Proverbs 19:15(KJV)
Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
Throughout Proverbs, Solomon talks about how laziness will lead to poverty, pain, and even death. Idleness refers to a state of being lazy, inactivity, or inactive. The above Scripture is clear, indolence, idleness, or laziness is a killer of life and destiny. The idle person will always live in lack. Laziness is not an infirmity. It is a sin because it, like all other sins, separates us from God. Work is built into His character, and we, created in His image, are created to work. Laziness leads to a lack of growth. When we sit idle, we shrink from His Presence, never His desire or intent. Little by little, it can affect the whole of our lives, growing with unperceived power. The danger is a little sleep that leads to oversleeping because oversleeping and idleness lead to poverty. Those who oversleep a lot are obvious sluggards. Laziness is often associated with sloth and being a sluggard. Proverbs 20:13 says, “Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.” The devil tempts everybody, but an idle man woos the devil to give them something to do. To sleep and wait for a job instead of doing what we find to do is a waste of life.
Idleness is the doorway to bondage. By refusing to do what is right to do, most do precisely the opposite of what they should be doing. Proverbs 24:33 says, “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.” We need sleep for survival, success, and our spirit. But too much steals time, dulls our drive, and creates laziness. The combination of idleness and unwillingness to labor is as good as the harvest of emptiness and poverty. It causes poverty, and scarcity will overtake us before we even realize it’s happened! Many people today like to live gargantuan life without wanting to work to earn them. They wish for everything and even have big dreams but have refused to start from where they are and with what they have. Some young people have joined gangs of armed robbery or cult groups because of idleness. Others keep today for laziness and tomorrow for other things. Forgetting today yields the harvest of tomorrow. In other words, to have a better tomorrow, you must work today. Wisdom coupled with hard work operates in the ant, which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
Beloved, avoid being idle, for it can cost you your life and destiny. Reject any spell of laziness from your life. Determine to explore all the potentials God has given you. Bear the cross today so that you can wear the crown tomorrow. Dig today to discover the wealth for tomorrow. In this life, failure, disappointments, and setbacks are part of life, so don’t let that stop you because to accomplish great things, you need to believe you can do them. Do not sit and think about what you need to do, how hard, or how long it will take. Start the first job now, and before you know it, the task is over, and you are refreshed by the joy and reward of a job well done, rejoicing in your abilities. Don’t look down on any job; put in your extraordinary work and attention to make it the dream job you want, and God will multiply your diligent labor. No matter how much you have achieved, still strive for more. There is work to be done in the Kingdom of God. Serve Him now that you have the privilege to do so.
O Lord, deliver me from idleness. I receive the grace to do with all my might whatsoever my hands find to do in Jesus’ Name.