Slaying our Secret Sloth Pt 2 Habitual disinclination to exertion © 2021 WF Cobb Truthbase.net  DailyTruthbase.blog

III. NT Sluggards get condemnation & censure 'cz they are faithless, thus lose inheritance, stumble, snared by satan

A. Sluggards shun obligations 692* argos: free from labour, at leisure 2) lazy, shunning the labor which one ought to perform

1Tim 5:12 condemnation cast off faith 13 learn to be idle*, wander..bubblers, busybodies, speaking...ought not 14...turn aside to follow satan

Titus 1:12..prophet of their own: Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow* bellies 13 rebuke sharply...may be sound in the faith

2Pt 1:7 (diligently add) brotherly kindness & love 8 if these things be in u &abound, constitute not be barren/lazy/idle* nor unfruitful in K of JC

9...lacks is shortsighted, blind, forgotten cleansed from old sins 10 even more diligent to make call-election sure 11...abundant kgdm entrance

B. Sluggards are slow to learn & obey 3576^ ?????? nothros 1) slow, sluggish, indolent, dull, languid

Heb 5:9 salv to obedient 11 Of this we have many things to say, and difficult to explain, seeing you've become pft dull^ of hearing. 12 ought

Heb 6:10 God not forget work...labor...minister to saints 11 we desire each of you show the same diligence to full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not  slothful^ but followers of them who thru faith and patience/long-suffering/perseverance inherit the promises

C. Those who fail to diligently trust, persevere and follow Christ's will - suffer loss, reaping barren cursing vs fruitful blessing

Jer 17:4 you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies for you have kindled My anger; it will burn forever.”

5 Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.

6 He will be like a shrub in the desert; he will not see when prosperity comes; he will dwell in the parched places of the desert, salt..

7 But blessed is the man who trusts in LORD, whose confidence is in Him. 8 He is like a tree planted by the waters that sends out its roots toward the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves are always green. It does not worry in a year of drought,

nor does it cease to produce fruit. 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked . Who can understand it? 10 I, LORD, search the heart; I examine the mind to reward a man acc to his way, by what his deeds deserve 11..in the end he will be the fool

D. Sluggards can be rescued, not by evangelism, but the work of the Spirit of Truth thru conviction [T,R,J], education and edification

“Sometimes believers find themselves so weak and feel so dead that they wonder how things will ever change. Spiritual duties are only a matter of form and a reminder of our dry barren condition. Perhaps it has stolen on the soul thru careless indifference. Spiritual laziness and apathy has the upper hand. It may be that unconfessed sin may be oppressing the conscience. reformationscotland.org

John Brown of Wamphray (1650) explains that Christ is still life to the deadened soul in the following ways:

1. Christ keeps possession of the soul. The seed remains, the root abides fast in the ground. There is still life at the heart, although the man is motionless. This is like someone in a deep sleep or who has fainted and yet life has not ebbed away from them completely.

2. Christ awakens and rouses the soul in due time. He recovers it from that condition by some means or other.            It may be by some alarm of judgment and terror as with David; or mercy and tenderness, as with Peter.

a. Conviction -by revealing..gives awareness and felt sense and light as will help the soul see that it is not well but it is lifeless.

b. Consequence -by the revealing the dreadfulness of such a condition and how dangerous it is to continue in it.

c. Confession/Repentance -by stirring up grace in the soul and causing? it to look to Him for reviving and release. 1Jn 1:9

d. Cleansing -by rousing up the soul due course out of its drowsiness and sluggish folding the hands to sleep. He brings them out of  deep carelessness into a more lively, vigilant, and active condition.” (Renewal thru washing of Word; Put off-Renewed Mind-Put on)

E. Walk in the Light Eph 5:8 you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit/Light is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose/reprove them.12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

Jn 9:4 While it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. 12:35 For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the Light, believe eis the Light, so that you may become sons of Light. 37 Tho He had done so many miracles before them, they believed not eis Him

G. Remedies for Sloth are frequent reflections on the harm it causes, by developing the habits of punctuality, prudent* planning, and meditation* on divine justice in rewarding human effort and punishing laziness in the service of God.

Virtues opposed to sloth are perseverance, zeal, diligence and obedience. *8 elements mariancatechist.com/the-will-of-god-christian-morality

Sluggishness of mind neglects to begin good.. it is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses man as to draw away from good deeds Aquinas 2:35

It should be noted that vices often are disguised as virtues. So sloth is often disguised as calmness, serenity, keeping a level head, open mindedness, etc…If sloth is the reality, people will get very defensive. Whitestone Journal  Defensive behaviors have the purpose of distracting you from your feelings of being hurt and feeling shamed/{guilt}. The objective (whether you realize it or not) is to shift attention to the faults of the other person, so that in turn you feel better about yourself in the moment. verywellmind.com