Are You a Couch Potato Christian?

I’ve heard it said that many people in our churches are mere “pew warmers.”

In other words, they do believe in the importance of being present in the House of God when the doors are open, but they will rarely be seen taking an active role in areas of service, such as helping in a Sunday School class, the bus route, the nursery, the choir, junior church, the kitchen, etc.

BUT… did you know that sometimes we Christians can still be couch potatoes spiritually even though we may already be busy at church?

It’s great that we’re praying for God to direct our path and lead us, yet we may sit like a lump on the log for ages instead of taking action.

What hinders us from taking action?

Five common reasons we fail to take action…

1. We FEAR having sufficient ability to do what God is leading us to do. (Remember, Moses was afraid to approach Pharaoh to speak because of his being slow to speech, which may have been a stuttering issue.)
2. We’re AFRAID to leave our comfort zones. We end up sitting motionless so long that we’re quite content just sitting on our couch.
3. We FEAR that we’ll lack time, energy and financial resources.
4. We FEAR that the obstacles are too great to overcome.
5. We become SELFISH and LAZY. We’d rather slumber than work.

It’s hard to get motivated after awhile. We soon forget about the urgency of taking action.

Did you know that the Israelite people were at risk of becoming couch potatoes?

Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (KJV) says,

6The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

7Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

8Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

God was telling them, “You’ve sat long enough! It’s time to get up and go possess that land I’ve given you!”

In the book of James, we see that we need to be a “doer of the work.”

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. – James 1:25 KJV

Our pastor cannot do the work alone. He needs our help! Sadly, it’s often the same group of people at church that do 90% of all the work.

This NEW YEAR…. Let’s not be couch potato Christians!

Let’s ask God to guide us. Let’s seek opportunities to do the work of God. Let’s take ACTION when God opens doors of opportunities. Let’s walk in FAITH to take the next step of what God wants us to do!

Whatever God leads you and I to do, He will give us the ability and resources to conquer the task at hand.

REMEMBER, reading our Bible daily and praying is an ACTION that EVERY Christian should do. Let’s plan on that being our TOP priority forever and always!

May God bless you and your family,

Rhonda White