Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired?

 "That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now you expect us to live it." Psalm 119:3-4 (MSG)

By Alexandra Copeland

Jesus Christ tells us in Revelation 3:2(NLT), “Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.” To wake up is to come into consciousness about something that did not impact your mind and heart previously. The information was available, but you have not yet discovered it. When this happens—when you’re in a position where you don’t have information or knowledge pertaining to something that is very beneficial, you will not have the capacity or ability to make the best possible decisions and choices. Knowing this gives us a basis for understanding the statement that ‘the right knowledge is power’, because when we KNOW better, we will hopefully DO better.

  

Our powerful Lord and Savior revealed another very important piece of wisdom in Revelation 3:2. He tells us that waking up and coming into the right knowledge extends the possibility of strengthening ourselves in him. This is a way that we can meet God’s requirements. What are God’s requirements? Romans 12:1-2 (NLT) gives us the answer. It says, “12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” 

The more we know about God, the more we know about ourselves. It is impossible for us to separate these two. In John 14:7, Jesus Christ said, “If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” In John 10:30 (NLT), he said, “The Father and I are one.” This is common knowledge among most Christians, but sometimes it slips by our consciousness without allowing the reality of what Christ is telling us to soak into our hearts and minds. We are the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:3 tells us that we are hidden in him, and our purpose on this earth is to use it as grooming ground to become more and more like Christ. It is an amazing reality to know that we actually have the capacity through Christ to become like Christ! This is our mission. 

One of the things that I believe the Lord is revealing to us in this season is that we are behind schedule. The availability of His Word is unprecedented. With the click of a button we have access to dynamic men and women that are sharing God’s powerful Word all over the world. We don’t have to wait until a particular day of the week. All we need is a cell phone or a computer, and we can hear the Word being taught and preached any time of any day.  Access to God’s Word is so widespread that many of us are now taking it for granted. We put off the necessity to hanker down and study it because we think we have more time, or that it’s always going to be available to us when we need it. This assumption is dangerous. The end result of it is that we will face devastating situations without the faith to put them under our feet.  

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. This isn’t only referring to the ability to hear the spoken Word audibly, but the capacity to digest the Word and understand it to the point that we live it! It becomes a part of us. The Word of God builds our faith. It has a tornado effect in the sense that we can hear one verse 100 different times, and each time the meaning and depth of that Word will deepen and grow in our hearts and minds. 

We can’t make the best possible decisions and choices without having the best possible information, and the Word of God is most definitely the best information! In Revelation 3:2, Jesus warned that we have not done what is required by God. As we look around us today, there are many people that are oppressed because they don’t know Jesus Christ. We, ourselves, are not doing as well as we could. Some of us are dealing with relationships that are falling apart, and our lives are bankrupt on many levels. We are sick and tired because we’re not fueling up on the Word. Therefore, we are missing opportunities to witness and teach others the Good News of Jesus Christ. They are missing out because we are not meeting God’s requirement. This isn’t God’s best, but somehow, we have convinced ourselves that we’re stuck. The question is whether we are sick and tired of being sick and tired, because if we are, Jesus wants us to snap out of it. He wants us to recognize that we don’t have to settle for a condition that is beneath the abundance he made available.  

Our inaction has caused a complacency that has paralyzed our faith. Again, we’re not allowing God’s Word to fuel our actions. This means that we are not loving God in the way that He deserves to be loved. Therefore, we’re not loving ourselves or others as well as we could either. 1 Corinthians 13:7 tells us that love never loses faith. It is always hopeful and it endures through any circumstance. There’s a vibrancy to God’s love. The energy of it is supremely positive and it produces the most positive results. Yes, there are some really terrible things happening around the world, and our responsibility is to pray diligently about those things, but never should we add to the negativity of them with doubt and fear.  

We’ve got much work to do for the Kingdom of God, and we cannot afford to allow our vision to be altered by what is transpiring. In 1Thessalonians 5:4-8 The Message (MSG), God tells us through the Apostle Paul, “4-8 But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.”

Hebrews 11:6 reveals that Heavenly Father is a Rewarder, and He rewards those who please Him. His rewards are bountiful and everlasting. When you’re sick and tired of living beneath your privilege—when you’re not experiencing the reality of a blessed existence, wake up and realize that something is missing in your relationship with God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Then, have confidence that He will help you to turn things around. Through Christ, you can make a new start, and Psalm 119 1-2 The Message (MSG)gives us an invaluable approach. This passage tells us, “You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.”■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.