Hooked on Lazy

by Donnie Bostwick

May 17, 2020

1360

The shortest and quickest route to losing is lazy! Yet multitudes choose this route every day. It is a multilane freeway packed bumper to bumper. Once you choose this route, you can be stuck for life. It is no respecter of talent or character. We all are capable of falling into its trap and being hooked.

Everyone knows that I love to fish. It always amazes me how big fish seem to have a gift of getting off the line. They are special and know how to keep you from setting the hook in their jaw.

Winners are the same way. They avoid allowing a sin like lazy to get a hold of them. They shake it off and spit it out of their mouth like a hard to catch trophy fish. They learn the difference in real food and the fake lure of the enemy.

Most successful people absolutely hate losing. Taking an L is painful. I have been asked often how many wins I am responsible for as a coach. The truth is, the choices of my players are directly behind every victory or defeat. I have not scored a single point or gotten a rebound in a game in over 25 years.

I have been graced with God’s favor and I give Him all the credit for all my successes. Personally, I tend to count the losses more than the victories. If you know why you are losing, then you have a much better chance of avoiding it. Back to back losses penetrate deep. Great teams tend to play well after a defeat. Sadly, it often takes defeat to refocus and remember what brings victory.

Thankfully, I have only experienced three losses in a row a couple times in my career. I believe it is like stepping on a fish hook. It is vital that you avoid allowing the tip of the hook to penetrate deep. The problem is, a hook slides in rather easily and the barb on the hook simply makes removing the hook nearly impossible. It also makes removing the pain from the hook completely impossible. The more you try to deal with the hook, the more painful and locked in the hook becomes. This is exactly the same as a loss. Dwell on the loss and it will destroy you. Infection will set in if you don’t remove what is causing the loss and the pain.

Most roads lead back to Lazy. I would argue that this sin causes more L’s than any other enemy. How do you find and stay on the small narrow path that avoids these roads leading to lazy? How do you avoid being hooked and captured by this enemy?

Just like a hook, you don’t remove it by going back, instead you push through bringing the hook out the other side so the barb doesn’t dig in and capture you for life. Pushing through, removing, and overcoming what has been locked into your flesh is a tremendous accomplishment, especially if the hook has been there for a while. Avoiding infection and letting your flesh heal is the only way to full healing.

So how do we avoid the hook of a sin like lazy. Peter in Luke 5:8 falls to his knees and ask Jesus to depart from him because of his evil ways. Jesus response, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus did not even address the sin. He told Peter to not be afraid, because lazy is just one of the many spirits or traps that the enemy sends our way. We must rise up in boldness and shake off each and every spirit and trap of the enemy! We have been given the authority in Jesus name to rebuke the spirit and demand it leaves us.

I see the spirit or trap of lazy dominate more players than any other weapon formed against them. I say the same thing Jesus says. Do not fear! What are you fearful of? What will happen if you play harder, work harder, and break old habits of cruising, taking plays off, and giving in to your mind that tells you a thousand reasons why not to go hard.

Every possession becomes a mental battle of choice, just like every hour in life is a mental battle of choice. Do you choose sin or seek? Do you choose prayer or not to communicate? If a player chooses not to communicate on the floor, then a loss is coming, just as if they choose to be lazy.

Jesus actually calls lazy wicked in Luke 19:22. When the servant, due to fear, does nothing with the gift the master has given him. The master says,” I will judge you by your own word, you wicked servant.” Another version refers to the servant as worthless.

It is so difficult to remove the hook of lazy in a player. Usually it has been lodged in them for most of their life. Without a miracle from the miracle worker, it is impossible. That is exactly why I depend and ask my players to depend daily on Jesus through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us overcome sins like fear and lazy! The Holy Spirit is like a good pair of needle nose pliers!

I truly believe this is the secret to true success in life and on the court!