Overcoming Spiritual Inertia

Revelation 3:14–22 NKJV

14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”

I want to talk to you about breaking free from inertia in your soul and in your role.

I’ve had times when I was working where I’d hit a wall. I wasn’t on fire and leading my company or peers in completing projects and solving problems. On the other hand, I wasn’t slacking and just playing computer games either. It would be more like I was somewhere in the middle, just stuck. I was not moving forward. I was not moving back. I was just maintaining. In a word, I was “lukewarm.”

And that hasn’t only been the case with me on the job. I think the same could be said of different times in my walk with God. Times when I’d struggle to concentrate on the things of God. I couldn’t pray because my mind would wander. I couldn’t read the Bible because I would struggle to focus and stay engaged. I didn’t have the same energy or passion to press in during worship or the word at a church service.

Have you ever felt stuck in the same way?

We need to understand that there is a kind of inertia that can affect our life and leadership and faith.

In fact, some of the 4th Century church fathers had a term for this. They described the demon of akedia/acedia as “the noonday demon” (cf. Psalm 90:6).

This term, akedia, is used in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) and is translated with the sense or meaning of negligence, indifference, “to be exhausted” or “weary,” even in the sense of being “in anguish” or “to grieve.”

The desert fathers wrote of physical symptoms including fatigue and exhaustion, weariness and inertia, anxiety and boredom, despair, loss of hope, and sadness.

Others have described this malady as “a lack or absence of care.” We might describe it as, “blah” or “meh.”

Thankfully the Scriptures offer us insight into how to overcome the inertia we face and develop the strength and strategy to move forward.

As we learn and apply those principles we will win the respect of others in our life and leadership. They will gain hope and encouragement as you demonstrate the possibility of remaining unstuck. Your freedom will inspire them to seek their own.

Prevailing Mindsets

The inertia we face in our life and leadership is not resolved by looking outward at the forces pressing upon us. Usually it is us and particularly the subversive mindsets that we believe that divert our focus and hold us in place.

According to Dr. Mark Rutland, here are some examples of the kinds of subversive mindsets that keep us from moving forward as leaders and Christians:

Leave well-enough alone. Don’t rock the boat, just let it be. We don’t need to change, pursue excellence. Let someone else do it.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved or isn’t more broke than we realize. People get used to dysfunction.

We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. By the time we get to the bridge we should have already planned for the other side.

Know your limitations. This mindset places a limit on what God can or will do through us. We should dare to believe God for more.

This is who I am; like it or lump it. This mindset fails to recognize the redemptive power of God. He can, and is willing, to change you and enable and empower you to become all He created you to be.

The good old days and the good old ways. We want to honor the past (it’s not as good as we remember anyway), embrace the present, but press into the future.

These subversive mindsets will limit you from pursuing excellence and the promises of God. They will keep you from moving forward and pressing in to all that God has for you.

We need to learn how to live in a state of readiness. We don’t get ready to face the spiritual lethargy and gravity of this inertia. We live in such a way as to be equipped to recognize it and overcome it.

The good news is that God has offered us the testimony and admonition of Scriptures, the example of Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives in order to accomplish this and live the abundant, superior life.

Overcoming Akēdia

1 Thessalonians 4:9–11 NKJV

9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

As we seek to resist a lukewarm life we are invited to increase more and more in love and grace of God. This exhortation to the Thessalonians offers us some practical ways that we can overcome spiritual inertia and increase in the things of God.

Anchor Yourself

1 Timothy 2:1–2 NKJV

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

We are called to pray for others, and especially leaders and those in authority, so that we can live a specific type of life. If we want to overcome spiritual inertia and increase more and more in the things that God has prepared for us we have to add to our prayers something more.

1 Thessalonians 4:10–11 NKJV

10 and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

We are supposed to aspire, or make it our goal, to lead a quiet life.

This seems as an oxymoron - we strive to have a quiet life. This word doesn’t mean quiet like silence in the face of talk. It means quiet in the sense of restfulness. It is undisturbed, settled, and not noisy.

This life is anchored. It is not pushed around by everyone and everything and it is not pulled around by internal desires. It is stable it is peaceable.

We need to pray for a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and reverence. We need to desire it and make it our goal.

This means we anchor ourselves. We resist the pull to go here and have that. We decide to get planted in the right soils.

We align our schedules with our priorities. Example: Maker vs Manager Time. We give our best time and most energy to that which allows us to remain in our purpose.

Illustration: It matters what type of soil a tree is planted in. For a tree to grow large and strong and fruitful it needs to be able to set roots deep, to access water and nutrients. When they push their roots deeper they are able to resist the force of winds and storms. Being rooted and anchored over time allows them to increase more and more.

If we are going to overcome the inertia we feel in our lives and ministries we need to make sure that we are anchored, undisturbed, and settled. Our souls find their refuge in God. When it comes to our work, we find our blessing in our ability to simplify and prioritize.

What areas of your life do you need to settle down and plant roots? How do you need to leverage your energy and effort so that you can lead a quiet and peaceable life? Just like a tree needs to prune dead or diseased limbs to flourish and prosper, so too, do we.

This is a choice. This is a pursuit. And if you want to effectively lead and move forward in your soul and in your role you have to anchor yourself.

Mind Your Own Business

1 Thessalonians 4:11 NKJV

that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

The second key to overcoming spiritual inertia is to mind your own business.

Proverbs 25:17 NKJV

Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, Lest he become weary of you and hate you.

The idea behind this instruction is to be the opposite of a busybody where you are all about everyone else’s business. If we want to keep from being stuck, we need to focus on us.

In fact, the word akēdia was a + kēdos was understood in relation to self care. It was a kind of carelessness with regard to the self.

We get stuck when we are always focused outwardly. We need to tend to our selves. We need to focus on us and not allow ourselves to spend more time comparing ourselves to someone else’s version of a preferred life.

When we show diligence to work on us with the help of the Holy Spirit we will grow in our capacity for peace, ability, and responsibility. This will allow us to become more effective in all areas of our lives.

Illustration: When Peter heard what Jesus said about his life and destiny he turned around and saw John. He asked Jesus, “What about John?” Jesus replied, “What is it to you?” He essentially told him not to worry about John but to worry about himself.

The more we look at what others have or are doing the more likely we are going to get stuck. We need to focus on ourselves — our spiritual growth, our leadership development, our responsibility — so that we can break free from the gravity of comparison and increase in the things God calls us to.

Do Work

1 Thessalonians 4:11 NKJV

that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

The last thing we are encouraged to do is to work with our own hands. The apostle Paul speaks more in depth in his letter to the Romans:

Romans 12:9–13 NKJV

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

The idea of breaking spiritual inertia is found in the phrase, “not lagging in diligence.”

We need to engage and act to live free of this gravity that would keep us in mediocrity and apathy.

Working with out hands speaks to a personal, attentive action.

We need to apply ourselves in meaningful work. This keeps us engaged and in motion so that we don’t get pulled back.

Illustration: In order for a space shuttle to break orbit it needs escape velocity. It needs a strong burst of fuel and it needs to have a force much greater than gravity.

One of the ways that we can intentionally break inertia in our lives is to set ourselves to a goal that is much greater than the pull we are feeling. Some companies will set a 10x goal vs a 10% goal, for example. Even if you don’t hit 10x and only do 5x it is still greater than 10%.

What areas in your life and leadership can you press more deeply into? How can you set a 10x goal in your spiritual walk with God? What about in your professional life?

If we will be diligent to press forward we will live prepared to overcome the pull of akēdia.

Conclusion

When we learn to break free of spiritual inertia we will discover two powerful things:

Our gifts will make room for us (Proverbs 18:16)

Our testimony and example will be effective because of the good things in us (Philemon 1:6)

People are watching you. How you live and how you lead are being observed by both God and men.

Choose to anchor yourself in a quiet, peaceable, and godly life.

Determine to practice self care and mind your own business.

Decide to