The devil is real and on the prowl.  Peter said that he is, “…Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  Satan presents a real danger to our souls. He is a threat that should never be taken lightly.  What are some of the dangers we face as Christians? Let’s take this week to consider some of them.

One danger that we must avoid is complacency.  The devil wants to lure us into being satisfied with where we are spiritually.  We should not allow this to happen because there is always room for improvement in our endeavors to serve Christ.  In 2 Peter 1, Peter exhorts us to add 7 things to our faith.

2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV)
⁵  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

As you read this list of characteristics that we should add to our faith, do you believe that you have absolutely mastered any of them?  The truth is, the majority of us recognize that we can improve in all of these areas, and the more we do, the more we will be able to overcome the attacks of the devil.

Even Paul understood the importance of not being complacent in his Christianity.

Philippians 3:12-14 (ESV)
¹²  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

If Paul was not satisfied with his spiritual achievements after accomplishing so much for the Lord, why should we be?  Like Paul, we must continue to press on toward the goal.  What does a runner do when he passes the finish line?  He immediately begins to slow down, and, in a short period of time, he will come to a complete stop.  If we think we have crossed the finish line spiritually, we will soon stop pressing toward the goal.

One way to avoid complacency is to constantly examine ourselves to see where we are spiritually.  It does not matter how long you have been a Christian or how strong you are in the Lord, examining yourself from time to time is a good idea.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)
⁵  Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

You may think that you are stronger than you actually are in a certain area until you take an honest look at yourself and realize that you still need some improvement in that area.  Examine yourself with the purpose of improving your service to God.  Do not be like the Pharisee who examined himself with blinders on (Luke 18:10-12).  Be honest in your evaluation of yourself and then do what is necessary to improve.  Only in this way will you experience sustained growth in Christ.

The devil wants you to be complacent.  Too many of God’s children allow themselves to be so.  They conclude that because they have obeyed the gospel and attend worship services faithfully, there is nothing else for them to do.  They end up remaining at a certain level of spirituality for the rest of their lives without any real improvement, or worse, they begin to digress.  Do not let this happen to you.  Make up your mind that you are going to continue to grow in Christ and get stronger and stronger all the time.  Avoid being complacent.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.