This is another post spurred from the post 5 things that will hold you back. The first one we dug into was fear and we learned we have the power to defeat any fear that we have. The next obstacle to growth is laziness.

Laziness is a huge killer of spiritual growth. The reason is, we reach a point in our spiritual life that we feel comfortable with and we decide to just stay there, to go any further would require a good amount of energy and we just don't have it! As leaders we need to do our best to continue our growth and overcome laziness so we can help other people push through their laziness as we help them grow.

• If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. Ecclesiastes 10:18
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• Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4
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• The fool folds his hands and ruins himself. Ecclesiastes 4:5
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• Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor. Proverbs 12:24
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• If a man will not work, he shall not eat.  2 Thessalonians 3:10

There are quite a few more verses that deal with laziness, these are just a few I picked. As you probably noticed throughout these verses the is a direct correlation between laziness and failure or poverty. In the opposite way "working hard" or "being diligent" correlates to success and growth. The verse that strikes me the most is 2 Thessalonians 3:10. This has a very practical meaning especially in the context of the culture it was written. At that time the food you ate was the food you worked to grow so naturally if you were lazy you would go hungry! I also see a fitting spiritual analogy that if a man will not work to grow and improve his walk with Christ, he shall not eat of the fruits of that labor. The Bible tells us the more we seek the more we find and if you ask me more of God is always a good thing!

So how do we avoid being lazy? With your spiritual walk as well as many other things you have to work for the big motivation is the end product or the finish line. For instance, a runner will push themselves every single day wether they want to or not, but they do it to keep in shape and be healthy. They do it for the result not for the action of doing it. The result of us not being lazy in our spiritual life is a closer and more intimate walk with Christ. We may not enjoy the pains of the journey but I promise, you, and the people you lead will enjoy the fruit. 

Pay attention this week as you go about your normal routine and try to cut out just one instance of laziness. Look for a time where you would normally chose to do something else rather than pray or read the Bible and force yourself to spend time in the word and prayer. 

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