This past Sunday the message was titled “Wake Up Call” and Pastor Jason shared the importance of what it means to live our lives in such a way that we are awake spiritually. It is putting it lightly to say that this message was personally convicting, and really tugged at my own heart strings.
I thought about a time where I was not fully awake to what was going on around me. As I battled health issues and anxiety and depression, I was often at the mercy of the enemy. So many attacks were coming from left and right, and I struggled to see how I was living the “abundant” or “victorious” life in Christ.
The truth is, the enemy knew how to beat me up. He knew my trigger points. He knew how to keep me in shame over what I was dealing with in the corners of my heart.
One thing I believe the enemy uses as his most sneaky tactic is what I call the “drift.” It’s a slow leaning away…a slow moving in another direction, whether that be away from other believers, away from the church, away from spiritual discipline, and eventually…away from God.
This drift is very subtle. It happens slowly over time. But in the middle of all of this, Satan whispers this familiar phrase: “It’s not that big of a deal.”
Meaning…it’s not that big of a deal if you skip out on that group gathering. It’s not that big of a deal if you stay home from church one more Sunday. It’s not that big of a deal if you simply can’t make it this time.
All it takes for the enemy to get you on the path of “drifting” as opposed to the “narrow road” is one small excuse. One small step. And suddenly…you realize just how far off course you actually are.
Then comes the wake-up call. And on Sunday, I was thinking about how much God must love us to give us these wake-up calls.
I know He has done this for me in so many different ways. He presses His life-giving discernment into my heart as if to say, “Hey, are you sure you want to go down that road?”
A few weeks ago, Linda Huffman encouraged us in Bible study to “mind the checks.” What a helpful way to think of how the Holy Spirit leans in to direct and guide us. All throughout our day, He is giving us checks — moments to pause and redirect to the narrow road.
Maybe Sunday’s message was a wake-up call for you. Maybe reading this right now, you know the area where God is leaning into your heart and giving you a check point. Maybe that voice of discernment is starting to grow. All of this is good. All of this is because He loves you so very much. All of this is because He relentlessly pursues your very heart.
As a fair warning, I must say that as you begin to wake-up spiritually…things start to look different. If you truly lean into God’s voice and walk in obedience, the trials will come. But so will the freedom. Things that Satan has convinced you are “no big deal” are actually a big deal…and God wants to free you from them. Listen to His Spirit, lean closely into His word, begin to open your eyes, and take one more step towards that road less traveled.
I thought about a time where I was not fully awake to what was going on around me. As I battled health issues and anxiety and depression, I was often at the mercy of the enemy. So many attacks were coming from left and right, and I struggled to see how I was living the “abundant” or “victorious” life in Christ.
The truth is, the enemy knew how to beat me up. He knew my trigger points. He knew how to keep me in shame over what I was dealing with in the corners of my heart.
One thing I believe the enemy uses as his most sneaky tactic is what I call the “drift.” It’s a slow leaning away…a slow moving in another direction, whether that be away from other believers, away from the church, away from spiritual discipline, and eventually…away from God.
This drift is very subtle. It happens slowly over time. But in the middle of all of this, Satan whispers this familiar phrase: “It’s not that big of a deal.”
Meaning…it’s not that big of a deal if you skip out on that group gathering. It’s not that big of a deal if you stay home from church one more Sunday. It’s not that big of a deal if you simply can’t make it this time.
All it takes for the enemy to get you on the path of “drifting” as opposed to the “narrow road” is one small excuse. One small step. And suddenly…you realize just how far off course you actually are.
Then comes the wake-up call. And on Sunday, I was thinking about how much God must love us to give us these wake-up calls.
I know He has done this for me in so many different ways. He presses His life-giving discernment into my heart as if to say, “Hey, are you sure you want to go down that road?”
A few weeks ago, Linda Huffman encouraged us in Bible study to “mind the checks.” What a helpful way to think of how the Holy Spirit leans in to direct and guide us. All throughout our day, He is giving us checks — moments to pause and redirect to the narrow road.
Maybe Sunday’s message was a wake-up call for you. Maybe reading this right now, you know the area where God is leaning into your heart and giving you a check point. Maybe that voice of discernment is starting to grow. All of this is good. All of this is because He loves you so very much. All of this is because He relentlessly pursues your very heart.
As a fair warning, I must say that as you begin to wake-up spiritually…things start to look different. If you truly lean into God’s voice and walk in obedience, the trials will come. But so will the freedom. Things that Satan has convinced you are “no big deal” are actually a big deal…and God wants to free you from them. Listen to His Spirit, lean closely into His word, begin to open your eyes, and take one more step towards that road less traveled.
Erika Pizzo
Erika is an author of various books on the topics of faith, mental health, and victory in Christ. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach and a chai latte in hand.