Battling Spiritual Apathy

What is Apathy? According to Webster's, it is defined as: 1)lack of emotion, 2) lack of interests; indifference.

Spiritual Apathy is seen in one's lack of interest in spiritual areas.

Why is spiritual apathy a sin?

1) Apathy weakens and destroys a local congregation. (Ecc. 10:18, Prov. 18:9)
2) Apathetic Christians allow the Lords' work to go undone. (failing to encourage our weaker or discouraged brethren weakens the church.)
3) Christians are supposed to be working to build up the church. (Rom. 14:19, 1 Cor. 10:23, 1 Thess. 5:18)

Apathy causes various spiritual needs to go unmet, such as those mentioned in (1 Thess. 5:14, Gal. 6:1, James 5:19-20)

Apathy can destroy the quality of our worship.
     If our worship is to be acceptable to God, it must come from the heart. (Micah 6:6-8)

Apathy causes a Christian to no longer put God first.
    Spiritual indifference occurs because something or someone has take priority over God in a Christian's life.

Causes of Spiritual Apathy

1) Self-centeredness
2) Worldliness
3) Ungratefulness
4) Neglecting God's work.

Battling Spiritual Apathy

First, pray and ask the Lord for the reason(s) you are feeling this way and if there is any sin in your heart. (Psalms 139:23-24) If God points anything out, such as something in your life that you're not fully giving Him, read/pray through Psalm 51.

If nothing is pointed out to be hindering you and your walk except for apathy, take time to pray for a revival based out of peace, joy, and desire. (Phil. 4:7, 1 Peter 1:8)

Acknowledge that this apathy is a stronghold within your own mind and a making of your sinful nature. Take on the Name of Christ with full authority, beckoning the Holy Spirit to come in and bring that revival. For this is war --- (2 Cor. 10:4-5)

To defeat it, per se:

Love and Desire the Lord and His Word. (Psalm 119:1-8)

Replace apathy with Zeal.

Another Look at Accountability

Ephesians 4:25
"Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another."


What is accountability? Some say, "the act of being held accountable." Others, going and telling someone you know who's doing something wrong, that they're doing something wrong, so that they will stop.

We talk about Accountability, but do we really practice it?
Even though we toss around the word accountability, we Christians do not truly practice or even understand how the Lord wants us to keep one another on track. We are afraid to say some tough things out of fear that we will hurt someone’s feelings, or that the hearer might become defensive or even hostile toward us. Yet we can so easily discuss those same things to others when the "person of interest" is not around.

God’s word tells us that not only do we have a right, but we have an obligation to hold each other accountable for our actions, especially when we observe a fellow believer acting in a way that does not reflect God's will. That is one reason why should attend church. As a matter of fact, that is as good a reason as any that He gave us the Church in the first place: because we are a relational people. We need relationships with others to maintain our spiritual health. It is how He designed us. This is why the verse in Ephesians at the top of this page ends with the phrase “for we are members of one another.”

In fact, Scripture gives us many other examples of this kind of relationships among His people. Example: At the beginning of the Church Age, Jesus sent disciples out in pairs; among other things, they kept each other honest and on track. When you read Paul use the analogy of the Christian walk as a battle, you can see the benefits of Jesus sending them out in two: in war, you don't go out into combat alone. One man who was all alone in his walk with God was David. As king, he didn't have people in his life who would even question him, let alone hold him accountable. It is pure speculation, but if he had had a men’s group filled with men who would ask him the tough questions, it is very possible he wouldn’t have fallen into an illicit relationship with Bathsheba.

How does God speak to us about this?

Let's look at some verses:

2 Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

Proverbs 12:15
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel."


Colossians 3:16 NIV
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

2 Timothy 4:2
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

Paul is telling Timothy to tell the believers what they NEED to hear, rather than what they WANT to hear. It is important to note that this verse does not apply only to Timothy, and it does not apply only to those in teaching positions in our churches. The warning in verse 3 tells us that our Christian friends may very well want to hear ear candy. In fact, some translations say that "they want their ears tickled." If you are a true friend, you will allow the Lord to speak some tough things when necessary, and you will not hold back for fear of losing that person’s friendship.

We do not have a choice
If the thought of helping your fellow believers stay on the straight and narrow seems uncomfortable, so . . . un-American, you need to get over it. God makes it very clear through His word that this is not optional:

Proverbs 24:24-25
"Whoever says to the guilty, 'you are innocent'—peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them."

In fact, if we fail in this area and don’t tell our brother what he needs to hear, as opposed to what he wants to hear, his blood falls on us!  Read this:

Ezekiel 3:18-19
"When I [God} say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself.

Since we've been commanded to hold each other accountable, why do you think we have such a hard time practicing this clear command of God? Sometime it's because we don't feel qualified to call each other out, especially in relation to the story in Matthew about the speck of wood in someone's eye, and the plank in our own. Other times, it's because of the fear we have that others will judge us or what they may think of us or the possibility of being resented.

The best way to fight this is to realize that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and some of us have been save by Grace.

Anyone who has a handle on the fact that we all need a Savior is not likely to condemn us when we confess we have failed.

Prayer Life

What is Prayer? Why do/should we pray?

Prayer is communication with God.

Prayer is a neglected spiritual discipline in most believers' experience at one time or another. Prayer is a privilege that "Christians" abuse through neglect or through misuse.

Even believers who are knowledgeable in a large amount of doctrine are sometimes guilty of neglecting to exercise their privilege of prayer. Regardless of how much Biblical knowledge a believer has, they will never reach a point where they don't need to communicate with God. Prayer has a way of humbling a believer in that, when speaking with God, that believer sees that they still don't fully know Him and that there is still a need to communicate. Also, when praying in the format the Jesus presents in Matthew 6, the believer follows this pattern:

1. Praising God. (v.9)
2. Praying for work in the world. (v.10)
3. Praying for daily needs (v.11-12)
4. Daily struggles/repentance (v.13)

When a believer prays in this format, they can become humbled through the even just the first step of prayer, and that's in giving praise to God and seeing how He works in your life.

God hears the prayers of His own --- both the mature and immature. For prayer to be effective, it must be consistent with the Truth of Scripture and must also be in accordance with the Will of the Father.

So, some may ask the question: "If God has already determined the outcome of the course of human history, if the unbeliever is truly a creature of free-will and can choose to become a believer of his own determination, why pray?" There are at least 3 answers to these questions.

1. If prayer wasn't important to God, why are there so many examples and exhortations for prayer?
2. If we don't pray, that is an event that an omniscient God could not have addressed from eternity past as He predetermined a course of events for human history that allowed for both the free-will of man and God's own sovereignty to function in perfect harmony.
3. The believer who prays to the Father has a changed perspective on life as a result.

Below are some verses that are fine examples of prayer and the importance therein:

Matt. 4:2
Luke 5:16
Luke 11:1
Luke 23:34, 46
Luke 24:30, 50-51
John 17
Acts 1:14

Make sure your prayer life is consistent with the Truth of the Scriptures, and make sure it is a daily commitment. The only way to build a relationship with someone is by talking with them, so make sure you're speaking regularly with God.

The Detrimental Effect of Complaining

Think back earlier today; did anything happen that you weren't happy about? Did you make it to the crosswalk on campus right as the time was up? Did you approach a parking spot to find out it was taken by a motorcycle? Did you show up to an 8 am class to find out it had been cancelled?

How did you respond? What did you say?

Let's take a look at Philippians 2:14-15.

"14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

Complaining amplifies frustration, it spreads discontent and discord. God detests things such as this (look at Proverbs 6:16-19 for the seven things he detests.)

If we spend our time complaining, who will want to take the time to listen to what we Christians have to say seriously?

Now look at Exodus 16:8 and Psalm 106:24-26.

"8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD.”

"24 Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. 25 They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD. 26 So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the wilderness."

If you look back in the Old Testament and how God dealt with the Children of Israel, we discover that the Lord always considered their complaints as an act of unbelief directed toward Him. They complained about their circumstances, the types of food they were eating, and even Moses. God was displeased because they weren't thankful for what He had provided them. (i.e., freedom from slavery, daily mannah, and a leader.)

Check out Thessalonians 5:18.

"18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

WE are supposed to be thankful for what God has provided us with as well as the things He withholds from us.

Now check out Numbers 14:2-3, 27-29

"2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”

"27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me."

Looking at this, you can see that the Lord allowed the Destroyer (satan) to answer the complaints with the very destruction that they confessed and predicted.

Complaining is an expression of discontent. If we are "content" in Jesus as Paul said we should be, (Phil. 4:11) we won't have anything to complain about.

Matthew 12:36-37

"36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

How important it is that believers guard the words of their mouth! The scriptures tell us that our words are literally the basis for whether we are justified or condemned. Realizing this, we should eradicate negative words, griping, or grumbling, and fill our mouth with praise and thanksgiving!

So how do we avoid the sinful trait known as complaining? Look at Philippians 4:8.

"8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

If you spend your time dwelling on the things mentioned in the verse above, you won't have to worry about falling subject to complaining.

The Power of Our Words

James 3:1-12

"1 Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

You've heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may brake my bones, but words will never hurt me." Unfortunately, this statement isn't true. Sticks and stones may cause the body to bruise for a few days, but words can hurt our spirit for many years. Our words have power: to heal and to hurt.

Look at Psalm 19:14 and Proverbs 12:18

"14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."

"18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

Was there a time in your life when the words of another person deeply wounded you? What was the impact?

Now was there a time when you were the one to speak words of hurt or anger to someone else? Did you cause harm to that person?

In both instances, how did what you say affect your relationship? How did you each respond?


James recognizes this impact of speech in verse 10.
"10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be."

The word "conversation" in the New Testament does not refer to our speech as much as our conduct or behavior. (Ephesians 4:22, Philippians 1:27). However, the two are closely related. Our "speech" reflects our "conversation" because it shows what is in our hearts.

Look at Matthew 12:35 and 15:18-20

"12 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

"18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

There's a saying that says, "Our words are a window to our heart." Do you think this is true?

Based on what the above verses state, yes. Angry words come from an angry heart. A profane person uses vile speech. A loving person speaks graciously with kind and loving words. Those we meet can tell if we are Christians by our speech as well as our actions. Both can enhance or destroy our witness. Colossians 4:5-6 states,

"5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Time to reflect for a second. Think back over the past week. Were your words: sweet or bitter? Did they build up or tear down? Encourage or discourage? Praise or criticize? Show respect or disdain? Display purity or profanity? Reflect Christianity or hypocrisy?

Do you display more positive or negative patterns of speech?

The Response:

James warns, "the tongue no man can tame." (v. 8) Fortunately for us, the Spirit of God in our lives can control EVEN the unruly tongue. Look at Isaiah 28:11 and Acts 2:4.

"11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people."

"4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them."

Obviously it's of no coincidence that God chose the tongue as a sign of the infilling of His Spirit.
As we yield ourselves to Him, we yield control of our speech patterns as well.

Will you yield?