Day 1: Awake Or Just Going Through The Motions?

Revelation 3:1 I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.

Have you ever had this experience? You did everything you were supposed to in church– sang every word, bowed your head during prayer, and smiled at the right moments. But the whole time, your heart was somewhere else entirely. Sometimes we can show up and go through the motions, but something inside has gone quiet.

The church at Sardis had a great reputation. People looked at them and said, “Now that’s a church that loves Jesus!” But Jesus saw past the polished exterior. He saw a congregation that had mastered the appearance of spiritual life while their hearts were flatlined.

You can look spiritually alive and be spiritually dead. You can have perfect church attendance and a cold heart. You can post Scripture on social media while your prayer life has gone silent. You can serve on every committee while your soul feels empty.

Jesus isn’t fooled by our performance. He knows the difference between genuine spiritual vitality and religious theater. He sees whether you’re truly responsive to His voice or just going through motions you’ve memorized.

And here’s what makes this both terrifying and hopeful– Jesus tells the church at Sardis because He wants them to wake up. He’s not pronouncing a death sentence. He’s issuing a wake-up call. He still wants them. He still wants you.

What would it look like to stop performing and start being honest? To admit that the fire has grown dim? Jesus isn’t looking for perfect Christians. He’s looking for honest ones. Ones who will acknowledge the sleepiness and cry out for Him to make them fully alive again.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, sometimes I just go through the motions. Sometimes I feel spiritually asleep. Please, wake me up! I want to be passionate about You, so help me today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 2: Remember What God Has Done

Revelation 3:3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent.

Have you ever stood in line for something you desperately wanted…and felt your enthusiasm fade as the hours dragged on? Your eyelids got heavy and your feet ached and you started wondering if it was even worth it. The only thing that kept you awake was reminding yourself why you came.

Spiritually, we drift for the same reason. We forget. We forget what we were before Jesus found us– dead in our sins, wandering without hope, separated from the God who made us. And we forget what God has done for us in Jesus.

Jesus tells the sleepy church at Sardis to “remember what they received and heard.” In other words, go back to the Gospel. Recall the Good News that woke you up in the first place. You were dead, and now you’re alive. You were an orphan, and now you belong to God’s family. You were hopeless, and now you have an everlasting hope.

When you forget the Gospel, spiritual sleepiness creeps in. Your passion cools and commitment wavers. The fire that once burned bright becomes barely a flicker. But when you remember– really remember– what God has done, something stirs inside you again.

This is why we need daily reminders of grace. Not because we’re forgetful, but because we’re human. The worries of life crowd in. And before we know it, the stunning reality of salvation feels like old news. It isn’t. It never will be.

Today, take a minute to remember. Where were you before Jesus? Where are you now? That’s not ancient history; it’s your story of grace.

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for forgetting. You have saved me, even though I am a sinner. Thank you! Help to remember the Gospel today so that I can stay awake. In my Savior’s name, amen.

Day 3: The Difference Between Knowing And Doing

Revelation 3:2 Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before my God.

I was in PE with a guy one time. We studied how the body works. We learned about nutrition, cardiovascular health, and the importance of regular exercise. One day, during a lecture about staying active, that guy fell asleep. In PE class…while learning about being active!

He knew all the answers. He just wasn’t doing any of it.

That’s a picture of so many of us spiritually. We know what God says. We could pass a test on biblical commands. But even though we have the knowledge, we struggle to keep the rules.

Jesus tells the church at Sardis that their works are incomplete. It’s not that they didn’t know what to do. They just stopped doing it. Somewhere between learning and living, they fell asleep.

Here’s the thing about spiritual knowledge: It’s not meant to stay in your head. God’s commands aren’t information to collect. No, they’re invitations to a different way of living. And when we know but don’t do, something starts to atrophy in our souls, and we fall asleep.

What is one thing you know God has called you to do that you’re not currently doing? Maybe it’s forgiving someone who hurt you. Maybe it’s being more generous. Maybe it’s speaking kindly to that family member who frustrates you. You know what it is. 

Today, don’t just know it. Keep it. Take one step of obedience. Let the doing of God’s Word wake you up in ways that merely hearing it never could.

Prayer: God, I struggle to do what You’ve said to do, but I don’t want to be that way, so help me today to keep Your commands. Amen.

Day 4: Repentance Wakes You Up

Revelation 3:3 If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.

Sin is a lullaby. It doesn’t announce itself with alarm bells. Instead, it hums softly in the background, making your eyelids heavy, convincing you to relax, assuring you that everything is fine. Just close your eyes for a minutes and rest. What’s the harm?

Before you know it, you’re asleep, and you didn’t even notice it happening.

The Christians in Sardis had let sin rock them into a spiritual slumber. The edge had worn off their commitment, the urgency had faded, and hey’d grown comfortable with compromise. And Jesus warns them– wake up, or I’ll come like a thief when you least expect it!

But there is hope in the middle of the warning: repentance jolts you awake. You might be drifting, your eyes might be closing, sin might have almost lulled you into unconsciousness– but when you turn from that sin and turn back to Jesus, it’s like a sudden noise that startles you into full alertness.

What is it for you? Maybe it’s obvious– the addiction you’ve been hiding, the relationship you know is wrong, the habit you’ve justified for years. Or maybe it’s quieter– bitterness, unforgiveness, or pride.

Whatever it is, that sin wants to sing you to sleep. And Jesus is standing over you saying, “Wake up. Turn around. Come back to Me.”

Repentance isn’t punishment; it’s rescue, gracious interruption that keeps you from drifting into danger. And when you repent, you find that Jesus isn’t standing there with crossed arms. He’s standing there with open ones.

Prayer: Father, I’ve got sin in my life. I confess it to you now. [Take some time to confess your sin to God]. I repent right now. Give me the power by the Holy Spirit to overcome this sin. I ask this for Your glory, amen.

Day 5: Stay Close To Stay Awake

Revelation 3:1 Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.

Before you met Jesus, you weren’t just drowsy or distracted or spiritually tired. You were dead…as in flatlined. No amount of self-help or moral effort could wake you up because corpses can’t respond to alarm clocks.

And then Jesus spoke life into your dead heart. Better than tips for better living, He gave you resurrection. You didn’t wake yourself up; God raised you from death to life in Christ.

This changes everything about how we understand staying awake.

See, we can turn “remember, keep, repent” into another religious checklist. Three more things to do, three more ways to measure up. But that misses the whole point. Staying awake isn’t ultimately about doing the right things. It’s about staying connected to the One who made you alive in the first place.

Think about it like this: a lamp doesn’t generate its own electricity. It stays plugged into the power source. You stay awake by keeping your eyes, thoughts, and heart on Jesus, not by doing good works.

The Christian life is not self-powered. The grace that saved you is the same grace that sustains you. The One who raised you from death is the same One who keeps you alive today.

So yes, remember the Gospel. Yes, keep God’s commands. Yes, repent when you sin. But do all of it while looking at Jesus. Stay close to Him. That’s the secret to staying awake.

Prayer: My God, I know that I can’t do these things on my own. I’ll wear myself out trying to keep the rules. So, keep me close to You. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Day 6: The City That Forgot Its Own History

Revelation 3:2-3 Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before my God. Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent.

The old city of Sardis sat on a plateau, like 1,500 feet above the surrounding land. It had cliffs on every side. No army could possibly scale those walls. The people went to bed confident that they were untouchable. And while they slept, the enemy climbed those impossible cliffs and captured the city.

You’d think they would have learned. But 300 years later, another army arrived, and they made the same mistake.. They didn’t put watchmen on the cliffs, and everyone went to sleep. So the city fell, again.

They forgot their own history.

We do the same thing. We forget the seasons when we drifted from God and the consequences that followed, the emptiness of chasing the wrong things, and the hollowness of living disconnected from Jesus. And because we forget, we get careless. We stop posting watchmen on the walls of our hearts.

Spiritual vigilance is wisdom. It’s acknowledging that the same sins that tripped us up before are still crouching at the door, waiting for us to fall asleep.

So, think about your life. When did you drift before? What circumstances led to it? What warning signs did you ignore? 

The walls of your life might feel strong today, but stay awake anyway. Let God, your Rescuer, keep you alert for whatever comes next.

Prayer: Lord, I have fallen into sin before. I don’t want to do it again. Help me stay awake so that sin does creep up on me. In Jesus I ask this, amen.

Day 7: Sober-Minded And Alert

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

I’ve watched a lot of nature shows in my life and here’s what I’ve noticed: a lion doesn’t attack the gazelle that’s watching. It waits for the one with its head down. The lion is patient, and it eventually attacks when the time is right.

Peter knew something about being caught off guard. He was the disciple who swore he’d never deny Jesus…and then did exactly that before the rooster crowed. He also (embarrassingly) fell asleep in the garden when Jesus asked him to stay awake and pray. He understood what happens when you stop paying attention.

So when Peter tells us to be sober-minded and alert, he’s speaking from experience. He’s saying, “I know what it costs to fall asleep. Don’t make my mistake.”

Your enemy is real. He’s prowling and looking for the moment when your guard drop and you convince yourself the danger has passed. And he’s not in a hurry– he’ll wait for the perfect opportunity.

Good news, though: we’re not alone. Believers throughout the world are facing the same battle. You’re part of an army, and the One who commands that army has already defeated the lion.

Resist him, stay firm, and keep your head up. The lion is real, but so is the Lion of Judah who fights for you. Stay alert, knowing that greater is He who is in you than he who prowls around seeking to devour.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to the danger around me. I know I ignore it sometimes. Help me be alert and trust in my Savior who protects me. In His name I pray, amen.