How to Identify and Defeat a Spirit of Passivity in Your Life Today!
(A 7 Minute Read)
There is a place where we may find ourselves feeling stuck. We know God’s truth; we’ve learned how to be an overcomer, but we can’t seem to get anywhere with it. We may struggle in the area of relationships with God and others. We just can’t seem to create meaningful connections, communicate our feelings, or even recognizing what we are feeling is a huge struggle. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone!
We have an enemy who will stop at nothing to find ways to cause separation from God, ourselves and others. In this case, he’s utilizing an age-old and silent weapon called passivity.
By definition, passivity is not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce a manifestation of an emotion or feeling. Simply put, a person with passivity may have all kinds of great ideas and intentions, but not many of them, or none at all, are expressed or come to fruition. There is only silence. This can cause deep frustration not only for that person but for their loved ones who are hungry for some sort of meaningful connection.
Passivity is usually an iniquity that has been passed down from generation to generation. Those afflicted by it often times don’t know any different. In fact, until they attempt to enter into a meaningful human relationship, they may never realize it’s even an issue.
One of the key symptoms of passivity is silence. The person is wrapped up in their head and cannot or will not properly express themselves. Some people even claim to have a strong perception of a physical clamp down on their mouth. We call it lockjaw.
Maybe they can talk about the weather, or sports, or be highly successful at work or in business, but when it comes to emotions and relationship there is a disconnect. A person may believe that there isn’t a problem because they are fully functional in every other aspect of their lives. However, when the need arises to address conflict or to express a difference in opinion properly the fear of communication and failure may become overwhelming. Often times, these people do not know how to deal with the prospect of their own personal failures.
Passivity can also bring a false peace. This person can be convinced that because they’ve never acted out, there could not possibly be an issue with them. What needs to be understood is that where there is silence, the enemy has an open door to bring confusion and accusation into the lives of that person’s loved ones. This is a breeding ground for strife in a home. Because they have no idea what that person is actually thinking, the enemy can lead them to all kinds of conclusions, many of which may be incorrect.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin. James 4:17 KJV
God designed us with basic needs that include the need to be loved. Some people think that what they do for another person is good enough. Perhaps they feel justified in providing financially for their family or helping around the house or whatever the case may be. All of that is good and necessary, but that is just works.
We need to recognize a spirit of passivity for what it is. It is a spirit set on assignment by the enemy to separate a person from a relationship with God, others and even themselves. He will unplug that person from the proper order and flow of God’s love so that they will not be able to receive that love or give it to others properly. If love and nurture and safety are not properly represented in the home especially through the man, there is a void that can cause deep hurt and rejection in the members of the family.
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God. 1 Corinthians 11:3 KJV
The enemy uses passivity as a means of controlling a person. It will use a deaf and dumb spirit to keep that person from receiving the truth and speaking out. Because of that disconnect, they may constantly feel like they are failing. That fear of failure leads to self-hatred. They feel stuck, thinking that because they cannot communicate properly or connect with their emotions they cannot change. This can lead to anger and frustration not only towards themselves but towards their loved ones who react to them or try to address the issue.
Pride can also be stirred up and try to create a hardness of heart so that they don’t have to deal with everything that is rising up. They may struggle with being reproved or corrected because the fear of failure feels overwhelming. This leads to rebellion. It puts a person in opposition to God’s heart and His ways.
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Hebrews 12:5-6 KJV
We need to be willing to receive reproof and correction. If we can’t be corrected we are being kept from having the freedom to be who we are as children of God. What we need to realize about being a child is that children need to grow up, and correction and instruction are essential parts of that process to develop us into the best possible adults spiritually.
Understanding separation is so important for everyone involved. The person struggling with this dynamic and their loved ones all need to recognize who the real enemy is and have compassion for the person. When a spirit of passivity is overcome along with its accomplices, the person will be free to be the child of God that they were created to be again. They will be free to feel emotions again and to express themselves properly. They will be active in their relationships and be able to engage in a meaningful way. They will be able to give and receive God’s love freely and embrace their identity as children of God.
Overcoming passivity is not necessarily a simple recognize, repent and remove it. This is going to be a walkout; a reprogramming of generational ways of thinking that are so familiar they may be hard to even recognize. We must be able to have patience with ourselves and allow ourselves room for failure.
The Word says this:
For a just [man] falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Proverbs 24:16 KJV
The key to this walkout is not that we don’t fall again or even struggle with it, but that every time we recognize it, we get back up again. Once we’ve recognized passivity operating in our life, we need to make it our enemy. We can even ask God to develop a perfect hatred for it. We do not need to hate our self because of passivity! We are children of God and beloved and accepted already. That is how He sees us!
For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things [are] naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:12-13 KJV
By immersing ourselves in God’s Word and His truth, we can start to separate out what is in us that is of Him and what is not. He sees His children and He sees the enemy operating in our lives as separate beings. He has given us the power and authority over those things that are not of Him, to remove them and to overcome them.
Dr. Henry Wright offers these steps to defeating passivity:
- Have a desire for something to happen. That is hope. Hope is the foundation for faith.
- Choose to overcome in adversity. There are two types of people – those that defeat adversity and those that let adversity defeat them.
- Find inspiration, dig into the Word and talk to your Father in Heaven. Encourage yourself in the Lord and let Him direct you and teach you.
- Develop motivation to overcome and defeat the adversity and the enemy in your life. When you have developed a perfect hatred for the enemy in your life and a desire for healthy, whole relationships use that as your fuel to motivate you towards change and recovery.
- Perspiration is required – It’s going to take an effort. An action is required to defeat adversity and overcome passivity in your life.
We can’t allow the enemy to deceive us into feeling comfortable with a level of victory over him. Press towards the prize. Only one man won the whole war, and we’re not Him! We can’t let our guard down because the enemy will use any opportunity to pull us back and bring us into complacency. Those issues that we are dealing with will try to play possum. We need to be diligent to hunt them down and overcome them in our lives.
32 [It is] God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. 33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ [feet], and setteth me upon my high places. 34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. 36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. 37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. 38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet. Psalms 18:32-38 KJV
We need to submit ourselves to God. This is not something that we can do on our own. It is God who strengthens us, leads us and is our help and redeemer. What He has in store for us is worth the fight and worth the discomfort of new beginnings. We must trust in Him, lean on Him and make a quality choice to seek His heart and His ways.
Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do [it]. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV
We can begin by simply asking Father God this question: “What would my life look like without passivity?”
Blessings,
The Be in Health® Team
Would you like to learn more about passivity?
This resource will give you the information you are looking for to identify and overcome a spirit of passivity in your life today!
Overcoming Passivity – By Pastors John and Adrienne Shales
