The Danger

James 1:²² “Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life!” (TPT)

The first trap of growth that keeps people where they are despite all the power available to them is, Familiarity. The danger of familiarity is this; it is not the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, or the purposes of Heaven that suffer. It is the individual that is familiar that loses out. Familiarity only damages the person who is familiar, not the person to whom they have become familiar. Sometimes our hearts can become hardened because of thousands of experiences. Jesus went to His hometown, and the Bible says He could only do a few miracles.

They said, “Jesus, we saw you when you were rolling tyres down the road from your father’s workshop. We knew you when you were wearing only diapers and crawling in the neighbourhood. So, now you are anointed, how? How are you anointed, Jesus? When were you anointed that we did not know and see it happen?” ((Matthew 13:53-58 paraphrased, please read). Familiarity hinders personal growth. I pray that you will have strength over familiarity, strength to overcome familiarity in the Name of Jesus. So, what are the things that cause familiarity? And inherent in the causes are things that empower us to overcome familiarity. It is like a double-edged sword.

The first is Hearing Without Responding. Hearing the Word of God without responding breeds familiarity. Pastor, that was a very good sermon, you have done well! But you do not respond to the Word so, your heart gets hardened. And more and more you hear it, the less and less powerful it is in your life. Guess what? The Word of God has not lost its power. You have just been hardened, familiar, and you are losing out.  For every Word you hear, you have to respond. I am grateful to Heaven for the training I had earlier on in my walk with God. I was trained, and I train everyone I have the privilege to Pastor, that you have to respond to the Word you hear. For instance, you have heard a teaching on forgiveness.

How are you going to respond? Who are you going to forgive? If you hear a sermon on forgiveness and you don’t respond, your heart gets hardened out of familiarity. And every Word that is good for you that is being sown cannot germinate. It just stays for the birds of the air to come and pick it up. That’s how it works? So, you hear the word, and you refuse to respond. Or you hear the word, and you say I wish my cousin, spouse, or neighbour was in church to hear this powerful Word. It is for him or her. No! The Word is for you!

Prayer: Father, help me respond quickly to Your Word and quell familiarity, in Jesus Name. Amen!