REDEEM THE TIME

BY EVANGELINE UNITY ESAABA FOLSON

Ephesians 5: 14-16

Wherefore he said, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, be ye unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

I will like to begin by defining some words in the passage above.

Circumspectly -not wanting to take risks or being cautious.

Redeeming – making up for the faults of, or fulfilling a promise

Evil – deeply immoral and wicked, very unpleasant, extreme wickedness

Redeem the time

The passage encourages us to “awake from our sleep”, which in my opinion is asking us to become aware of what is happening around us. Secondly, it is advising us to “walk circumspectly”. From the Little Oxford English Dictionary definitions, this implies that we should walk or live cautiously. We should not take unnecessary risks but carefully consider each action we take. Thirdly, we should “redeem the time because the days are evil”. Referring to the dictionary definitions, this means we should make the best of the time we have because we are living in extremely wicked or unusual times.

How can we make the best out of the time we have now? The following suggestions could be considered:

• Call on the Lord as often as possible. (Jeremiah 33.3 and 1Thessalonians 5: 17
• Study the word for direction (Psalm 119: 105 and

2 Timothy 2: 15)

• Occupy yourself with something productive to keep you away from evil (Philippians 3: 13 and 2 Timothy 4:5)
• Give to the needy (Ecclesiastes 11: 1 and Matthew 6:3-4)

Call on the Lord as often as possible

Jeremiah 33 : 3

Call unto me, and I will answer and show you great and mighty things you do not know.

1 Thessalonians 5b: 17

Pray without ceasing

Pray as often as possible. Prayer would give you spiritual strength.  Pray at least as often as you eat in a day, morning, afternoon and evening. Ask God for strength and direction to take you through these hard times. God will show you all the things you need to sustain you.

Study the word for direction

Psalm 119: 105

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

2 Timothy 2: 15

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

As the two verses above teach, the word of God should be light and lamp showing the way in our darkest times.

To be able to use the word of God as a light to give you direction when you do not know what to do, you need to study the bible well. Then you would know which verse to fall on in the times we face challenges. For example, if you are sick the bible says, “By His stripes you are healed” (Isaiah 53: 4-5), etc.

Fast

Isaiah 58: 6, 9

Is not this the fast I have chosen? To lose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke.

Then shalt thou call, the Lord shall answer, thou shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am.

One important spiritual procedure that causes the power of God to move mightily among His people is fasting. It involves abstaining from food for six hours or more. This is the common way of fasting but there are variations. Some abstain from food and water, others abstain from only food but drink water. There also instances where people go on a 21-day or 40-day fast or only two hours fast etc. The aim of abstaining or giving the body some discomfort is to seek God’s face for a particular situation or situations.

The current pandemic is one such situation. Lets set time, at least once a week to seek God’s face on this matter. As we fast let us do the things in Isaiah 58:6 then God will hear our prayers and act (Isaiah 58:9)

Occupy yourself with something productive to keep you from evil

Philippians 3:13

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching out to those things which are behind.

2 Timothy 4: 5

But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Like the old proverb says, “the devil finds work for idle hands”. As we stay at home let us find ways of improving our ministry like Paul. We can use social media to reach out to our contacts and tell them about Jesus and encourage them to live a good Christian life.

We can also read books, watch movies and play indoor games. However, books and movies should be based on scripture or our jobs, so we do not move away from our faith.

Give to the needy

Ecclesiastes 11: 1

Cast your bread upon the waters for thou shall find it after many days.

Matthew 6:3-4

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.

That thine arms may be in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly.

Share your time, money, food, clothes and any other things you can give to the less fortunate. This will help all of us stay at home and stop the spread of the virus.

Concluding remarks

Let’s ponder on the words of this song:

There is no problem too big, God cannot solve it

There is no mountain too tall He cannot move it

There no storm too dark, God cannot calm it

There is no sorrow too deep, He cannot soothe it

 

Chorus

If He carries the weight of the world upon His shoulders

I know my brother/sister that He will carry you.

References

1. King James Bible
2. Little Oxford English Dictionary
3. Redeem the time