Complacency Kills!

Have you ever heard the term “Complacency Kills!”? Recently, I was reading the book of Isaiah due to the Lord’s prompting, and a verse jumped out at me.

“You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!” Isaiah 32:9, New International Version.

Now, when I say it jumped out at me, I literally mean it smacked me upside the head. Have you ever had one of those moments? You’re just casually reading your Bible and then… SMACK! That’s exactly what happened here.

The Lord had really been dealing with me regarding some things in our church, and I was due to speak (gasp!) on Mother’s Day. Of course, knowing that it was Mother’s Day meant that I would need to have some wonderful encouraging words for all the mothers that would be attending. We wanted to make it special for them. However, the Lord had other plans for me. 

For quite some time now, the Lord has been dealing with me about the condition of my soul and the condition of this world. I would love to say that I am this perfect Christian mom, wife, and first lady of our church, but I can’t. I must keep this flesh in check. Especially this attitude. 

Can an attitude be inherited? If so, thank you to both of my grandmothers! I’m just kidding.

Over time, I have found myself becoming complacent with who I am.  Which can be very dangerous!

Miriam Websters Dictionary defines complacency as self-satisfaction, especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.

Reading that should shake you. If it doesn’t, you need to go and check yourself. Why? Because apparently you cannot see the dangers that may lie ahead. I have watched over the years as saints that I love dearly became complacent in the church, settling for where they were, only to eventually walk out the door still thinking they were okay. They would tell me that going to church wasn’t necessary. They could still get what they needed at home. Living for God doesn’t require all of that. Coming on occasion was enough. Besides, when the dreaded “C” word hit, we were all having church online anyway. Why couldn’t they just continue to do that? Yet, if they were to check their lives, they would realize that there is nothing better than being “IN” the presence of God when His Spirit is poured out. This isn’t to say you cannot feel Him in your home, but to say that when you step into a house that is dedicated to Him with a group of people that are dedicated to Him, the presence is beyond anything you could expect. 

It hurt my heart to hear these things, and it still hurts to this day. So much so that I could easily list names right here. I pray for them daily.

“For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:32-33, NIV

Here is the thing: we must shake ourselves out of the stupor we are in and check out our surroundings. We must stay vigilant. So many little things slip in when we are complacent that we eventually begin to accept them and think that all is okay. When WE ARE NOT!

COMPLACENCY KILLS!

Don’t crucify me, but I’m going to point out Hollywood and social media for a moment. I’m using these as examples mainly because I have a teenager and a younger child. Both of whom I am responsible for their physical and spiritual well-being. Hollywood has been slipping things in little by little to cause us to become comfortable with certain agendas. I’ve been guilty of saying, “Oh, that was just so fast. I’m sure they didn’t even realize it.” Yet, it doesn’t matter if I think they realized it or not. Their brains retain more information than you could possibly realize!

They can imitate specific actions they see on screen between 6 and 14 months, and remember brief sequences by 18 months. Children begin to understand content by the end of their second year.

National Library of Medicine, October 9, 2017, Canadian Pediatric Society

Social media plays a huge role in the development of your child as well. Our teens and preteens are being exposed to what society calls the norm. It causes them to question their image. It can affect their self-esteem. This is only a FEW of the effects.  These same things are what adults deal with as well. Yet, we continually make excuses as to why it is still okay. We automatically try to justify our reasoning. 

“There’s no doubt in my mind that numerous Army accidents have occurred because we, as Soldiers, have become complacent in our everyday activities.”

Staff Sgt. David DeGrave.

I can specifically remember a friend of ours telling us about the sign that is posted on the army base. Every time they would walk out, they would see, “Complacency Kills.” It was a reminder to stay alert while out on the battlefield. They could not become comfortable. They had to stay alert at all times. If they ever got to the point that they thought all was okay and became distracted, then they personally became a danger to themselves and their other comrades.

See that! Not only were they in danger themselves, but they also put those around them in jeopardy as well.

No matter who you are, you are an example to someone. There are people who look up to you and follow your lead. If you become complacent, those around you may do the same. This isn’t to put pressure on you. This is to do my best to wake you up from your slumber and tell you that it is time for you to check your soul. It is time that you look deep inside and decide if you truly are living a life that is “holy and acceptable unto the Lord.” Romans 12:1.

“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’” Zephaniah 1:12, NIV

Does this sound familiar? Complacency Kills!

I hear this sound from around the world every day. “I’m okay. It’s okay. The Lord wouldn’t send me to hell.” You’re right! He won’t send you to hell. You do that yourself. I know that sounds harsh, but sometimes the truth hurts. WE are the problem, not God. He is a loving and merciful Savior. 

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8, King James Version.

He desires communication and eternal life with you by His side. But you have a choice. He created us with free will. It was apparent when He created Adam and placed the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. This is simply my opinion, but I believe it was God’s way of giving man a choice to love Him freely.

My ultimate goal in this post is to encourage you to check your life. Start going through it with a “fine tooth comb” per se and look for areas of vulnerability. Have you started allowing things into your life or your home that are questionable? Maybe there is something you once thought was wrong, but now you are second-guessing those things. 

How do we check our lives?

We need to make sure our lives line up with the Word of God. Start digging. Start searching. Start praying! When you ask God to show you those areas in your life where you are the weakest, He will do so. It may not be pleasant to hear, but it will be worth the effort you put forth. Identifying our areas of weakness fortifies us against future enemy attacks.

I pray this touches you in some way. Know that I pray for you every day, regardless of whether I know you are not. My prayer is that God uses Makin’ Macon to always be a source of encouragement during these times of chaos.

REMEMBER… Complacency Kills!