“For you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So, then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6
I first wrote about this in 2018, but I feel led to revisit it now. The world around us seems to be growing darker, but God’s people are not called to live in darkness. We are children of light. We belong to the day. That means we are called to stay awake spiritually, stay clear-minded, and stay rooted in the truth of the gospel.
Paul tells us not to fall asleep like others do. He is not talking about natural sleep. He is talking about spiritual sleep—when people become unaware, comfortable, distracted, or careless about the condition of their hearts and the times we are living in.
For many years, I have carried a burden in my spirit for the body of Christ to wake up. Ephesians 5:14 says, “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” This is a loving warning and a holy invitation. God is calling His people to rise from spiritual deadness and return to a living, passionate relationship with Him.
On November 21, 2007, I heard these words in my spirit: “You will have to be strong and courageous. Many are living for self without seeing the condition of God’s house.” At the time, I did not fully understand all that meant. But as a former church administrator and minister, I could sense that many people were leaving church services still feeling empty, weak, and unsatisfied in their faith. That is not what God desires for His people.
Over time, I began to understand that the Lord was showing me a deeper concern: many in the Church had become spiritually tired, distracted, and disconnected from the power and presence of God. Some were going through the motions, but their hearts were not burning with love for Christ.
In my search for understanding, I read Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelation. I also read The Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for Renewal by Charles R. Swindoll. The message was clear: the Church must recognize how far it has drifted from the truth of the gospel and return to Christ with sincere hearts.
Throughout history, spiritual awakenings have often come during times of spiritual complacency. When God’s people become comfortable, distracted, or satisfied with religion without relationship, the Lord calls them back to life. He calls us back to prayer, holiness, love, truth, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We must not settle for dead religion. Dead religion looks alive on the outside but has little life on the inside. It may have activity, programs, and routines, but it lacks fresh fire, deep love for Jesus, and true obedience to His Word.
The Church needs a clear vision again. Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey His commands. That is still our assignment. Without God’s vision, people drift. With God’s vision, we know who we are, why we are here, and what He has called us to do.
Understanding the Present Time
Romans 13 tells us that the hour has already come for us to wake up from our sleep because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Paul said the night is nearly over and the day is almost here. In plain words, this means we cannot live carelessly. We must put away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
To be sober means to be clear-minded, watchful, and serious about our walk with God. It does not mean living in fear. It means living awake. It means we are not blindly following the culture, feeding our flesh, or ignoring what God is saying. We are paying attention. We are watching. We are praying. We are choosing to live as people of the light.
This is not the time for lukewarm Christianity. We must ask ourselves honest questions: Will we stand for God’s Word? Will we live in truth? Will we keep our hearts clean before the Lord? Will we be different from the world in a way that points people to Jesus?
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “When the Church is absolutely different from the world, she attracts it.” That truth still speaks today. The world does not need a Church that looks just like it. The world needs a Church filled with the light, love, truth, and power of Jesus Christ.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus gave messages to seven churches. These messages still speak to us today because they show spiritual conditions that can appear in any generation. Some churches were praised for their faithfulness. Others were corrected because they had drifted, compromised, grown cold, or looked alive while being spiritually dead.
To the church in Sardis, Jesus said, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die.” That is a sobering word. It reminds us that we can have a reputation, a routine, and religious activity, yet still need revival in our hearts.
Jesus’ words to Sardis are not meant to condemn us without hope. They are meant to wake us up. He calls us to remember what we have received, hold it fast, and repent. That means we turn back to Him with sincere hearts and ask Him to breathe life into what has grown weak.
We have unfinished work to do before the return of Christ. The early Church in the book of Acts did not move forward in human strength alone. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, devoted to prayer, bold in their witness, and committed to one another. That same Spirit is still available to the Church today.
People do not only need programs, services, and religious routines. They need the presence of God. They need truth that sets them free. They need the power of the Holy Spirit to renew, strengthen, convict, comfort, and guide them.
Psalm 63 says, “My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” That should be the cry of our hearts. Lord, we are thirsty for You. We need Your power. We need Your glory. We need Your life in the Church again.
So let us wake up. Let us put on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. Let us guard our hearts and minds. Let us stop living distracted and start living prepared. Let us be people who carry the light of Christ into dark places.
The Spirit of the Lord is still saying, “Wake up. Strengthen what remains.” The world is dark, but Christ is still the light. And because we belong to Him, we are children of light and children of the day.
May we stay awake, stay sober, stay faithful, and shine brightly for Jesus in this generation.
Minister A Francine Green I June 2026