Lyrics
(Dunsin Oyekan x Bro Gbile Akanni x Mount Zion films)
Verse 1
There's an unhealthy mixture
Of the Spirit and the flesh
While men slept
The enemy came to sow tares
In the Father's vine
Pre-Chorus
How long shall we continue like this?
Remember where you started from
How long shall we continue like this?
Remember where you started from
Chorus
Wake up
Wake up
You sleeping soldiers, wake
Arise from the dead
And let Christ give you light
Verse 2
Wake up, church
Wake up
You sleeping soldiers, wake
Arise from the dead
And let Christ give you light
Chorus
Wake up
Wake up
You sleeping soldiers, wake
Arise from the dead
And let Christ give you light
Bridge (x4)
Restore
Lord, restore
Bring us back to our first love
Draw us back to the cross
Let Christ be formed in us
Chorus (x2)
Shine forth
Shine forth
There's no better time than now
The kingdoms of this world
Have become our God's and Christ's
Outro
Wake up
Wake up
You sleeping soldiers, wake
Arise from the dead
And let Christ give you light
(Arise and shine, for your light has come)
And let Christ give you light
(Let your light shine before men)
And let Christ give you light
(Let your light shine before men)
And let Christ give you light
(Jesus is coming soon)
And let Christ give you light
(My Lord and Savior is coming)
And let Christ give you light
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“Wake Up” presents spiritual alertness as a corporate concern for the church. Its opening image of Spirit and flesh being mixed leads into the warning about tares sown while people slept. The repeated summons to rise from the dead and receive Christ’s light closely echoes Ephesians 5:14, giving the song a clear call to repentance, discernment, and renewed faithfulness. Rather than treating sleep as physical rest, the lyric uses it as a picture of spiritual neglect.\n\nThe prayer for restoration then turns the warning toward hope. Appeals to return to first love, draw near the cross, and have Christ formed within suggest renewal through devotion to Christ rather than mere activity. The final movement from “Wake up” to “Shine forth” connects inward restoration with visible witness. Its declaration about the kingdoms of the world also recalls Revelation 11:15, while the closing lines stress Christ’s return and the public shining of faithful lives. Together, these themes frame awakening as repentance, formation in Christ, and active witness.
Related Scripture
- Ephesians 5:14 The call to awake and receive Christ’s light is directly echoed in the chorus.
- Matthew 13:25 Jesus’ parable describes an enemy sowing weeds while people slept.
- Revelation 11:15 The song echoes the proclamation that the world’s kingdom belongs to God and Christ.