While men slept – Part 3

Sleep here refers not only to the physical but spiritual sleep, and there are so many signs to show that a man is spiritually asleep. One of the signs is backsliding. In our Bible text, we see the case of Sisera, the captain of a great army, who had fought and won battles. He didn’t die at warfront but in the hands of a woman. He fled from the warfront, when the battle was too fierce, to seek succour in the tent of a family friend. There, he was comforted with a glass of milk and slept but never woke up. So many people have slept spiritually today and never woke up. Sisera’s case can be likened to the case of one who is born again or anointed and suddenly finds himself going down. This is backsliding and it means going backward or to your old ways. Oftentimes, those who backslide don’t realise it and they will always say, “I know what I am doing”.

Note that if you no longer fast and pray the way you used to do, that is backsliding. Backsliding is a very pathetic thing, as we see in the case of Judas Iscariot. This is a man who had worked with Jesus, saw Him walk on water, raised the dead, healed the sick and performed all kinds of miracles, yet he betrayed Him. He could testify that Jesus is the messiah, yet gave himself to be used of the devil against Him. Judas Iscariot was a partaker of the grace and anointing of Jesus.

He saw the glory, yet there was a “But” in his life. This was a weakness he could not deal with and the devil capitalised on it to introduce sleep into his life. As a child of God, you must learn to identify your weaknesses on your way to destiny, so that the devil will not use it against you. So many great people have been pulled down, today, because they did not protect and work on their weaknesses. May God’s power be made perfect in your weak point.

Judas’ weak point was greed, and the devil accessed him through this. Another problem he had was his association. He was with Jesus and yet associating with the enemies. Be careful of who you associate with, as your association will determine if you will move forward or backward in life. There are certain relationships you must not tolerate in life. Learn to say goodbye to some persons in your life because sometimes, the storms we go through is a result of our association with them. Whatever you tolerate, you cannot eliminate. Judas did not realise when his continuous association with the enemy deteriorated to the point of selling his master Jesus. Similarly, so many people today have sold the master on the altar of fornication and adultery, lies and stealing. Whenever the devil comes to you, he comes with a transaction to trade your soul for a brief moment of pleasure. There are certain indications that tells if one is backsliding. Going back to the things you used to do is one of them. This is going back to your vomit. If you’re on a downward trend spiritually, may God uphold you today in Jesus name.

Sleep can be seen as a state of disorderliness. Just as some sleep physically and find their pillows and beddings scattered over the bed, so are some asleep spiritually and their lives are thrown upside down. When you get your priorities wrong in life, then your life is in disorder, you put every other thing before God. Eph. 5:14 says one who is asleep is dead. Congratulations to you because the light has come. There are some repercussions of spiritual sleep. The enemy comes in to plant sickness and all kinds of evil seeds. The enemy also comes to make satanic exchange, as we see in the two harlots in 1 Kings 3:16-21. So are the glories and destinies of men being exchanged today. Thirdly, the enemy comes to kill and lastly to steal from you. Some have lost their spouses or children while spiritually asleep. Every form of disorder the enemy has brought in your life in order to steal from you, I cancel it in Jesus name.
Divine Touch Int’l Ministries,Warri, Delta State. dtimchurch@gmail.com. Prayerline: +2348135952623