As I was contemplating this fourth edition of our Being Spiritual Disrupters series, a conversation I had decades ago unexpectedly came to mind. It was one of those brief, rather mundane and insignificant exchanges that I didn’t anticipate revisiting at all, especially after all these years later. Regardless, it decided to climb out of the dusty mental archives and attach itself to the subject we’re about to explore today, i.e., spiritual complacency.  

An Awkward Situation ~
The incident I’m referring to was one of those interactions that occasionally take place when guys find themselves in a conversational situation with someone they sort of know, but only superficially. Those interactions can feel a little awkward, like being cornered into some kind of blind date, only worse. In this case, neither party really gives a hoot whether the other one is impressed with them or not. They’re just two guys stuck in proximity with one another and trying to make the best of it. Truth is, either one would happily exchange a Cracker Barrel gift card for the privilege of being somewhere else. 

In situations like that, once both guys have exhausted their reservoir of knowledge regarding the latest inflammatory propaganda disguised as news making the rounds on the internet, and all the relevant cliches they can remember have been regurgitated, the conversation shifts gears toward more personal things like jobs, career goals, family, and even spiritual issues. The conversation I mentioned earlier had a shift in direction like that and when it arrived, I decided to ask a question. I said,. “Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?” 

It was a simple question and one I had asked many times before in similar situations. I always found it interesting to hear people talk about their goals and objectives and how they plan to get from where they were at the time to wherever they aspire to be. So I expected more of the same kinds of responses I had heard before, but that was not the case this time. 

An Unexpected Response ~
After hearing the question, he just sat there for a minute and sort of frowned. It was an expression a guy might get if he saw a really weird looking bug crawling across the floor, and it suddenly occurred to him that those “global warming” fanatics pushing us to eat insects could secretly be sneaking something like that into his Hamburger Helper. Anyhow, when he finally relaxed his face, he tossed a response back to me that was different from any I had ever encountered. He just looked at me and said, “Whaddya you mean?” As I sat there thinking “How many things can a question like that mean?”, He followed up with, “I’m fine just like I am, and I’ll be happy just doing what I’m doing ’til I retire.” 

That statement was more than a description of momentary contentment. It was a clear indication that he had settled into a state of complacency with no end in sight. Complacency, especially in spiritual terms, is not a benign condition. It is a subtle, slow-acting poison that is lethal to creative imagination and a desire to strive for improvement. Complacency is a giant leech that sucks the life out of ambition and blinds us to opportunities for affecting positive changes. Those effects are bad in any context, but A.W. Tozer succinctly described its impact in the spiritual realm when he said, “Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.” 

Spiritual Implications ~
The status of American “Christianity” in 2023 is an undeniable affirmation of Tozer’s diagnosis, and the condition is steadily getting worse. Like my friend, we seem to have settled into a state of apathetic complacency with no end in sight. The prevailing attitudes would suggest that there is an unspoken, overriding protocol. We could call it the, “Let’s all just feel good, enjoy the service and be careful not to say anything controversial” agreement. That kind of mindset is a petri dish for the growth of debilitating complacency. It’s a growing problem with devastating effects on our spiritual welfare, and it’s imperative that we endeavor to counteract it. Confronting the temporary comforts that complacency offers may sound like too great a task to undertake, but there are things each of us can do that have tremendous potential for stimulating the awakening and revival that we desperately need. Here are a few suggestions regarding the powerful tools we need to employ in our efforts to disrupt complacency,

• • Spiritual awareness is vital, but we cannot be spiritually aware without being Biblically informed. Addressing the spiritual implications of what goes on in the world around us first requires the ability to recognize what they are. We cannot grasp the spiritual impact of incidents, events, practices, or policies if we have no idea what God had to say about the matter. If we’re to be effective in disrupting any of the devil’s strategies, a few minutes reading a devotional once in a while won’t be enough. Consistent reading, prayer, and detailed exploration of the entire Bible is mandatory.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  that the man [or woman] of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV)

• • Understanding spiritual principles is indispensable, and real understanding requires personal application. Nobody takes a tornado warning more seriously than those who have been through one. They are the ones we like to look to for direction when a storm is coming because they have a different level of  understanding about what tornadoes can really do. When it comes to grasping Biblical principles, there’s a qualitative difference between quoting what the text says and really understanding how it works and what it means in real day to day life. Personal understanding of spiritual truth is compelling to those exposed to it . . . and complacency withers in its presence. 

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22 NKJV)

• • Publicly observable action is a powerful weapon against passive complacency. We can’t be effective followers of Jesus hiding in a closet, even if it has a steeple on it. 

Multiplied millions, including me, have responded to Jesus’ invitation with no one else around. I confessed my sins and hopeless condition and declared my belief in Jesus while sitting in my car. But Jesus’ invitation was not simply to believe in Him privately and passively. He called people to follow Him, and during His time on earth, it was almost always done in a public setting. But whether our new birth experience took place in a public setting or not, this much is clear. He called us out – out of the tomb our sins had hewn, out of the chains we forged for ourselves, out of the darkness where we tried to hide, and into the light of day for all to see. The process of following Him Jesus didn’t send a form that folks could fill out and send back. When Jesus called them, His followers did exactly that. They got up and followed Him.

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. (Matthew 9:9 NKJV)

Disturbing Prospects ~
Complacency can blind us to things like the catastrophic decline of moral judgment. It can make us numb to the genuine possibility of a major judgment of God in response to our national repudiation of decency, social decorum, and intellectual honesty. Jesus delivered several parables about distracted, complacent servants who had lapsed into a satisfied, apathetic, “all is well” kind of attitude (Matthew 21:33-41; Mark 13:32-36). Then suddenly, and without warning, the Master showed up, and the result was not a pretty picture. 

Jesus didn’t share those stories to scare us. He did it to protect us. Complacency has consequences that none of us wants to be subjected to, and the One who abandoned every comfort to save our souls stands ready to deliver us from them. He will awaken, empower, energize, everyone who will turn to Him. He will lead us out of our stupor and into a life filled with the triumphant joy of His presence . . . And if someone ever asks, “Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?”, may each of us joyfully respond, “Doing whatever He leads me to do … and wherever He happens to be.”
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NOTE: Please also feel free to explore the entire Spiritual Disrupter Series by checking out these additional related posts:

In Need of Spiritual Disrupters, Disrupting Foolishness, and Disrupting Fatherlessness

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter.

• • “Spiritual complacency isn’t a benign condition. It’s a subtle, slow-acting poison, lethal to creative imagination & a desire to strive for improvement … a giant leech sucking the life out of ambition, blinding us to opportunities for affecting positive change.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
  • “He called us out of the tomb our sins had hewn, out of the chains we forged for ourselves, out of the darkness where we tried to hide, into the light of day for all to see. When Jesus called them, His followers got up did exactly that. They ‘followed’ Him.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
  • “Complacency can blind us to things like the catastrophic decline of moral judgment. It can make us numb to the genuine possibility of a major judgment of God in response to our national repudiation of decency, social decorum, and intellectual honesty.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • “Jesus delivered several parables about distracted, complacent servants who had lapsed into a satisfied, apathetic, “all is well” kind of attitude (Matt 21:22-41. Then suddenly, without warning, the Master showed up, and the result was not a pretty picture.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • “Jesus didn’t share parables about complacent servants to scare us. He did it to protect us. Complacency has consequences that none of us wants to be subjected to, and the One who abandoned every comfort to save our souls stands ready to deliver us from them.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

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