Talk Live_wais2_enemy of Wisdom

8/13/2019 Talk Live_wais2_enemy of Wisdom

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THE ENEMY OF WISDOM

TRUTH: If you were to be bitten by an animal to have super powers, what

would it be and why?

Today well talk about ANTS. Here are some interesting facts about ants:

Ants are known to be the smartest species of insects with about 250,000

brain cells and have an average life span of 45-60 days. A human brain has

10,000 million brain cells so a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the

same size brain as a human.The legs of the ant are very strong so they can run very quickly. If a man

could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a

racehorse.

Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight.

If a worker ant has found a good source for food, it leaves a trail of scent

so that the other ants in the colony can find the food.

The queen ant lives up to ten or twenty years.

Last week, we learned about fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. Now

that we know what that means, how does a wise person live?

In most situations, we already know the wise thing to do. But why do we still

dont do it? One of the most common reasons for young people is this: laziness.

Lazy to move, lazy to make a stand, lazy to do the right thing, lazy to be

excellent, lazy to fix priorities. We only have one point to remember today:

THE ENEMY OF WISDOM IS LAZINESS.


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How is your laziness meter today?

In your experience, how does laziness affect us?

How do we get rid of laziness? Did you know that the Bible uses the ant to

rebuke us of our laziness and lack of wisdom?

Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

What does sluggard mean?(habitually lazy person)

What is the command to sluggards?

Proverbs 6:7-8

[7] It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, [8] yet it stores its provisions in

summer and gathers its food at harvest.

What can we learn from ants?

1. Ants have no commander, overseer, or rulerThe queen ant has very little control over the colony as a whole. She

has no known authority or decision-making control; instead her sole

function is to reproduce. Therefore the queen is best understood as

the reproductive element of a colony rather than a leader.

Its in the antsnature to be hardworking. They have no commander,overseer or ruler forcing them to work. They just have the initiative.

What do you usually do when no one is looking or telling you what to do?

2. Ants store their provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvestAnts dont have watches or calendars, but they know when its

summer. Summer for the ants is the best time to store their food! Its

in their instinct. They dont procrastinate. They continuously preparefor the future.

A wise person said this: Work now, play later. But many times, we

do the opposite: Play now, work later.

In what ways are you preparing yourself for the future? Remember that

we prepare ourselves by making wise choices NOW, not later.

Proverbs 6:9-10

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?

When will you get up from your sleep?

[10] A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest


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This does not mean we should never rest: God gave the Jews the Sabbath, a

weekly day of rest and restoration. But we should not rest when we should be

working. The ant is used as an example because it utilizes its energy and

resources economically. (Life Application Bible)

The more that we linger in our laziness, the more we waste our lives. Laziness

is a habitthat progresses a little bit each time. If we are not careful to make

wise choices now, it will be harder to get out of this bad habit.

So what if we dont overcomelaziness now? What can the consequence be?

Proverbs 6:11

and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

What does this verse say is the consequence of laziness?Why does it compare to a bandit and an armed man?What is taken

away from us when we give in to laziness? (Just as a bandit and an armed

man comes when we least expect it, the consequences of laziness will

come unexpectedly. If we are not prepared, it will overpower us, paralyze

us and steal the rewards of a great future.)

That is why the enemy of wisdom is laziness! Look up the Proverbs below and

compare a diligent and lazy person:[Leader: If you have limited time, you may just choose 3-5 verses.]

THE DILIGENT THE LAZY REFERENCE

Become rich Are soon poor Prov 10:4

Gather their crops Sleep during harvest Prov 10:5

Have plenty of food Have no sense Prov 12:11

Gain many rewards Prov 12:14

Will become leaders Will become slaves Prov 12:24Make good use of resources Waste good resources Prov 12:27

Will prosper Want much but get little Prov 13:4

Bring profit Experience poverty Prov 14:23

Path is open Path is blocked Prov 15:19

Stay awake and have food

to spare

Love sleep and grow poor Prov 20:13

Make careful plans Make hasty shortcuts Prov 21:5

Love to give Desire things but refuse towork for them

Prov 21:25, 26

Are full of excuses for not

working

Prov 22:13

Reap abundance through

hard work

Experience poverty because

of laziness

Prov 28:19


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Proverbs make it clear that diligencebeing willing to work hard and do ones

best at any job given to him or heris a vital part of wise living. We work hard,

not to become rich, famous, or admired (although these may be by-products),

but to serve God with our very best during our lives.(Source: Life Application Bible)

How would you evaluate yourself today? Have you been wise and diligent? Orhave you been giving in to the habits of laziness?

What are the habits of laziness that you usually give in to?

Caught in a laziness trap? You can start making wise choices today! What can

you do immediately to overcome your habits of laziness?

Talk Live_wais2_enemy of Wisdom

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