WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.” — Matthew 13:24-25 The greatest danger any man can ever face is the moment he falls asleep. Sleep is the position of greatest vulnerability — anyone and anything can move against you while you are unconscious of what is happening around you. Physical sleep is necessary; the body genuinely needs rest. But the spirit man was never mandated to sleep. Whenever the spirit man falls asleep — whenever discernment dulls, watchfulness fades, and spiritual alertness gives way to comfort — it opens a door through which destruction can quietly enter a life, a family, a ministry, or even a nation. There is spiritual wickedness constantly at work behind the scenes of the visible world. This is precisely why it is not optional, but mandatory, that believers keep their spirit alive and awake at all times. The parable Jesus told makes this devastatingly clear: the enemy did not sow weeds while the workers were vigilant. He waited specifically for the moment they slept. Damage of that magnitude is rarely done in broad daylight, in full view of a watchful man. It is almost always done in the dark, while someone who should have been watching was asleep. In 2024, I had a dream concerning a great ruler — a dream that revealed the enemy’s coordinated attack against his mandate and the purpose God had placed him on the earth to fulfil. There were people assigned, by spiritual responsibility, to remain awake and interceding on his behalf, but they too had fallen asleep, distracted by their own personal interests and pursuits. I asked the Lord, “What am I supposed to do?” He simply said, “Pray for him — for the Kingdom’s sake.” I am certainly not the only one to whom the Holy Spirit has communicated concerning this leader, because the Kingdom of God is vast, and its affairs are the Lord’s business — and by extension, the business of every spiritual man and woman called to watch. 1. Do Not Quench the Spirit “Do not quench the Spirit.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 When I first read this scripture, something unusual moved within me, and I genuinely became afraid. This verse reveals a sobering truth: the Spirit can be quenched. People who were once spiritually ablaze can grow cold. I personally know individuals who once burned brightly for Christ but have since grown utterly cold. The passion and zeal they once carried has died out. The hunger to pray and study the Word of God has vanished. They have begun to mock prophetic words and make light of the Holy Spirit’s voice. Their promptings and discernment, once sharp and reliable, are gone entirely. Many arrive at this cold place because they encountered a few disappointing Christians, prophets, or evangelists, and allowed that disappointment to harden their hearts toward the genuine move of God. Others arrive there simply because they allowed sin and compromise to gradually take over their lives, one unaddressed concession at a time. Either way, the result is the same: when you quench the Spirit within you, you lose every spiritual battle that follows. A soldier with no fire in him cannot fight; he can only retreat or surrender. The Spirit is not quenched by one dramatic act, in most cases — it is quenched by a thousand small refusals to obey, repent, and stay tender before God. 2. Fan the Flame Through a Life of Prayer “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” — 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul reminded Timothy that the gift within him — a gift that had been passed down and was meant to outlast generations — required deliberate effort to keep burning. He did not tell Timothy the gift would simply burn on its own. He told him to fan it into flame, implying ongoing, active responsibility. Spiritual gifts do not continue operating effectively in a cold, prayerless life, because they require faith and spiritual activeness to remain functional. A gift left unattended does not necessarily disappear, but it grows dim, unreliable, and eventually ineffective. There was a man once mightily used to cast out devils, until sin quietly crept into his heart. An adulterous lifestyle and unchecked lust grew his spirit cold from the inside out. He lost his confidence because of unresolved guilt, and the manifest presence of the Lord that once flowed so naturally through him began to stand at a distance. I have heard testimonies of well-known ministers whose effectiveness diminished after similar compromises took root in their private lives. God patiently warns us, again and again, through conscience, through Scripture, through the gentle conviction of the Holy Spirit — but if we become stubborn and continue to allow sin to take root and govern our hearts, He eventually steps aside and allows the natural consequences of that cold, compromised state to unfold. You will lose any spiritual battle the moment your spirit man falls asleep. The dormancy of the spirit is a genuinely frightening condition — far more dangerous than most believers realise, precisely because it rarely announces itself with alarm bells. It creeps in quietly, disguised as busyness, fatigue, or simple distraction. One of the most dangerous positions any Christian can find themselves in is the place where spiritual desire has simply evaporated — where prayer feels like a chore, where the Word feels distant, and where nothing stirs within at the mention of God’s presence. The devil can only gain ground on you when you are cold. He waits, like the enemy in the parable, for the moment the watchman closes his eyes. But when you are on fire — alert, prayerful, hungry, and sensitive to the Spirit — demons do not tread where you dwell. Fire does not negotiate with darkness; it simply consumes it. “So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:6 Do not sleep, soldier. The field is too important, the hour too late, and the enemy too patient for you to close your eyes now. Stay awake. Stay prayerful. Stay burning. Decree I refuse to let my spirit fall asleep. I will not quench the Spirit of God within me. I fan my gift into flame through prayer and obedience. I stay awake, alert, and burning, in Jesus’ name.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​