WHY DO GOOD BELIEVERS STAGNATE IN LIFE?
(Spirituality does not cancel responsibility)
How can a good believer be spiritually active yet remain stagnant in life?
Stagnation does not always mean that we are bad people. Sometimes we are sincere—but sincerely doing the wrong things.
1. WE FAIL TO USE OUR MINDS UNDER THE PRETEXT OF BEING SPIRITUAL
Being spiritual does not mean abandoning our ability to think. God gave us a mind, and He expects us to use it wisely.
Romans 12:2 says: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
We cannot expect God to make every decision for us while we refuse to think, plan, learn, work, and make responsible decisions.
Spirituality does not cancel responsibility.
God works together with those who love Him.
There is our part, and there is God's part.
We pray—but we also think.
We trust God—but we also plan.
We believe God—but we also act.
A renewed mind produces renewed decisions.
2. WE LIVE ON EARTH AS IF OUR ONLY RESPONSIBILITY IS HEAVEN
Our citizenship is in heaven, but our assignment is currently on earth.
Philippians 3:20 says: “For our citizenship is in heaven.”
But while we are waiting for eternity, we still have responsibilities here.
Ephesians 4:28 teaches us to work honestly so that we may have something to share with others.
God did not call us to become permanently dependent upon others.
Faith should produce responsible living.
We can prepare for heaven while fulfilling our earthly assignment.
3. WE THINK PRAYER ALONE WILL SOLVE EVERYTHING
Prayer is powerful. But prayer is not an excuse for inactivity.
A powerful principle from this message is:
Prayer does not do everything, but prayer is the beginning of everything.
Prayer should help us discover God's direction and then act upon it.
Proverbs 16:3 says: “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Waiting on God is not the same as doing nothing.
There is a time to pray. There is a time to wait. There is also a time to move.
Prayer should produce direction, and direction should produce action.
4. WE FAIL TO DEAL WITH STRONGHOLDS THAT KEEP US CAPTIVE
Paul tells the church in 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 that our weapons are mighty through God to pull down strongholds and take thoughts captive.
A stronghold can be a deeply established pattern of thinking that keeps us from obeying God's truth.
Sometimes we keep praying about the same problem while refusing to confront the thinking, habits, relationships, or patterns that sustain it.
We want the result to change without changing the system producing the result.
We must ask:
What keeps producing this problem in our lives?
What belief keeps controlling our decisions?
What habit keeps taking us backward?
What must we bring under the obedience of Christ?
5. WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND GIVING THAT HONORS GOD
Giving is not merely giving away what we do not need. We have to give something valuable that we willingly surrender to God, while also remembering the poor and marginalized.
God remembered Cornelius' prayers and giving.
Acts 10:31 says: “Your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered before God.”
Our giving should not be motivated merely by the desire to get something from God.
We should not only ask, “What can we receive?” We should also ask, “What can we give?”
6. WE LACK A PERSONAL WORD AND GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE TO WALK WITH
God has a purpose for every person. Jeremiah 1:5 says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”
Paul also spoke about pursuing the purpose for which Christ had taken hold of him. Philippians 3:12 says: “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”
If we do not know where we are going, we can easily become dependent upon other people's instructions.
A clear God-given purpose gives us direction, endurance, and focus.
7. WE KNOW HOW TO ASK FOR HELP BUT DO NOT KNOW HOW TO GIVE
Some believers constantly ask: “Who will help us?” But rarely ask: “Whom can we help?”
Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
We should not always arrive empty-handed where others have helped us.
Gratitude should produce generosity. We should become channels of blessing, not permanent receivers of blessing.
8. WE WISH EVIL UPON THOSE WHOM GOD HAS BLESSED
Genesis 12:2–3 contains God's promise to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you.”
We must be careful about jealousy and destructive speech.
When another believer succeeds, we should not automatically assume that their success threatens ours.
Their blessing does not mean our blessing has been cancelled. God can bless many people at the same time.
Romans 14:4 asks: “Who are you to judge another's servant?”
9. WE PRIORITIZE WORLDLY LIFE OVER THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Jesus
said: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness.”
Matthew
6:33
Sometimes we want God's blessings without God's priorities. We want prosperity without responsibility. We want increase without sacrifice. We want success without service. We want God's hand without God's Kingdom.
Haggai 1:3–9 confronted God's people because they were busy building their own houses while God's house was neglected.
The question for us is: What are we putting first?
When our priorities are misplaced, our lives can become spiritually and practically unbalanced.
Dr Lawi Mshana, +255712924234, Tanzania
