Call Sin, Sin
Okay, this lesson hurt me a little bit if I am quite honest with you.
As you might have been following, God has been encouraging me to call sin out as sin in my life… NOT sugar-coating it or laughing it off as a weakness of mine… NOT saying “oh, I was DEFEATED by that sin today,” but rather, “I disobeyed God today because I wanted to sin more than I wanted to ask for His help.”
It’s been rough, challenging, but oh so good for me.
Slothfulness
One of those sins is SLOTHFULNESS. Or, as it is more commonly labeled: Laziness.
This is a tough one for me for many different reasons.
The first & most commonly seen error, is that it is often misconstrued as a character flaw or a human weakness, rather than disobedience. “I’m such a lazy person.”
The second is that you might very well have legitimate circumstances that make it seem like you HAVE to be lazy because you just CAN’T.
Now, don’t get this confused with very much needed REST. We NEED rest.
But, when rest becomes more frequent than productivity, becoming an idol in your life that negatively affects the rest of your life & your responsibilities… there might be a problem.
My Limitations & Trying to Justify Lazy Choices
For me, I get a foggy brain. Some days I feel like there is so much fog in my head that everything feels like I am trudging uphill through quicksand to get anything done that day.
I also struggle with anxiety. When I have too many stressors affecting my life, I shut down, overcome by overwhelm.
And for those two legitimate reasons, it can become very difficult to distinguish between my decision to disobey God by dishonoring Him with the consistent neglecting of my personal responsibilities that God has asked of me… & just needing some rest.
And so, the pendulum often swings between one & the other for myself & many others whom I observe. We either exhaust ourselves when we really need to REST, or we indulge in & dishonor God with lazy decisions often in the name of “rest.”
Seeking Comforts (Vs. God) Became My Coping Mechanism
But, as I mentioned, I have two very legitimate areas of concern, where I became a little too comfortable choosing comfort over obedience, all in the name of “rest.”
I chose the “easy” way of videos, games, tv, etc. & anything else to avoid having to face my brain fog &/or anxiety in being productive & God-honoring with my time, redeeming the time as God instructs of us. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
How to Discern the Difference
So how do we tell the difference between needing rest & indulging in laziness?
The obvious & most effective, life-changing answer is to PRAY.
And no, I do NOT mean saying empty, supposedly magical words to God that will fix all of your problems & that you should just go on doing it how you always have UNTIL He indeed fixes it.
I mean LEAN INTO HIM. Pray, not just to cover your bases, but with an understanding that if ANYONE knows a solution, a balance, discernment to tell the difference… it’s HIM. And that you are turning to Him AS your solution.
Because no one knows the lies you tell yourself better than God does. So, ask Him. And OBEY where He guides you.
Learn to Get Honest with Yourself
The second suggestion in growing a discerning heart in this area is just plainly being honest with yourself, & maybe asking yourself questions when confronted with an opportunity to avoid responsibility:
- Is this genuinely too difficult for you to handle right now? Take a break or ask for help.
- Are you just wanting to QUIT? Lean into God’s help & DON’T let Satan win!
I also made a list of things to accomplish each separate day of the week, to help me stay on task.
Fail Forward… Progress Over Perfection
Do I always choose rightly? Nope.
This sinful, selfish craving for & sometimes over-indulgence in comfort has been a long-time habit woven into my response mechanisms whenever I face struggles that overwhelm me or when my brain fog closes in around me. Re-writing my habits will take time & God’s help.
This requires the renewing of my mind with GOD’S TRUTH to help me weed out & recognize the lies I so easily fall for & of which I often WANT to fall for (& repentance for the times I WANT to fall for it & when I disobey.)
This requires PRAYER for the Holy Spirit to help me recognize when I am compromising & going from REST to DISOBEDIENCE.
Slothfulness: There Is No Such Thing As a Lazy Person
The pull to be lazy & just quit for something easier & more comfortable is something I DAILY struggle with, but is something I know now to be laziness disguised as rest.
It’s a lie I tell myself so I can have an easier, more me-focused life, vs. an obedient, FULL life, with God’s help & guidance.
It’s trading God’s will & way, for MINE.
It’s a sin.
And so, I encourage you to also recognize, as I overheard a psychologist mention: “There is actually no such thing as a lazy person. It just simply doesn’t exist. What DOES exist are people who make lazy decisions.”
God Is All-Wise. He Is Our OVERCOMER.
If you struggle with this sin, fess up to it. Confess it to God. Repent & ask God to help you have a discerning heart to know when you ought to slow down & rest… & when you are using that as an excuse to avoid responsibility &/or what honors God in the moment—even if you have a very legitimate-seeming excuse to do so!
God can help you overcome ANY obstacle, so don’t let Satan convince you to STOP at your own limitations!
Call your sin SIN. Repent. Allow your mind to BE RENEWED through reading & thinking on God’s TRUTH. PRAY for HELP along every step & for awareness to recognize between a need for a rest & a need to rely on God over your limitations.
Shine HOPE by not allowing slothfulness or an addiction to comfort steal your time & joy.
Coming Next Week
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