One of dangers of success is being lulled into complacency. Once you
become satisfied with where you are, you stop growing as a leader. Once a ministry becomes okay with where it is, it stops making progress.
Downhill is the only direction you can roll when you've got it in neutral.To keep your edge and avoid this danger, you must never be okay with things being "okay." You must remain obsessed with making things better. If you want to avoid slipping into complacency then...
Question everything you do on a regular basis. Is it still effective? Is it relevant? Is it the best use of our time and resources?
Always look for ways to make what you do better. Evaluate. Debrief. Tweak. Adjust. Change.
Hold everything except the message with open hands. Don't let past accomplishments cause you to miss future opportunities.
If you've seen the Lord of the Rings' movies, you know about Theoden. He is introduced in The Two Towers. He is the king of Rohan. When Gandalf and the group arrive at his kingdom, he has grown weak and is being controlled by his chief advisor, Grima, who is secretly in the employ of the evil wizard Saruman. King Theoden has been lulled into a state of complacency and sits on his throne in a dazed slumber, only a shadow of his former self. It takes a hard confrontation to break him out of this.
Is this a picture of you or your ministry? Have you been lulled into a state of complacency? Break free and get your passion back. Ask God to return the fire you once felt burning in your bones. Move back outside of your comfort zone.
Complacency is a comfortable place to be. But it's also a dangerous place to be because it will cause you to miss out on some great things God had planned for you. God still has much for you to do. Your best days of ministry are ahead! Shift out of neutral and back into 5th gear.
