MFM MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR JANUARY 15, 2023 (NO TO LAZINESS.)

 TOPIC: NO TO LAZINESS.

Bible In One Year:
Genesis 36–38; Matthew 10:21–42

Memory Verse:
Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

Motivational Quotes:
Laziness is a dream killer.

Praise and Worship:
Take praise and worship songs as led by the Holy Spirit.

Prophetic Word for today:
By the anointing of the Most High God, I break the yoke of laziness and poverty in your life, in the Name of Jesus.

Fire Scripture:
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

6 Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ we tell you to stay away from any believer who refuses to work. People who refuse to work are not following the teaching that we gave them.

7 You yourselves know that you should live like we do. We were not lazy when we were with you.

8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked and worked so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We worked night and day.

9 We had the right to ask you to help us. But we worked to take care of ourselves so that we would be an example for you to follow.

10 When we were with you, we gave you this rule: “Whoever will not work should not be allowed to eat.”

11 We hear that some people in your group refuse to work. They are doing nothing except being busy in the lives of others.

12 Our instruction to them is to stop bothering others, to start working and earn their own food. It is by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that we are urging them to do this.

13 Brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

MESSAGE
The Bible affirms that God worked for six days and rested on the seventh. Jesus said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (John 5:17, NKJV). If God is hard working, what reason should anyone have not to work? God condemns laziness and it is not a virtue in His kingdom.

There are able-bodied people that have jobs to do but prefer to laze around doing nothing. Proverbs 13:4 says, “The soul of the lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” The lazy man desires what hardworking people want: house, food, vacations, money for college and retirement, but his desires remain unsatisfied, while the diligent gain wealth.

How do we identify a lazy person? Here are some of the traits we can use: First, a lazy person is always full of excuses to explain away his or her idleness. For instance, a lazy person would complain of cold or heat (bad weather). Proverbs 20:4 says, “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.” Also, in this regard a lazy person finds faults with his tools. An English proverb says that a lazy workman quarrels with his tools.

Second, a lazy person loves sleep. Oversleeping and idleness lead to poverty. Proverbs 20:13 affirms this, “Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.”

Another mark of a lazy person is failure to study the Bible and to pray. These two traits lead to spiritual dehydration, powerlessness and sometimes death.

Lastly, lazy persons often lack vision, goals and personal drive.

Beloved, laziness gives birth to poverty, dependence on others, begging or sponging on others, low self-esteem and dishonour. Pray the negative traits of laziness and their consequences out of your life. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, the Bible says that anyone who would not work should also not eat.

Roll up your sleeves and get to work. Double your efforts, if you have to. God will bless you with a great harvest. You will not labour in vain, in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYER POINTS FOR SUNDAY 15 JANUARY 2023:
MORNING
1. O God, arise and deliver me from the spirit of laziness, in the Name of Jesus.

2. Any power manipulating my life through excessive sleep and lame excuses, die, in the Name of Jesus.

3. Spirit of under-performance and non-achievement, release me and die, in the Name of Jesus.

EVENING
4. I destroy every form of weariness and tiredness by the power in the blood of Jesus, in the Name of Jesus.

5. Father, forgive me the sin of spiritual laziness, in the Name of Jesus

6. Father, give me the grace and power to work and to prosper, in the Name of Jesus.

7. O God, arise and rid my life of all the consequences of laziness, in the Name of Jesus.