{"id":44645,"date":"2024-07-19T00:33:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T21:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=44645"},"modified":"2025-09-20T22:42:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-20T19:42:22","slug":"dont-love-sleep-it-can-lead-to-poverty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2024\/07\/19\/dont-love-sleep-it-can-lead-to-poverty\/","title":{"rendered":"DON\u2019T LOVE SLEEP \u2014 IT CAN LEAD TO POVERTY\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial;\">We all need rest\u2014sleep is a gift from God for the restoration of the body <em>(Psalm 127:2). But like anything good, when taken to the extreme, it can become a trap. The Bible warns us against <\/em><\/span><em><strong style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial;\">loving<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial;\"> sleep\u2014treating it as a comfort we indulge in, even when it begins to interfere with our purpose.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Proverbs 20:13 <\/strong>\u00a0says:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cDo not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;<br \/>\nOpen your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is more than a call to physical discipline. It\u2019s a life principle. God has ordained work and responsibility (Genesis 2:15). Excessive sleep delays those responsibilities and opens the door to lack. Think about it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A <strong>student<\/strong> who oversleeps will likely be late or miss important lessons.<\/li>\n<li>An <strong>employee<\/strong> who sleeps too much becomes unreliable and risks their job.<\/li>\n<li>A <strong>businessperson<\/strong> who delays opening shop misses early customers, often the ones most ready to buy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There\u2019s a popular Swahili proverb: (Business is in the morning). That truth echoes what the Bible says: that diligence is tied to provision.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>\u26a0\ufe0f <strong>Procrastination is Subtle but Dangerous<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We often intend to wake up early and get things done. But when morning comes, the bed feels stronger than our will. So we whisper to ourselves, <em>\u201cJust a few more minutes.\u201d<\/em> But that \u201cfew\u201d often becomes hours\u2014and before we know it, the day is gone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Proverbs 6:9\u201311 <\/strong>warns:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cHow long will you slumber, O sluggard?<br \/>\nWhen will you rise from your sleep?<br \/>\nA little sleep, a little slumber,<br \/>\nA little folding of the hands to sleep\u2014<br \/>\nSo shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,<br \/>\nAnd your need like an armed man.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is <strong>not just about physical sleep<\/strong>\u2014it\u2019s also about delay, passivity, and a mindset of comfort over calling. The Bible constantly calls believers to <strong>alertness<\/strong>, <strong>diligence<\/strong>, and <strong>readiness<\/strong> (1 Peter 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:6).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>\ud83d\udcd8 <strong>The Bible Is More Than a Spiritual Manual\u2014It\u2019s a Guide for Daily Life<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes Christians wrongly assume that fasting and prayer alone are the answers to all problems. But Scripture teaches that <strong>obedience to life principles<\/strong> is part of God\u2019s design for blessing.<\/p>\n<p>The Bible says clearly: <strong>don\u2019t love sleep.<\/strong> If you fast and pray but consistently indulge laziness or disorganization, don\u2019t expect breakthrough.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Proverbs 19:15 <\/strong>\u00a0says:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cLaziness casts one into a deep sleep,<br \/>\nAnd an idle person will suffer hunger.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is not the devil\u2019s doing\u2014it\u2019s our own lack of discipline. We are called not only to pray but to <strong>steward our time wisely<\/strong> (Ephesians 5:15\u201316). God blesses the <strong>work of our hands<\/strong> (Deuteronomy 28:12), but we must show up, wake up, and be present.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>\ud83d\udecc <strong>What About Spiritual Sleep?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Just as physical laziness leads to material poverty, <strong>spiritual laziness leads to spiritual destruction<\/strong>. A person can be wide awake physically but completely asleep in the things of God.<\/p>\n<p>What does spiritual sleep look like?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tolerating sin without conviction<\/li>\n<li>Being numb to God&#8217;s Word<\/li>\n<li>Living without prayer or worship<\/li>\n<li>Excusing immorality, gossip, drunkenness, and envy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are signs that someone is no longer awake spiritually. The enemy thrives in this kind of darkness. The Bible calls us to <strong>wake up<\/strong> from spiritual sleep and walk in the light.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Romans 13:11\u201313<\/strong>says:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAnd do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep;<br \/>\nfor now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.<br \/>\nThe night is far spent, the day is at hand.<br \/>\nTherefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cLet us walk properly, as in the day,<br \/>\nnot in revelry and drunkenness,<br \/>\nnot in lewdness and lust,<br \/>\nnot in strife and envy.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Ephesians 5:14\u201316 <\/strong>adds:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAwake, you who sleep,<br \/>\nArise from the dead,<br \/>\nAnd Christ will give you light.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSee then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,<br \/>\nredeeming the time, because the days are evil.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>\ud83d\udd6f\ufe0f <strong>In Summary:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t idolize comfort<\/strong>\u2014discipline is a biblical principle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Work is worship.<\/strong> God ordained labor before the fall (Genesis 2:15).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Laziness, both physical and spiritual, leads to ruin.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Spiritual awakening is urgent.<\/strong> The Lord\u2019s return is nearer than ever.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Balance rest with responsibility.<\/strong> Sleep, but don\u2019t be mastered by it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>\ud83d\ude4f <strong>A Prayer:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>Lord, wake us up from every kind of sleep\u2014physical, emotional, and spiritual.<br \/>\nHelp us to redeem the time, be diligent in our calling, and walk in the light of Your truth.<br \/>\nIn Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>May the Lord bless you and give you the strength to rise, shine, and walk in His purpose.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class='share-to-whatsapp-wrapper'><div class='share-on-whsp'>Share on: <\/div><a data-text='DON\u2019T LOVE SLEEP \u2014 IT CAN LEAD TO POVERTY\u00a0' data-link='https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2024\/07\/19\/dont-love-sleep-it-can-lead-to-poverty\/' class='whatsapp-button whatsapp-share'>WhatsApp<\/a><div class='clear '><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all need rest\u2014sleep is a gift from God for the restoration of the body (Psalm 127:2). But like anything good, when taken to the extreme, it can become<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1225,"featured_media":41505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16909,16929],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-44645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-teachings-en","category-home-en"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/czNmcy1wcml2YXRlL3Jhd3BpeGVsX2ltYWdlcy93ZWJzaXRlX2NvbnRlbnQvbHIvam9iMTItMjY1LWNoaW0tMDA2NjQuanBn.webp","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/czNmcy1wcml2YXRlL3Jhd3BpeGVsX2ltYWdlcy93ZWJzaXRlX2NvbnRlbnQvbHIvam9iMTItMjY1LWNoaW0tMDA2NjQuanBn.webp","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/feed\/podcast\/wingu-la-mashahidi","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"MWAL0WWx6F\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2024\/07\/19\/dont-love-sleep-it-can-lead-to-poverty\/\">DON\u2019T LOVE SLEEP \u2014 IT CAN LEAD TO POVERTY\u00a0<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2024\/07\/19\/dont-love-sleep-it-can-lead-to-poverty\/embed\/#?secret=MWAL0WWx6F\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;DON\u2019T LOVE SLEEP \u2014 IT CAN LEAD TO POVERTY\u00a0&#8221; &#8212; Wingu la Mashahidi\" data-secret=\"MWAL0WWx6F\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! 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