MAKE THE BEST USE OF YOUR NIGHT-TIME 1

1. ANOTHER parable He put forth to them, saying: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a MAN who SOWED GOOD SEED in his FIELD;
2. BUT WHILE MEN SLEPT, HIS ENEMY came and SOWED TARES [weeds] AMONG THE WHEAT and went his way.
3. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the TARES [weeds] also appeared.
4. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow GOOD SEED in your FIELD? How then does it have TARES [weeds]?’
5. He said to them, ‘AN ENEMY HAS DONE THIS.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
6. But he said, ‘NO, LEST WHILE YOU GATHER UP THE TARES [weeds] YOU ALSO UPROOT THE WHEAT WITH THEM."
   Matthew 13:24-29 (NKJV)

• In every gathering of the people of God, there are always a mixed multitude; the people who are planted by the devil.

• They are the tares or weeds that are planted by the wicked ONE in order to retard the growth and development of such congregation of people.
• There were people who left Egypt with the Israelites, the Bible refers to them as mixed multitude (Exodus 12:38).
• These mixed multitude yielded to intense craving for meat and that caused the Israelites to rebel and murmur against God and Moses His servant (Numbers 11:4).
• The devil usually plants strategically those who are his, in the gathering of the people of God.
• The main Purpose of such people in the gathering of the people of God is to hinder the growth and increase of such congregation.
• In our text, Matthew 13:24-29, the Man Who sows the good SEED is the Lord Jesus Christ:
  37 HE answered and said to them: “HE WHO SOWS THE GOOD SEED IS THE SON OF MAN [Jesus Christ].
  38 The FIELD is the WORLD, the GOOD SEEDS are the SONS of the KINGDOM, but the TARES [weeds] are the SONS of the WICKED ONE [the devil]" (Matthew 13:37,38 NKJV).
  READ: Matthew 13:37-43

• The enemy is at work, he wants to retard the growth of the WHEAT, the good seed, which the farmer who was a type of Jesus Christ had planted.

• The devil is the enemy who came to plant the weeds among the WHEAT—THE GOOD SEED:
  “The ENEMY who planted the weeds among the wheat is THE DEVIL” (Matthew 13:39 NLT).
• The devil has, those who are loyal to him, planted in every part of the world: “The WEEDS are the PEOPLE who belong to the EVIL ONE" (Matthew 13:38b NLT).

• In the life of an individual Believer, he or she should know that all people are not of God: "Pray, too, that we [Paul and his team] will be rescued from WICKED and EVIL people, FOR NOT EVERYONE IS A BELIEVER" (1 Thessalonians 3:2 NLT).

• Believers are the light of the world, an extension of God's Kingdom wherever they are (Matthew 5:14,16).
  THEY are planted by God in the world, being the field where the WHEAT or good SEED are planted; in every facet of Life: "THE FIELD IS THE WORLD, THE GOOD SEED ARE THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM, but the TARES [weeds] are the SONS of the WICKED ONE [the devil]" (Matthew 13:38 NKJV).
• The devil also has strategically planted the weeds or tares all over, those who are loyal to him; and they are even planted in the Churches.
• The bigger the size of a Church, the more the number of the people planted by the wicked One, the devil; in the place. In other words, The bigger a Church is, the more the number of the agents of the devil in such a place.
• The Farmer, Jesus Christ, said the tares or weeds should be left in the field, the world, until the time of harvest.
• Those who belong to the wicked One, the devil, who are planted by him, may not completely be uprooted until the day of judgement: "Just as the weeds [tares] are separated out and burned, so it will be at the end of the world” (Mathew 13:40 NLT).
• Know that wherever you find yourself, those who are planted by the wicked One, the agents of the devil are present there.
• You have to be conscious of this fact that you might not be a prey in their hands.

• “But that night as the workers slept, His enemy came and planted weeds [tares] among the wheat, then slipped away" (Matthew 13:25 NLT).

• Jesus’ enemy is the devil, he hates whatever belongs to Jesus Christ and God the Father.
• If you are born-again genuinely, the devil is your Enemy, and he hates you with Passions (Revelation 12:10,11).
• The devil usually operates when people sleep, either when they sleep physically or slumber in the spirit; he comes to plant tares or weeds (Matthew 13:25).
• Night-time is the control time. It is the time to take charge and determine what would happen in the day time of your life.
• Usually those who are loyal to the devil operate in the Night. THE witches, wizards, occultists, and the Likes operate when people slept.
• If spell would be cast on anyone, it is usually done why the person is asleep.
  THE devil works in the darkness and has trained those who work for him to operate in the Night when people sleep or when the Believers who are spiritual have slumbered in the spirit—when they are not spiritually at alert.
• Believers in Christ Jesus should not play with their NIGHT-TIME.
• Their Night-time is the time to control, determine what happens in their lives. You pray and take over and declare what you want in the day time of your life; the Future you desire, and what your destiny would be.
• If you love sleep, you sleep too much, strange things might be planted in your Life by the wicked One—the devil.
• Sicknesses, diseases, spell of failure, and many other evil things are planted in people's lives when they slept.
• The devil or any loyalist of his could plant whatever evil in the life of a Believer who is not watchful, vigilant, and prayerful: "8 Be sober [self-controlled], BE VIGILANT [watchful]; because YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL WALKS about like a roaring lion SEEKING whom he may DEVOUR. 9 RESIST HIM, STEADFAST in the FAITH...." (1 Peter 5:8,9 NKJV).
• Believers are called to fight the fight of faith. It is a fight, but it is a good one: "FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH, lay hold on eternal life...." (1 Timothy 6:12).
  YOU are to press home the victory which Christ has gotten for you as a Believer (1 John 5:4).
• You say No to the devil if he wants to plant in your Life what does not belong to you.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED