Pastor re-emphasized that Complacency is a place of self-satisfaction, self-reliance and not purpose driven. Complacency takes a man to a point where he feels like he has arrived.
Complacency can be a significant barrier or obstacle to the race set before us. It is largely rooted in lack of vigilance, alertness, and a misunderstanding of God’s plan in our life.
Galatians 5:20 KJV “idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies”
Emulation is the keyword for study and in the scripture above, emulation is rendered in a negative form and it is classified among the works of the flesh.
Romans 11:14 KJV “if by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.”
We can see carefully that the fact that we have been saying that there’s is no basis to compare, Apostle Paul was still looking for a way to provoke his people to emulation. And the goal is to get some of them saved.
Paul wanted them to see what God is doing in his life, where God has brought him from. Apostle Paul desires that his people see that which God is doing in his life to a point that somebody will say that he wants to be like Paul.
So, the context of the word “Emulation” used in Galatians 5:20 which was used in the list “witchcraft, hatred, strive, wrath” and the “Emulation” used in Romans 11:14, the difference is that we can actually be encouraged and challenged. Someone’s life can challenge us and the challenge will not lead to comparison. The truth is there are people God will bring our way or around our lives that if we are humble enough, we will not compete with them but we will learn from them. It is terrible to be competing with the person we are supposed to be learning from.
How to fight against complacency
• Reflect on your Spiritual state. Recognizing the areas of complacency.
• Engage in regular spiritual discipline. Engage in regular prayers, bible study and worship. Acts 2:42-43
• Embrace Humility. Recognize the fact that there are limitations. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
• Stay Alert and Vigilant. Recognize the presence of falling into complacency. 1 Peter 5:8
He also reiterated from MASTERING CONTENTMENT AND OVERCOMING COVETOUSNESS that the Antidote of COVETOUSNESS is contentment
Philippians 4:10 – 13
There is a place to learn how to be content, contentment can be mastered. Contentment is not a fruit of the spirit, it is a virtue.
There is a place for learning how to be content. Contentment can be learnt, it is not part of the fruit of the spirit. Paul used those words carefully. You don’t learn the fruit of the spirit, you are impacted, but Paul is saying, “I have learned, I have mastered contentment, mastered satisfaction, I have conquered covetousness, greed.”
There is a secret in surviving any situation, there is a mastery that must take place. It’s a training of the Spirit not a gift or fruit of the Spirit. That’s why gifted men can also be under the yoke of covetousness and greed. There is learning required.
In the scriptures we see that Paul was going through a season of difficulty, a season of challenge, but in the midst of the difficulties he was still telling everyone that cared to listen that he had mastered the act of contentment. He didn’t get to this point by chance, he learned it. It’s a dealing. There are things you don’t pray yourself into. It requires training.
When you are content it shows you are totally dependent on God and it shows you are content. It shows that you trust in God, that God is mindful of you and will not allow you to be put to shame. This informs your decisions in life and prevents unnecessary borrowing. We must come to a place where we will trust God.
There are things that are not dependent on life. Your sustenance is not dependent on it. That is the way to conquer greed and comparison because those things that are driven by competition are also driven by comparison.
My friend has it so I should have it. My friend drives it so I should drive it. My friend lives there, I should live in that estate, so when you gather and raise your life and arrange yourself in the light of such that you are signing up for something bigger than you, that is the reason why people don’t get settled down in good time. Because once you have multiple loans, you are servicing, even when big money comes in your hand, it is that thing that swallows it. Hence as an individual you must come to a place where you trust God.
Every decision and choice is driven by confession, by greed, by competition. That’s what is happening in time.The other side is complacency where you just sit down and say, well okay, we are going to heaven.
We have to take the world before it falls into complacency and guilt because there is a place called contentment. That’s the place to be. It’s the place where you work with God; work with His timing. Here God leads. He is the commander; You work with him as the commander.
He leads and guides. It’s a lifestyle of dependence on God that instructs and charges. He’s the commander hence we do what he commands.
We follow his steps, follow his leading and his guidance. We submit to his leadership and his helpship. We submit to his hand. If you work like that, you will not experience depression, you won’t need to compete or make comparisons.
If I can apprehend, I can compare what I was apprehended for, that means I can lay hold on the reason why he laid hold on me.
So… Contentment is that you trust. In fact, not just trust but deep trust in the sovereignty of God; in his provision and plans for you. Basically finding joy in him.
That’s contentment. Excited for every phase. Every level that God has brought you.
We are not expected to live beyond our means. We should stay where God placed us and not be covetous. We should enjoy the journey.
We will master contentment and overcome covetousness. In the context of what we are learning as a church, we’d experience difficulty but we’d trust God. We will be patient with God. We will not be complacent. We will do the impossible. We will run through a troop and leap over the wall.
Many times when we experience some situations, it is because we don’t know who God is.
He is our father. We should be excited about life and what God is doing.
In case you are lagging behind, don’t fall into complacency, don’t resign to fate, do the best you can do.
Never come into competition with anyone. It is okay when you’re still climbing and not at your best but it is not okay not to be in his will.
The safest place to be is in the will of God.