or spouses. Working trying to keep from losing what you have. Too many bills, health issues. Stress is all around. The only relief from it is in His Presence, in His Word.

Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
If we don't do things God's way, by His Spirit, all that is left is what we have now: a church operating in the flesh, which has become the number one joke in society. Christianity is mocked, scorned and scoffed at because it is perceived as being a fraud. For the most part, it has been one of the biggest misrepresentations ever. If we don't put on the Lord Jesus Christ, we will make provision for the flesh. We will continue to make excuses and provide a supply for the things the human nature desires to have. And we will justify it to ourselves. To put on the Lord, this word in the Greek is enduo. It means to sink into, to be invested with, endue, have put on or in you by another. How do we put on the Lord Jesus? Jesus tells us how.

Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Luk 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
But it's not enough to just be given the ability to see and understand divine truth. This alone won't make it a reality in our lives.

Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high.
He sent the promised One, but in order for this to benefit them, in spite of the commission of going to preach and be witnesses in the world, first they had to have the knowledge, the message He'd given them made real in their own lives before they could preach it to another. He will not bear witness of anything that isn't truth. HE alone is truth. He says we must tarry-that means to sit down in our divinely appointed seat, because He has given us access to this

kingdom of God, and it is to be our fixed position, or dwelling place. He will invest His life, His light, His ability, which is the miraculous power of God, into us-who are just a vessel meant to carry this light, this life, to a lost and dying world. HE is the accurate witness of Jesus Christ-not us. Every experience, encounter, every bit of understanding we have is because He has given it to us. Our faith, our salvation, answered prayers, understanding of the Bible, all these came from HIM. We have nothing we can brag about but HIM and HIS work. As Jesus said, it's the Father in Me that does the work. We are to regularly, frequently as possible, make time and provision to get alone before the Lord and seek His Strength, His life, His power, His truth, to flow through us to this world. We are to tarry as long as it takes. The power He wants to endue us with, or invest in us, is a divine, heavenly deposit of Himself. It's His strength, His ability, residing inside us by virtue of His nature, His power to perform miracles, His power to influence our morals, desires, thinking, behavior to be righteous, not wicked. He has the power to perform miracles, save the lost, to shine in their darkness so they can be saved. We are the vessels He chooses to work through. Simply, it means to tarry in His Presence until He comes and fills us with Himself. We are not be the author of or prepare anything for ourselves, or hold back any part of ourselves from His Lordship. Do not consider how we might provide a way to fulfill that desire of our heart that is opposed to Him. Seek Him for His desires and His strength to replace our own. He told them right before He went up to Heaven, that they would receive the power to do what He commissioned them to do. Had they been able to do this without the Holy Ghost, this verse in Luk_24:49, and Act_1:8 would not have been written. He said the Holy Ghost will arrive and come over you, upon you, and inside you, and then you will be witnesses. He alone knows the Father and the Son. He alone can get us home. He alone can convince sinners they need a Savior. He alone has the power to liberate and deliver the lost. We must set ourselves prostrate before Him with deep recognition and repentance that we ever tried to live the Christian life without His Presence and Leadership. If we still have His Presence it's purely His mercy-not anything good on our part. If He's still talking to us, trying to point us in the right direction, for God's sake listen and do what He says before it's too late.

Eph 5:14 Therefore he says, Awake you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

This word awake means to collect your faculties, gather your senses, stand up from your obscurity and inactivity. You who sit in the ruins of your faith, your religion, your life, rise up, look to HIM! You who are asleep because you have yielded to sin, become slothful, indifferent to your own salvation, wake up! Wake up, you who are spiritually dead, destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted to God because of trespass and sin. You've been inactive, not doing what is right. You have no power and you are being offered the power of God that will change your life and those around you for His glory, for their benefit. Make good use of the time, walk carefully, know what the will of the Lord is, don't be drunk on the things of this life but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, those who are asleep, He is pointing to the regenerating, quickening power of the Holy Spirit as the only answer for their condition. Put on your beautiful garments, church of Jesus Christ. Your garments of His righteousness, be clothed with His humility, with His power, His Presence. Only then can you be a light that will shine in darkness. Do this! For your garments are of beauty, splendor, finery, honor and majesty. Only Christ fits this description accurately. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, not your self will. If you do this, then from here on out, this uncircumcised and unclean nature will not continue to attack and gather against you, putting you under siege and overcoming you. That which is uncircumcised is simply that which is not or cannot be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. It's unclean, impure, defiled, polluted with the flesh, the stain of sin. The Word says in Psa_66:3 it's through the greatness of His power that his enemies will submit themselves unto Him. Our carnal mind is His enemy. Our flesh is. Through the Holy Spirit we mortify our flesh, or put it to death. Only He can do this. We must allow Him to help us understand this and do it. Shake yourself from the dust, arise and sit down, Oh Jerusalem, loose yourself from the bands of your neck, Oh Captive daughter of Zion. (Isa_52:2)

This is where this gets even more exciting!! That word 'shake' in the Hebrew comes from a root word that indicates the rustling of the mane of a lion as he lets out his roar and he shakes his head before he attacks and overthrows his adversary. Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah! He will and has prevailed! Glory to God!!!!!! The dust is dry earth, powder, ashes, rubbish. This is what's left when there has been no water, no life. Shake off the dust, the ashes, the dryness, the debris. Arise, stand up, child of God, in His strength, come on the scene and be a vessel He can use to cause others to stand too. Rise up from the dust, which has settled on you because you have been still too long, and take your seat in the place He means for you to tarry, and have as your abode, His abundant life! Break free, put off the bondage, the restraint that has hindered you, that has weighed you down with burdens you weren't meant to carry. You've been exiled, captured, a prisoner in captivity, in a dry place, but you can rise up because He calls you to! Just as He called Lazarus, a dead man, out of his grave, He is calling you out of your bondage, your inactivity, your obscurity, your darkness. Come forth into His light, into His life. Exchange your pathetic weakness for His inexhaustible strength! Give Him your confusion and fear and pain and He will give you His life, His instruction, His healing!

Isa 52:3 For thus says the LORD, You have sold yourselves for nothing; and you shall be redeemed Isa 52:4 For thus says the Lord GOD, My people went down at first into Egypt to sojourn there; and Isa 52:5 Now therefore, what have I here, says the LORD, that my people are taken away for nothing? they that rule over them make them to wail, says the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. Isa 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that does speak: behold, it is I. the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. without money.

You have given yourself over to death, you've sold yourself as one sells another into slavery because you quit fighting the fight and surrendered. You've sold yourself for nothing, in vain, but I will redeem you, I paid the ransom to free you from the slavery of sin, I've purchased you with my own blood, you are Mine! You bowed to the sin that has ruled your heart your whole life. You bowed to the influence of the world around you. You have lived there, afraid as a stranger in a hostile place, oppressed, exploited and crushed by the opposition. My people have been carried away, been mingled with the mixture of the world, of the religions of confusion, for nothing! These things have had dominion over you long enough! It's made you weep and cry and howl with your grief! But you will know My authority, My glory, My Name! This world mocks My Name continually, My character, My reputation, My honor! But you will know the reality of what the world scoffs at and scorns! Hallelujah!!!! Glory to God for Your mercy, oh Lord and Your love for us is incomprehensible! You're still on the throne! You still reign! We've made a mess of things but You are well able to restore what has been devoured and taken from us! Your watchmen, your messengers whose eyes you have opened will speak the same thing, they will agree! You will bring your people back and order their steps in the straight and narrow way! You will comfort your people! Because we are getting ready to leave and get out of here and those who will be in that number will come out from among them and be clean, purged, and chosen, because we carry Your Presence inside us. We are your vessels! We won't be running hastily, trying to hide, no You will lead the way and You are our reward, and our defense! When we see these things, where we are, understand what we've done, our true condition, oh, our heart will mourn, grieved at how far we've fallen, how we've let Him down. God says to wake up. Where ever you have been, whatever you have done, it's time to get up and return to Him with all your heart. Don't say you can't, you can because He said Wake up! He called a dead man out of his grave. Now He's calling you out of yours. Don't say I don't know what to do or where to go. He said awake those of you who are asleep, arise from the dead and Christ will give you light! Your first step is to pray. To get back into His Word and take it to your knees. Trust Him to guide you where you need to be, and teach you what you need to know. Now, this is very important. Many have found themselves in situations where they have been wounded and abused by those in authority and leadership in the church. You need to hear this. God doesn't follow the call to wake up with a stinging rebuke for falling asleep in the first place. He doesn't call you to wake up, so He can blast you for your

mistakes and wrong decisions. He encourages you to get up, because He knows you don't know what to do or where to go. He said if you will get up, I will give you light. I will instruct you and guide you and teach you where you will go. Don't say you can't get up, you can because He calls you to! He will meet you with His grace! He will give you understanding, divine revelation. He will empower you to do what must be done after He shows you what that is. Do not listen to the voice that whispers discouragement. He calls, He instructs, He provides the light, the wisdom, the strength, the ability, the leadership, He sustains. You just get up and follow Him. He is not expecting you to go alone nor in your own strength. Some of God's people have fallen asleep because they were exhausted, suffering hard trials, tired from the constant warfare, and grew discouraged and sat down and went to sleep, trying to find relief. Some because difficult circumstances caused them to succumb to depression and despair. Others were lulled to sleep by false teachers promising ease and prosperity. Some because they wandered away from the Shepherd, and became intoxicated with the things of this world and got full and sleepy, or because of pride, and the flesh, putting self before God. Some because they lacked or lost the zeal for God. The following is a quote from the Biblical Illustrator Commentary:

"This is the age of the Enchanted Ground. He that can go through this age and not sleep must have something more than mortal about him. God must be with him, keeping him awake. You cannot be long in the soporific (that which makes sleepy) air of this particular period of time without feeling that in spiritual things you grow lax, for it is a lax age--lax in doctrine, lax in principle, in morals, in everything; and only God can come in and help the Pilgrim to keep awake in this Enchanted Ground."
For those who heed His call, understand it is spoken in love, in His wisdom, with His authority and offers His personal attention to us. He cries for us to wake up, just as a mother who normally speaks gently to her child will cry out for him to wake up if the house is on fire. Because, in His wisdom, He knows you are losing much by sleeping, and you can wake up because He said to wake up. We are prone to feel helpless, and overwhelmed and unsure how to respond, or even if we can get up, but He says wake up, with all the authority of Heaven and that guarantees we can. He offers His personal attention, for this is a personal call, to us, to wake up now, not next week, not next month. NOW. He doesn't blast us for going to sleep, instead, He encourages us by offering light, not rebuke or punishment. Look at that promised offering: Light. This means His personal instruction, divine revelation of truth. Scripture says in Psa_16:11 In His Presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. The joy of the Lord is our strength. In Him was life, and that life (of the Holy Spirit) was the light of men. His invitation, His call to wake up is a merciful, loving, wise and gracious call. This call was given to the Roman church, to the Ephesian church and to Peter, James and John personally. Lazarus heard this call and came out of a grave. Judah's remnant in Isaiah was given this call. Paul sent this call out to the NT church, at Rome and Ephesus. See, others have been down this road before. Don't beat yourself up. Get up. It's a mercy call. Let's listen and move out in faith. It's all we can do and what we must do. Trust Him to lead the way. Psa 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye.