Breaking the Spirit of Complacency

Introduction: The first thing we will have to do to get where we are heading is to break the spirit of complacency.

I believe the first thing that God expects from us is to get out of our comfort zone and get away from being satisfied with coming to church.

Get out in the streets and share our experience with others. That is what the Apostles did in the book of Acts.

Definition of complacency: a feeling of satisfaction, especially extreme self-satisfaction; smugness to appear very self-satisfied or pleased.

The feeling you have when you are satisfied— the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire with yourself.

I believe the simple explanation would be “I am satisfied and this is as far as I am going.”

This is a bad place to get— but sad to say many of us are there and it’s hard to break out of that pattern.

There are people that get satisfied at work doing one job and turn down promotions because they are afraid to step out of that comfort zone.

Remember the Apostles and the people of their day were in a comfort zone they were satisfied doing what they were doing just making a living.

Go to work come home go to work the same old thing day in and day out.

It took Jesus three years and his death to ever get them to where the Kingdom of God was the most important thing in their lives.

1. Churches cannot grow if we are complacent.

2. People will not be healed and delivered if we are complacent.

We can’t leave church thinking ole well God didn’t want to do anything tonight.

 God wants to do something every day of our lives!

 Complacency is a tool of Satan to stop us from being fully obedient to the Lord.

 If we can get satisfied with just a good feeling and a shout we are already defeated.

We are to be powerful and overcome anything that comes against us!

Elisha wasn’t satisfied with being like Elijah, he wanted a double portion of what he had.

Here are the Miracles in the Career of Elijah:

1) Causing the rain to cease for 3 1/2 years (1Ki 17:1)

2) Being fed by the ravens (1Ki 17:4) 

3) Miracle of the barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1Ki 17:14)

4) Resurrection of the widow’s son (1Ki 17:22) 

5) Calling of fire from heaven on the altar (1Ki 18:38)

6) Causing it to rain (1Ki 18:45) 

7) Prophecy that Ahab’s sons would all be destroyed (1Ki 21:22)

8) Prophecy that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs (1Ki 21:23) 

9) Prophecy that Ahaziah would die of his illness (2Ki 1:4)

10) Calling fire from heaven upon the first 50 soldiers (2Ki 2:10) 

11) Calling fire from heaven upon the second 50 soldiers (2Ki 2:12)

12) Parting of the Jordan (2Ki 2:8) 

13) Prophecy that Elisha should have a double portion of his spirit (2Ki 2:10)

14) Being caught up to heaven in a whirlwind (2Ki 2:11)

Then the Miracles in the Career of Elisha:

1) Parting of the Jordan (2Ki 2:14)

2) Healing of the waters (2Ki 2:21)

3) Curse of the she bears (2Ki 2:24)

4) Filling of the valley with water (2Ki 3:17) 

5) Deception of the Moabites with the valley of blood (2Ki 3:22)

6) Miracle of the vessels of oil (2Ki 4:4)

7) Prophecy that the Shunammite woman would have a son (2Ki 4:16)

8) Resurrection of the Shunammite’s son (2Ki 4:34)

9) Healing of the gourds (2Ki 4:41)

10) Miracle of the bread (2Ki 4:43)

11) Healing of Naaman (2Ki 5:14)

12) Perception of Gehazi’s transgression (2Ki 5:26)

13) Cursing Gehazi with leprosy (2Ki 5:27)

14) Floating of the axe head (2Ki 6:6)

15) Prophecy of the Syrian battle plans (2Ki 6:9)

16) Vision of the chariots (2Ki 6:17)

17) Smiting the Syrian army with blindness (2Ki 6:18)

18) Restoring the sight of the Syrian army (2Ki 6:20)

19) Prophecy of the end of the great famine (2Ki 7:1)

20) Prophecy that the scoffing nobleman would see, but not partake of, the abundance (2Ki 7:2)

21) Deception of the Syrians with the sound of chariots (2Ki 7:6)

22) Prophecy of the seven-year famine (2Ki 8:1)

23) Prophecy of Benhadad’s untimely death (2Ki 8:10)

24) Prophecy of Hazael’s cruelty to Israel (2Ki 8:12)

25) Prophecy that Jehu would smite the house of Ahab (2Ki 9:7)

26) Prophecy that Joash would smite the Syrians at Aphek (2Ki 13:17)

27) Prophecy that Joash would smite Syria thrice but not consume it (2Ki 13:19)

28) Resurrection of the man touched by his bones (2Ki 13:21)

So you see we can settle for little for a little or we can believe God for abundance.

John 14:12-14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

A. Little prayer + little faith gets little results.

B. Much prayer + much faith + Much Faith = Much results.

 

We can either live in the fire or die in the smoke.

 

 

Let’s never be satisfied with the status Quo.

1. Mediocrity – ordinariness as a consequence of being average and not outstanding averageness ordinariness, mundaneness, the quality of being commonplace and ordinary

2. Mediocrity – a person of second-rate ability or value; “a team of aging second-raters”; “shone among the mediocrities who surrounded him” second-rater.

Why settle for weakness when can have strength?

A. We are not second rate because our God is great

B. We are not defeated because Our Lord overcame the world and gave us his Power to become His sons and daughters.

We are POWERFUL because Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. (Jn. 4-4)

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