Lay Aside the Weight of Sluggishness

Lay Aside the Weight of Sluggishness


And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:11–12)

Sluggishness in a runner signals danger to a coach. Something isn’t right. Something is causing uncertainty, draining confidence. The runner is losing heart. Half-hearted running leads to quitting.

That’s when a caring coach intervenes. Every athlete, even a super star, loses focus or desire and at times wants to give up in the stress and strain of training and competition. All successful athletes have a coach who pushed them when they got discouraged, lost confidence, wanted to quit — pushed them beyond what they thought possible.

The best coaches don’t just encourage; they also can come down hard on their athletes. Coaches sometimes come on strong. They get angry if they must. They warn against the dangers of foolishness, laziness, or losing sight of the goal. And that’s because they know that humans are not only motivated by reward, we are also motivated by fear. It’s how we are designed. God is the ultimate reward. The writer of Hebrews said this of Moses, ”It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter . ….. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.” (Hebrews 11:24,26) Then there is a “fear” factor. Jesus was speaking to thousands of people as recorded by Luke. Jesus told the people, “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.” (Luke 12:4–5) and we are equipped to understand, be awed by, and be motivated by both aspects of him. As a side note, a lot of people don’t want to teach anything about this “fear” but if we don’t we are not teaching the “full” gospel of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus is the best, most caring coach there is. When we are injured, helpless, legitimately tired, or ashamed, our Coach is almost always comforting and encouraging. “He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.” (Matthew 12:20). But he also loves us enough to get in our face when we need it. And that’s usually what we need when we feel sluggish.

Spiritual sluggishness is evidence of unbelief. It’s a sign that there’s something about God that we doubt and it’s draining our hope, which means it’s draining our energy and drive. We’re not giving it all we have because we doubt it’s worth the effort.

When we feel like this we typically want an arm around the shoulder and a gentle word of understanding and sympathy. What we typically need are loving rebukes, like these:

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)

“God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.” (Hebrews 4:1)

“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies” (Hebrews 10:26-27)

Spiritual sluggishness is not to be tolerated; it’s to be fought. It’s potentially a faith-race “stopper”. We see a very serious warning from this verse from Hebrews, “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.” (Hebrews 3:19). It’s a weight that needs to be laid aside. And “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy[ awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:2).

So how what can we do?

1. Identify the doubt. Sluggishness has a cause. What is sapping our faith?

2. Repent. Unbelief is a sin. Seek to actively turn from it.

3. Target that unbelief with biblical truth. Stop whatever else we may be doing for some Bible reading and maybe get a good devotional book or an “ap” for your smart phone. (“Jesus Calling” is an excellent devotional that is available in book form or as an “ap”.) and focus on and pray through texts that deal directly with this issue. Lay aside your other book reading and read things that address this doubt.

Don’t go it alone. Humble yourself and share your struggle with trusted counselors God has given you. Our great Coach often speaks through assistant coaches. “You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.” (Hebrews 3:13).

Spiritual sluggishness is common to man. The Apostle Paul writes, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthians 10:13). We all experience it. In the serious and sustained effort of our long faith-race and the adversity we encounter from the world, our flesh, and the devil there are times the reward gets obscured by confusion and discouragements. Paul reminds the church at Ephesus, “You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.” (Ephesians 2:2–3),

Though we may not want them, there are times when we most need our Coach to get “in our face” or give us some honest tough “suggestions”. They may sting, they may humble us, but they are laced with mercy because they help clear our muddled minds, shake off the laziness, and run again with endurance.

“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.” (Hebrews 12:12–13)

In his letter to Timothy, Paul is nearing the end of his ministry and writes these words: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)