Hosea 4:6
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
I would like to start off by saying I thank the Lord for you today and all that HE is doing in your life. I just want to praise God for another day in the land of living! As I rejoice with confidence knowing, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; the One in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18). He is truly the lover of my soul.
God created you and me in His own image and likeness, so when you look in the mirror, what do you see? (Genesis 1:27) If you are not seeing an image of His likeness, then the next time you look at yourself, say “I am a child of God, called for such a time as this! Created with a God-given purpose for His Glory! Being complacent is not an option! I must fulfill my purpose here on Earth in Jesus’ name!”
Recently as I was studying the Word of God, I heard the Lord say, “Complacency is not an option”. It was so clear that immediately, I started to write on my note pad what I heard. I was reminded of a time in my life that I was resistant to having a teachable spirit. I was dwelling unknowingly in a place of “COMPLACENCY” caused by my inability at the time to accept change. It felt like yesterday, but it was actually in the year 2020. I was attending a discipleship class at my church and was hungry for a deeper understanding of the Word of God. On the first day of class, I hastily read through the different chapters for the sessions. There were topics that I never understood, but I still formulated an opinion. I held onto what I thought made more sense, but the Holy Spirit convicted me. At times we can be holding on to what we think is the right way, traditions of men and a misunderstanding of the Word of God. Yet the scripture states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Proverbs 14:12 declares, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death” (KJV). My flesh almost caused me to pull away from receiving knowledge and understanding.
Have you ever been at a place in your life where you felt stuck or not making any headway? I believe we all can testify of being in that place at some point in life. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV, God appeared to Solomon at night saying, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Many times, we feel complacent because we refuse to turn away from our wicked ways. When we do, we will see a change, because we have taken the time to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5). So how can a young man be cleansed from his ways? The Bible says, by taking heed to the Word of God (Psalm 119:9). By applying the Word of God daily as food to our soul this will then turn our minds from the place of feeling complacent or stuck. The presence of God is the best place we could ever be in, despite how we may be feeling. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).” We are uniquely crafted from the beginning by God with a purpose for His purposes. God desires for us to mature and grow in the knowledge of God to fulfill His purpose in our lives. We must strive to develop a mindset that COMPLACENCY- is not an option!
Our focus scripture, Hosea 4:6, is saying that at a certain time there was no “knowledge of God '' in Israel. It didn’t mean that the people were not aware of God, but their wicked conduct revealed that they rejected the real knowledge of God. Their lifestyle wasn’t in alignment with the Word of God. Their ways became higher than God's way, leaving them in a complacent state of mind.
The Bible tells us in Hebrew 12:1-2(KJV), “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It is vital that we are consciously aware of following Christ and obeying Him.
My prayer is that daily, we will take the time to examine ourselves and acknowledge the areas where we have fallen short. We don’t want to be destroyed because of lack of knowledge, when the Word has been given to us. Let us choose to not reject it but to accept it.
ABBA Father, we give you glory and honor! For all the Earth is filled with your Glory! We acknowledge that in this flesh dwelleth no good thing. You knew us before we were conceived in our mother’s womb. Created us in your own image for your purpose. We come before you acknowledging that our ways cause COMPLACENCY to be an option but we desire your will to be done in our lives. Lord, we repent of the known and unknown sins we have committed. We ask oh Lord that your Word be a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path. Open the eyes of our hearts that we will see your perfect will for our lives in Jesus’ name. AMEN
*The definition of Complacency according to the Cambridge English Dictionary means, “feeling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder”
Please take the time to read the scriptures throughout.
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