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Secure Living

Several years ago, I took the wheel off of our family car in order to fix the brakes. Without too much trouble, I fixed the brakes and put everything back together. I tested the car out and the results met my approval. We proceeded to head out on a trip down the highway. After returning from a trip of over 100 miles, I walked around our car and noticed something looked funny about one of the front wheels. As I came in for a closer look I noticed that one wheel was missing a lug nut. Somewhere in my drive, a lug nut had flown off my car. In my haste to get the job done I had neglected to check my work. My complacency could easily have been disastrous. This was a lesson not just about working on cars but about life.

When it comes to living lives that honor God, one of our greatest enemies is complacency. Proverbs 1:32 warns: “For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.” Most of us probably don’t think of complacency as a major issue. Complacency is one of those things we knowingly admit almost as a catch-all excuse. Well, no one is perfect. Well, we’re so busy after all.

But let’s take this Proverbs 1:32 to heart and really think about what it means. Webster’s defines complacency as “self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.” With this definition in hand, we can realize complacency is a much bigger problem than we tell ourselves. Complacency blinds us to our own spiritual needs and contributes to our self-sufficiency.

The sneaky thing about complacency is that you don’t ever hear of anyone setting out to be complacent. People that end up complacent often began the race determined not to be. Typically, complacency doesn’t come into our lives through some overtly sinful action. Instead, complacency sprouts up and bears fruit in our lives via neglect. Busyness, distractions, and the general upheaval and change of the last 12 months have made every single one of us prime candidates for complacency. It’s just hard to stay on track when life is so unsteady.

How do we break free from complacency? The good news is we can and that it is relatively simple. Proverbs 1:33 tells us what to do: “He who listens to me shall live securely.” To break out of a complacent life, begin listening to God once again. Make whatever changes you need to make in your life to give you space and time to listen to God. Then do what He says. Consistency with God produces dependency on God, which leads to a vibrant walk with God.

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