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Overcoming the Dangerous Spirit of Apathy


1 Corinthians 16:9 – “For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

How do we move forward in our walk and faith and experience the fulfillment of the many promises God has made to us?  We have to overcome the adversaries who oppose us at the door of our breakthrough.  We have an enemy that threatens us.  This is a dangerous enemy.  It threatens our growth in grace. This enemy must be overcome by every believer.  What is the enemy that seeks to impede our walk of faith?  It is the enemy of apathy.

Apathy is defined as “absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement, lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.”[i] I would also define apathy as the absence of joy.  Nehemiah 8:10 says, “the joy of the Lord is our strength.”  Apathy will rob the believer of strength.  This is one reason the enemy attacks our worship.  The Psalmist writes in Psalms 98:4, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.”

What does the Bible say about apathy?  There are numerous Scriptures that address this enemy:
  • Romans 12:11 – “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”
  • 2 Timothy 4:3-4 – “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”
  • Proverbs 15:19 – “The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway.”
  • James 4:17 – “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
  • Galatians 6:9 – “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

It is time to overcome and break the power of apathy. We must not allow the spirit of the age, the prosperity of our day, or anything to distract us from who God called us to be.  Isaiah 61:3 says, “To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”


[i] Retrieved from the internet, Dec. 1, 2018, www.dictionary.com.

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