Satan uses a lot of strategies to trip us up in this life. We are familiar with many of them: temptation, addiction, relationships, etc. I would like to discuss today a strategy that I believe Satan is using prevalently amongst all people today- the fallacy of complacency.
Complacency means to be self-satisfied. It means to be content with where you are, and not looking to get any better. And because our purpose on life is literally to get better, complacency is one of the worst attributes that we can have.
Complacency is seen all over the scriptures, especially if you look at the Bible and the Book of Mormon storylines. The people are blessed because of their righteousness. They prosper and are successful. But then the success makes them complacent. They forget to pay attention to the little things that made them successful in the first place- and that is the downfall of mankind.
For example, let’s look at Laman and Lemuel. They fought against God and their father because they were happy with their life in Jerusalem. So, they refused to change and to try something new. They didn’t believe that God had better things in store for them then they currently had.
What happens when people see success is they forget that success is not the norm. Suffering- that’s the norm. After all, as Romans 6:23 teaches us, ‘the wages of sin is death.’ And all have sinned here on earth- so we all deserve death. That’s why life is hard so much of the time. But we have a responsibility to make our lives less sinful, so that we can feel more joy. That’s what differentiated the Biblical Jews: instead of blaming their tough times on the pitfalls of life and the judgement of God, they took responsibility for it. They took it upon themselves to become better and did so.
So, I ask you today- how can you become better? Are you taking advantage of the opportunities offered to you? What can you start or stop doing to cause yourself to be happier? Every day consciously make a choice for your own happiness. As you do so, you will change. You will start to say what you think and act on what you believe. You will start to become yourself. And most importantly, you will start to become who God wants you to become. Just one action every day.
Never be complacent.
This is a post written by Dallin Clements, a recently returned missionary passionate about inspiring people to live their best lives through the application of gospel concepts.
thelibertiesofgospel.wordpress.com 