When I was in high school, I was the catcher on the Varsity softball team! If you don't believe me, I have the knees to prove it! For the most part, I was decent and enjoyed it! I played for school and league, which means lots and lots of games and practices! I also played basketball in high school, if that’s what you want to call it. I mean, I was on the team but didn’t exactly play. I played the bench and was GREAT at warming it up LOL I remember sitting on that bench, waiting anxiously the whole game to see if I was going to play. I was anxious because I wanted to play, but I knew I wasn’t good enough to do anything productive. Sometimes, I never got to play, and though I was disappointed, I felt relieved—such conflicting emotions. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the advice of all those around me who could see I just needed to be more disciplined and PRACTICE! The conflicting feelings I felt sitting the bench weren’t enough to change my behavior.
It’s like being upset that we’re overweight, and then we eat because we’re upset and then get upset again because we overate. It’s a lose-lose.
It reminds me how many times in my life I’ve had these conflicting emotions—excited about a future filled with dreams of success. Sad, disappointed, and depressed because I’m not living the life I thought I should be living. But anxious and afraid about living my best life because I’m scared to fail.
What makes us excited about success but scared to move forward?
We’re excited about the possibilities and scared of change.
We’re excited to be successful but don’t have the discipline to make it happen.
We desire to be part of something bigger than ourselves but we think we don’t deserve to be there.
So, we don’t even try. If we do nothing long enough, we become content with our lack of effort. Can we say complacent much? So that we are on the same page, when I say complacent, I mean being satisfied with your level of effort. In my world, the worst thing I could ever be is complacent. My greatest fear is never becoming the woman God created me to be because I became comfortable with the status quo. It’s easy to become comfortable. It’s easy to do nothing. We stay in relationships that are unhealthy, we stay in jobs we hate, we keep friends we don’t like, all while we “sit the bench” anxiously waiting to live our best lives. But we also sit there relieved that if we never try, we can never fail.
Worst of all, when we are complacent, it spills over into other areas of our lives including our relationship with God. We become complacent with the level of effort we put into pursuing Christ.
Maybe, you’re satisfied with just going to church on Easter and Christmas.
Maybe, you’re ok with not reading the Bible.
Maybe, you’re ok with not talking to Jesus.
Maybe, you’re ok with only thinking about Jesus on Sunday.
Maybe, you’re ok with not connecting with other believers.
Maybe, you’re ok with not serving.
Maybe, you’re ok with watching church online and never stepping foot into your local church ever again.
I’m not judging where you are with your walk with God. But wherever you are in your relationship, we should not be complacent and stay satisfied with our level of energy into maintaining our relationship with the Lord. Instead, the goal should be to improve our relationship with Him continuously. Whatever you’re doing now, what else could you do to draw closer to Him?
God did not call us to complacency. He is an active, living God who wants to be in a relationship with you but it takes work, dedication, and time. We communicate by talking and listening. We do life together with the understanding that we are never alone. That is the security we have with a relationship with Jesus. He is always with us.
Instead of asking you, “What makes us excited about success but scared to move forward?” The new question is “Why did we invite Jesus in our hearts if we were going to remain complacent in our relationship with him?”
Tired of being complacent? Great! Here are some steps for not being complacent:
Seek God with your whole heart! In John 4:24 (NLT), the Bible says, “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Seek Him with all your heart, soul, and mind and never stop! The Bible says that when we seek we will find Him (Matthew 7:6-8). We must be intentional about building a relationship with Him and letting Him in EVERY area of our lives!
Level up your spiritual disciplines!
Pray - Talk to God
Meditation - Think and ponder on his Word
Worship - Honoring God for who He is
Praise - Show appreciation for what God has done
Listen for His voice
Read the Bible
Become students of the Word
Sanctification - Separate yourself for God
Self-reflection
Fasting - Sacrificing something, like food, to connect to God
Fellowship - Spending time with other believers
Serve others
Give generously
Rest in Christ - Have peace knowing He is in control
Submit EVERYTHING to God
Confession of sins
Stop living off of yesterday's anointing! Seek a fresh anointing everyday by
continuously staying connected to Him. Jesus says, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned” (John 15: 5-6). When we stay connected, we continue to grow and flourish but the minute we disconnect, our relationship with Him begins to fade.
Take some time to reflect and journal about the questions below. Then, look up the verses and let
God speak to you!
With Love,
Pastor Jessica
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GROWTH THROUGH SELF-REFLECTION
Have you been complacent in your relationship with God? If so, how?
What could you do to improve your relationship with Him?
Are you truly seeking God with your whole heart?
Are you consistently staying connected to Christ?
GOD’S TRUTH
John 4:24
1 Chronicles 16:11
John 15: 1-11
Romans 12:2
Zephaniah 1:12
Hebrews 6:12
Deuteronomy 8:14
Zephaniah 1:6