"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." 1 Thessalonians 5:6
There are at least seven times in the NKJV translation of Scriptures where we are admonished to "be sober."
The first mention is this:
"Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober." 1 Thessalonians 5:6
It is so easy to get comfortable and wrapped up in the ease of life where all our daily basic needs are met and we're really not concerned about tomorrow and that is a good thing. Even Jesus, Himself taught us to take no thought for our lives, what we shall eat or drink or be clothed. Instead, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all those things will be added to us. This was not given as a license for laziness, lethargy or to make ourselves dependents, living off the work of others while we lay back in ease, basking in the sunshine, lounging on the beach, eating, and drinking without a care in the world.
NO! Clearly the spirit of the Word of God tells us that we should work. And if we are unwilling to work, then we should not eat. But we are not to worry or become stressed-out over making sure we have food to eat or clothes to wear, but rather that we are to work with our hands, to the best of our ability, and earn all the wages we can, so we can have, not only have enough for ourselves, but a surplus so we can be of service to others as they have need. (2 Thessalonians. 3:10; Ephesians 4:28)
Sleep is a good thing, but not at a time when we need to be alert and on the lookout for danger and the works of the thief, who comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy.
The contrast of sleep and sobriety is that in sleep we are totally at the mercy of the forces of life and death surrounding us. The same is true when we are drunk on wine, or the intoxicating drink of a host of things that are lying in wait to distract us from what is really going on. TV entertainment, the internet, cell phones and all forms of social media and so-called news media.
Add to that the isolation that can result from the overindulgence in the vast magnitude of sound bites and video clips that you can scroll through for hours and completely lose track of time doing so. In the meantime, your mind is fixed on a steady stream of mind-numbing trivia going endlessly to "the next thing" to captivate your natural sense of curiosity and hold you captive to the distraction for as long as possible while your mind's ability to choose your own thoughts are slowly diminished to the point that you just crave more and more of it, even though you can barely remember any of what you have been watching.
The time went by and was lost to you forever. What is that worth?
Being sober against intoxicating beverage is as important as being sober against the attraction for, and the lust for, the things of this world.
The second mention to be sober is this.
"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation". 1 Thessalonians 5:8
We are defined by what God says of us, and by what actions/life style we are seen living before the world. People know us more by what we do than what we say. This is why Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify God in heaven."
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
But wait, you say! Aren't we supposed to do our good works in secret, not trumpet them for everybody to see? That is true in part. The doing in secret part is mentioned in scripture specifically in two things. In our giving to the Kingdom of God, our tithing, giving offerings, and doing service specifically to support the work of ministry behind the scenes, and in our prayers of intercession and for the works of the Kingdom of God being done on earth as they are in Heaven.
Simply stated, our motivation in giving and in praying is never to be for the sake of impressing people, but rather that we humbly communicate with God. Weather in prayers of agreement with two or three, or prayers offered for the church, or privately in our closets, the motivation should be faith and love toward God, and genuine love for those for whom we are praying.
We can pour out our souls in prayer especially when interceding for others and ourselves. But, it isn't the brevity or the lengthiness of our prayers that moves the heart of God. It is our faith motivated by love that touches Him.
The function of our light shining before men in the good works we are doing is that in doing so, people get to glorify God for what they see. It would be almost impossible to illicit glory to God for our good works if there is nothing that can seen, no evidence that we are espressing His life throught the things we are doing.
As children of the day, we stand in contrast to the children of the night. Light and darkness, day and night are not just passive phenomena that happens every twenty four hours. The daylight hours have a significant effect on our bodies, conversely the night has a quite different effect on us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
The works of darkness (evil, fear, insecurity, threats and so on) are most intense in the night time. The thief lurking in the shadows, the hidden thoughts of the mind and heart seek expression in the night. People choose to do things in the dark that they would never think to do in the light of day.
There is a condemnation on the evil deeds done in the night.
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. "John 3:19
So, we must arm ourselves with protective, defensive weaponry in the face of evil. We must put on the breastplate of faith and love and the hope of salvation as a helmet. In other words, we anchor our hearts by faith in God first, last, and always!! Then, we guard our minds with the truth of HIs Word and the hope of the resurrection and eternal life that will not be disappointed.
The journey may not always be easy but the destination will be more than worth it.
So be sober, be watchful, be alert, and be fully equipped for the journey, knowing that we are not alone and the Spirit of God is always with us to guide us and keep us by His mighty power.
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10