Awake Anew: Living as the True You

By Dr. Therese McFarlane

Awake Anew: Resurrection of the True You is a vehicle of affirmation for purpose-driven men and women whose journey of spiritual maturity has intersected with relational losses and rejection.It escorts readers through the journey of self-actualization by depicting the phases of change that takes place in the evolution of becoming. It combines the spiritual and psychological aspects of transformation that sequentially unfolds in the process of spiritual maturation.Awake Anew: Resurrection of the True You helps you to understand where you are in your spiritual evolution in purpose and connects you to the pathway of perspective as you become the you that you truly are within. At certain points in the process, you recognize God's divine orchestration and that He also supplies the necessary emotional and spiritual support required to endure and fulfill every phase of change. The most anticipated phase is where you encounter Him and He affirms you as His own. You become fully you—the new and true you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098057084

Book preview

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The Call:

Awakened

We can no longer be present but absent—not now, not ever.

You’re awakened—but not naturally. Something occurred that reconfigured your sleep pattern, bringing you out of an unconscious state. You were unaware, only realizing you were asleep by your eyes now being open.

Things that went unnoticed before are now apparent. Certain things that once appealed to you may no longer hold your interest. Some things that were accepted as true reveal much unexplored. Though you do not know how it all began or why, you know undoubtedly you are entering an unfamiliar period of your life. In a strange way, you become less accepting of who you were and have a heightened awareness of who you cannot be.

You now discern a tugging on your heart. There is a gravitational force coaxing you out of where you are, though you do not yet know where it is drawing you to. You begin to realize that your senses are heightening—enlightened to smell, taste, and see differently. Your taste buds have changed. What was is no longer enough.

Sometimes we sleep a deep sleep to the point of unconsciousness. We sleep deeply so as to not being able to hear the sounds of alarms. There are bells ringing, doors closing, cars driving—some racing to their eternity—yet we sleep. This sleep is too deep, inducing absence to the reality of what is. This shouldn’t be.

Unknown to you at the time, but while you were asleep, something happened. Something happened to supernaturally shift your level of awareness, causing your spiritual eyes to open. That something was the call. God, by His favor, aligned your ears to the frequency of His sound so that you could hear His voice.

Look around, observe. What are you seeing and hearing? What have you awakened to? What are you sensing and why? We can no longer be present but absent—not now, not ever.

Why We Sleep

Though sleep is a natural and necessary process for a healthy human experience, this sleep is not. It’s spiritual in nature and is not a result of the typical tiredness and exhaustion after a sixteen-hour wake period but is a supernatural occurrence that emerges in the absence of true faith.

There are several factors that precede or trigger this sleep—bewitchment, disobedience, dormancy, and deception. I will suggest to you the most common reason we fall into a spiritual sleep is dormancy (which is inaction in the true faith).

Dormancy

Have you ever lingered in the same position after awakening? I believe this has happened to most of us, a time or two. We awaken but lay dormant in bed with no intent to move! Then of course—you probably already thought it—back to sleep!

What happens after our eyes are opened determines whether you remain awake or doze back into sleep. If you decide to remain in a dormant position, not taking a stand, the signals your brain gave your body to move you to action will subside and revert back to another cycle of sleep. This is a self-imposed condition caused by inaction in the things that you recognize to be true.

Dormancy may also be caused by adversarial forces working against you. There are demonic spirits assigned to distract you from living the life you are to live and frustrate your progress every step of the way.

No Time to Sleep—Your Visitation Is upon You

What are you waiting for? Are you alert enough to recognize it as it approaches?

The ten virgins in Matthew 25 were waiting, and in this extended period of delayed fulfillment, they fell asleep. Five were foolish and five wise, but they all slept. Though eagerly anticipating the arrival of the groom, they all faded into a subconscious state. When the groom arrived to receive his bride, they all needed to be alerted by the call.

It doesn’t really matter if you are wise or if you are prone to foolishness if, at the time of visitation, you are not awake! Think about it—this is your time of encounter where your existence will be confronted and utterly redefined. This moment holds the marriage of deep expectation to divine potential. In divine visitation, you encounter a supernatural force that is able to forever change you. Your personhood is transformed for the reshaping of your life.

If you’re not alert in your waking, this moment will pass you by. It’s not that you didn’t want it; it’s that you got a bit too comfortable or grew weary and closed your eyes. Or it could be that you expended too much effort in contemplation or doing things that drain your essence rather than add to it. In either case, you lose the vitality necessary to remain alert and subconsciously fade into a decreased awareness of self and surroundings until your eyes gave way to slumber.

If you have ever slept so deeply that you were not able to hear the alert, you would likely awaken to realize the sun is up and a new day has already begun—without you. You miss appointments on mornings like these. You won’t always know what your divine appointment is. You may only know that there is an internal hunger for change, but the how and when are only discovered upon your arrival and conscious engagement with that hunger.

From Awake to Ready

The beauty in the parable of the ten virgins is that the call was so intent that it awakened all, giving everyone the opportunity to rise to the occasion. For the waiting virgins, had they remained in deep sleep, they would have missed their moment to present themselves.

However, despite their availability, they had to be ready. There must be a spiritual readiness in you in which you can greet appointed times with open arms or, rather, open eyes. You must not only hear the call; you must grow to also see it. To see it is to perceive your purpose in the plan of the One who has called you. We read this in the Word:

But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light [of God’s precepts]; for it is light that makes everything visible. For this reason, He says, "Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light."

Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. Therefore, do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:13–17 AMP)

You’re awake, now arise! Change your position, wash your eyes, and the Lord will enlighten you!

This enlightenment is necessary and the only thing that can pave the path for clarity in what’s ahead. This enlightenment gives you wisdom on how to live as you should. As you come out of the you that you once were, this light—His word—will lead you to the end of your own road toward the horizon of the new.

Are you ready to be who He has called you to be and to go where He is calling you to go?

Arising Wisely

The Wisdom of Preparation

You can’t just show up!

Preparation is principle. Even when you sense or hear the calling of the Lord, if you have not prepared yourself to respond, it will soon mean nothing. There is a period of pause before you rise, the moments your body needs upon awakening before jumping out of bed. Don’t mistake this period as an opportunity to slip into dormancy. No, this is your moment to balance. You must be prepared to stand, and this resting period promotes calibration.

Calibration is necessary. In the medical field, it’s called equilibrium or hemodynamic stability, where every bodily system begins to flow in synchrony to a rhythm that maintains a healthy harmony. Without equilibrium, there is decreased orientation of balance and inability to stand upright. This is true for the spirit, soul, and body upon awakening. Rising too quickly takes you out of sync with His Spirit, causing disorientation and a spiritual fall.

It’s common to have an eagerness to rise because of the excitement of this new day, a day filled with anticipation and the unknown. You may want to jump out of bed right into your familiar garments while imagining all you would do and say upon meeting whatever occasion the day has to offer. However, it’s so very important to appreciate the moments between awakening and arising, allowing yourself to sync His Spirit with yours. You come to perceive His will for today—His will, not yours.

As you reflect in the moments of rest, there are impressions and revelations He lights upon your heart. They are like droplets of oil in your spirit. These revelations are things you will come to know deeply. He also brings confirmations of what’s revealed in the form of two or three witnesses. Know that there is an inner witness given to preserve you from doubt and fear. It is the oil necessary for the livelihood of the lamp. It is the oil He lights at His appearing. That same witness is the substance He uses to keep the fire of belief burning. It is your faith. Faith is not a matter of the mind; it is a condition of the spiritual heart. You will need that oil to endure the challenge of each day. This is your preparation.

Trim Your Lamp, Preserve Your Oil

When the waiting virgins awoke, they all needed to trim their lamps. The trimming of the lamp is done in preparation for a new burning. The former fire that burned the wick has served its purpose and has dissipated, now needing a new flame. The possessor of the lamp trims the wick to remove the callous of the burned fibers, giving way to a fresh piece of fabric, ready to be saturated with a fresh saturation of oil that will capture the spark.

The foolish virgins thought their flame would burn with the oil of