Date: 27-Dec-2023
Name: Chidi Okpechi
Topic: GIVE NO ROOM TO COMPLACENCY.
Content:
Proverbs 6:9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
Proverbs 6:10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
Proverbs 6:11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
We shall be looking at the story of Joshua and Caleb today. We are just going to extract some principles and then spend time praying.
"The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency, not doing too much, but rather in our doing too little, not in our living above our ability, but in our living below our capacities.
Benjamin E. Mays.
Joshua started off so well, and was always seen close marking Moses. In fact he was glued to Moses. He wanted everything Moses had and everything Moses had experienced.
Exodus 33:11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
When they were sent to spy the Land, Joshua and Caleb were immense and intense. Caleb brought his Judaic prophetic spirit of rulership, dominance and authority.
Numbers 14:24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
Caleb was always behind the scenes, a sort of "de facto leader". Brothers we are de facto leaders in this nation.
2 Samuel 5:2 Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’”.
Caleb gave no room to COMPLACENCY at all. Caleb dominated COMPLACENCY, put it under his him, never gave a FOOTHOLD to it.
Joshua had worked his socks off, he had provided leadership, but COMPLACENCY crept in, without him even knowing. It took God to appear to him, to jolt him out of that state of COMPLACENCY .
Joshua 13:1
Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.
As soon as God left, guess who rocked up. It Caleb, that came to stir Joshua up again.
2 Corinthians 13:1 .
This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF COMPLACENCY.
1. Disinterestedness.
2. Gradual disengagement.
3. Lack of continuous self development and investment.
4. Self justifiable excuses.
5. Loss of passion.
6. Minimal initiative or none at all.
7. Looking for shortcuts.
You can personally unpack those. Let us not give complacency a foothold at all. Complacency creeps in subtily, sometimes you don't even notice it until it gains a stronghold.
We can't afford this luxury in the new year. Let us constantly be on our toes and maintain awareness.
Prayer Points:
PRAYER POINTS.
1. Father in the Name of Jesus I expunge and eradicate every potential for COMPLACENCY in my life.
2. Complacency is astare of decreased external awareness. Father I declare the spirit of awareness, mental and spiritual alertness that reminds me on the need not to be complacent.
3. I understand processes, structures and patterns of discipline that will constantly keep me on my toes.
4. I go beyond and above every call of duty. I never give room to excessive celebrations of achievement, and then overlooking the need to press on to new initiatives, achievements and significant upward movement.
5. I declare a fresh impetus for the new year. A fresh injection of urgency in my spirit.
6. We pray for men our society that they will all break out of the spirit of complacency in every area of their lives.
