Are You “Woke”?

There is a prevailing movement alive today, that (supposedly) started a few short years ago, and purports to be ‘alert to racial prejudice and discrimination’ (see this Wikipedia article). This movement is the WOKE movement and in reality, it is just another “ME” movement.

A “ME” movement is how I like to refer to movements that are all about the individual “me’s” in the group and have nothing to do with God. They always divide the people and are what Satan is using to drive people further and further away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ in America today.

It is amazing to me that the idea that people had somehow gone to sleep and suddenly become oblivious to racism, inequality, gender bias, or sexism and now need to “wake up” (become woke) has even been accepted by our society. I am not exactly sure what drugs these people are taking to cause them to go to sleep and turn a blind eye to racism but if I were them, I’d seriously consider getting this condition looked at before it started to affect my health and mental well-being.

I guess I was ‘woke‘ before ‘woke‘ even became a thing because I have been aware of prejudice and racial inequality most of my life. And I’m not exactly sure how stupid these people really are, but if they think that racism and prejudice just suddenly sprang up while they were asleep, then this sickness is much worse than I imagined. Racism, prejudice, slavery, and all sorts of human atrocities have been around since the beginning of human history. Long, long before any of us were ever born.

And I get it. These people are spreading the idea that we should all be ‘woke‘ and thus aware of prejudice and racism around us so that we can all do something about it and make the world a better place. But I have a question … “How’s that working out for you?” Because I do not believe that your movement has changed one heart or saved one life. And the reason it has not is because the movement is not about focusing people’s attention on God, but rather on themselves. In other words “It’s all about ME”. Thus they are a ME movement.

And we can tell that these movements are ME movements because they are very, very selective. This is more than evident in the ‘woke‘ movement Black Lives Matter. This movement will almost always violently react to any other “Lives Matter” suggestion. And yes, there are extremists in the group that really believe only Black Lives matter (and no other lives). But even the non-extremist supporters will argue that if we were to have another “Lives Matter” movement that it would detract from Black Lives Matter and thus dilute the really important message of the day.

These ME movements are so selective that they even refuse to acknowledge or recognize racism, prejudice, or injustice within their own groups. Thus they do not even recognize their own prejudice against not only other people groups, but even against their own, and then blame these incidents on others.

The idea that I could be responsible for your prejudice or racism, or you for mine, is completely insane and defies all logic and reason. These groups refuse to take personal responsibility for their own actions and believe that they have no recourse or obligation to change their own circumstances but rather rely on the notion that others must conform to their desires and their way of thinking (which is happening more and more by-the-way). Thus they are ME movements which end up dividing people and creating segregated cultures and counter cultures that are driving us down a path that some believe will end in the destruction of America (or at the very least American Values as established by our founding fathers).

I have another idea for people. Instead of another “woke” movement why don’t we try an “ALIVE” movement? I tend to believe that the more “ALIVE” people we have, the more awareness of racism and prejudice there will be. I also tend to believe that the more “ALIVE” people we have, the more changed lives we will have which will lead to a change in our cultures and a change in our country.

So how do you join the “ALIVE” movement? Well, I believe you’ve taken the first step with your curiosity and interest. The mere fact that you are seeking to be “ALIVE” is a good thing. Your desire to be a part of the “ALIVE” movement is the start to a changed life and a new opportunity to be part of the solution.

The next step to being a part of the “ALIVE” movement is to first recognize that you are dead to begin with. Don’t be too surprised at this. After all, one cannot become part of the “ALIVE” movement unless one is first dead. If you are already “ALIVE“, then you have no need to join a movement you are already a part of.

In order to recognize you are dead, I recommend you look at Romans 6:13, Ephesians 2:1, and Colossians 2:13. You should come to the realization that all people (you and I and everyone else) are immersed in sin and that our sin has Spiritually killed us and rendered us dead in sin.

But that leaves us with a problem. If we are already dead, and we recognize that we are dead, how can we be a part of the “ALIVE” movement? Well fortunately there is something that can be done to cure Spiritual death. To understand the cure, I recommend you check out Romans 6:23. You should come to the realization that there is indeed a price (a wage) that can be paid for sin. Death. Death will pay the price for sin in our lives. The astute seeker will now recognize a conundrum. How can I, being dead in my sin, pay the price of death for that sin?

Well, that is the next step to being a part of the “ALIVE” movement. Do you see the word “but” in Romans 6:23? You can replace that with “however“. And the “however” is that there is a gift from God that will indeed provide us life, making us part of the “ALIVE” movement. So the next step is to recognize that there is a gift from God and that it is available to you and to me.

The last step to being a part of the “ALIVE” movement is to accept that gift. For that part I recommend you look at John 3:16. You should recognize that accepting God’s gift of eternal life is to believe on the name of Jesus Christ. To believe that He is indeed the Son of God, that He died on the cross for your sins and for mine, that three days later He rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb He was laid in of His own accord. And that today He sits at the right hand of God the Father and intercedes for you and for me. If you believe, really and truly believe. Believe with all your Heart, and all your Mind, and all your Soul. And it is OK to ask for help with your unbelief (Mark 9:24). Then He will make you “ALIVE” (Colossians 2:13) by forgiving you of your sins and making you a part of His family. A new family. One that will last for all of eternity.

And if you followed those steps to be a part of the “ALIVE” movement, I believe you can forget about the “Woke” movement at this point. Because now you have a new focus and a new purpose in life. That of following Jesus Christ our Lord. And that will make all the difference.