By Nancy Leigh DeMoss
when we do not love Him as we once did.
when earthly interests and occupations are more important to us than eternal ones.
when we would rather watch TV and read secular books and magazines than read the Bible and pray.
when church dinners are better attended than prayer meetings.
when concerts draw bigger crowds than prayer meetings.
when we have little or no desire for prayer.
when we would rather make money than give money.
when we put people into leadership positions in our churches who do not meet scriptural qualifications.
when our Christianity is joyless and passionless.
when we know truth in our heads that we are not practicing in our lives.
when we make little effort to witness to the lost.
when we have time for sports, recreation, and entertainment, but not for Bible study and prayer.
when we do not tremble at the Word of God.
when preaching lacks conviction, confrontation, and divine fire and anointing.
when we seldom think thoughts of eternity.
when God's people are more concerned about their jobs and their careers, than about the Kingdom of Christ and the salvation of the lost.
when God's people get together with other believers and the conversation is primarily about the news, weather, and sports, rather than the Lord.
when church services are predictable and 'business as usual.'
when believers can be at odds with each other and not feel compelled to pursue reconciliation.
when Christian husbands and wives are not praying together.
when our marriages are co-existing rather than full of the love of Christ.
when our children are growing up to adopt worldly values, secular philosophies, and ungodly lifestyles.
when we are more concerned about our children's education and their athletic activities than about the condition of their souls.
when sin in the church is pushed under the carpet.
when known sin is not dealt with through the biblical process of discipline and restoration.
when we tolerate 'little' sins of gossip, a critical spirit, and lack of love.
when we will watch things on television and movies that are not holy.
when our singing is half-hearted and our worship lifeless.
when our prayers are empty words designed to impress others.
when our prayers lack fervency.
when our hearts are cold and our eyes are dry.
when we aren't seeing regular evidence of the supernatural power of God.
when we have ceased to weep and mourn and grieve over our own sin and the sin of others.
when we are content to live with explainable, ordinary Christianity and church services.
when we are bored with worship.
when people have to be entertained to be drawn to church.
when our music and dress become patterned after the world.
when we start fitting into and adapting to the world, rather than calling the world to adapt to God's standards of holiness.
when we don't long for the company and fellowship of God's people.
when people have to be begged to give and to serve in the church.
when our giving is measured and calculated, rather than extravagant and sacrificial.
when we aren't seeing lost people drawn to Jesus on a regular basis.
when we aren't exercising faith and believing God for the impossible.
when we are more concerned about what others think about us than what God thinks about us.
when we are unmoved by the fact that 2.5 billion people in this world have never heard the name of Jesus.
when we are unmoved by the thought of neighbors, business associates, and acquaintances who are lost and without Christ.
when the lost world around us doesn't know or care that we exist.
when we are making little or no difference in the secular world around us.
when the fire has gone out in our hearts, our marriages, and the church.
when we are blind to the extent of our need and don't think we need revival.
