By Isaiah-Phillips Akintola

THE AWAKENED SPIRIT

ISAIAH 50:4. THE SOVEREIGN LORD HAS GIVEN ME A WELL-INSTRUCTED TONGUE, TO KNOW THE WORD THAT SUSTAINS THE WEARY. HE WAKENS ME MORNING BY MORNING, WAKENS MY EAR TO LISTEN LIKE ONE BEING INSTRUCTED.

PRAYER IS THE ACT OF COMMUNICATING WITH GOD, WHICH CAN BE DONE THROUGH BOTH OUR CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS, TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CHRIST’S CHARACTER AND POWER.

THE ONLY WAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND KINGDOM OF GOD CAN BE SEEN IN OUR LIVES IS WHEN WE HAVE GIVEN OVER OUR COMPLETE FACULTIES TO THE KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF CHRIST.

THE AWAKENED SPIRIT IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING REALITIES OF BIBLICAL SPIRITUALITY. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FATHOM THE BENEFITS OF WALKING IN THIS REALM OF LIFE UNTIL ONE BEGINS TO EXPERIENCE IT FOR ONESELF.

UNFORTUNATELY, MANY WHO SEEK TO HANDLE THE THINGS OF GOD ARE ONLY DOING IT FROM A POINT, OR MINDSET, STILL INFLUENCED AND CONTROLLED BY STRONG RELIGIOUS IDEAS AND BELIEFS STANDARDS.

WHEN WE ARE TRULY AWAKENED IN OUR SPIRIT, WE ARE INVITED INTO A DIMENSION OF LIFE IN CHRIST THAT ALLOWS US TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE SPIRITUAL REALITIES AS THEY TRULY ARE.

IN THE BOOK OF ISAIAH, CHAPTER 50, VERSE 4, WE ARE TOLD THAT THE LORD AWAKENS US MORNING BY MORNING; HE AWAKENS OUR EARS TO LISTEN LIKE ONE BEING TAUGHT. THE WISEST AND MOST MATURED PERSON IS THE ONE WHO ALLOWS THE LORD TO BE HIS TEACHER.

THE LORD SEEKS A GENERATION WHO WILL LIVE THEIR LIVES IN SUCH A WAY, ALWAYS WILLING TO BE TAUGHT MORE ABOUT CHRIST AND WHAT IT MEANS TO FOLLOW HIM.

IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE PRESENT THE FATHER WITH THE CORRECT ATTITUDE EVERY DAY, WE WOULD DEVELOP IN THE KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE LORD’S WILL AND PURPOSE.

AS WE ALLOW GOD’S WILL AND GOOD COUNSEL TO HAVE MORE INFLUENCE OVER OUR LIVES, WE BECOME SPIRITUALLY AWAKENED AND EMPOWERED. OUR SENSES AND SPIRITUAL ORGANS BECOME MATURE IN A MANNER THAT OBEYING GOD’S VOICE BECOMES A LIFESTYLE, NOT A STRUGGLE.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE ENEMY WILL NOT GIVE UP EASILY IN SEEING THIS SPIRITUAL PURSUIT BECOME A REALITY, AND THAT IS WHY WE HAVE TO BE COMMITTED EVERY DAY TO FOLLOWING CHRIST.

UNDOUBTEDLY, THOSE WHO HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE UP THEIR CROSS DAILY AND FOLLOW CHRIST HAVE ALLOWED CHRIST TO BE FORMED IN THEM TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT THE ENEMY HAS NO CONTROL OVER THEIR WILL OR DESIRE.

THE LORD IS SUMMONING US TO A NEW POSITION WHERE WE MUST BE ROUSED FROM SLEEP EVERY DAY UNTIL WE ARE FULLY AWAKE AND ABLE TO FULFILL CHRIST’S COUNSEL AND DESIRE.