Passivity is attacking Christians at an alarming rate these days. As I minister around the country and listen to people’s stories I see a paralyzing spirit at work that people are aware of, but don’t know how to conquer.
Believers are in bondage to complacency and passivity and, if we desire revival, we need to assist people to freedom. Passivity prevents the work of the kingdom of God and detours Christians from their destiny.
I am surprised at the number of people who call themselves “mature” Christians, yet don’t know how or have the perseverance to move out of passivity. People I have talked to know they have a prophetic destiny, but they don’t have the ambition to move from complacency and doing nothing to putting their faith to action. They will discuss the big plans God has for them and how they have a ministry and when I go to ask the details I find out they aren’t really doing anything at all. They respond with, I’m stuck.
Passivity and complacency is in all of us. We all have a level of it. The first thing we need to do is identify it and ask the Holy Spirit what repentance or actions we need to take to break this off of our mentality. It starts by saying, “God, I repent.” I repent of a passive spirit. I repent of doing nothing. Repentance breaks the yolks and bondages.
Repentance is when we come to God and say, “God, forgive me. Forgive me for those times when I didn’t open my mouth to the grocery store clerk, so I could witness to her. Forgive me for the time I didn’t pray for my sister over the phone, because I was intimidated. Forgive me for when I didn’t take a bold stand in my faith.”
Why do you think our churches are filled with 20 percent of the people doing 80 percent of the work? It’s because people have the attitude that someone else will do it. I don’t want someone else to do what God has sent me to accomplish! Elijah got tired and weary and gave up on his assignment and God had to send someone else to complete it. I don’t want that to happen to me and I hope you will think about not allowing it happen to you.
In order to break it you need to move through it. You need to make a conscious decision to do something or figure something out even when you don’t know how or want to. The only way to break through it, is to press through it. Change your thought and behavior patterns and get involved, try to speak with boldness, and attempt to make a change.
A binding restricting paralyzing spirit attacking you will continue to make you do nothing, until you make a decision that you are going to do something! Are you satisfied with where you are or are you going to move forward to where God needs you to be?
We all want to do more for Christ. Complacent, passive people always have someone to blame and put the responsibility on someone else, instead of their own shoulders. Take your own responsibility and rise up and fight those negative thoughts! Get active in your faith; people need you! You have a job to complete for the kingdom that was assigned to you, that you need to accomplish. God needs and wants to use you! God needs the body of Christ, not just a few soldiers for his army!
Passivity is not just preventing worldwide revival, but personal revival. There is a saying, if you want to see revival draw a circle and take one step forward (put yourself in it, it begins with you). It has prevented us from reading our Bibles and praying, with excuses such as, I don’t know the words to say in prayer or I can’t get anything out of the Bible.
What are you putting into it? Reading your Bible for 10 minutes a day and desiring the equivalent of a college course revelation is not going to happen. A college student had to study and attend classes daily for the knowledge. You are going to get out of it what you put into it. Complacency says, I shouldn’t have to work that hard.
People are bored with their prayer life because of inactivity and settling for less, which is passivity. They sit back in the recliner and stagnantly pray in their mind. Get up, get active, pace the floor, pray (and declare) out loud and soon you’ll see you are co-laboring with the Holy Spirit in prayer and you won’t want to stop.
There are great business ideas for the marketplace and ministry, but people don’t know how to do it. They are waiting for God to drop a million dollars in their lap or connect them with the right person to establish it. Passive people don’t want to work for it.
You have the Internet at your disposal that can teach you everything you want to know about researching these topics, but you don’t want to take the time. You want a person to show up and do it for you. Did you ever consider your million dollars or ministry launch instruction is through business startup adventures or ideas you will learn on the Internet?
You have to put in an effort and the only way you will conquer not wanting to is by doing it anyway.
The only way you can conquer this paralytic spirit attacking you is to get up and do it, even when you don’t know how or feel like it. It may take multiple attempts. It may take practice. But if you do nothing, it just may destroy your God given destiny.
So what are you waiting for? The world is waiting for you! It needs you to complete your assignment! Press through to your breakthrough!
Kathy DeGraw is the founder of DeGraw Ministries a prophetic ministry releasing the love and power of God, igniting people in the prophetic and releasing people from emotional bondage. She’s passionate about teaching people the power of prayer through declaring. She speaks at conferences and travels hosting evangelistic love tours. She has written her own prophetic and deliverance training manuals in order to assist other ministries. She is the founder of Change into Colorless, an anti-racism corporation and co-pastors a church. Kathy is the author of Spiritual Warfare Declarations, A Worship Woven Life, Time to Set the Captives Free, and Flesh, Satan or God. Connect with Kathy at www.degrawministries.org.
Curt Landry 
Michael L. Brown 
Rabbi Eric Tokajer