Ready Set Action

You and I have been given a tremendous gift—the freedom of choice. And with every choice we make, there is a certain consequence we can expect. I believe God has given us the tools we need to change, but it’s up to us to actively make it happen. Sitting by wishing things were different without doing anything about it is considered laziness.

The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the lazy man. Proverbs 24:30-31 (AMPC) says, I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down.

This description reminds me of many neglected houses I’ve seen. The windows were boarded up, the grass wasn’t cut, and there was trash all over the yard—everywhere I looked, there was a mess. It is a sad sight to see, but it is a perfect example of the fruit of laziness.

Lazy is defined as: “Resistant to work or exertion; sluggish or slow-moving.” A lazy person does just what they feel like doing, which is usually nothing. They want everything to be easy. As a result, they wind up going through life unhappy and usually filled with jealousy, envy and resentment over what others have.

They are normally not alert, don’t plan ahead and fail to take care of things. Sooner or later, everything in their life winds up in a mess. Just as the scripture says, ...a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—so shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man Proverbs 24:33-34 (AMPC).

Even though most of us don’t fall entirely into this category, I believe there are certain areas of our lives where we may have a lazy attitude—we’re passive instead of active in the way we deal with things.

For instance, we may wish we had a cleaner house, but we’re not willing to make the effort to do anything. We may wish we had a better government, but we won’t take the time to be informed on the issues and get out and vote. Or we may wish we had victory over temptations such as gossip, worry and fear, but we are not willing to stand against them by taking time to read God’s Word and pray.

In other words, we recognize that there is a problem, but we are not willing to commit ourselves and put forth the effort to be a part of the solution!

No, we can’t change everything on our own—we absolutely need God’s grace and strength to do anything. However, we do have an important part to play. Our part is to seek God for His help, then take steps of action to move in the right direction.

If you’re familiar with my story, you know I suffered from emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse growing up. Now, God desired to help me walk free from the negative effects of the abuse, but I had to make a choice to cooperate with Him. I did not overcome fifteen years of abuse by wishing things would change.

I learned to take hold of God’s Word and apply it to my life day after day, situation after situation. In time, He brought about change...and He will faithfully do the same thing for you. He will substitute the sluggishness of your soul with a determination to see transformation.

Maybe you’re at a place right now where you feel stuck, like everything is too much to handle and you don’t know where to begin. If that’s the case, just begin somewhere. Start small, and trust God to help you make progress step by step. Rely on Him for strength, even if you begin by simply spending 5 or 10 minutes with Him each day. As you take a step of faith and take action, God will be faithful to meet you where you are.