By Rev. Dr. Marcellus A. Norris, Executive Director of Church Growth and Development
Churches rarely fall overnight; instead, they drift—slowly, almost imperceptibly—lulled into complacency by the enemy’s most insidious tactic: spiritual slumber. Satan does not always attack with obvious destruction but with quiet distractions, comfort, and compromise. When fervent prayer fades into routine, when the hunger for God’s presence is replaced with contentment in programs and traditions, the church begins to drift.
Revival means “to bring back to life.” As believers backslide, they become corpses. Revival is imperative. Revival is the wake-up call. It is the Spirit-breathed awakening that shakes believers from their slumber, stirring hearts to repentance, worship, and a renewed passion for the gospel. Where there is revival, there is life—fresh zeal for holiness, boldness in witnessing, and a deep yearning for God’s glory. But without revival, the church grows numb, unaware of how far it has drifted from its first love.
In “The Frog in the Kettle,” George Barna explained the drift this way: “Place a frog in boiling water, and it will jump out immediately because it can tell it’s in a hostile environment. But place a frog in a kettle of room temperature water, and it will stay there, content with those surroundings. Slowly, very slowly, increase the temperature of the water. This time, the frog doesn’t leap out but just stays there, unaware that the environment is changing. Continue to turn up the burner until the water is boiling. Our poor frog will be boiled, quite content, perhaps, but nevertheless dead.”
Ruth Rieder, in Covenant by Sacrifice, relates the story of a man who met an overland traveler who had walked on foot for a long distance. He was interested in knowing what the greatest difficulty the traveler had encountered was in his long journey.
He suggested that perhaps the mountains on the trail had been the greatest barrier, but the
traveler assured his questioner it was not that. Then he suggested that perhaps the swollen
streams, which cut across the road, presented the greatest hazard, but it was not that. After a little, the traveler said, “What almost defeated me in my journey across the continent was the sand in my shoes.”
Rieder points out that life is forever tripping over small things. It is not the big diversion that
will send you down the path of compromise. It is usually just the subtle curve in the road.
More than likely, the giant assaults of the enemy will not destroy our consecration. It will
will probably be nothing more than little foxes.
Satan’s goal is not just to oppose the church but to lull it into a state where it no longer sees the need for awakening. The danger is not just in outright rebellion but in passive indifference. The question is, will the church continue to sleep, or will it rise, seek the face of God, and be set ablaze once more?
Beautifully written,as a layperson i see this in
of some of our churches.
How do we stop it?