Complacency is one of the biggest dangers for people with severe allergies. I’m a prime example. It had been 10 long years since a severe latex allergy had seriously threatened to end my life. Believe me, it’s terrifying when you suddenly swell up like a balloon and can’t breathe. But then years rolled by and I forgot just how serious an allergic reaction can be.
It didn’t start that way. At first, I carried an EpiPen (a first-line injection device for severe allergic reactions) with me at all times. I carefully avoided coming in contact with latex gloves or balloons. But in time my vigilance waned. Slowly I allowed myself to get lulled into a false sense of invincibility. It won’t happen to me again, I naively thought—until it recently threatened to take my life once more.
As believers, we too can become dangerously complacent when it comes to temptation. We can get lulled into thinking we’re above or beyond it. But Paul’s solemn warning to the Christians in Corinth can jolt us back to reality: “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Paul also wrote that the temptations we face in this world “are no different from what others experience” (1 Corinthians 10:13). And we can’t afford to get complacent. No matter how long we’ve believed in Christ, how much we’ve matured in our relationship with God, or how often we’ve served Jesus, not one of us is immune. If we begin to downplay temptation, we’ll fall flat on our faces.
Fortunately, Paul also offers these encouraging words: “God is faithful.” When temptation comes, He promises to show us a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). By His power and prompting, we can overcome the danger of complacency.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 7:1-12
More:
Read Luke 22:40 and consider how Jesus told us to resist temptation.
Next:
Do you recall a time when you were doing well, only to give in unexpectedly to temptation? How can you avoid becoming complacent about temptation?
Gary Shultz on July 3, 2015 at 3:18 am
Sorry about your allergy. You are right, sometimes we scare ourselves with how far we slide before we, by God’s grace, are jerked back to spiritual reality. We have to guard our hearts and minds, and that must be done on a continual basis. Nothing like a good (bad) flop in the gutter to show us “we are not as strong as we think we are” (RM). If you should find me there lend me a hand even without the latex gloves. Thanks, enjoy your holiday.
Ruth O'reilly-smith on July 4, 2015 at 5:33 am
Thanks for this reminder Jeff. Rather than fall into complacency, I long to live intentionally in every area of my life. In all my relationships, my personal growth and my awareness of the needs around me, etc… Galatians 6:9 says, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up”. As we seek God, may He help us steer clear of complacency and stay sharp in all our thinking, words and actions.