Romans 13:11 [NLT] ‘This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed..’

DAILY READING – Luke 19:1-27; Genesis 32-33; Psalm 25

The American Civil War was America’s bloodiest war which was fought between the Northern and Southern states of America.
At the beginning of the war, in 1861, the Union Army, which was the army for the Northern states, suffered a shocking defeat in their first major battle.
As they prepared for another battle it became necessary for every of their soldier to be alert. The situation was so serious that when one of their soldiers fell asleep on his duty post, he was sentenced to death.
This soldier named William Scott, became famous for being sentenced to death for sleeping
At this time, the city of Washington was in danger. Enemy troops were 10 miles from the capital. Scott was among the soldiers placed on sentinel duty on the outskirts of Washington.
However, he was a raw recruit who had been working on their family farm just six week earlier. He was yet to fully grasp the great importance of being alert as a soldier.
In the early morning of August 31 1861, between 3am and 4am, Scott was caught sleeping on his duty post. His commanders were outraged by the report and so decided to make him a scapegoat so that their troops would understand the precariousness of their situation, and the grave danger of sleeping on their duty post.
A court-martial convicted Scott and sentenced him to death. Scott was scheduled to be executed on September 9th 1861. However, when his story featured prominently in newspaper reports, many people appealed for his life to be spared.
On the day of his execution, Scott, trembling, was led before the firing squad. He would have received a volley of bullets in line with military discipline. But in the nick of time, his life was saved when there came a Presidential pardon for him from President Abraham Lincoln.
Afterwards, William Scott became famously known as the “Sleeping Sentinel” who was pardoned by Abraham Lincoln. He was memorialized by a poem and a silent movie was made out of his story in 1914.

While a death sentence may have seemed extreme for William Scott, every military considers it a great offence for a soldier to be caught sleeping on duty.
Truly, a soldier’s life during battle is that of constant alertness. Not knowing when or how the enemy would strike, a soldier does everything possible to stay awake while on duty.
Likewise, as soldiers of the cross, we are required to be constantly spiritually awake and alert.
Throughout the scriptures we are warned to stay vigilant. Especially, in these last perilous days on earth, we can’t afford to live carelessly. Indeed, we have entered the end-time years that are the grand climax of human civilization. And if ever there was a time to live vigilant and prepared, it is now!
In Matthew 24:48, Jesus spoke of the servant who began to live carelessly because he believed the coming of his master was still faraway, only to have his master return at a time he least expected.
Spiritually we can’t afford to go on a ‘holiday,’ not even for a moment. We must always be conscious that we are in a warfare, with an enemy who will attack at the slightest show of negligence. At the slightest breaking of the hedge he would strike.
In this end-time, the enemy is unleashing the greatest distractions to shift the focus of believers, because he knows the time is short. Indeed, the enemy is on the prowl, looking for whom to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 says “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”.

To escape the enemy’s traps, we must be sensitive to hear and quickly obey the promptings of the Spirit.
There is an urgent call to believers to awake out of spiritual slumber and not be deceived by the tempting distractions in the world.
The truth is that the ways of the world are slippery, their boundaries are continually shifting, you cannot afford to walk on such shifting sands lest you sink. Not all that glitters is gold, not all open doors are from God, some are traps in disguise. But it is only by the guidance of The Spirit that we can discern. We therefore need to strictly adhere to scriptural instructions and daily follow the leadings of The Spirit, as He guides us on the path to our glorious destiny. No matter where we are or what we do, we must always keep in mind that there is a race set before us. And we will be judged according to how well we focus on our Heavenly goal.
Let us therefore awake from every slumber, set aside, every distraction and all that weighs us down and by God’s grace, run our race with patience, looking unto Jesus The author and finisher of our faith.

PRAYER: Lord, please enable me by Your grace to always escape every trap of the enemy, as I press forward on this race of destiny. No matter what comes my way, by Your grace I will never fall in Jesus Name.
QUOTE
In the middle of the enemy’s worst, God still proves Himself to be merciful. WORDBITE 222