Stagnant Waters are Dangerous

When the waters are not flowing, they are stagnant. I remember being warned when hiking, not to drink from still waters like a puddle or small pond.

Always drink from moving water.

Drinking polluted water is as bad as accepting problems in the church as normal!

Stagnant Waters are Dangerous

Many Christians and churches are stagnant. They wonder why they should change if things are not that bad. It is easier to believe their situation is normal than abnormal. We tend to get used to a poor aspect of our church or lives and just accept it as normal. At this point we no longer have any motivation to change.

Several elderly people I know have a dangerous loss of appetite. They are content not to eat or drink. They have lost their sense of need. That situation is very dangerous.

In the worse cases problems go unobserved. We can't go into diagnosing the problems of churches or even individual Christians at this point. Our concern is focusing on a certain deadening mindset that the church has accepted for far too long.

Basically, God's people tolerate spiritual 'ignorance'. Some have tried to cure this problem, but it doesn't go away by itself. They might acknowledge the problem for a time and try all sorts of things. With little success and no change, however, they return to the deadly 'nothing can be done' mindset.

"But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." (James 1:5-6)

Solutions start with acknowledging our need. If our river bed is stuffed full of worldly things, there will be no place for the river of God's grace to flow in. When people sense they are not measuring up to God's standards, then they begin to notice that need and seek a solution. This is why repentance is the first step of renewal in our lives.

If the water is not moving, it is stagnant. We will work from our own strength and energies. The joy of ministry is gone. No wonder there are so many burned-out pastors.

We need revival. We need God to anticipate God's work in our lives. Jesus has said, "You receive not because you ask not." Let's begin to seek God's face for deliverance. Let us plead to be rescued from the stagnant and polluted waters of self, and have His river of blessing mightily flow through our lives.