Today, I discuss the importance of awakening to the life God desires for us during Lent. Our focus is on a quote from Pope Francis, who reminds us that Lent is a time to shake off lethargy and truly engage with our faith. I encourage listeners to reflect on whether they feel like they are sleepwalking through life, and to use this season as an opportunity to confront painful issues with Jesus' guidance. We explore passages from Ephesians that emphasize our identity as beloved children of God and the call to live in a way that reflects this truth. Ultimately, I urge everyone to wake up and embrace a life filled with the Spirit, moving away from complacency and toward a vibrant, purposeful faith.

Takeaways:

1. Lent serves as a spiritual awakening, encouraging us to confront our numbness to life.
2. The importance of living a life that reflects our identity as loved children of God is emphasized.
3. We are called to avoid behaviors that do not align with God's expectations for us.
4. Being filled with the Holy Spirit allows us to live lives marked by gratitude and encouragement.
5. The podcast emphasizes the need to wake up from spiritual lethargy and engage fully with God.
6. Daily reflections during Lent can lead to a deeper relationship with God and a clearer sense of purpose.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. www.bible805.com

Hi, welcome to the Hobo Soul Podcast of road advice from the Bible and from me, Yvon Prehn, someone who's a little further down the road of life. I'll talk to you every weekday for about five to 10 minutes, with periodic longer talks on serious Saturdays. Let's get started with our topic today,

Lent Day Number four, Wake up to the life God wants you to live!

During this Lenten season. We're looking at quotes and challenges from my devotional book and journal that's entitled In dying, we are reborn.

You can download it for free on www.bible805.com. What I'm going to do now is I'm going to read you the quote and challenge from it and then share some comments on them.

First of all, today's quote comes from Pope Francis, who said, "Lent comes to us providentially to awaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.

And then the challenge for today is:

"Do you ever feel like you're sleepwalking in life or maybe just numb? Use Lent to feel even if it hurts, and allow Jesus to work on issues in your life that may be too painful to tackle on your own."

And now let me share a little of my thoughts and commentary on it.

The lethargy that Pope Francis talks about, the desire to just curl up, be comfy, and let the world take care of its crazy self is an emotion I struggle with every morning. I am not a morning person, as the smudges on the snooze button on my phone can testify to.

But before hitting it one more time, I sometimes remember God's call where he says,

Wake up, sleeper.

Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you!

I remembered this passage as I was thinking about what to write for this devotion, and I decided to look at the context of it. It's in the book of Ephesians, one of the letters the Apostle Paul wrote to young Christians. We'll do that in a minute.

But before talking about it specifically, as I was researching it, I found it really important to note that he didn't come up with that phrase. He was actually quoting two Old Testament passages.

"Awake, awake.Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord, the cup of his wrath you have drained to its dregs, the goblet that makes people stagger."

The second passage is from Isaiah 52:1 Where the prophet announces the judgment's over. And again he says,

"Awake, awake, Zion.

Clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor. Jerusalem, the holy city."

This idea that when we're living in ways that don't please God, that we're living in a dark time is what our passage in Ephesians will expand on. Now think about your life as I read it.

Maybe there are some areas that are keeping you in the dark, even if you didn't know that they were particularly dark.

The passage begins by clarifying who we are before hearing he makes any demands of us.

This is what he says in a really positive way, where he says, "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children, and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Now here again we have our identity clarified. We are dearly loved children redeemed by Christ. And because of that, a response is expected.

And here's where the whole description of darkness comes in. If you're loved of Christ, if you're one of his children, you shouldn't be acting like this. And here's where it describes it.

It says, "But among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse jesting, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving."

Now, this section, I remember reading it a few years ago and I thought, oh my goodness, who knew? Because we live in a time when obscenity is tolerated from those who ought to be speaking honorably.

It's a time that celebrates our versions of really foolish talk, coarse jesting. And it seems like the person who can make the most snarky comment on social media, that's the one that's celebrated.

But that isn't how God's people are supposed to live. It says very clearly, obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking, coarse jesting, should never come out of our mouths or be recorded in our media sharing. And these are not little things.

The passage goes on to show us how serious they are, because it continues in verse 5 where it says, "for of this you can be sure [ now linking it to what it's just talked about]

"No immoral, impure or greedy person, such a person is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of such things, God's wrath comes upon those who are disobedient. Do not be partners with them."

Again, let me just emphasize what we say, what we write, how we text, how we respond. These things matter. The apostle Paul goes on and says, "You were once darkness, but now you're light in the Lord.

Live as children of the light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth, find out what pleases the Lord."

And it goes on to some other things. But then the passage ends up by saying, so,

"WAKE UP sleeper!

Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you."

Now, a number of commentators have said that this command, this encouragement, was part of the baptismal ceremony when someone became a Christian in the early church. Now, that was a really big deal back then. It's a big deal now. But they had to prepare for it. They had to think about it.

And in those days, a decision to follow Christ was not merely an emotional response to a sermon that promised you earthly ease and goodies if you followed Jesus. Quite the contrary.

To follow Jesus at that time, to proclaim that Jesus was Lord and Caesar was not, held the very real possibility that you would be killed and sometimes killed in a most horrible way. But regardless of this, people were flocking to become Christians. And it's worth noting also that at that time, this is really important. Public preaching and evangelism were forbidden. So how did people even know about this heretical sect that promised eternal life?

The answer from many historical witnesses is because of the radically different lifestyles of the Christians. They were different in many ways, including their care for the poor and the weak in a society that had lost these values.

But our passage continues with some of the most basic advice on how to live so that people can see Christ's light in your life. And it goes on by saying,

"Be very careful then how you live.Not as unwise, but as wise, Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Don't be foolish, but understand the Lord's will. Don't get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.

Instead, be filled with the Spirit speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Don't go sleepwalking in your walk with Jesus, as this passage encourages us. Wake up, stay away from fogs your mind and life, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

He's in you of course he came to dwell inside you forever when you trusted Christ as your Savior. But when the Bible talks about being filled with His Spirit, it means letting Him take control.

And when He does that, you can't help but be thankful and encourage one another. Following the words of Jesus and letting the Holy Spirit control you is far better than hitting any snooze button on life. Do that. Wake up and live

In closing for this Lenten Devotional, which is a special Hobo Soul series that I'm doing for Lent, I'd encourage you to pause take time to share with Jesus your response, thoughts and prayers to what you just heard. You can do this quietly in your heart or you can write it out.

I have a free journal with the quotes, challenges and space for you to write in that you can download at www.bible805.com.

Let me close in prayer for you that as Jesus went into the wilderness to solidify his calling, that you, during this time, retreat to a place spiritually where God can significantly deepen your relationship with him, where he can speak to you regardless of the temptations and distractions in your life, and that you'll come out of it with a clear sense of his calling for you and a commitment to follow it. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.