"Stay woke" pt. 1

"And He comes, and finds them sleeping, and said unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? could not you watch one hour? Watch ye and pray,lest you enter into temptation. The Spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak."

Mark 14: 37&38

"Are you sleeping?"

CRT, Democratic Socialism, white privilege, Patriotism, BLM, Pride, there are many groups, phrases and buzzwords, that reflect the spiritual climate of the world today. Why spiritual?, you may ask, these are social issues. The many social issues that trouble our world, also sadden the Lord. Man's inhumanity to man, is more than a social issue, it is a spiritual issue, caused by sin. These issues can only be changed by seeking God's Will and Spirit. You cannot legislate morality. Sin is an issue of the heart. Only God can change a heart for the better.

The phrase "stay woke " was a term used in the 1930's, meaning to be alert to racial prejudice. After the turn of the century, it came to be used, as a phrase that encompassed a broader perspective of social issues. It also has been used for left-wing ideas, involving identity politics and social justice, such as the notion of white privilege, and slavery reparations. We can legislate laws that address these issues, and those laws then, become a new topic of division. Many on both sides of the issues, might be "tempted"to react in wrong ways, Christians included. The spiritual tension, that is world wide, has never been greater.

The scriptures tell us, in II Timothy 3:1-9, that in the last days, there will be dangerous times, and describes the Church's apostasy. It is the belief of many, myself included, that we are in the last days. We are living in times, where things that were once spoken of as good, are now considered evil, and evil considered good. As the Church is waiting for the return of the Lord, some in the body of Christ, seem, at the very least blind,or worse, apathetic to the world around us and it's various issues.

As our group was studying the Book of Revelation, we saw in the first three chapters, the Lord addressing the state of the seven Churches. These Churches are a portrayal, of the entirety of the Church age, of which our day is included. The last Church addressed, was the Laodicean Church, the lukewarm, the apathetic Church, of which He vehemently rejects. He speaks to these Churches to encourage and correct them, to prepare them for His return.

As I was thinking on this, I was reminded of today's scripture,when the Lord was in the garden of Gethsemane. He had taken Peter, James, and John, with Him.He left them to watch, as He went off to pray,and agonize over what was to come. When He returned, He found them sleeping. He then addresses the issue, and imperatively instructs Peter, to watch, and pray.He also warns, that in not doing so, they would enter into temptation. So let me ask, at this point, are you sleeping?