Stir Yourself Up

Zephaniah 1:12

And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

God said He would punish His people because they were settled on their lees. Lees is the sediment at the bottom. If you have ever had pure fruit juice, the lees settles at the bottom of a cup that holds the juice, and before drinking it, you often stir it up so it helps with the flavor of the juice.

God was upset with these people because they had gotten comfortable and no longer stirred themselves up. He compared them to the lees settling at the bottom. These people became indifferent toward the LORD, so indifferent that they said, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. The LORD had simply become an afterthought in their lives; an afterthought that caused them to do what they wanted and only do what they had to do for the LORD to make themselves feel spiritual. Literally, the LORD had just become a timecard they punched to feel spiritual.

One of the most dangerous times in anyone’s life is when they become indifferent and are settled on doing the same thing without any push. In other words, they have settled on their lees. Oh, these people would not be considered bad people. These people often attend every church service, and they might even be involved in some ministry, but they never stir themselves to do something great for God. These people show up and go home, and that is all they do for the LORD. They have settled on their lees, the sediment of past works, without attempting to do great works today. God’s admonishment to the believer is to stir themselves so they don't settle on their lees. Let me give you a couple of thoughts on how to avoid settling on your lees.

First, never think you have arrived. Just because you have done something great for God in the past does not give you a pass to do nothing for God today. Past accomplishments for God are never a pass to do nothing great for God for the rest of your life. You have never arrived in the Christian walk. There is always more to do for Christ, but you will never do it if you think you have arrived.

Second, realize the urgency of the hour. People tend to stir themselves up when they realize we are in the last hour. For instance, there are many people who wait until the last minute to stir themselves to get a job accomplished; a job they had assigned to them for a long time. Never get to the point in your life that you only stir yourself when you feel you only have a short time to get something done. WE ARE IN THE LAST DAYS! Therefore, we must realize the urgency of the hour to do something for God now.

Third, learn what stirs you for God and do it. Something must stir you for God, and if you don't know what it is, you will likely settle on your lees and do nothing for Him. The greatest motivator I have used to stir myself is the brevity of life for all people. I realize that I don't have much time to reach the lost; therefore, every day is a critical day to reach a lost soul before they slip out into eternity. This ought to stir you. If you have any decency about yourself, you ought to be stirred that someone you come across every week may slip out into eternity, and that should stir you not to settle on your lees, but to stay busy doing something for God and reaching the lost.