By Pastor Wale OlaOluwa
One of the greatest hold God has on all His creation, either human being or animal is sleep!
Sleep is a mystery with enormous and inherent power to alter or tilt anything for or against you, depending on how it is engaged.
God created sleep for a purpose. When He needed to do something unusual, He used it to put Adam to sleep to do surgical operation on him, by removing a rib from his body to have Eve created.
“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh…” (Genesis 2:21).
What a mighty God!
The process of sleep is the same as the process of death. Between sleep and death is total silence, numbness, inactivity, unconsciousness and losing control over the body soul and mind.
But sleep is good!
And good sleep that is devoid of encumbrances is highly recommended and helpful to the body for rejuvenation.
There are recommended hours for sleep, for the body to recalibrate and be refreshed. Sleeping for less hours have its own medical consequences. But too much sleep also means gradual practice of death. And death is decay!
In 1 Kings 3:20,
A mother recounted her story to the King. Her problem started with sleep.
“And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept…”
She loved sleep so much that she became careless and unaware of her environment in the process, until A WHOLE CHILD was taking away from under her arms and cover. What a careless mother! She almost lost a treasure; and her future to an enemy within!
No wonder Jesus said,
“But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way” (Matt. 13:25).
If you over sleep when you ought to be awake, working, vigilant, sensitive, engaging and productive, the devil will pollute your life, mess up your environment and steal your future.
Solomon the wisest man, advised we guard against too much sleep because it causes poverty, depravation and frustration at the end. Hear him:
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.”
Proverbs 6:9-11
The lessons here is straightforward and simple!
• When you are careless; you are sleeping.
• When you pray more than you should watch; you are sleeping.
• When you waste time, and don’t make a move when you ought to; you are sleeping.
• When you you don’t protect what you have; your gift, talent, opportunity, relationship, marriage; you are sleeping.
• When you procrastinate or hesitate on your plans, dream or vision this year; you are sleeping.
• When you are not vigilant enough in all you do, you are sleeping.
So, wake up!
Don’t be at ease anymore.
Receive the light of God to shine and illuminate your path for exploit this year.
(Eph. 5:14, Rom. 13:11)
The devil will not contend with; and steal from you anymore what God already gave you, in Jesus mighty name!
You are lifted.
• OlaOluwa is the Senior Pastor at the Priesthood Covenant Assembly, Lagos.