10/27/2026
After five years of the same Wednesday morning routine, Mark navigated his local coffee shop on autopilot. However, this familiarity failed him spectacularly one busy Wednesday morning. Lost in a trance of upcoming meetings, emails to return, and his ever growing to do list, Mark approached the counter. Being a regular, he didn’t even have to say his order anymore. All the baristas already knew it. Without a second thought, he grabbed his extra hot, double shot, two pump vanilla soy latte, and headed out the door. Halfway through his busy day, Mark wasn’t feeling too great. His stomach gurgled, flipped and flopped, and he felt the bathroom loudly calling his name. Nevertheless, there was no time. His big meeting with all the department heads started in five minutes. He said a quick prayer and picked up his cup to take the last swing of his latte. He noted it was exceptionally good that morning and he wasn’t about to waste one drop. He chugged it, and was about to throw away the cup, when dread filled every ounce of his body. It was in fact not his latte. He had inadvertently grabbed Brenda’s order also for an extra hot, double shot, two pump vanilla latte with whole milk. Only issue was, Mark was intensely lactose intolerant! Mark sunk back into his chair thinking about the horror that lay ahead of him.
Familiarity and routine can be a blessing, but it can also be a hindrance. Like Mark, familiarity can cause us to live on autopilot. Familiarity can persuade us to let our guards down and stop the checks and balances that keep us safe. In the spiritual realm this is no different.
On Sunday we continued our Jesus sermon series looking at familiarity. Familiarity can twist our view of reality. It challenges our battle with the flesh. While Jesus challenges us to die to our flesh, familiarity seeks to pacify and reward our flesh. The questions set before us are will we trust God’s Word over immediate gratification? And will we live on God’s terms over our comforts, convenience, and habits that would pull us away from Him?
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
â€â€Ephesians‬ â€6‬:â€12‬ â€
Sometimes the things we deem as innocent struggles against familiarity and comfort are actually spiritual battles for our commitment to the Lord.
If you want to hear more life changing messages like this, join us on Sunday! 1030am every Sunday at Eden Alliance Church. We have a seat for you!
