TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17, 2016.
PROCRASTINATION
To defer action; delay; to put off until another time.
Now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation. II Corinthians 6:2
Procrastination can be a form of bondage in a person’s life, but the Lord, who wants the best for His followers, did not design us to be enslaved. We have heard believers in Jesus say that they are “born procrastinators,” but according to the scriptures that is impossible. Procrastination is a choice.
Procrastination has several common causes. The first is the desire to dodge discomfort. Many people put off taking action on a bothering situation because they feel uncomfortable or anxious about the ramifications of the issue.
During the time Paul was on trial before Felix we read in Acts 24:24-27 of a private conversation Felix and his wife Priscilla had with Paul about faith in Jesus. During this conversation Felix came under conviction and became so fearful that he told Paul to leave saying, “That is enough for now!” Felix did not want to hear any more about righteousness, self-control and judgment to come. Conviction can and will show up in our lives. Have you ever put off your Bible reading, meditation and prayer because you were concerned that God would bring to surface a matter you needed to confront?
Issues like pride, self-control, or guilt may not be comfortable to face, but dodging them obstructs God’s purpose in our life. So our Lord does not want us to procrastinate because we are trying to dodge discomfort.
The second cause that comes to mind, for putting things off is the problem of self-doubt. Many people feel inadequate to complete a job so they choose not to begin. They also fear that they may make a mistake or just fail. This makes postponing a preferable option for many people.
It is important for us to realize that God takes seriously procrastination. In our spiritual life delaying an assignment from God is the same as disobeying Him. If you are prone to delay you need to identify the problem areas in your life and the feelings that accompany them. Then confess your tendency to the Lord and rely on God’s strength to overcome them. The time for obeying God is always “NOW”
As parents of six we saw a lot of procrastination from our children. When there were chores they did not like to do, they would procrastinate and put off doing them as long as they felt they could get away with it. We understand, because, often when we were children we put off doing chores that we did not like to do. In the end we had to do them anyway and had to miss out doing something we would have enjoyed. We learned there were consequences for disobedience. Procrastination is disobedience.
When God calls us to do something difficult we should never procrastinate because we will miss out on God’s best for us.
The Children of Israel procrastinated and missed out on God’s best. God had promised to give them the land of Canaan. He was going to give them power to conquer the Canaanites and take possession of their land. The tribe of Manasseh procrastinated in not desiring to do God’s will
When the tribe of Manasseh complained to Joshua that they did not have enough land, Joshua said to them, “How long will you put off going into the land to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? If they had obeyed God completely and driven out all the Canaanites they would have had all the land they needed. God had promised it would be theirs but that they would have to work and fight for it.
God has promised to give us an eternal home through Jesus Christ. It is a free gift. Have you chosen to possess it? Now is the time.
Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 121:2.
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and the earth.
Help me to always listen for your direction for what You want me to do and where You want me to be. Keep me alert and willing and ready. Keep me from putting off what I know You want me to do.
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