Searching Google for “the silent killer” reveals that high blood pressure is the most common answer. High blood pressure is a silent killer because it can go undetected and untreated, eventually leading to other health complications and hastening death. The CDC reports it as a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the two leading causes of death in America.[1]
Arguably, there is a more dangerous silent killer than high blood pressure—especially for Christians. That killer is comfort. Christians must be on guard against comfort, since it can quietly erode spiritual health.
Not all comfort is wrong. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to bring comfort to believers (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7). Receiving comfort from the Spirit is not wrong, nor is comforting others; in fact, we should (2 Cor. 13:11; 1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11; Heb. 3:13).
The danger lies in making comfort a priority—living an easy, carefree life that avoids stress, grief, or restriction. No rational person seeks hardship intentionally, but we can wrongly prioritize comfort. We may convince ourselves that God wants us at ease in this life, so we pursue comfortable careers, homes, amenities, and retirements. When comfort becomes our aim, we lose sight of the fact that the Christian life is often marked by disciplined effort, not stress-free living.
Comfort is a silent killer because, if left unchecked, it erodes discipline, which leads to both physical and spiritual consequences. Discipline helps us set goals, stay focused, and do the hard work necessary to achieve them. Seeking comfort, by contrast, encourages laziness and undermines progress.
Seeking comfort is antithetical to achieving hard-won goals. A person desiring to be physically fit needs discipline to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen. Athletes who wish to improve at their sport must train consistently. A student desiring a 4.0 GPA must study and put in the necessary work. Growing spiritually is no different.
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians—and, by extension, to all Christians—that “this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3). Sanctification means becoming holy, overcoming sin, and dedicating ourselves to God. We grow in sanctification by pursuing godliness—earnest devotion to God that fosters holiness and pleases Him.
Paul instructed Timothy to avoid “pointless and irreverent myths” and instead “train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:7b–8). The Greek behind “train” implies athletic-style, disciplined effort. Some translations render it “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” Like Timothy, all Christians are commanded to exercise discipline continually to grow in godliness and sanctification.
Comfort is dangerous because it quietly opposes this discipline and promotes spiritual laziness. In his book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald Whitney notes that growing in godliness requires actively engaging in Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, service, stewardship, fasting, journaling, and learning. Each requires intentional effort—none happens automatically.
Without discipline, a Christian cannot grow in godliness, and spiritual growth stalls; a stalled Christian is an ineffective Christian. Christians are not called to pursue comfort, but Christlikeness and godliness. Christians must prioritize discipline over comfort.
Prioritizing discipline means setting appropriate spiritual goals, engaging in spiritual disciplines, actively seeking to kill sin, and serving the Lord with our gifts and talents. Achieving growth in godliness, sanctification, and service requires discipline to stay on task and do the hard work.
We must self-assess to ensure we have not fallen into the silent trap of comfort: What have you prioritized in your life? An easy, stress-free life? A comfort-bringing career? A comfortable retirement? We must live responsibly—careers and saving are necessary and wise—but we must guard against prioritizing a comfortable life at the expense of discipline, godliness, and service to the Lord.
Dear Christian, we are called to a life of discipline and labor for our Lord Jesus and His Kingdom. We are not called to seek an easy or comfortable life with all the amenities we want. Let us prioritize discipline, not comfort, so that we may grow in godliness, sanctification, and service. If you let comfort replace discipline in your life, there will be unhealthy physical and spiritual consequences.
Christians, beware of comfort—the silent spiritual growth killer.
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Hypertension,” Health, United States, National Center for Health Statistics, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/topics/hypertension.htm.