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| PentecostalTheology.com
Are you spiritually strong, yet complacent? We often pray for and try to encourage the lukewarm, complacent pew sitters – those who come out to church on Sunday, then live a lot like the world. But, we too can be complacent where we are when we should be advancing in Him, even if very mature and spiritual. We want to tell the lukewarm that there is more, that they have a wonderful destiny in Him in this life, a destiny of answered prayer and service in the Kingdom, which will bring much joy, if they will just let go of the unfruitful ways of the world. Yet, all of us have old habits and ways that we shouldn’t settle for and need to overcome.
Let us point out to them, but remind ourselves as well, of God’s encouraging, precious Word that says: “For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11). He has plans and purposes for our lives, but we must choose to be available to Him to work through us.
“Complacency,” according to Dictionary.com, is “a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.”
It is good to take pleasure and feel secure with where we are in the Lord, as long as we submit to the hunger within to receive more and more of all that He has provided to us for “life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). We can let go and give in to that hunger, because He has forgiven all our sins and weaknesses, and we have the spiritual victory. We want to tap into His mercy and avoid natural consequences for where we come up short in the flesh, and to be as effective as possible for the Kingdom, showing forth His light, love and truth. And, He has given us the means, with Jesus in our hearts as temples of the Holy Spirit.
Let us not be satisfied or fear failure or deceive ourselves in areas of life where we still have not overcome in the flesh, for if we continue on in the Lord, we shall overcome them in Him.
There are many different levels of complacency. Each of us could be farther along towards our destiny for this life, and in these end times, God wants to accelerate our spiritual growth. I, for example, have been brought a long way by the Lord in my awareness of and participation in my relationship with Him. But I am not satisfied. He has done it all, and I, like all Born Again believers, am perfected in Christ spiritually. But, there are areas that I and all of us need to grow in.
He gives us the “want to” and ability, as we stay close to Him
While there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus – we are saints in Him, yet vessels in process toward spiritual maturity – we can ask: Do I walk in faith and declare and speak His Word in every situation Do I seek Holy Spirit counsel first before decisions Am I teachable and not set in my ways Is my life a life of praise and thanksgiving Do I prayer in the spirit regularly and use the spiritual gifts He has provided me Do I use the spiritual authority He has given to each of His spirit-filled believers
He gives us the “want to” as well as the ability, if we will believe and obey. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him Phil. 2:13 NLT.
We do have the power to overcome the evil one if we will use it. There is obviously very real danger in this world, but our battle is spiritual, and we can bring down strongholds in His name. In Jesus name, we can foil the plans of the enemy, and any influence he might try to have in our lives or the lives of others, to hinder the work of the Lord in people through his lies.
So, let us to stay close to the Lord, renewing our minds by spending time meditating on and studying His Word, while remaining sensitive to His Spirit and listening for His voice. But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God… Jude 20-21. This passage describes a key way to keep ourselves experiencing and responding to the love of God, building our faith as we pray in the Spirit.
And, since His Word to us is always good and, with loving and helpful intentions, giving us “a future and a hope,” when He speaks to our hearts, we can confidently be quick to obey in order to bear much fruit.
We can choose to return to our first love
The answer to complacency is consecration and communion with the Lord, not self-effort and obligation. The former provides motivation and power, while the latter loses stamina and leaves guilt.
God is calling His people back to their first love. That isnt a feeling, its a decision, and comes from spending time with Him. Not only are we saved by grace through faith, that is how we live and serve and overcome in this life. That is how we really bear fruit in winning the lost and accomplishing those good things that He planned for us to do from the beginning of time Eph. 2:10. Its all overflow from our relationship with Jesus.
We need not do a bunch of stuff for the Lord. That is usually just a distraction. We need to 1 draw near in prayer and faith to praise and worship Him, thank Him and listen for His voice, and 2 carry out, as His hands and feet and mouthpiece in this world, anything He shows us to do, drawing on His power and supply.
So let us not sit back, but go on with Him, seeking the fullness of our destiny in this life to fulfill our calling to advance His Kingdom now, fully equipped and engaged. There is always more, so much more, if we tap into our Source, for “…the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” Daniel 11:32. That includes each of us That is our destiny in this life
