Don't be a Sluggard

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PR 6:9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
PR 6:10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest--
PR 6:11 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.
PR 13:4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
PR 20:4 A sluggard does not plow in season;
so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
PR 22:13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!"
or, "I will be murdered in the streets!"
PR 24:30 I went past the field of the sluggard,
past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment;
PR 24:31 thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
PR 24:32 I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
PR 24:33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest--
PR 24:34 and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man.

Was convicted during the G12 conference and again when I meditated on the Book of Proverbs. God is telling me to repent - don't be a sluggard any longer when it comes to the things of the Kingdom of God.

Some may ask: "We are already so busy with the works of the ministry! How can we be sluggards?" That may be true; but God is pointing out to me that when it comes to the "crucial work" of the Kingdom, I am a sluggard. I may be busy with the work, but I am not faithful in doing the most important work of laying hold of God and praying for the Kingdom of God, for my 12, for the unsaved. Through my action (or inaction in this area) , I am effectively saying that prayer is not important enough; or that what I profess to be important about God's vision is actually not of high priority in my life.

How can I claim that the vision is important when I hardly pray and ask God to make it a reality in my life? So God is right to call me a sluggard....and no wonder there is "spiritual poverty" in my life where fulfilling the vision in my life is concerned. I have not plowed in prayer in season, so is it any surprise if at harvest I reap nothing?

I made a commitment to God since, that I will really get up an hour earlier each day to meet Him and pray for my life, by family and the fulfillment of the vision.
It is tough, I must admit, especially when I already need to work late some nights or when G12 meetings end late. I literally have to drag myself out of bed most mornings. But by God's grace, I have been doing it so far. It is tiring, but in my spirit I believe it is worth it and it is the right thing to do. Enough with excuses (I won't face lions or get murdered by waking up early...). It is time to show with my actions that I am willing to pay a real cost for what truly matters, instead of just paying lip service. Time to love my sleep less.

So many things to pray for....faith, heart for the lost, boldness to share the gospel, family, children, my spiritual sons, forming my 12, salvation of family, friends and colleagues...the list goes on.

So many things to do...spending the time with God to meet Him, talk to Him, listening to the Spirit, meditate on His Word...

How can I not find time to do all these daily, first thing in the morning if I claim to be serious about the vision and the Kingdom of God, and that it is Priority No. 1 in my life?

The amazing things that I want to share is that although the body feels tired, yet by starting each day with God, everything feels so much more aligned; the spirit within feels so much more alive. I struggle less. Things fall in place better in all areas of my life.

So by God's grace, I will continue to do this from now till my last days. And in this year of victory, I am trusting Him that simply by me spending time to seek Him faithfully in prayer, there will be breakthroughs in my life and ministry. Time to stake my faith on His promise that it is "not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of God!"

Also, it is not pleasant for my Heavenly Father to continue viewing me as a spiritual sluggard.....:-)
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