Early this morning while reading the Book of Proverbs I came across the word SLUGGARD and it stopped me in my tracks. Here it is:
  
“As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.” Proverbs 26:14
  
It’s a word that, for me, has a cartoonish ring. A bit farcical. And a lot destructive because God did not create us to snooze through life. It keeps us from listening for his voice and discerning direction. It keeps us from fully activating our faith. And it keeps us from living out our purpose.
  
But we all have a little bit of sluggard in us. It presents itself through our procrastinations, excuses, and negativity. Once in full force, sluggardly living surrenders our faith walk over to the Enemy.
  
Identifying it is the hard part. It’s tough sorting through life’s necessary but unpleasant trudges and true sluggardly actions. The only way to do that is: 1) Staying connected to God and LISTENING to him; 2) Building spiritual muscle along the way; and 3) Powering through the drudgery of life on earth.
  
Seeing the word sluggard this morning sent me almost immediately to the farmers who either plant their crop on time or starve. They cannot allow their feelings to dictate planting. In this same way, Christians cannot “finally get around” to planting the spiritual seeds that will grow our faith.
  
If we’re not careful, we will finally get around to planting and it will be too late, and we will fall into spiritual starvation.
  
The sluggard sees his own choices and excuses and diversions as ideal, if not perfect, no matter what anyone in their life—spouse or colleague or friend—might say. I don’t want that to be me so I adopt this battle plan to keep the word sluggard out of my life: Self-Distrust that allows the sluggard inside me to die because as a Christian I belong to Jesus who was anything but sluggish.
  
Instead of being sluggardly in the world, I want to “steadfast in Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).
  
I ask God to help me to be ever watchful for signs of spiritual sluggishness and then go to him immediately when they show up.
  
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
  
Do you see any signs of spiritual sluggishness in your walk with Jesus? If so, what can you do to fight back?

“A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!” Proverbs 19:24