"Wake-up Call"

What happened to the innocence,

That we had yesterday,

When what was wrong would make us blush,

Seems all that’s gone away.

Replaced by promiscuity,

Our moral compass lost,

No transcendent absolutes,

Or counting up the cost,

Of consequences bound to come,

Because of choices made,

We no longer have regard,

For the awful price we’ve paid.

We did just what the Bible said,

‘Bout sowing to the wind,

The whirlwind comes and in its wake,

We do it once again.

Leaders sleep while evil steals,

What once was sacred ground,

But remnants stir and hear the call,

Where courage can be found.

To stand again for righteousness,

The darkness cannot win,

But will prevail without a fight,

It’s how it’s always been.

So in the air where demons growl,

The light comes piercing through,

On eagles’ wings the angels war,

God’s armor helps us, too.

And in the contest over all,

The souls of men are saved,

The Holy Spirit leads the way,

Of those the battle braved.

Lines are drawn when men repent,

And chaos has to go,

The power of the blood applied,

In Jesus’ name, it’s so.

And over nations of the world,

God’s standard is restored,

The salt and light do what they should,

To stop the devil’s horde.

Some will call this nonsense,

A fairy tale untrue,

But they cannot discern it,

Or know what they should do.

But if you love the Savior,

You’ll know that this is right,

And we will never fear it,

When it comes our time to fight,

Not against an enemy,

Of flesh and blood, you see,

But against the evil one,

And his minions on their spree.

So, come on, my brother,

The trumpets call your name,

And sister, warrior princess,

In armor just the same.

The Spirit’s sword is sharpened,

The shield of faith in place,

And in the end the victory,

Is guaranteed by grace.

The church Jesus is building,

Cannot be stopped by hell,

And we are His co-builders,

When we live to tell,

The Good News of the kingdom,

Salvation full and free,

The light casts out the darkness,

The blind, now healed, can see.

“The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12, NAS)

Jesus is our highest motivation, and His coming is our blessed hope. As we get closer to that day, the forces of darkness and the influence of the evil one will grow stronger. The scriptures call us to wake up to this reality and do two things. First to lay aside the “deeds of darkness.” This would mean we ask the Lord to show us any complicity we may have with the enemy and his agenda. Where have we allowed ourselves to give place to the darkness? What secret corner of our lives needs the application of God’s light? Second, to clothe ourselves with the armor of light. This means we wear divine transparency so that we can prevail in the spiritual battle. The conflict is real and the stakes are eternal. Wake up.

Lord, help us become fully aware of our role in the spiritual battle and step up, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.