Go to the ant': 7 types of laziness for

Christians to beware of
Christian Today staff writer  Wed 18 Apr 2018 16:14 BST
   

The Bible has quite a bit to say about laziness – and it's fair to say that it does
not approve. 'The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul
of the diligent is richly supplied,' says Proverbs 13:4; 'Through sloth the roof
sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks,' says Ecclesiastes 10:18.

There are lots more verses that say the same sort of thing. We are meant to
be active, to work and to produce things. But we don't always realise when
we're being lazy.

Here are seven types of laziness.

'Go to the ant, O sluggard.'Pixabay

1. The laziness of sloth.

This is the good old-fashioned kind of which Proverbs speaks. Slothful people
lack motivation, even when they're supposed to be doing something really
important. They go to bed late at night because they're watching television
until the small hours, and they get up late in the morning because they're tired.
They know what needs to be done, but they can't be bothered to do it.

2. The laziness of distraction.

This is a particular temptation in our own day, when so many people's work
involves looking at computers. It's so tempting to click on a link, then another
link, and another. Or take a peek at Facebook, or reply to that tweet by
someone who clearly doesn't know what they're talking about. Our attention
wanders and we're off task – and really it's laziness.
3. The laziness of assumption.

This is when we can't be bothered to think for ourselves. We go along with the
crowd, never questioning what we're told at church or what we read in the
newspapers or see on social media. Thinking is hard word. Reading and
talking to people who think differently is disturbing. It's easier not to – but it's
lazy.

4. The laziness of displacement.

There are people who'd never be described as lazy. They work every hour of
the day, they always seem to be busy and they seem, on the face of it, to be
incredibly productive. But often they can be as busy as they are simply to
avoid dealing with things they don't want to deal with. Someone who throws
themselves into their work might be doing so to avoid dealing with an
unsatisfying family life.

5. The laziness of delegation.

This is when we let other people do things that we ought to be able to do

ourselves. We don't pull our weight, at church or at home or at work. The
result is that our gifts atrophy. The woman who might be a brilliant preacher
doesn't push for the opportunity to try. The man who could speak up and
make a difference at work leaves it to someone else.

6. The laziness of busyness.

Some people cram every minute of every hour with activity out of a sense of
duty. They've really taken on board the idea that they're accountable for their
time, and they want to make the most of it. But there's a kind of laziness at
work here, as well. Built in to the rhythm of life as God planned it is a sabbath
rest, a day a week when no work is to be done. That's a great gift, because it's
a chance not to be productive: to rest, to think, to create, to worship and to
pray, coming face to face with God. And that spiritual discipline can be hard –
it's so much easier to work, and avoid it.

7. The laziness of disorganisation.

Some people are busier than they need to be because they aren't as
organised as they ought to be. It's easy to persuade ourselves that we're
working flat out when we're really running around in circles, achieving very
little. Sometimes our lives are just like that and we don't have much control –
but sometimes it's our own fault. Disciplining ourselves and working smarter is
an investment in our God-given time and talents.

So, 'Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise' (Proverbs 6:6

5 Ways to get your Spiritual Exercise

For your physical health you need moderately intense physical exercise alternating
with periods of rest and renewal. It’s the same with your spiritual health.

You cannot remain at a high intensity of spiritual warfare indefi nitely without
periods of refreshment. But the vast majority of Christians in our culture are in no
danger of spiritual burnout or overwork! We’re in much more danger of being
spiritual couch potatoes waiting for someone else to do our running or our fi ghting
for us.

And you cannot get nearly the same benefi t from someone else’s spiritual
victory as you can from experiencing it for yourself.       Tweet that.

Here are a few ways to get your spiritual exercise that will help you maintain – and
grow – your level of fi tness and impact.

1. Maintain your own spiritual disciplines.

You can’t be ready for the big stuff unless you have become profi cient with the
basics. You won’t run a marathon until you’ve run a 5K. You won’t win a big
spiritual battle until you learn how to use the weapons.

The benefi ts of disciplined regular daily prayer, daily Bible reading and study, and
other disciplines such as fasting, quietude, etc. is not that they make you holy. It’s
that they help you grow and keep your spiritual muscles toned and your perception
sharp. Making spiritual disciplines a daily part of your life may not feel useful right
now, but they will be indispensable in the future struggles you will face.

2. Give God permission to grow your character.

Our spiritual growth is not likely to be complete this side of heaven. God loves you
just the way you are, and He can use you right now. But He also loves you too
much to leave you in your current condition. He needs you mature, trained, and
ready to take action.

If you give Him permission, the Holy Spirit will continue to put His fi nger on places
in your heart or life and say, “This right here; let Me have it. I want to change you
here!” When He does that, pay attention. Listen! And let Him grow your character.

3. Stay connected with other growing believers.

Soldiers, police offi cers, and other front-line responders usually go out with a
partner or a team. The quality of the people you hang around with will help
determine your spiritual fi tness, and your success when you face tough stuff .

Don’t only look for people who see the world just like you do. Look for people who
are serious about their own spiritual growth. Intentionally join with others who
refuse to be simply spectators, and begin doing life with them. You can encourage
and stimulate each other in ways you cannot do alone.

4. Pay attention to the spiritual conditions around

you.
Learn to pause and consider, “What’s really going on here?” There’s always “news
behind the news.” Train yourself to be alert to the spiritual conditions and forces
that are behind the sometimes confusing and violent situations in your own life,
your family, or your world.

When you feel overwhelmed, a good prayer to consider is, “God, show me the
spiritual forces behind what I see happening. Help me perceive what’s really going
on, and what this means for Your kingdom.” The inner strength that perspective
can give you will pay off richly.

5. Regularly ask God what He wants YOU to do about

things.
Have you ever wrestled in prayer over a problem in your marriage, your health,
your family, your church, your town? Have you ever felt the pain of abused women,
hurting children, those in poverty, or some other troubled group of people, and
asked God to help them?

And then have you heard God say,  “Now what are you going to do about it?”      Tweet
that.

It’s always right to pray about a problem whether there’s something you can do

about it or not. But then there comes a time when David and Jonathan have to
scale the mountain to take out the evil army holding the crest. Elijah has to stand
before a nation given over to worshiping idols and pray fi re down from heaven.
The disciples have to bring the fi sh and loaves to Jesus and distribute the resulting
food to the multitude.

There’s almost always something God wants YOU to do

about it!
That may mean you go and vote. Or you make a phone call. Donate to a church or
other organization. Volunteer with others off ering practical help. Take – or teach –
 a class. Write an article. Run for offi ce. Take a business risk. Create a new
initiative. Off er forgiveness to someone who hurt you.  In some way get out of
your comfortable prayer closet and take action!

Keeping your spiritual muscles toned and fi t will prevent you from being one of the
lazy Christians.

It’s faith that works. Prayer and action. Not as a means of salvation, but as a

pathway to spiritual maturity.

Let’s keep fi t with regular spiritual exercise!

[reminder]Have you been a spiritual spectator in some way? How might you take
another step to engage in spiritual exercise?[/reminder]

Tweetables: why not share this post?

 Are you a spiritual couch potato? Here are 5 ways to get fi t with regular spiritual
exercise. Tweet that.

5 Signs You Might Be Spiritually Lazy

If your relationship with God isn’t quite where you want it to be, chances are that there might be at least
a bit of spiritual laziness involved. The question remains: are you spiritually lazy? Let’s find out!

1. You Aren’t Excited About Worship

If you’re dragging yourself to bible study and worship services, chances are you’re not putting in the
effort you need to be.

One of the biggest issues when we approach God’s throne in worship is the temptation to have a ‘me’
mentality. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “I didn’t get anything out of that
worship service.”

What’s wrong with this statement? The little letter “I.”

Remember: worship isn’t for you. It’s for Him. God alone is our audience.

So, when you go to worship, don’t wonder, “What am I going to get out of this worship service?”
Instead, focus on how you can praise and honor God. Worship Him in His way, not in the way that makes
you happy.

The crazy part about this is that when we worship God in a way that pleases Him, we are naturally
fulfilled and start to feel excited about worshipping Him again. It’s when we focus on our own desires in
worship (i.e. “That sermon was boring,” “I didn’t like the song choices,” “The kids in front of me were
too squirmy” etc.) that we lose fulfillment.

When you seek to make yourself happy in worship, it breeds discontent. When you seek to make God
happy in worship, it breeds excitement.

Action Step: The day before your worship assembly, pray that God will soften your heart and that you
will seek to focus on Him and worship Him alone.

If your mind starts to wander during the service, say another quick prayer and do your best to keep your
mind set on praising Him. It will take time, but you’ll start to approach worship with the right heart
which will keep you from spiritual laziness.
2. Bible Study is an Afterthought

Another reason you might feel spiritually lazy is because your Bible study routine is sorely lacking. Do
any of these sound familiar?

An entire day goes by, and you don’t realize you missed your study time until it’s time for bed and you
can’t keep your eyes open.

You remember to read your Bible, but subconsciously rush through it because you’ve got “so much to
do.”

You feel bored when you read the Bible.

Worse, you can’t even remember the last time you had a dedicated study time.

I get it! Every Christian goes through dry spells in bible study. I remember telling my sister once that I
didn’t feel very close to God, and she wisely replied, “The more you get Him in your head, the more you
will feel Him in your heart.”

Study begets more study! It takes effort and discipline at first, but when you really start developing a
personal study routine, you’ll start to crave it and that spiritual laziness will start to fall away.

(The “Woman After God” printable pack is a great resource to get your in-depth study plan set up and
figure out what to study.)

Action Step: Set aside a specific time each day to devote to Bible study. Even if it’s just 5 or 10 minutes
at first. If you’re not well versed in the Scriptures, begin with the Gospels or Psalms. Don’t just read the
words, ask yourself “What is this saying to me? How can I apply this to my life?”
Realize that your study might feel forced at first, but with time it will feel natural and fulfilling.

3. You Don’t Know What to Say in Your Prayers

If you’re going through a spiritual dry spell, you might be hearing crickets when it comes to prayer time.
Maybe you don’t know how to approach God, what to say, or how to express your feelings.

Think about it like any other relationship. If you have an old friend you haven’t talked to for a while, it
sometimes takes a little bit to get back in the conversational groove.

Action Step: Try prayer journaling. Grab a cheap notebook and express your love to God, along with your
worries, needs, and requests.

(To help you in this, read The Ultimate Guide to Prayer Journaling which will help you ignite your prayer
life again.)

4. You Don’t Have Any Questions About God or the Bible

My husband and I used to help run a youth outreach for children in Scotland. We did a survey of 70 kids
and asked one question, “Do you want to learn more about God?” 68 said yes, 2 said no. One of the
boys who said “no” was a boy named Matt.
When asked, “Why don’t you want to learn more about God?” Matt replied, “I already know everything
there is to know about God!” While I’m sure you wouldn’t go that far, you might be surprised at how
many things you think you understand about God that you actually don’t.

After all, Isaiah 55:9 says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

If you’re perfectly content with your faith as-is, and never spend any time pondering Biblical questions
or spiritual teachings, you might be spiritually lazy. Apathy is the “don’t know, don’t care” attitude that
sometimes happens to all of us. But, the fact that you’re reading this post says that you at least want to
grow spiritually – and that means a lot!

In Acts, the Berean Jews searched the Scriptures every day to see whether Paul’s teachings were correct
(Acts 17:11). When was the last time you questioned what your minister/church leaders/teachers say?
Have you checked to see if what you learned from well-meaning family as a child is actually Biblical?

Action Step: Have an inquisitive attitude about your faith. Start checking the teachings you hear (or
those you learned in childhood) against the Scriptures, as the Bereans did. Keep a special page in your
bible or prayer journal to record your bible questions. Use these as a jumping-off point for your study
time.

Side note: I question my preacher all the time. He’s my husband 😉

5. Your Mind is Constantly Focused on Worldly Things

If God is basically on the outskirts of your mind, it’s safe to say you might be spiritually lazy. It’s normal
for Christians to experience times where worldly thoughts crowd out thoughts of God.

Whether it’s stressors, temptations, or just plain busyness, life can speed by so quickly that we hardly
give God a second thought.

And it’s not usually intentional. But let’s practice thinking about God more so that it becomes second
nature. Imagine approaching each situation in your day and conversing with God about it: “Wow, God,
thanks for that blessing!” or “Can you help me with this little problem I’m having?”

Colossians 3:1-3 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where
Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are
on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Action Step: Use daily worries and blessings as triggers for remembering God. When you’re worried
about something, ask God for help. When you’re feeling happy, think about how God has blessed You.
You’ll start to notice how God is working in your life, which will help melt away spiritual laziness.

Do you struggle with spiritual laziness? What helps you keep the right focus?

Mary Harp is mom to the two sweetest boys you’ve ever met and wife to her best friend, Richard, a
minister near Birmingham, AL. She runs a blog about wellness and faith called Healthy Christian Home.
When she’s not chasing her boys or blogging, you can find her with a stack of books and a cup of hot tea.
Grab her free daily self care rituals checklist here or follow on Facebook, Instagram, or Pintere

A lazy Christian shall always want four things, viz., comfort, content, confidence, and assurance.
God hath made separation between joy and idleness, between assurance and laziness, and
therefore it is impossible for thee to bring these together.

Laziness – What does the Bible say?

The Bible has much to say about laziness, as well as its
opposite, diligent work. The topic of laziness, although found
throughout the Bible, is most often referred to in the Old
Testament book of Proverbs. The words most often used to
describe laziness are "sluggard" and "slothful." These terms
are more illustrative than our modern term "lazy." For example,
a sloth moves on the ground at a lazy six and a half feet per
minute; a certain type of slug clocks in at an astoundingly slow
pace of six and a half inches in two hours. 

The word "sluggard" appears fourteen times in the book of

Proverbs. The longest of those passages is Proverbs 6:6–11 :
"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her
bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will
you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to
rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want
like an armed man." Laziness is clearly not the way of the
wise. 

God works (John 5:17 ). God created mankind to work (Genesis

2:15 ). Because of mankind's disobedience, God cursed the
ground and work became toilsome and grievous (Genesis
3:17–19 ). However, God did not revoke the creation mandate.
The refusal to work is a further manifestation of mankind's
continued disobedience. Laziness, being a sin, has disastrous
consequences, as do all sins (Romans 6:23 ). Specifically,
laziness leads to poverty. In fact, Scripture states that those
who are able to work, but refuse to do so, should not be
allowed to eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10–12 ). Those who work, but
in a lazy manner, are an irritation to their employers, as smoke
is an irritant to the eyes (Proverbs 10:26 ). The sluggard or lazy
person is characterized by excessive sleep (Proverbs 26:14 ),
excuse-making (Proverbs 22:13 ), conceit (Proverbs 26:16 ), and
emptiness (Proverbs 13:4 ). 

Having rightly exposed and condemned the sin of laziness, we

must be careful not to imagine that its opposite, hard work, is
always pleasing to God. Whereas diligent work often brings
earthly blessings, the motive behind our work is even more
important than the temporal result. Workaholism  or frenetic
working out of fear or greed is just as displeasing to God as
laziness. As believers in Christ, we are to be motivated to
work, not for earthly riches, but by our love for Jesus and
others. We are called not to be idle busybodies who need to
depend on outsiders to provide for us, but to be cheerful givers
who have something to share with those in need (Matthew
6:19–21 ; 1 Timothy 6:9–10 ; 2 Thessalonians 3:11–
12 ; Ephesians 4:28 ). We are also to do our work as unto the
Lord (Colossians 3:17 , 23 ) and to gratefully receive times
of rest and refreshment . Rather than being lazy, we diligently
work and rest as God has called us. 

Christians are not called to be man-pleasers but God pleasers,

knowing that whatever we do for the Lord will be repaid and
rewarded not only in this life, but in the life to come
(Colossians 3:23–24 ; Ephesians 6:8 ; Matthew 19:29 ).
Christians are called to serve the Lord with zeal in whatever we
do (Romans 12:11 ; 1 Corinthians 10:31 ; Colossians 3:17 ). This
is why all occupations (excepting sinful ones) can be performed
as acts of worship and service to Christ. It is not merely the
external act that makes work acceptable to God, but the
internal disposition of the heart. One person may preach for
selfish gain and therefore displease God. Another person may
sweep floors for Jesus and thereby glorify God. Working at the
tasks that God has entrusted to us with a heart of worship,
rather than a disposition of laziness, glorifies God.  

We are called not only to work to provide for ourselves and our
family, but to work to progress in our sanctification (1 Timothy
5:8 ; 2 Peter 1:5–11 ; Philippians 2:12–13 ). God has provided us
with the tools we need to grow in grace. Specifically, we grow
through the diligent study of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15 ),
fervent prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ), regularly meeting
together with fellow believers (Hebrews 10:24–25 ), and by the
Holy Spirit's work in us (2 Corinthians 3:18 ). We must always
keep in mind that without abiding in Christ and relying on the
indwellling power of His Spirit in us, we can do nothing ( John
15:5 ). We are not justified before God based on our works, but
on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ (John
4:34 ; 5:36 ; 17:4 ; Galatians 2:16 ). It is God's grace, received
through faith, that justifies us; good works and spiritual fruit are
the inevitable result of that faith (Ephesians 2:8–10 ; 2
Corinthians 5:17 ). 

When it comes to laziness we do well to recall the exhortation

of Romans 12:11 : "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in
spirit, serve the Lord." We also remember that "it is God who
works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure"
(Philippians 2:13 ) and He is faithful to complete the good work
He began in us (Philippians 1:6 ).