Spiritual Somnambulism
By: J. B. Hixson, Ph.D.
April 1, 2010

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6)

Several years ago newspapers recounted the story of a young girl who fell to her death while sleepwalking.  One dark night, she slipped out of a window in her little room which was situated at the very top of her house, and while still asleep walked back and forth on the roof for several minutes.

Evidently dreaming of an upcoming party, periodically she would slip back in and then out again of the window, as she was dressing for the occasion.  All the while she was singing happy little songs.  She was careful to preserve her balance upon the roof-because her sleep was her security.  At one point she walked right over to the edge of the roof and seated herself precariously there.  Then, after a moment or two, she retreated and continued preparing for the imaginary party. 

Several times she moved away from her dangerous position, but returned to it, always smiling and always sleeping. Suddenly, something caught her eye and awakened her from her stupor.  Police theorize it was a light turning on in a window across the street.  The eyes of the sleeping girl evidently caught it, and suddenly awakened, she fell to her death with one piercing cry.

The little girl suffered from somnambulism, a condition commonly known as sleepwalking.  Although sleepwalking is relatively common, it is rare indeed for it to result in death.  Far more dangerous, however, than the common case of sleepwalking is a condition that we might call spiritual somnambulism.

Spiritual somnambulism is a raging epidemic that plagues the world today and very few people are aware of it.  In fact, that is precisely the reason it is thriving-its victims are completely unaware that they are suffering from its effects.  What is the primary symptom of this deadly spiritual disease?  It is marked by a profound blindness to reality.  Those whose minds the god of this age have blinded (2 Cor 4:4), walk about always smiling but always asleep to the reality of their spiritual condition.  Having never believed the Gospel they are in danger of facing eternity unprepared.  They are living "in the dark" and need to be awakened by the light of the Gospel. 

The cure is simple: Faith alone in Jesus Christ who died and rose again for your sins.  The moment you place your faith in Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and give you the free gift of eternal life, you awaken from your sleep and find yourself safe and secure in the arms of Christ.  Have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone for eternal salvation?

Yet even after awakening to new life in Christ, believers are not immune to the temporal dangers of spiritual sleepwalking.  Satan's deceptive world system makes it very easy to be lulled back to sleep and become blinded to the reality of what is going on around us.  That is why Paul reminds us that we are no longer of the night nor of the darkness.  Therefore we should not sleep as others do (1 Thess 5:5-6).  Having been awakened from our perpetual somnambulistic state, why would we want to return to the very condition from which we have been freed by faith in Christ?

To be sure, even if we "fall asleep" again, we can never lose our eternal salvation.  But there are, nevertheless, consequences for the sleepwalking believer as well.  When we fall prey to Satan's deceptive world system-when we are taken captive through the empty deceit of the basic principles of this world (Col 2:8)-we miss out on a host of blessings that God has for His children.  More than that, we become pawns in Satan's battle plan.  We neutralize our effectiveness in God's spiritual army, and we marginalize ourselves in His Kingdom program on earth.

What are the symptoms of spiritual somnambulism in the life of a believer?  You can spot sleepwalking Christians everywhere.  They flit about smiling naively as they passionately prepare for an imaginary party, never realizing just how precariously close they are to disaster.  Their focus, well-intentioned though it may be, is upon things that really don't matter in the big picture.  Unwittingly mesmerized by a powerful propaganda machine, most Christians have been lulled to sleep.  Like zombies, we live in a world where Health Care Reform, Nancy Pelosi, Tea Parties, Glenn Beck, CNN, Fox News, and a false left/right paradigm have captured our imagination.  Our sleep is our security.

Few Christians have awakened to the reality of the Satanic one world system that is unfolding before our very eyes.  It is a system that is clearly foretold in Scripture as part of Satan's final battle plan, yet it is never mentioned by O'Reilly, Hannity or Beck.  This, of course, explains why Christians aren't talking about it.  Night after night we don our party clothes and walk back and forth on top of our imaginary worlds, applauding the right and lamenting the left but ignoring reality.

The remedy?  Proverbs 1:22-23 is instructive.  "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn at my rebuke; surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you."  Knowledge nullifies ignorance.  Truth exposes a lie.  Light nullifies the darkness.  Knowledge, truth and light are found in the Word of God.  If we want to wake up, we must spend regular time in the Word of God.  Since Bible study is a discipline that is woefully neglected in evangelicalism today, it is not surprising that so many Christians are asleep.  But we are not of the darkness.  So let us not sleep as others do.