Timing and Alertness
Updated: 5 days ago
God reduced Gideon’s army and shut the door on unprepared virgins to teach that alertness and timing matter. Many are called, but only the disciplined and obedient remain aligned with His purposes. The Church must wake up, recognize the times, and move with God’s pace. Alertness, obedience, and discipline safeguard our calling. He wants us fully engaged in His victory.
Introduction
Today, I believe the Lord wants to say something to all of us – which requires deep thought, absolute attention and hopefully urgent action. Today’s message is, I believe a NOW word for the hearers. Let’s just say a word of prayer as we start.
Let’s go to the book of Judges and look at a small event that happened, from the story of Gideon. (Judges 6-8 - The story of Gideon). But the focus today is not on Gideon, it’s on something very strange that God did.
Let’s zoom in a bit to Judges 7:1-8. (Read)
Now how many men were there in Gideon’s army initially? (32,000)
How many were cut down in the first go? Why? (22,000)
How many were sent away in the second cut off? (9,700)
How many remained? (300)
This second set of warriors were willing fighters, fearless and confident.
Then why were they sent off?
Can God work with that small number?
Can God work with 30? With 3?
What does that tell us about God? – He doesn’t “need” us to fight any battles! And yet, He takes us along. Why? Because He “wants” us to be involved / to be included/ to be a part of His victory!
We’ll come back to the main question - Why were the second set of warriors sent back – soon!
Now let’s do a long jump to Matthew 25:1-13, this is the ‘Parable of the 10 virgins’.
How many were there in total? (10)
How many got in, when the bridegroom came? (5)
This second set that got left out – they were pure (as the symbolism suggests – virgins), eager, dressed and waiting. Then why were they left out? So what if their oil was over?
Why does the bridegroom shut the door on some of the waiting virgins?
Why does he send those second set of warriors back?
What’s amiss here?
Key Focus Area
God is not unfair – He never is, His character and nature itself is such that He is always fair and just. There is always a just reason behind everything He does, every decision He makes.
In both the examples, there was something really big and important that the people in the story missed. Big enough to have missed the whole destination! Now when we really get ourselves into the stories, what was happening in both situations?
Clue: What was the time about?
Gideon and his band were in the middle of a war situation.
The virgins were in the middle of a major wedding prep.
What do we need in a time of war? (Alertness! – The second set, their posture showed the lack of it)
What do we need during a wedding prep? (Alertness - It isn’t a rehearsal; it’s the actual live event! Their limited oil showed their heart prep)
Alertness is a general state of readiness, wakefulness, and sensory sensitivity that allows you to notice what is happening around you. It is a baseline physiological and mental condition (like being awake and paying attention).
Those who got it, stayed. Those who didn’t were let off.
The Lord is putting a finger on something called as ALERTNESS, something so seemingly trivial but nevertheless the deciding criteria for the final stage – which is what both the examples sadly show! The fact that we are deceived into thinking ‘ALERTNESS’ is a small thing, itself shows how prone we are to missing the goal.
Main Message
Dear people, whether we see it like it or not, but the Lord sees us as a part of His army. The Church as much as she is the bride, is also the army of God on earth. But today, the Lord is pulling a part of His army up, that has either slackened or become distracted or become lazy! The Lord is saying – See the big picture! What is happening around you? What are the times about?
Let’s do a quick check on what do we know about the times we are living in! Let’s see how much we know / what we have registered! What are some of the big picture statements you have heard/ learnt/ understood for yourself? (Not spiritual updates – just plain surrounding awareness – what is happening around you?)
Political upheaval – In the nations - Wars and Govt collabs and Threats
Economic shaking and instability
What have we been hearing from this pulpit? – Shaking? Famine?
Now let’s zoom in a bit to your personal fronts –
What is the time about – for you? For your families?
What has the Lord been impressing on your hearts?
Maybe it’s something as simple as:
Pray and intercede for someone close to you
Switch the career lanes and get into a business or ministry or a different line of work
Maybe to sit with the Lord non-negotiable early morning
Maybe to gather as a family and set up a family altar to the Lord
Maybe to connect with someone you have lost touch with
Do we realise that everything has a timeline?
Everything in the Kingdom is for a certain window of time!
The time to labour, the time to rejoice and feast, the time to study the word, the time to gather and fellowship, the time to go into the wilderness – everything is connected to a specific period of time.
The Lord is pulling His people up for taking things too casually, as if we have the rest of our lifetimes to do something. We don’t.
Those who know and understand the times, see the big picture and pick up their pace - will move with the Lord. Reach where they are meant to be, do what they are meant to do.
I believe that this word today is both a ‘NOW word’ and quite a solemn warning from the Lord, to pay heed. What the Lord impressed on my heart is:
Many are not aware of the times. (Cure – Personal prayer & Fellowships)
Many are not alert, even after knowing the times. There are people who are taking things too casually, are way too relaxed. It will prove costly. (Cure – Personal Discipline)
There are patterns in life that need to be broken. These seemingly small, irrelevant and insignificant patterns can prove fatal to your destiny that the Lord is building. (Cure – Accountability to another and Commitment)
Much alignment that is needed to the Lord’s call. In ordering your life, in structure and prioritising – even your day/week. (Cure - Posture of surrender and agreement: Lord, not my will but yours be done!)
There is an enemy of God’s people, a crafty and a highly cunning being – who is prowling around like a roaring lion waiting to devour! Devour what? The ones who are distracted targets. How do we know this? Let’s read 1 Peter 5:8 (Note the word: vigilant) – What does the verse instruct us into? The opposite of that is distracted!
What are we to lose? Everything - concerning our God-destiny!
Reflection
Now this isn’t to create a sense of condemnation in any of us. It is not to scare you – but it is to scare you enough to jolt you out of the lull that is so deceptive! Apostle Paul, who is credited with writing out the major chunk of the New Testament and the one who had one of the most incredible encounters with Jesus, understood this truth for himself.
1 Corinthians 9:27 reads – “No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize"
Apostle Paul realised the possibility of him being disqualified was real! The term for "disqualified" (adokimos in Greek) means failing the test or being rejected as unapproved. In context, Paul is not talking about losing his salvation in Christ – but he is talking about failing his very calling!
‘Strike a blow to my body and make it my slave’ – refers to some real hard-core strict discipline and self-regulation on his fleshly traits that he takes up, to not jeopardize his call and his personal race. Each one of us are prone to it – even Apostle Paul was. But he quickly caught the danger underlying it and moved into action.
The two BIG WORDS here that can make or break our calling is -
Obedience
and
Discipline
Intimacy with the Lord spurs obedience. (John 14:15)
Fear of the Lord enables discipline. (Proverbs 1:7)
Obey what the Lord is speaking to you on – He sees where we are slacking and what we need. Discipline yourself in the fear of God – He knows what it takes to get us back in position.
Conclusion
Like we understood, the Lord doesn’t need us.
He wants us! He truly, wholeheartedly, passionately wants you.
Imagine a parent with 5 children playing some outdoor sports. One of them decides they aren’t good enough or needed and goes and sits under a tree, away from everyone. Thinking the game has enough members – it can still go on without him. But then the heart of the parent is on that one child sitting away, more than on the 4 who are playing – to him, it doesn’t matter whether he is good at it or not – it matters that he is in the game! It matters he is a part! That’s just what this is about. The Father’s heart – looking at the few who are unknowingly drifting away or have moved away! HE WANTS YOU IN THE GAME! All in and ALERT!
Else what was the whole point? Think about the warriors – they had come so far. Think about the 5 virgins – they had come so far. It’s the situation of – ‘All dressed up and nowhere to go!’
The Lord wants us to recognise the times we are in, be ALERT and move in pace with the Him. May the Holy Spirit show each of us where we need to tighten up and not be ignorant about what is at stake.
This is an important message from the Lord to those who are hearing it.
Please pay heed.
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Background
Kainos Church India, Bengaluru led by Ps. Manoj and Lincy Iype is a gathering open to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is ideally located for believers in the Koramangala, HSR Layout, Agara, Sarjapur Road, Bellandur areas of Bengaluru and our Church Service in English starts at 10am on Sundays.
These notes are from the Sunday Sermon held on 20th September 2026
