Greetings beloved!
I hope this finds you well and in good health if not receive it in the name of Jesus Christ who is our Lord and saviour.
Are you wrestling with consistency in your spiritual practices? One day, you're eager for the word of God, but the next, you struggle to even open your Bible. Have you felt like the fire of your zeal is dwindling, running low on oil? Perhaps you've found yourself in that frustrating situation where you know you should pray or engage with Scripture, yet laziness takes over, leaving you unmotivated. It's exhausting, isn't it? Feeling guilty for putting God on hold due to procrastination, yet finding it hard to break the cycle. Have you ever longed for a break from it all, feeling drained and lacking the energy to initiate change? It's a common struggle, and one that we need to address. Let's delve into the topic of laziness together. I speak from personal experience—it's not an easy battle. But don't worry—I'm here to bring you nothing but encouragement and positivity.
Let's talk about laziness. According to Google, it's when you don't feel like putting in the effort or energy to do something. From another perspective, laziness is a life of loathing. It is a lack of effort and disengagement in developing the skills and gifts God has given us. “Laziness is not the passivity it pretends to be, it is active obedience to something other than Jesus Christ''- Paul Maxwell. In simple terms, laziness gets in the way of your relationship with God. Ever wonder why you can spend hours on TikTok or Instagram without getting tired, but when it comes to reading your Bible, suddenly you feel sleepy? Laziness is a sneaky way the enemy tries to keep us quiet and lukewarm in our faith.
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The Dangers of Lukewarmness
I remember a moment during my nightly prayer routine, after spending hours scrolling through Instagram. As I was about to finish, God brought Revelation 3:16 to my attention -So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. It hit me hard because I realised I'd been living a lukewarm life, even idolising laziness and sleep. I just knew that this was directed to me. Before this revelation, I was unhappy with how things were, waking up, making plans with God only to disappoint Him at the end of the day everyday. I knew something had to be done but was too lazy to work on it. After reading this verse I asked myself this question– am I a lukewarm christian? I evaluated myself, and studied the term lukewarm. I was shaking. I was doing the bare minimum and comfortable even though I knew that was wrong. This was a wake up call for me. I hope this will help you too.
You might be wondering how we transitioned from talking about laziness to discussing lukewarmness. Let me clear that up for you. Lukewarmness is essentially spiritual laziness—it's when you have a lackadaisical (lazy) attitude towards God and spiritual matters. You haven't rejected Jesus as your Savior, but you're not really living for Him either. You believe in Jesus and trust His name, but you're not actively engaging with His teachings or fulfilling your part in the relationship.
Here are the signs that I used to evaluate lukewarmness. Receiving the urge to pray or read my bible but not act on it. Receiving instructions from God and not doing anything about it. This kinda falls under disobedience and spiritual laziness. You know that feeling when your mum asks you to take the chicken out of the freezer, but you forget because you're feeling lazy or assume you'll do it later? Then, when she returns, her eyes seem to turn red, and your heart sinks before she even speaks. Now, imagine if God operated like that. We're fortunate to live under the new covenant, where grace abounds, but we mustn't take it for granted. Just as we respect our earthly parents with reverence and awe, we should show the same respect to God. He deserves our obedience and devotion, not excuses or procrastination.
Let's delve deeper into lukewarmness. You've likely experienced those moments where laziness leads you to disobey God—you know what you should do, but you just don't do it. It's a tough truth to swallow, if any person who know what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin - James 4:17. Laziness brings forth lukewarmness which results in being cut off from God, loneliness (2 Thessalonians 3:6), hardship (Proverbs 15:19), Oppression (Proverbs 12:24) poverty and losing opportunities (Proverbs 19:15). Don’t get me wrong, nothing could ever take away the love God has for you but you can separate yourself from Him through sin, disobedience and etc. For example the prodigal son- even though he had wandered off to spend his wealth in a wrong way, his father never stopped loving him. The prodigal son separated himself from the father but not from the father’s love. The father loved him even though he didn’t feel loved when he was away. He got welcomed midway with a hug and a feast- this is how God is waiting for you, with open arms reaching out for a hug do not leave Him hanging.
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Sure by now you see the importance of leaving laziness behind in January. We don’t want to be suffering from laziness in February hence I’m challenging you to make that one small step to draw closer to God. I’m challenging you to step out of your comfortable and lazy era by putting some effort. Draw near unto him and He will draw near unto you. He is waiting for you to take that first step just as a mother is excited for her baby to take the first step. The writer of Hebrews 6 appeals to us to remain faithful till the end and not give in to laziness. Laziness is a slow poison.
Awakening from Spiritual Slumber: Proverbs 6:9-11
How long will you lie down, O lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep [and learn self-discipline]? “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to lie down and rest”— So your poverty will come like an approaching prowler who walks [slowly, but surely] And your need [will come] like an armed man [making you helpless]. –Proverbs 6:9-11 AMP
The writer of Proverbs 6 encourages us to learn from the ants. Ants are an excellent example of self-motivation. They are not constrained by location or size. They don't offer any justifications and get on with their task of completing tasks. They don't need to be whipped to move, do their tasks, or cooperate. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard (lazy fool in MSG translation)? A sluggard is a lazy and sluggish person. Proverbs 6:9-11 serves as a potent wake-up call against laziness, urging us to rise from slumber and embrace diligence to avoid the pitfalls of poverty and scarcity. It's a rallying cry for action and purpose.
Cultivating Consistency and Growth in Relationship with God
I don’t want you to focus on how lazy you are but keep your eyes on the Lord. Continue growing and looking forward to becoming His friend (John 15:15). Spend time with Him everyday and eventually you won’t see a need of procrastination to read or pray. Do not act based on emotions, do it bored, do it tired, do it mad or angry– consistency is the key. Remember that as you draw near unto Him, He draws near unto you (James 4:8).
Taking Action: Steps to Combat Spiritual Laziness by growing in Christ- Philippians 4:
Rejoice always- remain joyful in the house of the Lord
Show a gentle attitude towards everyone
Always ask with a thankful heart
Keep your heart and mind safe in union with Jesus Christ. Ask the Holy spirit to help you
Fill your mind with good things that deserve praise. Things that are noble, true, right, pure, lovely and honourable.
Put into practice what you have learnt and received from the word of God.
Learn to be satisfied with what you have.
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