David Yarbrough
1 Kings 19:12 (CSB)
After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.
Do you sense the constant hum of activity as a myriad of reminders, text messages, and all types of notifications barrage you for immediate attention? The success driven world you live in is constantly urging you to strive for more, give more, and buy the best and latest stuff that will make your life easier. The quest for success that is coming from every direction can override the most important aspects of your life.
In the midst of all this noise and chaos, there is the still, small voice of God that is easily overwhelmed and drowned out by this crazy world we live in. The voice of God is powerful and profound, but yet it is soft and gentle and often goes unheard in the overwhelming noise of this world. When the voice of God becomes more faint and the noise of this world roars like a massive waterfall, our Kingdom lives risk falling into a state of indifference and neglect.
In Matthew 22:37–38, Jesus commands us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and minds. This is a command for a deep, passionate, vibrant communion with God. However, with all the noise and chaos coming at us from the world, we face a formidable challenge to maintain our spiritual vitality and strength. It's like we are surrounded by blaring sirens from the world demanding our attention, all the while there is the quiet, persistent call from the Holy Spirit to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matt. 6:33).
At the point where we become overwhelmed with the world and lose sight of our Kingdom pupose spiritual apathy can set in. This is when we have no interest, passion, or enthusiasm regarding our relationship with God and our devotion to His Kingdom. This is when indifference or complacency drains all the life out of our spiritual desires. As followers of Christ, we are commanded to have a vibrant and active devotion to Jesus that is characterized by deep love for God. However, spiritual apathy can set in like a thick early morning fog; it appears with no warning and brings with it a melancholy that overwhelms the mind, soul, and spirit.
Spiritual laziness can be more dangerous than falling into a scandalous sin. When a true believer falls into a serious sin, they will be quick to confess and repent. Resulting in a strong conviction to stay clear of any temptation that might possibly lead back to that sin. On the other hand, spiritual sloth can set in and have a negative impact as its roots grow under every other godly discipline in our lives. In time, these roots will cause cracks that bust up the very foundation of our Kingdom purpose, weakening everything good the grace of God has put within us.
Some dangerous signs of spiritual apathy occur when we lose our motivation for Bible intake, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers. We should also be highly concerned when we sense a diminishing feeling of awe and reverence towards God and a weakened desire to commune with Him and serve Him.
Spiritual apathy is dangerous because it has a negative effect on how we perceive our identity in Christ and hinders the pursuit of our Kingdom purpose. It can also weaken our resolve to stand against sin and resist temptation. Whenever we become melancholy in our spirit, we are more susceptible to falling into the ruts of our old sin patterns. We also lose our ability for spiritual discernment and making good Kingdom decisions.
This is why we must discipline ourselves to grind out Bible intake, prayer, worship, fellowship, and gratitude. These are all antidotes to spiritual apathy. But if we only participate in what we feel like pursuing, then we will struggle to self-discipline ourselves to break free from the fog that can overwhelm our spiritual vitality. When we sense a lack of enthusiasm for spiritual matters, we should see that as a wake up call in our spirit to double down on our spiritual disciplines and push through until we feel the rejuvenating, reviving power of the Holy Spirit stirring in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 4:16 (CSB)
Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.