Question 1

What causes me to grow complacent?

Accepted Answer

Hosea 13:5-6“I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. But when you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me.”In your pride, you may think that you don’t really need God. This is especially true when you are comfortable, prosperous, and your basic needs are met. Who needs God if life is going your way? A wise person remembers God in times of both need and prosperity. You may be able to get along without him for the present, but without God, you have no future.

Question 2

How can complacency lead me to sin?

Accepted Answer

James 4:17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.To know what is right and then be complacent or unwilling to do it is sin. God takes your actions seriously. It is not enough to avoid doing wrong. God wants you to be proactive about doing what is right.Revelation 3:15-16“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!”Complacency leads to indifference, which leads to idleness. To stand for nothing is to not care. And to not care is to be apathetic and complacent about the needs of others. Complacency stands in stark contrast to God’s command to love and care for those around us.Judges 16:16-17She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”Complacency makes you vulnerable to the strategies and temptation of Satan. Samson had become so complacent about his God-given responsibility as a leader that he gave in to Delilah’s nagging and told her the secret to his strength. He thought it wouldn’t matter; he thought everything would still be just fine. Samson’s complacency was a sin, and when he disobeyed God’s command to keep the source of his strength secret, he lost his strength and let down his entire nation.1 Kings 11:1-3Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. . . . The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. . . . And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.Proverbs 1:30-33They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.You will neglect God’s Word if you are complacent toward it. Then you will not know what it says and how it can help you avoid danger. Solomon’s complacency toward obeying God’s commands led him into sin, with devastating consequences.

Question 3

What must I never be complacent about?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 6:5-6“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.”Luke 13:24“Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.”Never be complacent about pursuing your relationship with God.Philippians 2:12-13Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.Never be complacent about obeying God’s Word. Obedience is the sign of a healthy relationship with him.Deuteronomy 1:41-42“Then you confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has commanded us.’ So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country. But the Lord told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’”Never be complacent about what God says—either what he tells you to do or not to do. The Israelites were first complacent about taking the Promised Land when God told them to (Numbers 13:1-2, 30-33; 14:1-12). Later, God told them not to enter because of their sin, but they tried to go in—only to face defeat. When God says “no,” stop. When God says “yes,” move ahead.

Question 4

Why do wicked people seem so complacent about God and seem to get away without punishment?

Accepted Answer

Job 21:17“Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?”Psalm 73:3-5, 16-19I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. . . . So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.Sometimes it seems the wicked ignore God and get away with it. They may even prosper for a time. However, not only are their lives devoid of God’s blessings, guidance, help, and comfort (no matter how it may appear on the outside), but ultimately they will have to answer to God for their complacent attitude toward him, and the consequences of their complacency will be severe and eternal.