Caught Blank Minded: I reaped what I sowed.

"'A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to rest,'
34 
Then your poverty will come as a robber
And your want like an armed man."
Prov. 24:33-34


#1 I was self-inflicted with "poverty" of the mind.  
#2 "You reap what you sow" is more than a cliche.

Snow days...they affected all of us Georgians in perplexing and embarrassing ways.

IV got four days off of school/work, which made for a nice winter break for our family.

A little break is nice, but I got a little more than lazy...

I'm part of a Precept Bible study at our church and in order to keep up on the homework I usually spend 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week getting it done.
However, during our "winter break" I totally stopped studying the Word at all.
I skimmed a Proverb every other day or so to make myself feel good, but that was about it.

I'd obviously forgotten this important warning:
"Be of sober spiritbe on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

It happened near the end of our "winter break". I was minding my merry business when I was blindsided by an attack on a belief that is a foundation stone of my salvation.  I started praying hard and fast right then and there: "Lord, please give me a verse...give me words...forgive me for not being prepared!!!  Help me!!!"  That was all going on inside as I tried to remain calm and collected on the outside.

Mercifully, the Lord did supply one verse to me and it flowed like silk. I escaped the confrontation without outward humiliation, though on the inside I was cut deep to the core.

Well, the next day I got back to my homework and low and behold if every verse, thought, idea, brainwave I needed for yesterday wasn't right there waiting for me! If only I hadn't slacked off so much I would have had something to say!!!

Thankfully, I can rest in the fact of Romans 8:28.  There's always a purpose.

The lesson:
It's NOT to never take a little break or that I always have to do rigid homework to be prepared.

It IS that I have to stay faithful to course:
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1).

I DO have to study so I can rightly handle the Word:
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15).

And I DO have to be prepared to make a defense:
"but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15).

I don't want to be caught blank minded again.

Lesson learned.

"7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life" (Galatians 6:7-8).



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