When I decided to give meaning to my life and put everything in place to achieve success, I began studying the lives of people who had made it in the world. As I read the biographies of several of these individuals, I realized they shared many common traits.

One of the most striking traits was that these individuals slept very little. Many said they were active at night while most people were asleep. Several took advantage of the nighttime silence to write their best books or receive their greatest ideas.

One day, I heard the testimony of a pastor who had the opportunity to travel on the same plane as the richest man in Africa. Both men were in business class. The plane had left Nigeria at 10 PM and was scheduled to arrive at its destination at 6 AM. The pastor noticed that while almost all the passengers were asleep, the richest man in Africa was working on his laptop.

The billionaire was the one staying awake while everyone else slept. The simplistic logic would suggest that the billionaire should sleep while others stay awake, as unlike the billionaire, who had already achieved financial success, all the others still needed to fight for financial stability.

After reading and hearing all these similar testimonies about people who had achieved great success, I decided to imitate them and begin making use of part of the night. That’s how I decided to start my days at 4 AM.

Every time I woke up and realized that most people were still sleeping, I felt privileged to belong to the group of people who refuse to love sleep. I began to see myself as someone who had already succeeded. A few months after I started waking up at 4 AM, my productivity level increased significantly.

Besides my career as a lawyer, I began writing books and conducting training sessions at my own training center, as well as in other centers where I was invited to teach. This lifestyle allowed me to write five books in 2020, something unimaginable when I dedicated all my nights to sleep. It felt as if what we accomplish at night is supernaturally multiplied by the invisible hand of God.

Just as companies increase the salaries of employees who work night shifts, so do those who are active at night receive benefits beyond comprehension.

Jesus stayed awake and prayed while the disciples slept

The Bible shows us that one of Jesus’ keys to success was praying at night while everyone else was asleep. Jesus tried to teach this secret to His disciples by inviting them to stay awake and pray as He did.

Unfortunately, they were unable to stay awake. They fell asleep despite the many exhortations from their Master. It was ultimately this inability to stay awake and pray that allowed Satan to gain an advantage over them, pushing them to deny their Master.

And he came to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ And again, he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” Matthew 26:40-45

This passage shows us how the disciples could not stay awake when they were supposed to pray. Jesus reminded them that staying awake and praying would help them remain strong in the face of temptation. Jesus knew He would be arrested and crucified, while His disciples would be accused of walking with Him.

To face this temptation, Jesus believed they needed to stay awake and pray as well. However, chapter 14 of the Gospel of Mark shows us that one of Jesus’ disciples, who had been among those sleeping instead of praying, denied Jesus multiple times. His choice to sleep rather than stay awake and pray harmed him…

This text is an excerpt from the book  “DON’T LIKE SLEEP” written by Dominique MBOG.

We invite you to read the following article: SLEEP AND SPIRITUALITY.”

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