COMPLACENT SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Kimberly Lawrence
Today's Scripture: “For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17, ESV
Theme: When we think we are rich and self-sufficient, we deceive ourselves, failing to recognize our need for a Savior.
THE ROAD TO HELL
During World War II, author C.S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters. The premise is a series of letters, sort of a training manual, written by a fictional senior demon (Screwtape) to his nephew (Wormwood) to teach him the family trade…how to tempt a human to stray from God. Lewis uses humor and irony to demonstrate that spiritual warfare is most effective when it’s subtle: distraction, pride, apathy, busyness, comfort, and self-sufficiency. Rather than dramatic evil, they want the human “subject” to quietly and comfortably drift away from God, becoming lukewarm. A famous line from Screwtape sums it up, “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts...”
It's easy to see the parallel in today’s Scripture. We can become so comfortable in the illusion that we are self-made and self-sufficient that we drift from the Source of it all. Satan wins when, through our sin of arrogance, we lose sight of our need for a Savior. We become thankless sinners inflated by self-importance.
A CALL TO ARMS
Screwtape’s primary weapon against the “enemy” is “numbing the mind.” He loves when believers neglect prayer, Scripture, worship, and fellowship…slowly and quietly. When humans focus on regrets and anxieties instead of the present, where God meets them, he chalks up another win.
We must recognize that a spiritual war exists and arm ourselves accordingly. It’s essential to guard our daily habits with steady routines and avoid complacency. Let us write Scripture on our hearts and stay in community with other believers, avoiding isolation. Above all, have faith…our Savior has overcome the world. God will give us discernment to see these distractions for what they are when we stay in close relationship with Him.
Make It Personal: Let’s take inventory of the areas of our lives where we are drifting from God…and do something about it! Though the Spirit will help us, our battle is our own. It might be losing patience with a loved one, making excuses for not to honoring the Sabbath, rushing through our prayer time like an auctioneer, not prioritizing meeting together, or simply failing to acknowledge the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding us away from harmful people or situations. Each one of us is in the midst of a battle, and we have the ultimate Warrior to help us fight. Let’s go to God in prayer.
Pray: God, I know You will not let evil win! I call on You today, Lord. Prepare me for this battle. Open my eyes to clearly see the threats that draw me away from You. Arm me with the strength to make immediate changes. May my confidence and trust be in You alone. Thank you, Lord, for helping me see more clearly. Amen.
Read: Ephesians 6:10-20, Psalm 119:11, Revelation 2:1-5
Weekly Memory Verse: “For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,’ not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:17, ESV