Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

"So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled."¹

I recall falling asleep in a college class on one occasion and, knowing I was sleeping, the professor called on me to answer a question. I had no idea what the question was and gave the dumbest answer. The class thought it was funny, but the professor surely didn't. If I go to sleep in church, my wife gives me a gentle "nudge" with her elbow. I confess, too, that sometimes in bed right when I am praying with Joy, I go to sleep but my mouth keeps going. I'm dreaming and start verbalizing what I am dreaming about. Joy can tell you some good stories about the times this has happened. On one of these occasions I was praying for the garbage man. When Joy woke me out of my dream and told me who I was praying for, I said, "Well, the garbage man needs prayer too!"

It is harmless going to sleep in a safe place but not so when driving a car. That can be extremely dangerous and has been deadly for many. There's been several times when I knew I was too sleepy to drive so exited from the highway to have a break. However, in today's Scripture the Apostle Paul was not speaking about going to sleep physically, but spiritually. That, too, can be deadly not just for time, but for all eternity.

If we go to sleep spiritually we can easily drift far from God without even realizing it. And, tragically, at the end of life's journey, wake up too late only to discover that we have missed the directions for God's "highway to Heaven" and find ourselves in a lost eternity.

Whatever you do, be absolutely certain that you are awake spiritually so that you won't miss God's directions both for this life and the next. For help, read how to know God and his directions for life after death online at: http://tinyurl.com/8brzh.

Read also, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christianâ€"without having to be religious at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for your Word that warns me to keep awake spiritually and that also shows me the only way to your Heaven and eternal life. Please help me to know for certain that I am safely following your directions and your way for this life and the next. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NIV).

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