Haunted House · Week 1 · Zombie: Mindless Living · Chris Fluitt
How to Stop Going Through the Motions
Living on autopilot can keep you busy while the things you care about keep getting postponed. Jesus invites you to wake up, think, choose, and follow Him into a life of purpose.
Recognize the autopilot
Are you going through the motions?
You set the alarm with a plan: get up early, work out, make a change. Morning comes. Snooze. Snooze again. Last night you made a decision. This morning you are just reacting.
Or you check one thing on your phone and lose half an hour. One episode becomes three. The conversation you need to have gets moved to “someday.” Again.
If you are wondering how to stop going through the motions, start by noticing one pattern, asking what Jesus calls you to do, and choosing a specific action before the next distraction arrives.
A zombie is moving,
but not really living.
You can meet deadlines, pay bills, and still feel absent from your own life. The question is bigger than “Did I get everything done?” Ask, “Am I becoming the person I want to be?”
Routine can serve you. But an unexamined routine can quietly decide your priorities for you.
Ephesians 5:14–16
God gives us three things to solve our zombie problem.
Paul connects spiritual awakening with how we live and use our opportunities. Here are three ways to begin living intentionally.
Wake Up
Ephesians 5:14
“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Notice where you keep postponing what matters. Is your phone directing your attention? Has prayer become something you rush through? Are you busy but unsure what you are becoming?
Honesty is a beginning. Bring that pattern into the light with Jesus.
Ask: Where am I present physically but absent mentally or spiritually?
Think
Ephesians 5:15
Paul calls us to live carefully and wisely. That means interrupting the reflex long enough to ask a better question.
Instead of only asking, “What do I feel like doing?” ask, “What is wise? What has Jesus told me to do?” His instructions include praying, forgiving, serving, telling the truth, and loving people who are difficult to love.
Ask: What response would reflect Jesus in this situation?
Choose
Ephesians 5:16 · James 1:22
Make the most of the opportunities in front of you. James 1:22 reminds us to put God’s word into practice, rather than stopping at hearing it.
An evening with your family is an opportunity to be present. A few spare minutes can become prayer. A difficult conversation can become a step toward honesty.
You do not stumble into intentional faith. You respond to what Jesus says.
Ask: What can I actually do today?
Who decides your next move?
Reactive living vs. proactive living
A feeling or notification can start a chain of decisions. You can interrupt that chain by deciding what matters before the moment arrives.
Reactive: the moment decides.
The phone buzzes, so you grab it. You are bored, so you scroll. You feel tired, so the plan disappears. Whatever happens next determines what you do.
Proactive: choose beforehand.
Decide when the phone goes away. Set aside time with God. Prepare to follow through when motivation fades. Let what matters shape your response.
Zombies react. Disciples choose.
When someone gets under your skin, does your temper grab the steering wheel? Are you reacting like a zombie, or choosing how to respond as a disciple? Patience can begin with a pause: listen, pray, and choose words that help instead of wound.
Zombie reaction: “You upset me, so I get to unload on you.”
Disciple choice: “I am upset, but I can pause, listen, and respond with patience.”
Ask yourself: What keeps choosing for me—my temper, my screen, my cravings? What would change if I let Jesus shape my next response?
Free Haunted House Field Guide
Want to know if you are living like a zombie?
Take the self-test in the free Haunted House Field Guide. Its honest questions and Scripture reflections help you spot the patterns running your life and choose a practical next step.
Put it into practice
Make one next step SMART.
- Find the autopilot. Pick one area: attention, faith, family, health, work, or money. Name the pattern without trying to repair your entire life at once.
- Find the instruction. Ask what Jesus calls you to do in that area. Read Scripture for direction, rather than searching only for a motivational sentence.
- Make it concrete. Write down what you will do, when you will do it, and how you will know you followed through.
Turn a good intention into an actual plan
Vague“I need to pray more.”
SMART“Tomorrow at 6:30 AM, before I touch my phone, I will pray for five minutes.”
Try it with your family: “I should be more present” becomes “My phone stays out of the room during dinner this week.”
Choose a step small enough to take and meaningful enough to matter. Review it at the end of the week. If you miss a day, begin again. The goal is faithful practice, not a perfect streak.
Following Jesus intentionally
Jesus calls you beyond the routine.
Peter, Andrew, James, and John knew fishing. It was work, identity, and, for James and John, the family business. Nets. Boats. Another day on the water.
Then Jesus interrupted the familiar:
“Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”Matthew 4:19 · NIV
They left their nets and followed Him. Jesus called them into a new direction, with people to love and a purpose bigger than the routine they knew.
Your routine may involve a commute instead of a boat: work, bills, dinner, screens, sleep, repeat. Following Jesus changes how you enter that life. Your attention, relationships, and choices become places to answer His call.
Later, when others walked away from Jesus, Peter answered with a question: “Lord, to whom shall we go?” He recognized that Jesus has the words of eternal life (John 6:68).
Jesus did not come to make you a better zombie. Better habits can help, but they cannot replace a relationship with Him. Christian intentional living begins with listening to Jesus and responding.
You can’t follow Jesus on autopilot.
Your next step matters
Don’t sleepwalk through the life Jesus died to give you.
You do not need a dramatic reinvention before you can respond. You need an honest beginning. Be present with God. Name the pattern. Choose one next step.
Make Psalm 139:23 your prayer: ask God to search your heart and know your anxious thoughts. Then ask, “What needs to change? What needs to be surrendered? What are You asking me to do?”
Write down your answer. Tell someone who can encourage you. Take the step you can take today.
Honest questions
Questions about living on autopilot
How can I stop living like a zombie?
Notice one pattern where you are reacting without thinking. Ask what Jesus calls you to do, choose a specific next step, and put it on your calendar. Wake up, think, choose, and keep following Him.
Is having a routine the same as going through the motions?
No. A routine can support what matters. Going through the motions happens when you stop paying attention to its purpose. Ask whether your habits help you love God and people or keep you distracted from them.
How do I follow Jesus intentionally each day?
Set aside time to read Scripture and pray, then choose one way to practice what you learn. Forgiving someone, serving a neighbor, or being fully present with your family can turn hearing into action.
What if I keep falling back into old habits?
Return to a smaller, clearer step. Notice what triggered the old response and prepare for that moment. Ask a trusted person to encourage you. One missed day does not have to decide your next day.
Keep the conversation going
Meet Pastor Chris
Chris Fluitt is the pastor of First Christian Church of Allen. He loves helping people explore Jesus, ask honest questions, and take practical next steps in following Him.
Have a question or want help choosing your next step? Text Pastor Chris.
972-521-9779First Christian Church of Allen
Bring your questions. Take your next step.
Join us Sundays at 10:30 AM.
1207 Twin Creeks Dr, Allen, TX 75013
You are welcome to explore Jesus with us, ask honest questions, and grow alongside people who are taking their own next steps.
