By Tara Wentworth

What does an “awakened” believer look like? Ephesians 5:14 exhorts the apostle Paul to “awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” My Bible cross-references this verse with Isaiah 26:19 and 60:1-3. God has been encouraging the present-day church (us) with the same thing that both Isaiah and Paul wrote about thousands of years ago.

I am reminded of the ten virgins who were all waiting for the bridegroom to come for his bride. All of them were together but only five were prepared for a possible delay in his arrival by carrying extra oil for their lamps. While he tarried, all ten fell asleep. They were all awakened by the cry declaring that the bridegroom was about to arrive. The five wise virgins that were prepared trimmed their lamps and were ready to meet him. The five foolish virgins had to leave the place they had all been waiting to find more oil for their lamps that were going out. They begged the five wise virgins to share their oil but were denied lest they too would not have enough to sustain the delay. The oil of the Holy Spirit has to be obtained by cultivating that one-on-one intimate relationship with the Lord and cannot be borrowed from another believer. That takes time and purposefulness.

The church, particularly here in America, has been lulled to sleep by the cares and allurements of this world, and only a portion of those who call themselves believers are prepared to meet Him. Isaiah 60 exhorted Israel to “Arise and shine”—to let His glory rise upon them because deep darkness covered the earth and its inhabitants. The same is true today.

Verse 8 of Ephesians 5 exhorts the church to walk as children of light and verse 9 explains what that should look like – goodness, righteousness, and truth. A simple test each of us can ask ourselves is: Is it good for me? (goodness); Is it right? (righteousness); Is it true? (truth). One thing we must each decide when attempting to walk in the light is to put those three questions before the Lord and then listen for His instructions. Sometimes it is just a decision – “others can but I cannot (or I will not).”

Finding out what is acceptable (or pleasing) to the Lord (Verse 10) means finding out what God likes. The only way you can find that out is by developing a relationship (friendship) with the Lord. Only a few people in scripture are called “friends of God.” Enoch became such close friends, walking daily in fellowship with the Lord, that one day he just kept walking, right into the heavenly realms and never bothered to return to earth. (“The Lord took him.”) Abraham was called the friend of God. He communed with the Lord and was bold enough to ask the Lord to spare the city where his family lived after the Lord told His friend what He was about to do. (Destroy the city for its exceeding wickedness) Abraham asked God to spare the city if there were but ten righteous men. He started out asking God to spare the city if there were fifty righteous but waivered at the possibility that there were not that many righteous men in that city. He was bold in his petition to the Lord because of his friendship with Him. He knew that God was full of mercy.

When God stated: “Awake, you who sleep and arise from the dead…” (Verse 14) He was talking to the spiritually dead, the inactive ones, the dulled-out ones. He gives the same call today – He calls but it is us who must respond. Paul goes on to instruct the believers (verses 15-21) on how we should work it out in our lives.

What will the lives of awakened believers look like? We are to walk circumspectly (carefully) (with wisdom) (Verse 15). The scriptures are full of wisdom instructing us on how to live. Reading and meditating on His Word daily gives us the pathway to wise living and the rewards that result.

We are to redeem the time (make up for lost time) (verse 16). He can get you to where you need to be or could have been without regrets. “If only I had done…if only I had not done…” All of us have been tormented by those kinds of thoughts but He can redeem what we consider a total loss through His redemption. He can do what we cannot when we position ourselves to allow Him to deal with our hearts. Walking in humility and obedience positions us to receive the provisions of our redemption.

Again Paul exhorts us to be wise and to understand what the will of the Lord is. (Verse 17) That happens when we spend time with Him and in His Word. Back to Verse 9 – does it pass the threefold test of goodness, righteousness, and truth?

We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit (like on the day of Pentecost when the disciples were accused of being drunk on wine which Paul says is dissipation). One of the major fruits of being filled with the Holy Spirit is a life bubbling over with joy. The tense of the verb “be filled” is not a one-time command (Note – it is also not just a suggestion) but an exhortation to “keep being filled” – The Holy Spirit is a never-ending, never-run-dry fountain of living water like an artesian well that manifests as continuous joy.

The Holy Spirit manifests in and through us by speaking out psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. (Verse 19) When you are an awakened believer you may find yourself singing more! Even if you are not naturally talented the Lord can give you spiritual songs. I love to sing hymns and choruses in my home and when I am out walking and do quite regularly. One day a friend was visiting me who is an amazing musician. She said the Lord gave her a new melody and told her I would have the words for it! Having no natural talent or even aspirations in that direction, I thought she was joking! However, when she sat down at the piano to play the tune, words immediately came to me which I wrote down. It is a little chorus that glorifies the Lord and I still sing it (to Him mostly) many years after that amazing encounter.

An awakened believer has a thankful heart. It causes us to give thanks all the time for all things to God our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Verse 20) I have written many times about the power of a thankful heart and have seen the fruit of it in my own life.  I have a daily reminder on my phone that alerts me to pause whatever I am doing and offer up thanksgiving. It is impossible to have an unthankful heart if you are focused on being thankful!

The last verse in this encouraging passage exhorts us to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord. (Verse 21) That is a most important key that we will expand in another article. We are on this journey together and need each other! Awaken with the other Wise Virgins. It is almost time for the marriage supper of the Lamb!