1 Timothy 5:13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.

What do you do when you get bored?

Be honest with yourself because I cannot speak for you in this moment. There is a general sense of what boredom does to people. Here in the verse it is seen as wandering, searching for something, anything that will relieve us from the boredom.

The resulting behavior is not that of a believer. Boredom is of the flesh and not spiritual in design. Relief is sought in the actions and intentions of a mind that seeks to be entertained. Fleshly entertainment can be dangerous to the soul and to fellowship.

Tattler, busybody, and speaking out in a manner which is not worthy of a disciple of Christ, is a step back in growth. We have heard it called backsliding. Allowing it to continue leads to an attitude of despondence. It is a slew of despond. A slew is a water troth that carries logs downhill to a river where they can be collected to be moved to the mill for cutting. Once you are in this slew of despond, it is difficult to get off. It will lead to depression if not checked.

What you busy your mind with when you are bored is critical to avoid error which leads to sin.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Do not let boredom carry you were you ought not go.

Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Yesterday I asked you to look in that spiritual mirror to see who you are in Christ. Each of us are undergoing change. What we were in the past is not who we are today. Growth in Christ can be just as difficult for us as growing up as a natural child. We are not exempt from periods of frustration or even down times. These next verses point out we are not exempt just because we have a relationship with the Lord.

Psalm 143:7-8 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Hear me Lord speaks to relationship. My spirit fails, speaks to our inability to maintain a continual or constant right attitude about ourselves. It is easy to feel right when everything is going good. It is when the enemy attacks that we feel like we failed to maintain contact with the goodness of the Lord.

There were times in my life I was told “pick yourself up by your bootstraps”. This is error. It isn’t always your fault that you are down. “Cause me to hear” in verse 8 above begs God to intercede on our behalf because it is He who lifts us up and not we ourselves. You cannot dig your way out of a hole.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

There is no way to learn what this means without being there in that moment.