The Awakening Revealed!: The Progress, the Stages, the Battles, the Lessons of a Spiritual Awakening Journey

By IM Dlamini

The concept of spiritual awakening is artistically exposed through real-life events and stories. The book captures various aspects of what a spiritual awakening journey entails. The reader is invited to go on a journey of discovery and inspiration as the concept is unpacked through stages, stops, progress, lessons, challenges, ups and downs, excitement and some very trying times. Synonymous with the Israelites pilgrimage journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land, a spiritual awakening journey is traced through, using interesting principles and insights. Applying logical reasoning, experience and faith at the same time, IM Dlamini paints an interesting exposition of what is regarded as a spiritual awakening journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490874012

IM Dlamini

IM Dlamini is a lifelong student, disciple, thinker and an author committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. IM has a passion for people and leadership, and is inspired by influencing others through his writing, coaching and mentoring.

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Copyright © 2015 IM Dlamini.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-7402-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7403-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-7401-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015904438

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/05/2015

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Prologue

The Beginning

The Metamorphosis

The purification

The sanctification

The complete obedience

The reverential fear of God

The counsel

The Awareness

The awareness of God

The awareness of self

The awareness of environment

The awareness of enemies

The awareness of the devil’s tactics

The summary

The Discomfort

The battles

The devil’s strategy

The fight back strategies

The training

The Assurance

The rest

The understanding

The promises

The summary

The Lessons

The structures

The laws and principles

The patterns.

The general lessons.

The conclusion of lessons

The Comfort

The foundation

The premises

The comfort

The finale

Notes

Preface

First and foremost, THANK YOU for deciding to pick up this book, I hope it will satisfy the reason that caused you to desire to read it. I had known deep in my heart for a while that somehow I needed to share my story with someone. I had neither the courage nor the conviction until I came across Numbers 33:2,

At the Lord’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way.

This passage is towards the end of the Book of Numbers and details the events of the journey of the Israelites. The Israelites were marching out of Egypt on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the morning after the first Passover celebration. This marked the start of their journey to a land the Lord had promised them. The Lord had delivered them from the bondage of the Egyptian slavery having defeated their gods the previous night with a great act of judgment. Under the leadership of Moses and Aaron they were setting out to an unknown place, through unknown waters and lands and to an unknown destination (Number 33:1-4). Their march to the Promised Land is spiritually synonymous with our march from the bondage of sin slavery to the New Jerusalem. After reading these passages, I somehow felt that I needed to write my record of the experiences, stages and stops I have had to make during my spiritual journey in the form of a book, as I journey to the Promised Land. Like them, I had no idea or knowledge about the journey I was embarking on the day the Lord delivered me from the bondage of sin and I would journey through valleys and mountains, making stops at different places, going through different stages and gathering some important knowledge along the way as my spirit was awakening.

One of the most important reasons for deciding to do a record of the journey in a book is that I have had to search hard into many books (the Bible predominantly) to find the spiritual answers that I needed for the journey. Sometimes it took painful moments and heartaches before I could finally come to the answers I needed to take me to the next stage of the journey or to a new level of understanding. I would have much rather preferred that I didn’t have to search many places before I came across the information I needed. I acknowledge that the searching was also part of the journey. Through this record I hope that the information contained may be a useful beacon to those who are searching for answers for their own journey, or perhaps answers to some of their spiritual questions. Those going through a journey similar to mine, having come to the end of themselves, may find this book quite handy.

I do not want to assume that this book will have all the answers like the Holy Bible has all the answers. I do however hope that someone out there may be directed to where and how they can find useful information they seek regarding spiritual awakening. Of course, I have not written everything about my spiritual awakening journey. There are many things and many experiences that I have gone through to have the space and time to include in this book. The ones included have been found to be closely related to my spiritual journey. Mine is not necessarily a peculiar journey but I have been intrigued by discussions I have had with some people along the way. A few individuals had no idea of what I was talking about.

I have deliberately titled this book, The Awakening REVEALED! because I reveal what was and continues to be my spiritual awakening journey to the Promised Land. It is based on the belief that each one of us has a journey and a purpose in life that we need to fulfill. In my search for meaning and answers regarding my existence and life in general, I came across various materials that detail spiritual awakening and there are varying explanations and expositions of its meaning. While the stages and the paths listed in some of the materials may be somewhat similar to mine, I found some significant differences that warranted this exposition.

My intention is to reveal spiritual awakening as a journey towards knowing God, not a one-time event. There is a lot of material available regarding spiritual awakening. Much of it is on the internet, and is predominantly what can be referred to as New Age Ideologies. The material covers meditation, yoga and other eastern religions. Reading some of these was somewhat disheartening. That said, I shall however employ the same thought pattern used in some of these material to bring into the fore my spiritual awakening towards the Almighty God!

The signs and stages recorded in what most describe as spiritual awakening were evident in my life. I thus share my experience with the hope that it will help someone from a biblical perspective and underscore awakening to God Almighty. The manuscript may also be useful to those who will find themselves in a battle the moment they accept Jesus Christ in their lives. There is a new gospel that teaches that when we come to Christ, our problems vanish and we start on a smooth sailing journey. Unfortunately this misinformation has left many Christians discouraged and some have even fallen along the way-side.

A lot of the accounts are my personal experiences and are clearly identified as such. Experiences of other individuals have also been used to amplify certain points. While I am a firm believer in most kinds of information sources in answering most questions to life, testing those sources of information is equally important. I am almost certain that a lot of people still use the internet as a reliable source of information and anything coming out of it may be taken as rock solid truth.

The enemy of our souls has infiltrated the media to the point that, even some mature Christians have been duped by these New Age Ideologies being perpetrated in the twenty first century. We are therefore encouraged to scrutinize the kind of material we read, as it is becoming clear that the truth is being shifted around to suit the New Age movements and ideologies. It is my prayer that the good Lord will guide you as a reader into the spiritual truths being sought from reading this manuscript but more importantly through the Holy Bible which is the Living Word of God. There are also plenty of sources of information from credible men and women of God who have a broader and deeper knowledge of God to assist the reader gain more understanding.

Let your spirit awaken to God!!

Acknowledgements

I owe much gratitude to God Almighty, our Heavenly Father, to The Lord Jesus Christ the High Priest and The Holy Spirit my Helper who have allowed me to have the kind of experiences recorded here by Grace. To Jesus Christ who first and foremost saved me from my state of being lost and brought me to light. None of the material recorded means anything if salvation is taken away. To God be the glory. Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for dying for me on the cross and obeying until death. Holy Spirit, thank you for the truths and the work you have been doing in my life.

A number of individuals have contributed immensely to this manuscript, some knowingly and others unknowingly. I have to state first that my spiritual awakening journey has been impacted by a great many women and men of God who are living the true religion. Firstly I want to acknowledge my pastor Reverend Dr. N.T Nyawo, whose dedication and commitment to the work of God never ceases to amaze me. To this date I am amazed at the humility and commitment he shows even after many years of being used by God. Thank you for being the star that still shows me the Savior, and your tireless exposition of the Scripture. I also like to acknowledge his wife Mrs. S. Nyawo, who together with Dr. Nyawo, have held this child so dear and allowed him to reach the level of growth that he is in now. To the entire family at the Matsapa Evangelical Church, a special thank you for your love and your prayers. A special thank you to my uncle who introduced me to Dr. Nyawo, and my entire family.

In my search for answers I have also been inspired by the teachings and writings of other teachers such as Chuck Swindoll, Joyce Meyer, TD Jakes, Bill Winston, Perry Stone, David Yonggi Cho, John Bevere, Benny Hinn, Rod Parsley, Jentezen Franklin, Creflo Dollar, Rev Becalm Ngambi, Apostle Charles Samunenge, Pastor Charles and many other individuals committed to the work of God. It is purely through their tireless dedication to not only teach but to also live out the message of the gospel that has propelled me to new heights in the wisdom and knowledge of God and in my spiritual awakening journey. It has always been very special when that AHA Moment! happens and one of these faithful men and women of God spoke about or wrote about something similar to what I had experienced and through their explanation, suddenly my experiences made a lot of sense.

I would like to thank the editorial team for the stellar work they did in making sure that this manuscript is of top notch quality. A special gratitude goes to Dr N.T Nyawo and Mr. S. Mngadi for their valuable comments and efforts. Thank you!

A special thank you goes to Limpho who stood by me in the midst of the storms and believed in the God of love to take me higher. You continued to stand by even when the situation seemed a lost case and never gave up when reason said otherwise! Such selfless love is one of the reasons why I am compelled to stand and share my experiences with the hope that someone will be able to benefit from the lessons recorded here as I have benefited from the love and the lessons of many before me to ultimately discover and grow in the love of God. Thank you also for your obedience to God. I have found a lot of the answers through your obedience to the guiding of The Holy Spirit.

Dedication

"Owethu, Unathi, Karabo and Tumelo"

This book is a memorial to remind you how the powerful Arm of the Lord rescued me from destruction and from my enemies and set us all on a new course of life and obedience. When you enjoy the blessings of obedience to God, later on always remember what the Lord did and never stop fearing Him. Remember to always study and meditate on the Book of Instruction so that it may be well with you and you may prosper in all that you do.

"Limpho"

I am privileged to have you in my life. Your destiny awaits you! God has big plans for you, but always remember that To whom much is given, much is required and to whom much is entrusted, even more will be required.

Shalom!

Prologue

To begin this treatise of revealing my spiritual awakening journey, I have felt it necessary to give the reader a bit of background about myself. This will expose some of the spiritual issues that informed a lot of the information contained in this book. We have tended to ignore and / or to take for granted the issues covered in this book.

Born in the Kingdom of Swaziland, I was a normal child and did not have so much of an eventful life.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

-Proverbs 22:6

This Scripture has been cited many times, sometimes even abused yet I find it necessary to start this prologue with it as it had so much importance in my life and my spiritual awakening journey. Godly principles are usually cultivated when children are growing up and tend to be useful in later years when difficult times arise. I grew up with my grandmother and I am grateful to have been exposed to the Gospel early. I was thinking recently about the grace of God to have been born in a Christian country. I could have been born in a place where God is never mentioned at all, or worse where some other god is worshiped and may have even been forced into that kind of worship.

There are many children nowadays growing up without the knowledge of God. Even if they do, it is just a vague idea of the existence of God without much implication on their lives. I recall reading somewhere (or hearing it from somewhere) that in European countries lately if you go to the street and ask people if they believe in the existence of God, you get all sorts of answers. One of the culprits for this condition and depravity is the decay of the family structure.

My grandmother made sure that I attended church, something that I would later cherish very much. I learned some of the principles of life during those early years. For example, the principle of taking care of the less fortunate was instilled in me during those years. However the early training and knowledge needs to be perfected by coming to The Lord Jesus Christ, otherwise all the good training would never amount to anything if a person does not eventually come to the cross. And once a person has come to the cross, the training needs to be cultivated with time so that one can fully develop in the spiritual journey. This is done through the continuous study of the Word of God.

Then said Jesus to those Jews, which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

-John 8:31-32, KJV

At completion of my primary school, I moved into boarding school and soon learned different kinds of wayward behavior teenagers tried out. While I personally do not live in regrets, I admit that I wish I had done some things in life a bit different. But everything happens for a reason in this world we live in. Ironically, it was around the same time that I learned and developed the habit of praying before sleeping. My school had a cemetery and the tombs were close to the hostel we were living in. In fact we passed the tombs quite often in our weekly routines and since I was afraid of ghosts, I used to be startled by any wind outside during the night. This forced me to pray every day before sleeping.

I completed high school education and went to tertiary and my life continued in the same fashion without any major events, but there was emptiness in my life. I did all kinds of things normal unbelievers do to fill the emptiness even though I don’t believe I went overboard. I was led to Christ during my second year of university but soon found myself backslidden without proper support structures. When I went home during the school break, I knew that the kind of church I had experienced at school was different to the one I was used to.

Something happened to me spiritually during that period and through that grace I received when I accepted Christ then, I would be saved from a number of things later on in life. I did find it hard to keep my friends as some would find me somehow weird. It is amazing how it was considered to be Uncool to be a Christian at that time (or perhaps even today, I can’t say I notice anymore) and the students that were committed Christians were considered weird! I remember one gentleman I knew, I really thought was weird because of his Christian beliefs and now I marvel at what a great man of God he is, what a transformation! Naturally then I became shy of professing my faith lest I ended up with no friends at all. Oh son of man! If only you knew that the weird students were the ones who didn’t know the Savior for they were lost in the world of bondage, actually dead.

Anyway, as mentioned, without much biblical guidance, I soon found myself slowly drifting back into my old ways and would sooner rather than later be back into my old sinful life. At this point I am left wondering when the salvation ends after you have accepted Christ and you continue in your own sinful ways (I have heard different explanation with regards to this, I guess, the point is not to pass any judgments on the rightness or wrongness of each of the opinions). But my life would never be the same from that experience.

The hunger for God and desire to live a clean life kept haunting me and following me. The amazing thing is that throughout that period, I wouldn’t even think of going to bed without praying. Even when I would be intoxicated, I would remember to say the Lords’ prayer at times barely able to say the words correctly until the end. Nonetheless the evening prayer became a lifetime habit, something I have carried over the years even to this very day. Somehow I knew though, that if I were to die at that very moment, in that very state, I wouldn’t go to heaven. In fact later on, I would have a near death experience. I didn’t recognize it as a near death experience then because I didn’t know. It felt like some weird dream where I was walking into some place where the sun was setting, sort of walking into darkness.

I have found that our conscience is somehow a good measure of our spirituality. So my conscience was mostly right that I may not have gone to heaven had I died then. The one thing that is clear is that Jesus says not everybody who says Lord to Him will go to heaven but only those who do the will of the Father. Later on in life after I had been born again and had committed my life to the Lord and studying the Word of God seriously, I came across this Scripture:

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. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine

-Revelations 3:2-5

As this was written to the church, it can be implied that there are requirements that our actions must meet, there is a qualification for being worthy and that some names will be erased from the Book of Life. Taken in the context of the principle in Ephesians 4:8-9, this Scripture presents an eye opening picture especially the last part with the names not being erased from the Book of Life. So if I had died then even though I had accepted Christ at some point, were my actions meeting the requirements of God, were my clothes not soiled in evil, if Christ were to come, would I gladly welcome Him or I would be surprised like I would if a thief came, was I worthy, was my name still in the Book of Life? So many questions that have left me wondering if we ever ponder enough about these serious issues and if we can really take a chance about their implications. But could I actually afford to be oblivious of these questions and simply carry on with life as if they are not there, would I afford to leave anything to chance?

I continued with