Spiritual Awareness, Living Awake & Alive in Christ - Devotional

Scripture

This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”—Ephesians 5:14 (NIV)

Are you spiritually aware that God is always working on your behalf? Heavy and disheartening circumstances can certainly cause us to question if God is listening or if He even cares. But know this: He is always near, always cares, and is always working all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We must set our minds on what the Spirit desires, as Romans 8:5 details. "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.' I pray this devotional encourages you to keep recalling God's mighty deeds.

I have a pink Post-it on my desk with an invitation for the Holy Spirit to make me sensitive to His prompts and nudging each day. It serves as a tangible reminder that the day should not be determined solely by my to-do list and priorities but rather directed by the Spirit. When I get still and lean into the guidance and direction of the Advocate, I become more aware of things at play in the spiritual realm. Most days, there is someone God puts on my mind to pray for, write, call, or visit. When I answer the call that the Spirit has placed on my heart, I am undoubtedly blessed by the conversation and community.

Ephesians 5:14 is like an alarm clock ringing on the nightstand, beckoning us to wake up from our spiritual slumber. If you are like me, you press the snooze button more times than you care to admit. Luckily, we don’t have to be morning people to be spiritually aware. We answer the call to wake up in Ephesians 5 by inspecting our lives, repenting of sins, praying more, listening better, loving harder, and being so alive in Christ that we want to share our testimonies with everyone. “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death,” Revelation 12:11 (NIV).

Recently, I shared a small part of my testimony with a Bible study group, and a lady commented on how many personal revelations I have shared with them. Another woman remarked, “I bet we all have a lot of revelations. We just need to learn to notice and remember them better.”

My study partner was right; I have learned to more readily notice and recall God’s wondrous deeds (Psalm 77:11) because they are a lifeline for me. I have been through many valleys where Christ seemed distant, and I couldn’t see Him at work. By reliving and retelling all the times He has been faithful to me, I can better face the uncertainty of tomorrow. I became more spiritually aware from walking through those valleys with our Comforter.

God doesn’t give me more attention than others. My secret is to write down all the times the veil between heaven and earth has lifted, so I can remember those moments years later. So, I can tell my kids, neighbors, and strangers for the rest of my days.

So, are you awake, friend? Are you spiritually aware of the Spirit moving in your life?

Are you telling others about your relationship with Christ? Are you still enough to hear the Spirit whispering your name? He will draw near to you when you draw near to Him (James 4:8).

Questions for Reflection

1.       How spiritually aware are you? Can you reflect and recognize some of the pieces to the puzzle God has laid out?

2.       Do you keep a gratitude and/or prayer journal? When I review my past journals, I see God’s hands all over my days.

Let's Pray

Dear God, thank You for the gift of Your presence. Help me to faithfully recall Your wondrous deeds and remember that I am never apart from You. Awaken me, Lord, when I fall into a spiritual slumber. Grow my faith, resilience, and endurance in the valleys and on the mountaintops. Make me sensitive to Your prompts and nudging. May I tell my testimony and live in a way that brings glory to Your marvelous name. Amen.  

More Resources

If you enjoyed this devotional, I think you would like Autumn Miles' new book, Holy Ghosted. I have thoroughly enjoyed diving into this exposition of Job and learning how to survive spiritual silence.

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Originally published on Crossmap.