Recently one son-in-law of mine was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. He got a bi-pap machine and it was instant relief for him. I was a bit envious. I was diagnosed with the same thing over twenty years ago. I have tried different machines over the years without success.

For those of  you who don’t know, if a person stops breathing, that is known as “APNEA.” If a person has periods during sleep when he or she stops breathing, it is known as Sleep Apnea. The body is deprived of oxygen, so you wake up repeatedly during the night. The end result is that you don’t feel rested.

After I received my original diagnosis, I saw a television show that described a test to determine whether a person on life-support was living or not. They called it an APNEA test. If the person took a breath within a certain amount of time after the life support was disconnected, they were considered alive. If not, they were considered legally dead. I find it just a little bit disconcerting that they use the same word to describe a condition I have – APNEA – that they use to determine whether or not a person is dead!

That word APNEA sounds funny. That’s because it comes from Greek. Pneuma is the Greek word for breath, wind or spirit. We get other words in English from it, like pneumatics. In English, the “P” is silent; in Greek you pronounce it. If you add an “alpha” or “a” on the front of a word in Greek, it negates it, like “non” or “un” would in English. So this word APNEA, based on its Greek origins, literally means “Without breath, without wind” or even “without spirit.”

To be without breath is not a good thing. Even worse is to be without the Spirit. On the first Christian Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples so that they were able to understand everything Jesus had told them and done. They could then share Jesus with others. The Spirit worked through them and their message to bring about 3000 others to an understanding of who Jesus is and what He had done. They repented, believed and received God’s gift of baptism. It was cause for rejoicing (Acts 2).

Yet something we should realize is that there were more than 3000 people in Jerusalem that day. There were many in that crowd who had APNEA. I say that because that Greek word “pneuma” also means “spirit,” and a form of that word is used for the Holy Spirit. Those who did not believe had “a-pnuema” –APNEA. That word can describe those without faith, who do not believe in Jesus, who do not have the Holy Spirit in their life.

Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3) 

If you have faith in Jesus, it is because you have the Holy Spirit in your life. He led you to that faith. If you do not have faith in Jesus, you do not have the Holy Spirit. You have APNEA.

There are a lot of people in our world today with APNEA, people without the Spirit of God in their lives. What is really discouraging is that they don’t even know they have it.

Many people don’t know they have Sleep Apnea, but there are hints that clue you in: multiple wake ups in the night, feeling tired when you get out of bed, severe sleepiness in the middle of the day. Those who have the other kind of APNEA, living without the Spirit, will also have signs that make that known.

Take a moment to read Galatians 5:16-25. You will find two lists there. The first is the behavior of those who do not have the Holy Spirit in their lives. I mentioned earlier an APNEA test to determine whether or not someone is alive. If you have the kind of APNEA I’ve been describing, life without the Holy Spirit, you will be dead, spiritually dead. And that can result in eternal death if the situation is not changed.

On the other hand, living with the Spirit who brings you to faith in Christ Jesus results in eternal life. You will understand and believe that Jesus lived a life without sin for you, offered that life on the cross to pay for all sins, and gives His payment to you to assure you of forgiveness and life everlasting. Those who have this faith are led by the Spirit, and that should make a difference in the way you live.

That second list in Galatians 5 is called the “Fruit of the Spirit.” Those who have been led to know and believe that Jesus is their Savior will exhibit that fruit in their lives. When you put your faith in Jesus, you do not have APNEA. You live by the Spirit and are led by the Spirit. And if you have the Spirit, don’t live in such a way that you could be accused of APNEA. The Holy Spirit points you to Jesus and the forgiveness and life He gives to you. Live in that knowledge and joy and certainty. Live by the Spirit.