Awake From Your Sleep State
By

Dr Godwin E. Icon, Pastor

"They which builded on the wall and theythat bare burdens, with those that laded,
every one with one of his hands wrought in the work,
and with the other hand held a weapon" Nehemiah 4:17 (KJV)

The story of Nehemiah in the building of the broken walls of Jerusalem cuts through the biblical call to service. He had a selfless burden to do this work and he led a few of the Jews from Shushan to Jerusalem. Things were difficult. He had opposition led by Sanballat and Tobiah who were prepared to stop them from working. But Nehemiah had a tenacity of purpose stronger than his opposition and he manfully overcome and did it as the spiritual. The spiritual person is an awakened person and so was Nehemiah who was awake to overcome his enemies with a superior manipulations, defeated every slumbering disposition of his supporters with an enabling spirit to work with one hand and carry a weapon in the other hand. Only an awakened person can lead and mobilize the other persons this much and only an awakened person can lead and mobilize the other hand. Only an awakened people can follow us to that alerted assignment. And they succeeded in that work despite such a standard threat. Every awakened persons have the manifold exploits of their ingenuity and they always succeed.
You must be awake to be sound, active and fully conscious otherwise you make many unconsciousness mistakes that only appertain to sleepers, and many of you have made certain mistakes which you would not have made but because you are still sleeping within yourselves. You can find out whether you are awake or not if you test it in the level of your memory recall. In the classroom, not everybody are awake hence not all will comprehend the lesson properly or easily because they still sleep. In the Church, many do not hear nor can understand the sermon let alone recall it. Many soon forget because they are not awake. Their spirit is still sleeping. The general behaviour of sleepers is their unconsciousness in inactions, actions and reactions, in their, confusion, poor absorption, deteriorating comprehension and sagging sagacity. I can accuse you of still sleeping because that is why you cannot make it through, that is why you are still indeterminate and occupied with blurred visions and depleted zeal. The devil knows those who love to sleep and who are sleeping and he uses them. But you should wake up now.
It is the behaviour of sleepers to scorn people and they claim to take delight in that. They scorn their pastors. But I assure you that when you scorn your pastor, no prophecy nor blessings can pass through him to you positively. When your pastor is hungry or sick or is in lack, make it your problems. In Isaiah 55: 1, the Bible exhorts that those who are thirsty should come to the water and those without money should come, "buy and eat, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Though the blessings of God are free but it is expected that you should expend something for it. I call on you to be awake to your responsibilities and to understand your inevitable obligations. Inside this, let all Christians speak in one voice of the truth in God and His faithfulness to bless you.
Always seek to be awake and be conscious in your knowledge exhibition and avoid mistakes that can stop your achievement. In your awakened spirit, you will learn to fear men of God, no matter how they are, fear them or leave them alone especially in their fallen state, lest in your sleeping state you also fall with them. And your fall can be very fatal. It so happened when Naoh was drunk and Ham, the father of Canaan mocked his father's nakedness. Noah rather cursed Canaan, Ham's son, and the curse of the drunken Noah became effective and unbroken till today. This is the reason that Israel had taken the land of Canaan away as their territory. It was the curse from Naoh that people will take away the land of Canaan from him. Just one mistake of an unconscious, sleeping habit. But you can avoid it, you can avoid many mistakes if you are awake. The Church is an important place sequestered to awaken people. There is something to fear even in God, and the man of God himself needs a mechanical rationale to have much awareness lest he falls. Even when we pray under sleep, we still make mistakes as when we curse but the awakened person will not curse but blesses, so that he also be blessed.
Some years ago as I was returning home, I encountered a sleeping man who attempted to burn a Bible and a Hymn Book because his child died in the sea-port. He was a preacher in that area, so when this happened he came back annoyed and queried why God should allow such a disaster upon him. He then saw no reason to worship God anymore or serve Him neither should anything about Him should be found about him. I pleaded with him to take the Bible and the hymn book. He permitted me, but came back the next day for these items. I denied him. The sleeping person in annoyance can do great mistakes. Therefore, you as a child of God should not sleep in order not behave like this, because with a behaviour like this, one can miss one's spiritual gifts. It is this same sleeping behaviour that make for marital divorces and also makes people to give poorly to God.
If you are awake you will fear what is to be feared, accord complete obeisance to those due and imbibe the gospel. Nobody is equal to the Gospel of Christ. This is why even enemies, Satan and your problems are shaky before Him. Deny yourself now and accept this advice today to awake and be ready and conscious enough to be merciful to others. It is the way to obtain mercy from God. There was one Sunday, which I happened to wear an unpolished shoes to Church. After service one man bought a tin of polish to me and the other bought a whole packet of shoe polish to me. These were the only two awakened people and they were immensely blessed materially thereafter. You can only know the good thing to do if you are awake. Do not joke with your blessings. When you see people in distress, solve their problems and be merciful because your distress and problems also need the mercy of God. Whenever you have an opportunity possible to express love to your pastor, do it with a devoted love and eager generosity.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives everything that concerns God. It is free but you have to buy it. The best opportunities in your life is to show love to others. If it is to me, I though might behave slowly like a snail but I would surely be there for you. God has something for you but you need His mercy, even your brain needs His mercy to comprehend properly.
Therefore, do not abuse others, never scorn them and never associate with scorners lest you be scorned also. Better listen to me today, be merciful, give to your neighbours, and assist others in trouble. The Bible says "cast your bread upon the waters...” (Eccl. 11: 1), for there is always a reward. I have been rewarded for this. Like the little sun bird, do not sleep but be awake, smart, watchful, lively. Turn and shake your friend, tell him, AWAKE!
God is with you.