To elaborate on what Azure said and just add my two cents:
Keep this in the forefront of your mind: Jesus is the bread of life; knowing him, and knowing him well, is what satisfies the inner-being and will leave you feeling content/full—regardless of how the situation turns out (good or bad, how you thought or not). Jesus is your source of satisfaction, not your job, not your major, not your status in society, how much money you make, how smart you are, the approval of your family, friends, et cetera.
It sounds like you know what you have to do: develop your relationship with him first. Start off by confessing your sins to him in prayer. Whatever you've done that he finds displeasing, admit it, turn away from it, and set your heart to do what's right instead. And ask him to bring to mind any offensive ways he sees in you (that you're not able to recognize yet), so you can turn away from them as well. Then he will listen. Tell him your confusion about which path to take. Ask for his guidance, his intervention to guide your steps, so that your life (and career/job) can glorify him in return—and bring blessing to not just you, but others as well. Seek the righteous things he tells us to do. Everything else will fall into place.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Footnotes:
a. 6:33 Some manuscripts do not include of God.
Prepare yourself mentally to accept his will whatever he decides, whether a) he wants you to continue on that path OR b) he wants to lead you to something else (even if it means failure in one thing before you arrive where he wants you). Feel free to thank him beforehand, before he acts, because the path he sets you on is the one that will look out for your well-being in the long-run—and not just yours, but other people you will affect simply by things ending up this way (fellow family members or even strangers).
In a nutshell:
Confess and turn away from sin. Seek to do what he considers righteous. Thank him for what he has done for you—and allowed you to live through (both good and bad, because those experiences are molding you into what he wants you to be). Ask him to guide your steps, to intervene in your circumstances, so you make the right decision.
Verses:
Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
9 We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ,[a] who gives me strength.
Footnotes:
a. 4:13 Greek through the one.
John 6:35 (NLT)
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
John 9:31 (NLT)
31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will.
Psalm 66:18 (NLT)
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
Psalm 139:24 (NLT)
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
So, do confess any sin first, otherwise he will not listen. And expressing thanks is important: he doesn't allow us to go through anything without his permission/approval first. When we give thanks for both the good
and uncomfortable situations, we're agreeing that whatever he decided was best and what we needed to go through in that moment (to develop us in certain areas [patience, trust, endurance, gentleness when correcting others, humility / not thinking ourselves better than others, willingness to share] or get us to recognize sin we still have in certain parts of our life).
When it comes to turning away from what he considers sin / transgression of his law, remember to analyze what you've been doing in both the Spirit and the letter (e.g. using the body for sexual immorality, whether physically or mentally, in your imagination, or in your day dreaming, looking lustfully at others whom you're not in covenant with; engaging in greed, wanting more for yourself, instead of sharing, being ungrateful for what you have, complaining; using your words idly, words that are empty that edify no one, words of hate you've spoken to another in anger or annoyance; idolatry, looking for guidance from other deities/spirits, witches, tarot cards, the stars, ungodly people, etc.... allowing something other than God to determine how you spend time, money, words). I recommend reading through
Colossians 3:5-25, Ephesians 4:17-32, Galatians 5:19-25; James 4 for "spirit of the law" kinds of sins.
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Some practical tips to defeat laziness: pray that he give you the focus to carry out your responsibilities and tasks. Write out your tasks and don't allow yourself to "play" until they're all done. Or an alternative, after writing out your tasks (whether by hand or app: I recommend "
Remember The Milk" the online version), get a timer (online app, a physical one, or the one on your cell phone if you have one). Study and focus intensely for 25 minutes then rest for 3-5 minutes, repeat until you finish the task; if you can go longer without taking a break, by all means do so. But if you're ignoring the timer, this method probably won't do you any better. If neither the to-do list method nor timer method work for you, then take it a step further: what do you find yourself doing when you should be studying / doing homework? Whatever it is, "fast" from it so you can make time for studying and homework instead (especially if it's a non-essential activity like gaming, TV, entertainment in general). Fast from it for a few days, a week. Or you could do a combination of all three: eliminate certain activities for a while, get your to-do list, organize yourself, time your tasks. Set yourself limits. We need to discipline the body, not let the "wants" of the body rule over us.
1 Corinthians 9:27 (NLT)
27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Also, go to sleep at a reasonable time and eat well; feelings of laziness can be brought on by tiredness and poor nutrition. Don't overeat: you will hibernate (lol).
If you're doing everything on your part to succeed and you're praying, don't fear failure, even if you end up failing. Just because things don't go as you originally planned, it doesn't mean you're a failed creation in God's eyes. At the end of the day, you can plan all you want, but it's up to God what you ultimately end up doing. So don't worry about it. Set your heart on simply doing what's right, pursuing what he calls righteous, staying disciplined in all areas of your life (sleep, food, time, body, mouth, how you treat others, etc), persevering on the narrow path.
Lack of motivation for me came from spiritual emptiness. I ended up withdrawing from college because of that, for several reasons really, but that's one of them (primarily because I was at college for the wrong reasons [to avoid family], not because I had any plans/intention of having a career). I wasn't a believer back then. But in retrospect, looking back, I can see God's hand moving in my life, down to the decisions I made, who I ended up interacting with, even though I was clueless about him. He is sovereign. The way things ended up is what led me / allowed me to have the time to pick up the bible in the first place. You have the bible and prayer at your disposal already. I didn't know how to utilize any of that. But you can, so don't worry and trust that the Creator of the universe is really in control, especially when you give him consent to act on your behalf.
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