Settled in Complacency
Zephaniah 1:12-1:13
Sometimes Christians entertain very foolish and dangerous thoughts such as;
Don’t get too concerned, keep things as they are, let someone else take care of it, set back, relax, and see what is going on. After all God will work things for us, or don’t get to involved if you can avoid it.
When life is good, easy, and comfortable. God becomes a God of last resort.
When we are in need, we usually take God more seriously. But when we are comfortable, and at ease, and prosperous, it is easier to become complacent about God and his kingdom.
Satan is more than willing to keep us complacent, to keep us lazy.
An ancient story recalls how Satan once summoned his top three aides to plan how to stop a group of dedicated Christians from effective missionary work.
One of the lieutenants, Rancor, said to Satan, "We should convince them that there is no God." Satan sneered at Rancor and replied, "That would never work. They know that there is a God."
Another of Satan’s aides, Bitterness, spoke up. "We’ll convince them that God does not really care about right or wrong." Satan toyed with the notion for a few moments, but rejected it because he knew that too many Christians know that God does care.
Malice, the third satanic helper, came up with his idea. "We’ll let them go on thinking that there is a God and that He cares about right and wrong. But we will keep whispering that there is no hurry, there is no hurry."
Satan howled with glee. He advanced Malice higher in his malevolent organization. Satan knew that he would find this stratagem successful with many, many Christians.
Frank S. Mead
Scripture
Zeph 1:12-13 NKJV
12 And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ’The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’
Zeph 1:12 NASU
12 "It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men Who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ’The LORD will not do good or evil!’
Zeph 1:12 TLB
12 "I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to find and punish those who sit contented in their sins, indifferent to God, thinking he will let them alone.
Prayer
A "stagnant, indifferent, complacent Christian" is an abomination to Christ. He calls upon the God for a self-righteous satisfaction. He calls upon God for blessings, and in times of trouble. But he has no intention of making Jesus the lord of his life, the purpose of his life, his way of life.
Our Lord said He would rather a man be cold, utterly without profession to be Christian, rather than medium, lukewarm, "moderate."
* Remember that "average" is simply the best of the poorest and the poorest of the best.
Being settled in complacency leaves us weak for Satan’s evil, immoral attacks
A parable told by a Haitian pastor to illustrate to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ.
A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn’t afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: he would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.
After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So first the owner went out found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.
The Haitian pastor’s conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ’s habitation."
Complacency is that Peg!
Dale A Hays, Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 2.
WHEN WE HAVE SETTLED INTO COMPLACENCY, IT BECOMES A CANCER THAT NOT ONLY WEAKENS BUT DESTROYS IN TIME
1. Lowers your determination
Judg 16:16-17 (NLT) day after day she nagged him until . . . Samson told her his secret.
Samson had become so complacent about his God-given responsibility as a leader that he gave in and told Delilah the secret to his strength. He thought it wouldn’t matter; he thought everything would still be just fine. Samson’s complacency was a sin, because he disobeyed God’s command not to let his hair be shaved, and he let down his entire nation.
2. Lowers Gods standards
1 Kings 11:1-4 (NLT) Now King Solomon loved many foreign women . . . The LORD had clearly instructed his people not to intermarry with those nations . . . Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway . . . And sure enough, they led his heart away from the LORD . . .
Solomon’s complacency toward God and God’s commands led him into sin and its devastating consequences.
3. Lowers your morals, and behavior
2 Sam 11:2-5 NKJV 2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."
David’s complacency toward him to sin, caused him to tolerate the very thing he ounce knew better to do.
4. Lowers are level of personal expectation
Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, told a story about a goose who was wounded and who landed in a barnyard with some chickens. He played with the chickens and ate with the chickens. After a while that goose thought he was a chicken. One day a flight of geese came over, migrating to their home. They gave a honk up there in the sky, and he heard it. Kierkegaard said, "Something stirred within the breast of this goose. Something called him to the skies. He began to flap the wings he hadn’t used, and he rose a few feet into the air. Then he stopped, and he settled back again into the mud of the barnyard. He heard the cry, but he settled for less."
5. Lowers our thinking; no responsibility, that it will be O.K.
Zeph 1:12-13 NKJV
12 And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart,
’The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.
6. Lowers our relationship with God
Rev 3:15-17 (NLT) I know all the things you do; that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!
Hell is the result
7. Lowers our spiritual power in life
Complacency is robbing God, and his church of many energetic and consecrated, sanctified servants.
What causes us to grow complacent?
1. When the danger is past, we often forget the God who helped us.
Hos 13:5-6 (NLT) I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. But when you had eaten and were satisfied, then you became proud and forgot me.
2. Not only forgetting the past, but forgetting God’s warning.
A warning not to forget Deut. 6:10-13 NKJV
10 "So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant--when you have eaten and are full-- 12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
3. We don’t like to move out of our comfort zone
4. We are self sufficient
Wise is the person who remembers God daily in times of both need and prosperity
Overcome complacency with a
Complete surrender, with praise and thanksgiving, and humility
Understand the importance the scripture
1 Thes. 5:18 KJV
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1. In giving thanks to God we receive us an understanding our own identity, and responsibilities.
2. In giving thanks to God we gain a greater incentive to live our lives in holiness and consecration, and sanctification.
3. In giving thanks to God we grow in wisdom, knowledge and understanding of God and His purposes.
4. In giving thanks to God we gain a greater glimpse of God’s will, way and word.
5. In giving thanks to God we gain a greater maturity in all the dimensions of life
Summery
A well driller found water at 95 feet but insisted he ought to drill deeper because there was not enough water. He found water again at 120 feet. He was not satisfied and wanted to drill deeper. There was plenty of water at 120 feet, but it was not pure enough. He drilled deeper still until he found water that was both abundant and pure. Are our lives too shallow?
Have you settled for just enough to get by on?
* The mature believer is a searching believer.
* Maturity is pressing toward the mark; and seeking Gods will, where as immaturity is complacency and self-satisfaction.
* Maturity begins to grow when you can sense your concern for others outweighing your concern for yourself
A vessel that grows as it is filled will never be full. If a bin able to hold a cartload grew while you were dumping your load in it, you could never fill it. The soul is like that: the more it wants, the more it is given; the more it receives, the more it grows.
To overcome complacency read 2 Chron 7:14: (NIV)
"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Come let us Pray up, reach up, and wise up, so God can build us up!
