Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

The Daily Warfare We Fight

PROVERBS 24:30-34 – I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. 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.”

 

THEME OF THE DAY:  THE DAILY WARFARE WE FIGHT.  When we read the Old Testament book of Proverbs, many of them are like a “cold wash cloth to the face in the morning.”  They are direct, pierce the heart, expose us, and at times, just make us quite uncomfortable.  And all those are good, yes painful, but good things for us in our walks with the Lord.  Remember, the Christian life is the correcting life.  The Lord has us in His school of refining preparing us for heaven (Hebrews 12:3-12).

 

And speaking of uncomfortable Proverbs, today is one of them from two angles.  First, the word “sluggard”.  This is not the first time Solomon would use this rather graphic word. It appears an additional thirteen times! The word means “a person who is disinclined to work or exert himself, to be sluggish, lazy, slothful.”  No one would like to be labeled a sluggard but Solomon would simply say, “If the shoe fits, you must wear it.”  The second way this Proverb is uncomfortable is because it may define many of us, or if not all of us, at times in our spiritual lives; lazy.  And this is an area of warfare we must do constant battle against.  Our flesh never wants us to develop a disciplined spiritual life in the Word, prayer, and obedience.  The Apostle Paul tells us of this constant battle in the spiritual realm between our flesh and God’s Spirit – But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do (Galatians 5:16-17).  This battle is one of fellowship with God, not relationship for that is settled at salvation, but for closeness and spiritual intimacy with Him.

 

God promises to draw near those who diligently seek Him in His Word and prayer – Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8) but with a condition – You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13) – a whole heart.  This means no spiritual laziness but a life practicing the necessities of self-discipline, self-control, and self-denial of fleshly screams for comfort and ease. It is true that we are as close to the Lord as we want to be. It is equally true more Christians are spiritually defeated, casualties on the battlefield of spiritual warfare, by spiritual laziness than the tactics of the devil and pleasures of the world.

 

Yes, uncomfortable Proverb but uncomfortable in a good way!  May we heed Solomon’s wise counsel!

 

PRAYER: “Father, help me to discipline my body, to put to death my flesh that screams for ease and comfort.”

 

QUOTE: “Spiritual laziness slays more Christians than the devil and world.  Our bent toward ease is a spiritual dagger.”

 

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

 

Pastor Jim