To awake out of sleep is God’s urgent call to every believer living in these last days. Beloved, the time for spiritual drowsiness has passed. We live in a moment when salvation is closer than it has ever been before.
Every day that passes brings us nearer to the return of Christ and the fulfillment of all God’s promises.
Too many believers are living as if they have all the time in the world. They go through the motions of faith while their hearts remain asleep to spiritual realities. But Paul’s message to the Romans echoes across the centuries to us today: it is time to wake up.
Awake Out Of Sleep: Key Takeaway
- Now is the time to wake up spiritually because salvation is nearer than ever before.
Anchor Bible Verse of the day
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
— Romans 13:11 (NKJV)
Paul wrote these words to the Roman church with a sense of urgency. He wanted them to understand that time was running out for spiritual complacency.
The longer we live as Christians, the closer we get to the day when Christ returns, or we meet Him in death. Either way, our salvation is always getting nearer.
Paul’s wake-up call demands that we open our eyes to spiritual reality and live with eternal urgency.
Key Explanations
- Knowing the time: Understanding the spiritual season we are in and recognizing that we live in the last days before Christ’s return.
- High time to awake out of sleep: The moment for spiritual awakening has arrived; delay is dangerous, and there is no more time for spiritual drowsiness.
- For now our salvation is nearer: Every day brings believers closer to the complete fulfillment of salvation when Christ returns or when we enter eternity.
- Than when we first believed: The passage of time since conversion means we are always moving closer to the final consummation of our faith and hope.
Awake Out Of Sleep: A Reflection
When we examine the call to awake out of sleep in Romans 13:11, we discover God’s urgent appeal to spiritual alertness in these critical times.
The idea of spiritual awakening involves more than being active in church or going through religious routines. It means having your eyes open to what God is doing right now and responding with urgency to His voice.
The thing is, many believers today are functionally asleep even though they attend services and claim to follow Christ. They know the right words and participate in the right activities, but their hearts are dull to spiritual reality.
Paul’s command to awake out of sleep connects directly with Jesus’ repeated warnings to stay alert and watch. In Matthew 24:42, Jesus said,
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
This is the same message Paul gives to the Romans. We do not know the exact timing of Christ’s return, but we know it gets closer every single day.
This reality should fill us with holy urgency that affects how we live right now. When you truly understand that salvation is nearer than when you first believed, everything changes.
You stop wasting time on things that do not matter eternally. You start investing your life in what will last forever.
Think about what it means to be spiritually asleep. A sleeping person is unaware of danger, deaf to warnings, and unable to respond to opportunities.
When believers are spiritually asleep, they miss God’s voice calling them to action.
They ignore the signs of the times that point to Christ’s soon return. They live as if this world is all that matters, pursuing comfort and pleasure while neglecting eternal priorities.
Beloved, the call to awake out of sleep demands that we shake off this dangerous drowsiness and live with our eyes fixed on eternity.
Let’s look at the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13:
- Five wise virgins kept their lamps filled with oil and stayed ready for the bridegroom’s arrival.
- Five foolish virgins let their lamps go out and fell asleep.
When the bridegroom finally came at midnight, the foolish virgins were unprepared and missed the wedding feast. Jesus concluded this parable with a sobering warning:
Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
This parable illustrates exactly what Paul means when he commands believers to awake out of sleep. We must stay spiritually alert and ready for Christ’s return.
The urgency to wake up from sleep increases as we recognize how quickly time is passing. Paul says that salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
- Every day that goes by is one day closer to eternity. Every sunset brings us nearer to the moment when we will stand before Christ.
This is not meant to frighten us, but to motivate us. Beloved, God wants us to live with the awareness that this life is short and eternity is long.
Therefore, let’s stop living for temporary pleasures and start investing in eternal treasures, similar to what we learn about God’s divine protection for those who walk in obedience. We understand that following Christ’s call to spiritual alertness transforms how we use every moment.
What does it practically mean to awake out of sleep today? It means:
- You examine your life honestly and ask whether you are truly alert to spiritual realities or just going through the motions.
- You stop making excuses for sin and start pursuing holiness with urgency.
- You invest your time, energy, and resources in things that matter for eternity instead of wasting them on things that will burn up when Christ returns.
When you awake out of sleep, you start living like someone who believes Jesus could return at any moment.
The story of Lot’s family in Genesis 19 provides a sobering picture of spiritual drowsiness. When angels came to rescue Lot from Sodom’s destruction, he warned his sons-in-law to flee.
But they thought he was joking and refused to leave. Even Lot himself hesitated, and the angels had to physically drag him out of the city. His wife looked back with longing for what she was leaving behind, and she became a pillar of salt.
Only those who took the warning seriously and responded with urgency were saved. This is exactly what awake out of sleep means – taking God’s warnings seriously and responding with immediate action.
The time to act is always now. We cannot afford to hit the snooze button on our spiritual lives. We must run our race with urgency.
- Every day we delay in fully surrendering to Christ is a day wasted.
- Every moment we spend pursuing worldly things instead of eternal values is a moment we will regret when we stand before Him.
The call to awake out of sleep is God’s mercy calling us to wake up before it is too late. Our salvation is nearer than we think, and we must live like we believe it.
Blessings..!
Call to Action
- Today, identify one area where you have been spiritually asleep. Make a concrete decision to wake up and respond with urgency to God’s call.
Make This Affirmation
- I choose to wake up spiritually and live with urgency because my salvation is nearer than ever before.
Prayer Point for Today
- Spiritual Alertness: Pray for God to wake you up from any spiritual drowsiness and help you live with eternal urgency every day.
Let’s pray
Our Father, wake me up from spiritual sleep. Help me see the urgency of these times and live like someone who believes You could return at any moment. Give me eyes to see what matters eternally.
In the precious and mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
My prayer for you today: I pray that you awake out of sleep spiritually and live with holy urgency as you recognize that salvation is nearer than ever.
