The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not. – Proverbs 21:25-26, King James Version (KJV)

According to Shawn Achor in his book, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work:

Studies have found that American teenagers are two and a half times more likely to experience elevated enjoyment when engaged in a hobby than when watching TV, and three times more likely when playing a sport. And yet here’s the paradox: These same teenagers spend four times as many hours watching TV as they do engaging in sports or hobbies. So what gives? Or, as psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi put it more eloquently, “Why would we spend four times more time doing something that has less than half the chance of making us feel good?” The answer is that we are drawn—powerfully, magnetically—to those things that are easy, convenient, and habitual, and it is incredibly difficult to overcome this inertia. Active leisure is more enjoyable, but it almost always requires more initial effort—getting the bike out of the garage, driving to the museum, tuning the guitar, and so on…heavy TV viewers…report lower life satisfaction. Long TV hours are also linked to higher material aspirations and anxiety.

Within the above research results we find biblical principle. God designed humanity for the purposes of fellowship and service, and both fellowship and service require actively doing something. Even in our leisure activities we find more fulfillment in activity rather than in passive pastimes (like watching TV), and this is because we were designed to do and not just to be. Yet, woven into our sin nature is the tendency to be lazy, and this tendency is so strong that it even impacts our leisure choices.

To live a victorious life, we must combat our natural tendency to be slothful. If we don’t fight laziness – if, rather, we give into it – then the truth of Proverbs 21:25-26 will become our truth, and life will be miserable.

To keep Proverbs 21:25-26 from becoming your reality, first understand that laziness is a sin. For some, it is a life-dominating sin, and it can be just as devastating as drug addiction, alcoholism, or adultery. Secondly, treat laziness as the Bible teaches us to treat any sin: repent of the sin and ask God to forgive you for it. Thirdly, realize that combating laziness is the same as combating any sin. It takes a daily commitment to live life God’s way rather than yours, and the power to fulfill that commitment comes from The Lord. As Psalm 37:5 and Philippians 2:13 remind us, when we hand authority over our lives to God and when we trust in Him to supply us with the will and the power to live His way, then we will have success, as God defines it.

Are you ready to kick laziness to the curb?