Danger of Laziness

Prov 18:9 He also who is slack in his work is brother to him who destroys.

The more I prayed and thought about this verse the more I see how important this lesson is. Solomon tells us that a slack person is kin to a person who purposefully seeks to disrupt and destroy. The Good News Bible translation of this verse really makes it clear, it reads: "A lazy person is as bad as someone who is destructive."


To understand this verse we must first understand how both God and satan operate. In the New Testament Paul told us that God is NOT the author of confusion (or disorder), but rather of peace (1st Cor 14:33). When God is involved in something (a project, relationship, etc.) He seeks to promote it's good. If He is allowed to be involved, then God will always help establish an environment that is productive and progressive.

However, satan is the opposite. Satan loves confusion, disorder, discord, and discontent; and he always seeks to be destructive. If it's a Godly marriage, satan wants to see a divorce. If it's a Godly project, satan wants to see failure. If it's a Godly work environment, satan wants to see dissension. Understanding this we can see how both God and satan uses people to promote their agendas.

As a believer, I would hope that you would never want to be the one being used of satan to promote his damaging agenda. No believer should want to be used as a pawn in satan's plan and I would venture to say that most believers don't.

However, what many fail to recognize is that their laziness is just as destructive as the purposefully damaging plans of the wicked.

A poor or unfinished job differs little from a project that someone purposefully demolished; both projects are useless. A neglected relationship - whether it be marriage, parent to child, child to parent, etc. - will often end up in the same place as one that was destroyed on purpose, it will be broken, strained, or nonexistent. Carelessness in financial management/stewardship leads to as many bankruptcies as satanic attacks. And the list could go on and on. I could say the same about many things.

The point is that we have a real enemy (satan), with real servants (demons), who seek to cause real damage, but many good hearted believers cause as much damage as satan and his demons when they lazily fail to fulfill their obligations at work, at home, at church, or anyplace else.

So what does this mean to you ? It means that you have a Godly obligation to be diligent in ALL your affairs. If you allow yourself to get lazy in any area of your life, then your laziness and neglect may very well cause as much damage as satan and his demons could. The Bible has a lot to say about resisting satan and his attacks, but wouldn't be a shame if you were successful in resisting satan, only to turn around and defeat yourself through laziness? Don't let this be said of you. Fulfill your obligations, work on your relationships, maintain your physical body, and do all that you can (literally) to become the person the Father desires for you to be.

If you do your part, God will do His! But if you fail to do you part, you hinder Him from operating in your life, because He will not force you to be blessed! God will allow whatever you allow.


Father, I thank You for this Word this morning. This is a good reminder and a great warning. I know that You are not the author of confusion and I also realize that satan is. I submit myself unto You, I resist the devil, and Your Word says that He must flee from me. I refuse to allow the enemy to get a foothold in my life. Furthermore, while I make every attempt to ensure the enemy does not defeat me, I refuse to defeat myself. I will be diligent in every area of my life and faithful to all that You have called me to do. I refuse to allow laziness and neglect to destroy all that You and I have both worked hard for. I do my part Father and I trust that You will do Yours. Together, we will complete my life's work and while it will not be accomplished in a day, WE will seek to do it DAILY! In Jesus' name. Amen!