Sleeping Lessons

“…But you, lazy bones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?”

-Proverbs 6:9

A few months ago I had a dream in which I was driving on a long, uphill road. I began getting sleepy, it started with a yawn and within just seconds I was fighting to keep my eyes open. Just as I saw my destination in the distance, I couldn’t fight sleep any longer, so with my foot still on the gas pedal, I laid my head against my seat and fell asleep.

And then I woke up.

Given some of the other dreams I had prior to that, it worried me. A lot. As well it should have. It was a perfect blue print of what my life was about to look like in the spirit realm.

At first I was very careful to be on my best defense against the enemy, and always aware of what was happening around me in the unseen. But as time went on, the enemy began to do what he does best: to seek out the one area I wasn’t defending. He found that spot on me, and he took full advantage of it. At first a yawn, and before I knew it, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I began to fall asleep to the voice of the Lord. Instead of fighting back and claiming the victory that was within sight, I just gave up. I unconsciously entered in to a deadly peace treaty with my sworn enemy.

I realized that I wasn’t feeling His presence anymore, but my enemy had convinced me that it was ok. That it was just temporary, and there was no need to take action or fight, because eventually it would work itself out. That I was just in a dry spell, but eventually I would snap out of it, and things would be back to normal.

The worst part about making a compromise with your enemy is that you forfeit the ability to recognize him as an enemy. If my heart had been right, I would have easily known his voice and seen through his lies.

But thanks be to God that there is grace! And that when one of His sheep strays, He comes after us! He will not leave us or forsake us! When we are weak, He gives us the strength to fight! Victory is already ours, if we just wake up and claim it!

We have to stay on our guard everyday against the enemy. He’s coming to steal kill and destroy, and he will do it if we don’t stop him. And if you are ever unable to come into the Lord’s presence, that is NOT okay! Something in your heart isn’t right, and you have to fix it, no matter how many times the enemy tells you not to worry about it. He will stop at nothing to keep us from hearing God’s voice. But there is Victory in Jesus’ name! You have been given authority by Christ himself to overcome the enemy, so claim it!

All that to say that we serve a freaking awesome God! Oh how He loves us!

P.S. I’m extremely blessed to have people in my life who challenge me and call me out. God has given them eyes to see into my heart, so that they can recognize the things that I don’t see myself. Praise Him!

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