LAZINESS IS THE SLEEP OF DEATH
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
A Wake-Up Call to Diligence, Purpose, and Spiritual Alertness
BIBLICAL FOUNDATION:
- BASIC SCRIPTURE: Psalm 13:1-6 (NKJV)
- MESSAGE: David cried in Psalm 13:3, “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God! Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.”
MESSAGE: LAZINESS IS THE SLEEP OF DEATH
Welcome to today’s devotional. Let’s start with a powerful truth: work isn’t hard. It only feels that way for those who hardly work. Laziness is the art of resting before you’re even tired, a spiritual and physical condition that can lead to stagnation and destruction.
Sleep itself is a gift from God. It’s a necessity He gave us to rest, refresh, and refocus our lives. Even Jesus, in His humanity, slept on a ship when He was tired. However, there are times when sleep becomes a sin—a tool that your archenemy, Satan, uses to block and confuse your life’s mission and vision.
In Matthew 26:40, Jesus found His disciples asleep when He needed them to be praying. He said to Peter, “What, could you not watch with Me one hour?” This wasn’t a rebuke against physical rest, but against spiritual slumber. Any sleep you engage in when you should be praying or diligently studying the Word is the sleep of death. Any sleep you choose instead of visiting the sick and widows or doing evangelism is the sleep of death. Any sleep you sleep during your local church fellowship is the bad sleep of death. This devotional is a call for God to wake up any sleeping career, Word life, prayer life, or talent in you.
Diligence as a Divine Principle
The Bible makes it clear that diligence is a divine principle. Ecclesiastes 5:12 says, “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.” This is because the diligent man earns his rest. His rest is a reward, not an escape.
The Bible also connects laziness with a lack of provision. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 states, “He who does not work should not be allowed to eat?” That’s a powerful statement. It implies a kind of death that comes from a lack of diligence. Now, consider that in the light of 2 Peter 3:9, which says that God does not want the sinner to perish. If God has a different plan for the sinner, it means He takes the lack of work very seriously. This is a profound point to reflect on: God prefers the death of a lazy man to the death of a sinner. Think about that for a moment and decide to reject any unnecessary sleep or slumber.
There are people who immediately fall asleep the moment they open their Bibles or open their mouths to pray. This is a spiritual attack of slumber that you must reject. The enemy wants to injure your destiny by putting you to sleep. If you want your life to shine, you must work hard and smart. Dignity is an offspring of diligence. There is a profound sense of purpose and self-worth that comes from the work of your hands.
The Architect of Your Destiny
You must refuse discouragement and keep working. Don’t fall for the lie that you are a victim of circumstances. Nobody is born poor. Other people can only influence you, but you are the principal architect of your destiny. Yes, by destiny, we are all stars, but we actually shine by our wisdom and diligence.
The work is not about trying to earn God’s love, but about fulfilling the purpose He has for you. There is a specific work for you to do on this earth—a unique contribution that only you can make. Do not let laziness or a spirit of slumber keep you from fulfilling that calling.
A Final Charge
Today, make a decision to wake up. Wake up your prayer life, your study of the Word, your talents, and your gifts. Don’t let your destiny sleep while others are diligently working to shine.
Take a song of worship as led.
- Lord, wake up and revive my prayer and Word life (Pray it well).
- I reject and resist any plan to send slumber to injure my destiny.
- Lord, wake up any sleepy talent or gift in me.
- O Lord, remove my name from the book of failures in life and ministry in Jesus’ name. Fire me, O Lord, with fresh grace to work!
- Pray about today as led!
Responses