The ocean has massive deep underwater currents that perform very important tasks.  This underwater conveyer belt takes 500-1000 years to move around the earth.  We

John 7:37-39 → The Holy Spirit is compared with water.  It never stops moving -- it is living and dynamic.

2 Tim. 4:6 → Stir up the gift of God and the Holy Spirit within us.

The Holy Spirit is the very power of the living God.

In the future, God will change our immortal flesh to spirit.  The spirit within us needs to be continually stirred.

There are traps that can hinder us, though.

Spiritual Traps.

They can start out in very subtle ways and cause us to abandon our calling.

A.)  Trap of neglect

1 Tim. 4:14

Do not neglect the gift that is within you.  We can get busy with so many things in this world.  Our jobs are stressful and the other things we want to do with entertainment.

We must take time for prayer and bible study.  The path to fall away is very subtle.

Heb. 2:1-3

Rom. 8:18 → Seek His help on a continual basis.
B.)  Trap of Convenience.

1 Sam. 12:22

Samuel is addressing the people.  Samuel tells the people to serve the Lord with all of your heart.

Will we sacrifice to serve God even when it is difficult?  Sometimes we give in to convenience.  Perhaps we skip Sabbath services.  If we skip, we are letting down in our service to God.

Rom. 12:1

1 Pet. 4:10 → Our service doesn’t just stop with our service to God.

A very important part of service is to encourage and uplift each other -- to help one another.  We serve others and others serve us.

Heb. 10:24 → Do not forsake the assembly of one another.

We need to serve on another even when there are sacrifices to be made.  Is the Holy Spirit urging us to do more?  Do not give in to convenience.  

Mark 10:45 → The son of God didn’t come to be served, but TO serve.  We are to follow His example.

C.)  Trap of Compromise

Compromise is very very God, but sin is not.

Prov. 3:5-6 → Do not lean on your own understanding?

James 4:17

Prov. 3:7 → Do not be wise in your own eyes and try to justify your own sins.  Fear the Lord.

Psalm 19:9-12 → The fear of the Lord is clean and endure forever.

David is asking God to help him, so see himself more clearly.  Perhaps there are sins in our life that we need to see.

D.)  Negativity

It is so easy to fall into this trap because the world is biased to be negative.  The way of Satan is to be negative.  We are not immune to the effects of negativity.

Don’t assume the worst in others.  This negativity can even extend to the view of ourselves.  It must be resisted.

Psalm 3: → Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean onto your own understanding.  Leaning on our own understanding can cause compromise and negativity.

Negativity can cause doubts in our belief and they can take root in our mind.

Phil. 4:8

2 Cor. 2:10-11 → We are not ignorant of the devices of Satan.