“AWARE SERVANTS”

The concept of awareness suggests, among other things, cognizance. As this relates to discipleship, awareness is having spiritual wisdom—the ability to discern God’s will, and to foresee danger. The Bible speaks of having eyes to see, which is not only knowing God’s will, but also recognizing how to prepare our hearts to do God’s will.

Jesus often made mention of the need for eyes that see and ears that hear. Jesus was speaking of the need for perception and understanding of His word. Matt. 13:15 – “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them.” The absence of spiritual wisdom was the underlying reason for which Jesus was crucified. (1 Cor. 2:6-8).

Spiritual awareness involves the exercise of our senses to discern good from evil (Heb. 5:14). Spiritual awareness involves foresight. For example, we might have the wisdom and knowledge to get ourselves out of a hole, but do we know how to recognize the hole and avoid falling in? That’s foresight. Satan’s traps are disguised. “A prudent man seeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.” (Prov. 22:3).

It is always wise to leave an environment ripe for temptation. This requires both awareness and resolve. These environments are always hard to turn from. Lust will always conquer a person who has not crucified himself to the world (Gal. 5:24; 6:14). The saying that “where there’s a will there’s a way” applies to the fulfillment of lust as well as to overcoming lust.