There is a clarion call to all children of God to wake up to God’s expectations of them in areas such as holy living, soul-winning and service to humanity. It is urgent and important to heed this call in obedience to our Father in heaven and in order to bring glory to His Holy Name. Our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:15-16 said to us:
“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Knowing that we live in perilous times, swiftly heeding this call has become all the more necessary. When the Holy Sprit made the call in Ephesians 5:14, things were not even as bad as they are today. Therefore, as the Church of God, we must awaken from our slumber. The Holy Spirit says we should arise from the dead, with a promise that Christ will give us light. In other words, many of us are dead spiritually. Nevertheless, thank God that Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church, is alive to His responsibility of restoring us.

How do members of the body of Christ become dead, and what is actually killing them? 1 Kings 13:11-22 gives some insight on this. It narrates the story of an old prophet who lived in Bethel, which is translated to mean ‘house of God’. Ironically, this prophet living in the house of God was backslidden. There was also another man, a young prophet who had not compromised his faith in Yahweh. God sent him to prophesy against the idolatrous regime of Jeroboam, with a warning that he must not rest along the way until he returned home from delivering God’s message. Also, he was commanded not to eat or return by the same way he went. This young prophet did according to what the Lord had told him, except that he felt so tired and decided to take a rest under an oak tree. It is unfortunate that it was at this resting spot that the old prophet met and deceived him to go against God’s instructions. Beloved, there are several old prophets around us today. In their backslidden state, they still sound knowledgeable and full of experience when they teach. To unsuspecting young men and women of God, their words are filled with wisdom. You must however beware of their heretic teachings. Their position on several issues can deceive young minds. The poor young prophet believed the old prophet’s lies, and he ended up taking a deadly spiritual siesta! Tragically, this same old prophet was the one who delivered God’s judgement upon the young prophet. So beware! The old prophet wanted to go to hell but wanted as many people as possible to go along with him. Awake, and don’t fall for the enemy’s tricks!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.

Very timely words. Fantastic!