My flesh was tired and needed a good sleep, I said to myself. But I happened to had over-slept (which never has a positive impact on me). Even while sleeping, I could see myself praying, but actually waking up to do it was difficult. The spirit is always willing, but let's be frank, most times we give the go-ahead for the flesh to be weak.

When I got up, the Holy Spirit expounded to me on this very message that came to me in my sleep and it wasn't just about me, but the entire Church; the end time Church!
I was taken back to this Scripture:

Ephesians 5:14-16 KJV Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. [15] See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, [16] Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Why We Must Redeem Time (As Christians)

First of all, let me use what happened to me this morning as a case study. Medical experts often recommend having sufficient sleep, great! Yet it's also medically proven that too much sleep ruins our health. One prevalent effect of either sleeping too long or laying too long in bed is weakness of sight. But let's view this beyond the physical, medical aspect of it. Because it goes farther than that.

A greater objection to the not rising early, the not redeeming all the time we can from sleep, is that it hurts the soul, as well as the body; it is a sin against God.

Imagine having a huge dog which only loves eating and sleeping all day and night. Then a thief comes around to steal. While stealing the dog is asleep only to be awakened by the thief's footsteps walking out of the house. With his drowsy eyes and weak limbs, he stands up staggering, tries to figure out what's happening and can't bark until the thief successfully escapes out of the building. Who would love to employ and keep a drowsy watchman? No one!

Slothfulness is also attributed to sleeping too much. How can a sleeping Church be an effective tool in the hands of God? What am I saying in essence? A sleeping Church is a lazy, blunt-edged, less-viable, less-productive and less-potent Church. I'm not talking about buildings but each and everyone of us who is truly saved. We can not be good soldiers of Christ when we're a self-indulgent, sleeping Church!

The enemy carries out his three-pronged assignment of stealing, killing and destroying (John 10:10) and gets away with it because the Church is sleeping.

Matthew 13:25 KJV
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

I went to bed late, fine, but before 8am I must had regained a lot of strength and the LORD expected me to be up and about the business for the day, so does He concerning the Church.

The Church is a living organism, not a lifeless building. The LORD expects us to be up and doing. The harvest is indeed plentiful but the labourers are still few.

The enemy gains more ground when Christians stop fighting, yes. Many have given up and many are presently caught up in the affairs of the world.

Many are also going through a lot in this season, no doubt, and some times it can be really painful, but it's part of our cross. The LORD has given us Grace to endure every form of hardship, and He expects us to still be the Church He must use so mightily to turn the world up-and-down!

• How much time are we presently spending with God? 

• Does the LORD get greater percentage of our time than we give to ourselves and things that gratify self? 

• Do we still pray as much as we normally did before? 

• Do we still wake up in the middle of the night to crack down on the works of darkness with fiery prayers? 

• How close are we presently to God? 

• How presently devoted are we to the things of the Kingdom?

These are some questions we should all take personal and soberly reflect on.

It's not possible for a Christian to be truly devout without denouncing his sensuality. Consider a man who cannot rise early in his prayers. What conquest has he got over himself?

How We Can Redeem Time In The Last Days

We've had enough of sleep and the roof is already leaking and dripping through. It's high time to wake up and out of this spiritual slumber. That is the will of the LORD. But how do we go about it?

1. Repentance

We all know where we've missed it in our relationship with the LORD and service in His Kingdom. Let none of us think we have outgrown repentance. The first step is always to truly admit we've messed up and then ask for the LORD'S forgiveness. He always forgives.

2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2. Single-Eyed Pursuit of The Kingdom

This present world is not our home, we're God's ambassadors. We have an assignment committed to our trust. The way we handle that assignment has the power to determine our eternal fate. It is that serious! We should let nothing get in our way of carrying out and fulfilling our God-given assignment.

2 Timothy 2:4 KJV
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

3. Living With Eternity In View At All Times

Let's not get so caught up with self, what we're going through and the world to the extent our focus gets misplaced from things that are eternal to things that are temporal. That's a very risky life to live!

4. Stripping Off Weights That Draw Us Back

Hebrews 12:1 KJV
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us , and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. 

5. Prudence, Rationality

It's just one life we've got on this present Earth. We must be careful not to live it out pleasing and displeasing God till the day it's taken from us. For when we step into eternity we can not turn back the hands of time to correct our mistakes. Every new day we wake up to see is another opportunity given us to do right.

6. Diligence With Your Time

Brethren, time is short and must be spent wisely. It must be spent only on what matters and not on frivolities. Time is being abused so much, especially by Christians and that isn't having a positive impact on our spiritual growth and the Kingdom of God in general.

Final Words

By our human strength we can not rise early to be about the Kingdom business. Our strength will always fail us, therefore we must make the Strong One, the Almighty, our closest friend.

Isaiah 40:28-29 KJV
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. [29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Consider this;

Matthew 24:43-47 KJV
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. [44] Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. [45] Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? [46] Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. [47] Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

1 Corinthians 9:24 KJV
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

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Stay Pure, by His Grace. Remain Blessed.