Some childhood memories are more vivid than others. As a child, I remember my father bringing home 500 rooster chicks. They grew quickly, and we began butchering those chickens to provide food for our family. It freaked me out every time but, the first time I saw my father remove the heads of several chickens, it scared me to death. Without a head, those chickens ran around frantically for several minutes, as if they were trying to find their heads. When I asked how that was possible, my brother told me: “They’re dead, they just don’t know it yet.”

In the spiritual realm, the same can be true even for a believer. We can be dead spiritually and not even know it. In I Timothy 5:6, the Apostle Paul explained the proper care for godly widows. Then he wrote about widows who are not dedicated believers, saying: “But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” It is possible, perhaps even common, for believers to be running around like chickens with their heads cut off in a frantic effort to pursue the things of the world, to the neglect of their walk with the Lord. It’s a matter of focus and priority.

When each of us are saved, we are made “…a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). Our hearts are filled with joy over receiving eternal life as an unmerited gift of grace. Our minds develop a sense of gratitude over having escaped eternal punishment. Our soul yearns to live apart from sin and “…unto Him which died for them and rose again” (II Corinthians 5:15). But the flesh is weak. It is easy for the cares of this world to dull our spiritual senses. It is natural to drift toward a focus on worldly things and away from a close walk with Christ. Particularly in America, where we have so much abundance, our affections for things often crowd out our love for the Lord. God tries to draw us back to Him every day. But if we are not diligent in our quiet time with Him and looking always for truth to transform our lives, we can become spiritually dead, and not even know it.

Take your spiritual heartbeat. If it’s not as strong as it once was, it’s time to “awake…and arise from the dead” (Ephesians 5:14).