Judges 1:19
“And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.”
There is always a real story behind why people settle for the status quo. It says in the verse above that Judah “could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.” I truly find this hard to believe. They were saying that God had the power to deliver them from Egypt, and that He had the power to bring them into the Promised Land and conquer Jericho, but that He did not have the power to drive out the inhabitants of this valley.
The real story is found a few verses later as to why they did not drive out the inhabitants of the land. It says in verse 28, “And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.” The reason they did not want to drive these people out is because they thought they could control them and make them servants. The real story for settling for the status quo was that they didn’t want to do the work in the land, but they wanted others to do the work for them.
There is always a real story as to why anyone would settle for the status quo. Why would anyone settle for average? Why would anyone settle for anything less than excellence? That makes no sense! When you settle for the status quo, you are saying that God doesn’t have the power to help you achieve excellence. When you settle for the status quo, you are telling the enemy that your God has limits as to what He is capable of doing. Settling for the status quo is the catalyst for demise and defeat.
There is a result that is often missed when people settle for the status quo. Because Israel settled for the status quo, they taught the next generation that the status quo was acceptable. Judges 2:10 shows us the next generation didn’t know the LORD or His works. Why? Because they were taught the status quo was acceptable. Because their parents didn’t strive for excellence, they just accepted the lie that God could no longer work in their generation.
Go ahead and settle for the status quo, but you will teach your children that God can no longer work in their generation. Your acceptance for the status quo may make you comfortable, but your children and grandchildren will suffer the consequences. God desires to do great works in every generation, but He can’t do the great works when you settle for the status quo.
Furthermore, settling for the status quo will cause you to lose the power of God. It says in Judges 2:23, that the LORD left those nations in the land which shows us that they lost God’s power in their lives. Friend, you may settle for the status quo but it will come at the pricey cost of losing God’s power on your life. God’s power is for those who go beyond the status quo and need Him to help them achieve excellence.
Let this devotional be a catalyst to light the fire in your soul to achieve excellence. Every time you are tempted to settle for the status quo, ask yourself if you will also be satisfied with the next generation never seeing God’s mighty works and losing His power on your life. In whatever area you have settled for the status quo, light the fire again and strive to rise above the average.