Faith & Culture

A 5-Day Kickoff with Jack Hibbs, Pastor Jack encourages believers to live boldly for their faith as we see monumental events unfold like never before.

Laziness is one of the easiest sins to excuse and one of the most destructive to ignore. It rarely shows up in dramatic ways. It rarely announces itself. It grows quietly, subtly, and slowly, creeping into the corners of our spiritual lives until it becomes a real danger to our walk with God. The Bible speaks about laziness with alarming clarity, not because God desires to shame His children, but because He loves us too much to let us drift into spiritual apathy.

In this devotional message inspired by Pastor Jack Hibbs, we take a close look at what Scripture says about laziness, how it affects the Christian life, and why diligence matters so deeply for those who want to follow Jesus faithfully. Laziness is not merely a lack of activity. It is a spiritual condition that, if left unchecked, weakens your walk with God, dulls your discernment, and robs you of the purpose the Lord created you to fulfill.

Below are five essential truths every believer needs to understand about this subtle but serious danger.

The Difference Between Rest and Laziness

Our culture praises nonstop motion. Productivity is celebrated. Burnout is almost expected. Many people live with a calendar so full that they lose sight of why God created rest in the first place. The solution, however, is not to abandon the idea of rest, but to understand it biblically. Rest is God given. Laziness is man chosen.

From the very beginning, God wove rest into the fabric of creation. On the seventh day, He rested as an example to us, not because He needed recovery but because He established a rhythm. There is a holy difference between resting in God and resigning yourself to spiritual passivity.

Laziness, according to Scripture, is the refusal to engage in what God has called you to do. It is not fatigue but avoidance. It chooses comfort over calling and excuses over obedience. Proverbs 21:25 is blunt: “The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.” God is not condemning the tired but convicting the unwilling. A lazy heart begins long before lazy habits form. It starts spiritually. A believer stops praying consistently. Stops opening the Word. Stops exercising spiritual discipline. At first, it seems harmless. But over time, what was once a small decision becomes a dangerous pattern. Laziness leads you to drift far from where God is calling you to stand. Spiritual laziness is not restful. It is corrosive. It weakens your hunger for truth and leaves your soul malnourished. God designed rest to restore your strength. Laziness drains it.

How Laziness Starves the Soul

Proverbs 19:15 says, “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” This is not only hunger of the body. It is hunger of the spirit. A lazy Christian is a starving Christian, not because God withholds nourishment, but because that believer no longer comes to the table. Laziness does not always appear as lying still or doing nothing. Sometimes it looks like busyness with everything except the things of God. You can fill your schedule and still neglect your soul. You can be active and still spiritually asleep. The world celebrates activity, but God evaluates priority.

When spiritual laziness sets in, prayer becomes rare. Scripture becomes optional. Church becomes occasional. Fellowship becomes inconvenient. Service becomes burdensome. Slowly, the joy of the Lord is replaced with disinterest. The fire becomes a flicker. The hunger becomes a haze. This is why the Bible repeatedly warns us to stay awake. Laziness dulls your passion, clouds your vision, and steals the joy that comes from walking closely with the Spirit. It numbs your desire for holiness and blinds you to the opportunities God places in your path.

Some believers mistake this spiritual decline for burnout. But true rest revives your walk. Laziness weakens it. When you find yourself disconnected, disengaged, and spiritually drifting, it is not a sign to withdraw further. It is a sign to return to God with diligence and devotion.

Why Laziness Is a Spiritual Battle, Not Just a Habit

Laziness is not simply a lack of discipline. It is a spiritual condition that reflects what we value and who we serve. We often blame laziness on tiredness or a busy season. But Scripture identifies something deeper. Proverbs 13:4 says, “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” Laziness wants results without responsibility. It wants the reward of spiritual growth without the cost of spiritual effort.

Satan loves spiritual laziness. He does not need to convince you to abandon God outright. He just needs to convince you to delay obedience. A delayed prayer can become a neglected prayer. A neglected prayer can become a forgotten walk. Laziness slowly erodes your convictions until your spiritual life becomes stagnant. And here is the surprising truth: some of the busiest people in the world are spiritually lazy. They fill their hours with noise but neglect the disciplines that matter most. They are busy with everything but the things God has assigned to them. This is spiritual laziness in disguise.

Satan does not always attack with temptation. Sometimes he attacks with distraction. If the enemy cannot make you sin, he will make you busy with the wrong things. It is still laziness if your life is full but your spirit is empty. It is still laziness if you avoid serving God by filling your life with everything else. God has created you to grow, serve, and run with purpose. Laziness fights all of that. The Holy Spirit says, “Get up. Walk with Me.” Laziness whispers, “Later.” Only one of those voices leads to life.

God Calls Every Believer to Diligence and Purpose

Scripture is crystal clear. God did not save you to sit still. He saved you for purpose. Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created in Christ Jesus for good works. These works are not burdens but blessings, assignments God prepared in advance for you to fulfill.

From creation, God established work as part of His design. Before sin entered the world, Adam was called to cultivate and steward the garden. Work is not a curse. It is a calling. Laziness rejects that calling by convincing you that someone else will do it or that it is not worth the effort. A lazy life bears no fruit. It produces no spiritual harvest. It settles for minimum obedience and maximum comfort.

God calls His people to diligence because diligence reflects devotion. Whether you are serving your family, working your job, investing in your marriage, or building your walk with God, diligence is worship. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Laziness says, “Give as little as possible.” Diligence says, “Give your best because the Lord is worthy.”

Real love creates action. If you love the Lord, you will show it. You will invest time, effort, and passion into the things that honor Him. First John 3:18 reminds us to love not just with words but with action and truth. Laziness resists the work of God. Love embraces it.

The Call to Rise Up and Run Your Race with Purpose

Hebrews 12:1 reminds us that we are in a race. There is no such thing as a faithful runner who refuses to move. You do not need to outrun others. You just need to obey Jesus and keep moving forward.

Laziness convinces you to quit before you start. It invites you to sit when God is calling you to stand. It tells you that obedience is optional and purpose can wait. But the Christian life is not passive. It is active, intentional, and Spirit empowered.

God has given you gifts to steward, people to love, truth to share, and works to accomplish for His glory. Laziness keeps you from all of it. Diligence empowers you to live out the purpose God has designed for your life. When you choose obedience over comfort, your faith grows. When you choose discipline over distraction, your spirit strengthens. When you choose purpose over passivity, you honor the God who saved you.

The world says freeze. The flesh says relax. The enemy says delay. But the Holy Spirit says move forward. Rise up. Run your race. Walk with God each day with intentionality, devotion, and diligence. You were not created to drift. You were created to follow Jesus with purpose.

Let’s Pray

Father, I confess the areas of my life where I have chosen comfort over obedience. Forgive me for the times I have neglected Your calling, ignored Your prompting, or allowed laziness to shape my choices. Strengthen me to seek You first. Give me diligence where I have been careless and purpose where I have been distracted. Help me to be faithful in Your Word, alert in prayer, and ready to serve You with my whole heart. Use me for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Joy is one of the most misunderstood gifts in the Christian life. People chase it, lose it, fake it, and try to manufacture it, but real joy cannot be produced by human effort. Real joy never comes from circumstances or emotional highs. Real joy comes from Jesus Christ Himself. It is the supernatural overflow of a life anchored in the presence and promises of God.

In a world filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and constant pressure, God offers His people something radically different. He offers joy that does not break under the weight of trials. He offers joy that remains steady when life shakes everything else apart. He offers joy that is rooted not in what you have, but in who He is.

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.” Those three words in the Lord change everything. Joy is not found in success or comfort. Joy is found in Christ alone. He is the source, the sustainer, and the strength behind every joyful believer. And if your joy is in Him, nothing in this world can steal it.

Below is a biblical roadmap to joy that lasts. It is simple, powerful, and deeply needed today.

Joy Begins With Receiving the Grace of God

Real joy does not begin with your circumstances. It begins with your Savior. It begins with knowing that God has poured out His grace on your life through Jesus Christ. Grace is not just what saves you. Grace is what sustains you, strengthens you, and secures you every single day.

Most people think joy comes from ease. The apostle Paul shows the opposite. When Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was not vacationing on a beach. He was chained in a Roman prison. He had been beaten, betrayed, rejected, and lied about. Yet his letter explodes with joy. Why? Because joy does not come from where you are. Joy comes from whose you are. Grace reminds you that God is with you in every moment. Grace tells you that you are already loved, already accepted, and already held by the One who promises to never leave you. That is why Paul could rejoice in prison. He did not rejoice because life was smooth. He rejoiced because he belonged to Jesus.

Joy flows from this truth: You do not have to earn God’s love. You get to walk in the freedom of already being loved.

That truth is joy’s foundation. The more you understand grace, the deeper your joy becomes.

Joy Grows When We Choose Gratitude Over Grumbling

One of the most overlooked truths in Scripture is that joy and gratitude are inseparable. A thankful heart becomes a joyful heart. A complaining heart becomes an empty one. Paul understood this. In Philippians 1:3 he wrote, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Those were not words of politeness. They were words of overflowing gratitude.

Even in prison, Paul chose to give thanks. He thanked God for people. He thanked God for the church. He thanked God for the work He was doing. Gratitude was not an occasional feeling. It was a daily discipline that nourished his soul.

If you want more joy, start giving more thanks. Thank God for your salvation. Thank Him for your family. Thank Him for His mercy and patience. Thank Him for what He has brought you through. Thank Him for what He is teaching you today. Thank Him for the hard things that are shaping you into the image of Christ. Gratitude shifts your focus from what is wrong to what is true. And what is true is that God is faithful. He is with you. He is working. He is doing far more than you see. When you start noticing His goodness, joy begins to rise. Gratitude opens the door for joy to rush in.

The world trains people to complain. Scripture trains believers to give thanks. Complaining magnifies problems. Gratitude magnifies God. And the more you magnify God, the more joy you will experience.

Joy Endures When We Stand on Truth Instead of Circumstances

The world believes joy is fragile. Scripture teaches joy is resilient. Joy does not collapse because your circumstances collapse. Joy stands firm because it rests on the promises of God. That is why Paul could write in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it.” Joy is built on confidence in God’s character. He started the work in you. He will finish the work in you. He will not abandon His children halfway through their story. He does not walk away when things get difficult. He does not check out when life gets messy. God is faithful. And joy grows wherever that truth is believed.

Second Timothy 1:7 reminds us, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear and joy cannot coexist. Fear drains your strength. Joy fuels it. Fear lies about your future. Joy stands on God’s promises. Fear makes you doubt God’s goodness. Joy reminds you that the Father who sent His Son for you will never fail you. The enemy wants to rob Christians of joy because joy is spiritual strength. When you walk in joy, you walk with a confidence that comes from heaven. You walk with clarity, courage, and conviction. You walk in the assurance that God is bigger than your problems, stronger than your enemies, and faithful in every season of your life.

Joy is not passive. Joy is a choice. It is a decision to look at your circumstances through the lens of Scripture instead of looking at Scripture through the lens of circumstances. Joy says, “My situation may change, but my Savior does not. My hope is anchored in Him.” That truth makes joy unshakeable.

Joy Flourishes in Community and Becomes a Witness to the World

Joy is not meant to be hidden. It is meant to be shared. Joy strengthens the church and becomes a powerful witness to the world. When Paul thought about the Philippian church, he wrote, “Always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy” (Philippians 1:4). The spiritual health of the church stirred joy in his heart. A healthy church creates joy in its people. When believers worship with sincerity, serve with humility, and love with generosity, joy becomes contagious. Joy energizes the body of Christ. Joy lifts the weary. Joy encourages the discouraged. Joy strengthens pastors, families, and entire congregations.

The world is watching the church. They are watching how we respond to trials. They are watching how we treat one another. They are watching whether our faith is real. A joyful believer stands out in a culture filled with fear and confusion. Joy is a testimony that Christ is alive in you. Joy says to the world, “My peace does not come from this world. My hope comes from God.”

People are desperate for joy because they are drowning in anxiety and emptiness. When they see genuine joy in your life, they will want to know where it comes from. Your joy becomes an invitation to share the gospel. You do not have to manufacture it. You just have to walk in the joy that Christ has already given you.

Joy Overflows When We Walk Closely With Jesus Every Day

At the end of the day, joy is not produced by trying harder. Joy is produced by drawing closer. Joy comes from abiding in Christ, listening to His voice, obeying His Word, and trusting His heart. The more you walk with Him, the more His joy becomes your strength. Joy is the mark of a believer who knows Jesus intimately. That is why Christians throughout history have been able to sing in prison, worship through grief, and stand strong in persecution. Their joy was not based on what was happening around them. It was based on who was living within them.

Jesus said in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” His joy is not shallow. His joy is not temporary. His joy is not dependent on the stock market, the news cycle, or the approval of people. His joy remains. If you want lasting joy, draw near to Jesus. Read His Word daily. Seek Him in prayer. Ask Him to renew your mind. Confess sin quickly. Walk in obedience. Surround yourself with believers who build you up instead of pull you down. Lift your eyes above your circumstances and fix them on the Savior who loves you.

Joy is for every believer. Joy is for every season. Joy is for right now. And when your joy is rooted in Christ, it will overflow into every part of your life. It will fill your home, your relationships, your ministry, your workplace, and your conversations. Joy will become a lighthouse that points people to the hope of the gospel.

Let’s Pray

Lord, thank You for the joy that comes from knowing You. Teach me to find my joy in You and not in my circumstances. Help me to choose joy daily, to fight for it when it is hard, and to share it freely with others. Make me someone who rejoices always because You are always faithful. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Over 25 days of December, listeners will be introduced to the life-changing person of Jesus—the Christ of Christmas. During 25 evangelistic episodes, filled with Scripture, Dr. John Sorensen of Evangelism Explosion International will cover the genealogy of Christ, the characters of Christmas, the prophecies Jesus fulfilled, who Jesus is, and the Christmas story. In each episode, the Gospel will be shared and an invitation to hear more of the Gospel will be offered through the website, www.thebest.news—an online Gospel presentation. Let’s celebrate together the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord, through sharing the salvation He offers to all who would believe.

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The daily headlines feel more unhinged every week. Men are being crowned women of the year. Violent criminals with seventy prior arrests walk free. Billions of dollars disappear into homelessness programs that never reduce homelessness. Welfare fraud in Minnesota funds al Qaeda affiliates overseas. At first glance the stories look disconnected. But on The Daniel Cohen Show from Real Life Network, Daniel Cohen shows how they are all symptoms of the same spiritual reality. When a nation abandons God, truth collapses, justice unravels, and deception becomes normal.

Streaming now on RLN’s Christian streaming service, this episode cuts through the noise of legacy media and exposes what is really happening. Cohen is not offering partisan commentary. He is calling the Church to see culture through a biblical worldview, to recognize the spiritual warfare behind the chaos, and to return to the truth that God defines reality, not politicians, activists, or the media.

The Erasure of Women and the Redefinition of Reality

Cohen begins with Glamour UK’s shocking decision to name nine biological men as its “women of the year.” The men call themselves “The Dolls,” and the magazine celebrated them as icons of empowerment. Cohen calls it what it is. A cultural declaration that feelings replace biology, costume replaces reality, and men now outperform women even at being women.

He notes the staggering insult. Out of billions of women on earth, the magazine did not choose a single real woman. Not an Israeli hostage who survived Hamas captivity. Not a cancer survivor like Princess Kate. Not a mother, scientist, or humanitarian. Instead, the award elevates men who rely on plastic surgery, injections, and curated appearances to redefine womanhood.

Cohen warns that this is not harmless. Young girls already face intense pressure to be thin, perfect, and beautiful. Now they are told that even their best will never match a man in makeup. He calls this the most misogynistic movement in modern history, wrapped in rainbow slogans and sold as empowerment. It is the same lie the serpent told Eve. You can define yourself. You can redefine truth. You can decide what reality is.

Crime Without Consequence and the Collapse of Justice

Cohen then turns to Chicago, where twenty six year old Bethany McGee was set on fire on a train by a man with seventy two prior arrests. She now clings to life with third degree burns covering most of her body. Her attacker was repeatedly released by judges who believed jail was too harsh. Cohen walks through the record. Seventy two arrests. Thirteen convictions. Prior offenses involving fire. Direct warnings from prosecutors. And still he walked free.

For Cohen, this proves that modern “criminal justice reform” has become a theology of denial. Instead of protecting innocent people, it protects offenders. Instead of restraining evil, it rewards it. The result is predictable. More victims. More fear. More chaos.

He also notes the heartbreaking detail that McGee supported movements like Black Lives Matter and policies that weaken law enforcement. Cohen is not attacking her. He is mourning the fact that the very ideology she supported produced the system that failed her. It is a sober warning. Ideas have consequences. When leaders abandon justice, the vulnerable pay the price.

Homelessness as Industry and Taxpayer Dollars Funding Terror

From Chicago, Cohen moves to California, exposing the truth behind the homelessness crisis. Despite spending over seven billion dollars since 2016, cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are more dangerous and chaotic than ever. Elon Musk recently described the system as a “homeless industrial complex.” Cohen agrees. When nonprofits and government programs receive more money when more people live on the streets, the incentive becomes management, not recovery.

Cohen says the system keeps people trapped in addiction rather than free in dignity. You cannot solve a problem when powerful institutions are paid to preserve it.

Then the story widens again. In Minnesota, Somali run nonprofits filed fake Medicaid claims, claiming thousands of children had disabilities such as autism. The money was then funneled overseas through informal transfer networks, where al Shabab took its cut. Cohen lays out the horror. Al Shabab is one of the deadliest Islamic terror groups in the world, affiliated with al Qaeda, responsible for killing thousands of civilians, attacking malls, beaches, churches, and schools.

And American taxpayers unknowingly funded it.

Cohen is clear. Not every Somali refugee is corrupt. Many love America and want a better life. But when thousands are brought in with little vetting and no expectation of assimilation, corruption takes root and honest people suffer. Meanwhile politicians refuse to confront the truth for fear of being branded racist.

A Culture That Rejects God Cannot Stand

By the final segment Cohen connects every thread. Men replacing women. Criminals protected over victims. Homelessness treated as an industry. Federal aid flowing into terror networks. Political leaders undermining the president. Activists reshaping language, law, and morality.

The pattern is unmistakable. A culture that rejects God inevitably rejects truth. When truth collapses, justice collapses. When justice collapses, the vulnerable suffer. And when suffering becomes widespread, only one question remains. Who defines reality? God or man?

Cohen insists that the solution is not merely political reform but spiritual awakening. Nations rise and fall, but the Word of God stands. The Gospel remains the one true remedy for human rebellion. Jesus Christ offers forgiveness, transformation, and hope to broken people in a broken society. Until hearts are changed, no policy will produce righteousness.

Stand Firm in Truth

Cohen ends with a challenge. Stop letting legacy media disciple your mind. Return to Scripture. Stand for women. Stand for victims. Stand for justice. Stand for the truth that God created reality and no movement, court, or magazine can redefine it.

For believers who want Christian worldview news anchored in truth, Real Life Network offers trusted coverage, biblical commentary, and shows like The Daniel Cohen Show that refuse to bow to cultural pressure.

Visit RealLifeNetwork.com to watch the latest episode and join thousands choosing truth over chaos.

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