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John 15:7,8 - "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. Bythis my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples." Some are willing to spend hours in prayer asking for a miracle instead of planting the word of God in their hearts, which in time would produce the miracle. Prayer is what water and fertilizer are to a seed. They help the word release its life. But if you haven't planted the seed, it doesn't matter how much water and fertilizer you apply, the soil still won't produce fruit. It's the seed that has life! Genesis 3:11 - "And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?" By taking the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they found a source of the knowledge of right and wrong outside of God. This can be identified as the principle of reasoning. They no longer needed the wisdom of God; they could govern themselves according to their sense of right and wrong. This is why God questioned them "who told you?" They replaced obedience with reasoning. Jesus compares the Church to virgins who "all got drowsy and began to sleep" (Matthew 25:5). Virgins sleeping at the end of the age: this seems incomprehensible with all the signs in the Heavens and wonders upon the earth, not to mention the increasing presence of Christ. Yet this phenomenon is something we each battle: THE TENDENCY TO BECOME SPIRITUALLY DROWSY AND LOSE OUR FOCUS as we wait for the Lord's return. There is a subtle activity of the enemy that dulls our perception and seduces our zeal. Our vision takes a backseat to other less important aspects of life. From the beginning, the voice of satan has had this lulling effect on mankind. Eve's excuse for disobedience was, "The serpent hath caused me to forget" (Genesis 3:13Young's Literal Translation). This sense of spiritual forgetfulness, of drowsiness, is the cloud of blindness that we each must discern and overcome. Today, God is awakening us to the reality of His presence. The promises the Lord gives us in the Scriptures must become more to us than dream-like realities only reserved for the hereafter. Jesus unveiled God's glory on the Mount of Transfiguration! Paul says that we all can behold the glory of God and be transformed by it (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). For this reason, the Scripture says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14). If we truly want Christ to "shine" upon us, we must arise from the distractions that entomb us in lethargy and spiritual darkness. Right at this moment, the presence of the living God is near enough to hear the whisper of your heart. But if we want our dream of standing in the presence of God to come true, we must wake up. AFFIRMATIONS: God has given me his Spirit, not the world’s spirit, so that I may realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts of divine favor and blessings so freely and lavishly bestowed on me by God. (I Corinthians 2:12) I am complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. For I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that I should walk therein (Colossians 2:10; Ephesians 2:10). Out of His glorious riches He strengthens me with power through his Spirit in my inner man (Ephesians 3:16). I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY