THE UNGUARDED HOUR BY PASTOR EDWIN A.B APELATEN (SUMMARY)



CHAPTER ONE

DIFFERENT WAYS OF MEETING CRISIS

(Different attitude towards meeting crisis)

Waiting for crisis to happen before thinking on what to do.
They are the first category of people. They wait until the crisis occur first before they start thinking of what to do. More often than not, such people hardly get the right antidote to the troubles facing them. Crisis can come in terrifying speed, that one could be dazed out of reasonable solution if we are not prepared for it.

CHAPTER TWO 

Our numerous foes

It is dangerous and mere self-delusion to assume that you as a believer in Christ have no foe fighting you. Our unseen spiritual foes and satanic human agents are everywhere. You can feign ignorance of their existence to your own peril, whether they are witches and wizard, occultists or unseen spiritual powers of darkness, the believer continues to be their prime target.
             Never you be deceived that you have no foes. Even if you don’t notice any human being behaving himself as an enemy to know that Satan hates you. They scheme and night to get an opportunity to strike you they hardly let go any available opportunity.

CHAPTER THREE 

When men are asleep

            The power of darkness also makes ample use of the night mostly between the hours of 12:00 midnight to 3:00am when men are usually deep in sleep. Sleep is of three types according to the scriptures. One refers to actual dead, the other two are natural sleep and spiritual slumber. In the gospel according to John, Jesus told his disciples that their friend Lazarus was sleeping the disciples did not understand the actual meaning, then he told them openly that Lazarus was dead (John 11:11-14).


CHAPTER FOUR 

“When we don’t pray at all or pray enough”

            No true believer is exempted from the onslaught of the devil. If Satan was not afraid of tempting Jesus Christ who created him, then who is man that he will not tempt. That Satan could not get such an opportune time to strike and defeat Jesus never stopped praying. To confront Satan and overcome him and his wiles requires power and this power can be obtained at the altar of prayer.
            Every Christian is expected to pray whether as a new convert or as an old believer, layman or clergy, it is rightly said that “demons do not tremble so much by a minister’s good and eloquent sermon. The enemy of our soul does not want us to pray he will bring distraction, tiredness and other excuses. Pray so that he won’t get such unguarded moment.

CHAPTER FIVE

When we indulge in unnecessary idleness

            Ordinarily, there is no harm in resting after a day’s work. But there is a kind of rest that does harm to the body as well as the soul. This is not rest in the real sense of it but sheer idleness. When an individual indulges in it then he is opening his gate for the enemy to come in.
            There are three types of idleness: physical, mental and spiritual. All of them are not helpful to the person who indulges in it. Some people could have become great in life if they had not allowed idleness to control their lives when you create a vacuum in your life as a result of idleness then you are inviting the devil to occupy your mind with destructive thoughts, which will ultimately lead p actual act.

CHAPTER SIX

                                                      When we do not watch

     To watch is to be at alert, looking out for any potential danger. Combatant soldiers know the importance of watching at no time will all the soldier go to sleep if every one of them is tired. Jesus Christ did not only advise his disciples to pray he included watching so that they can escape temptation when we watch we will be able to notice dangers or temptation ahead of us as Christian and avoid them.
            He who say he is strong and therefore refuses to watch and pray will end up blaming himself after fallen victim of the enemy.

CHAPTER SEVEN

                                                          The cares of this life

    The cares of this world are a veritable weapon in the hand of the devil to keep the believer unprepared for his sudden attack. He employs the cares of this world to wreck believers in diverse ways, He either put in the believer’s heart the spirit of greed and covetousness or makes life miserable and unbearable.

CHAPTER EIGHT

When we allow success to take over our mind

    Success is sweet. It means one has arrived, success has its own perks and attraction. Everybody want to be drawn and attached to a successful man. A successful man circle of friends is usually very large; he is being hail from left and right. At such moment, the tendency to play God is very high. This has been the undoing of many. The scriptures have it in several places that God abhors and resist the proud.

  CHAPTER NINE

when we feel too big to take advise

    Pride and arrogance is usually the reason why people fell reluctant to take advice. They fell they know it all and so disdain any form of advice no matter how good it is. To assume the attitude of “know it all “ is to play the god.
   God may choose to speak to his children directly, he at other times may decide to speak to us through godly advice from godly people.
CHAPTER TEN

Over confidence

     Some Christians had fallen into fornication and adultery because they were over confident of their strength and anointing. They move and stayed together in closets with the opposite sex who are not their wives. At the least expected moment, the inevitable starts happening.
CHAPTER ELEVEN

When a believer with draws for the fellowship of other Christians

      Sometimes it is helpful and healthy for a believer to withdraw himself from everybody and be alone with God. This should be for a period of time. There is a kind of withdrawal that is dangerous and harmful. It is not for nothing that the scripture says that iron sharpens iron. When Christians meet together in the healthy fellowship each of the members gets refreshed.
CHAPTER TWELVE

When love for God’s word wanes

    The devil, the master of the art of deception usually prepares the ground for his eventual attack against a believer .one way he does it is to gradually remove the interest of studying the scriptures from the believer’s heart. To guide against committing sin, one need the word of God store in the heart.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Built – Ups to Defeat

There is usually a build – up to defeat, failure and sin, it doesn’t just happen suddenly it begins gradually. We all should be mindful if the little cracks in our lives, marriage, business, ministries. etc. This little cracks that we leave unattended to will lead to a big cave in. This crack could be the pornographic picture u enjoy watching in magazine or television.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Continuous Refilling –A must for spiritually afloat

        For a plane to remain afloat in the air and continue jetting along on a long distance journey, it must refill it fuel from time to time. Even our physical bodies require refilling of food, water air to be alive and active. In the same way our spiritual man needs to be refilled from time to time.

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