Open Heaven Devotional 25th October 2023 (WEDNESDAY)

TOPIC: NO ROOM FOR LAZINESS 1

MEMORISE: “A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.” – (Proverbs 26:15)

READ: Proverbs 6:4-11 (KJV)

4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

Open Heaven Devotional 25th October 2023 MESSAGE:

Proverbs 23:21 says: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

If you are lazy, you would end up being clothed with rags. Some people don’t want to work hard; they just want to get rich overnight. It is not going to happen. Proverbs 19:15 says clearly: “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.” The word of God is settled; if you are lazy, you will suffer hunger.

With all humility, I know many who came out into full-time ministry around the same time I did. Today when we meet after several years, they look at me and say, “Ah, God has been faithful to you”. I say, “No doubt about that, He has been faithful.” However, I always add very politely, “Nobody can accuse me of laziness”. If you say I am a lazy man, I will look at you closely and say, “You must be related to the devil”.

Someone said, “You just finished the Holy Ghost Congress – a whole week of activities. And before the Congress, you spent weeks fasting and praying. In preparation, you even inspect everything, including the toilets. You then finish the congress, and a few days later, you are going a-fishing. Why not sit at home and tell your children to go and do the work?”. I said, “Thank you. As long as God gives me strength, I will be occupied for Him”. The word of God is clear; if you are lazy, you can’t expect His blessings.

You have to learn to be diligent. Proverbs 12:24 says: “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”

Do you know what the above passage means? It means that if you are lazy, other people will rule over you in every sphere of life. If that is not what you want, then you must give no room to laziness in your life. Only those who are diligent will rise to the level of ruling others; those who refuse to be diligent are mean men who will be ruled and controlled by the diligent. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall riot stand before mean men”.

KEY POINT:
If you want to be great, you cannot afford to be lazy.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Luke 9-10

HYMNAL:
Hymn 8 – I need Thee every hour