READ: 2 Samuel 6:12-23
He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given us his holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:8
Familiarity is a major cause of unfruitfulness and barrenness. Familiar people cannot be fruitful. Familiarity is the greatest block to the anointing. It cuts off the flow of the anointing that is needed for ministry and church growth. Ministry is a spiritual thing and unless spiritual principles are obeyed, the ministry dries up and barrenness results.
Michal is a type of barren ministry. She suffered from familiarity towards her husband. She paid for it by becoming barren. Many people have become barren in ministry because they became too familiar with the man of God.
…But Saul’s daughter Michal went out and started yelling at him. ‘You were really great today!’ she said. “You acted like a dirty old man, dancing half-naked in front of your servants’ slave girls.” David told her, “The Lord didn’t choose your father or anyone else in your family to be the leader of His people. The Lord chose me and I was celebrating in honour of him. I’ll show you how great I can be! I’ll even be disgusted to myself. But those slave girls you talked about will still honour me!” Michal never had any children.
2 Samuel 6:20-23 (Contemporary English Version)
Familiarity means “To know someone or something so well and in such a way as to cause you to lose your admiration, respect and sense of awe”.
It also connotes a sense of becoming presumptuous where a person is too confident in a way that shows a lack of respect.
1. Familiarity was the cause of Michal’s barrenness.
2. Familiarity is still the cause of spiritual barrenness in many Christians today.
3. Familiarity is the greatest block to receiving God’s power from God’s men.
4. No matter how great the gift of God, it is neutralized by familiarity.