Procrastination is the arrogant assumption that God owes you another chance to do tomorrow what he gave you the chance to do today. – Bishop Rosie O’Neal 

DROP THE MIC!

That quote really got my attention! I had never thought of procrastination in the context of being arrogant, but there is so much truth in that statement. We assume we will be granted another day….another ENTIRE day! One that may or may not come, to do what we were fully capable of accomplishing TODAY. I don’t believe we view procrastination in the lens of the vast power it may have over our life. Procrastination is the EASIEST way the enemy keeps us from fulfilling our God given purpose and keeps us buried in guilt. The devil doesn’t have to do much to keep us from completing our goals, he just has to distract us. We all know in our American culture that it takes no effort at all to get side-tracked….it could be TV, phones, social media, food, sports or just plain busyness. All these distractions are literally at our fingertips every second of every day. The temptation to stray from doing what we are called to do is real. So what if all the “blessings” of our life that keep us distracted and easily able to procrastinate from our true intentions – are actually tools of the enemy. Would that make you look at all the conveniences and distractions in our world differently? It really should. We should at least give it pause for reflection. Why do you procrastinate? There are so many reasons and excuses….

He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. – Ben Franklin

Perhpas it is hard to say no and you have WAY too many things to handle in the first place!

You will never maximize your effectiveness by responding to other people’s priorities – Craig Groeschel

Maybe you aren’t motivated or feel incapable of doing what you need to do. Maybe you don’t have the energy you need to carry things to completion, are you certain there isn’t an underlying medical condition instead of deciding it is a spiritual battle? Maybe you aren’t treating your body as a temple and what you are putting into it for energy isn’t providing you what you require to function. Are there addictions that steal your time or health? Are you consumed by a toxic relationship or work environment? 

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy

If you think about the context of this scripture in regards to procrastination you can see how easy it is for the devil to steal, kill and destroy our purpose. With just one misdirection of your time or focus, he can easily dismantle your attention toward what God had directed you to. Don’t give the devil that power. Be diligent in what you choose to do with your time and energy. Be wary of what the world will scream at you is more important. Just one more episode, just one more post, one more glass, one more…..   

Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

We all have things in our lives that we put off for another day, week or year… The New Year’s Resolutions that are the same year after year, but never come to reality. I am not here to beat anyone up, I struggle myself with putting many things on the backburner and just leaving them there. I could get up early and work out, but I would much rather sleep because I have chosen sleep over losing weight. I don’t like the results of that choice, but I keep making the same choice and getting the same results! We can’t accomplish EVERYTHING that we would like to, but are you spending your time living out what you have chosen as your priorities or are you getting robbed from that by distraction, a lack of diligence or meer laziness? Nobody wants their life to be a legacy of woulda, coulda, shoulda statements. What do you feel God has called you to? What is keeping you from that calling? What are you going to do to change it? There is no guilt or condemnation here, I just want to encourage awareness of where we are all choosing to spend this life that we have been given. Don’t beat yourself up in defeat, tomorrow is a new day and I truly believe anything is possible if we are intentional in our actions. The Bible on the other hand is a little harsher than me…..

James 4:17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Did you ever think of procrastination as sin? Ouch! Well there it is right there in black and white. If we are fully aware of what God has called us to and turn our backs on it for the pleasures and distractions of the world then the Bible tells us that we are in sin. That stings! I truly believe that once we are directed to certain kingdom purposes, that to willingly choose to make other worldly things a priority can really only be seen as a slap in the face to God. 

Proverbs 13:4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

I truly believe that God wants us to grow every day, how can we not want that too? For example, I have been wanting to write and encourage others for a very long time, but I had taken ZERO action to do anything about it. I cannot tell you the joy and growth that I have experienced from the opportunity to encourage others and also to research and read the Bible more in an effort to be biblically accurate in what I write for this blog. It has been the biggest blessing to me….that I was missing out on until now! For no good reason! It is a huge motivation to remain in God’s will as much as possible and kick procrastination and distraction to the curb! Why would we choose to miss out on what God has for us for momentary leisure? I think one of the most motivational factors is to determine what you want your legacy to look like. Nobody wants to be remembered for broken promises and only good intentions never followed up with action. So WHAT DO YOU WANT? What is stopping you?

1 Corinthians 14:40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

What are some steps you can take today to decrease – or dare I say ELIMINATE – procrastination? Pray about it, plan for it and prepare your steps forward to TAKE ACTION! This is not time for analysis paralysis, if you believe that Jesus is your Personal Savior then the Holy Spirit is within you and is fully able to lead you where you don’t feel capable of going. First WHAT do you feel called to do or change? What is the plan to help you achieve that? What do you need to change to make that happen? Can you make those changes today? Maybe it can’t happen today, but develop a realistic plan that is possible to take to completion. Are there people, habits or environments that are keeping you from being successful? How can you separate yourself from those situations that are adding toxicity to your life? Do you need support, professional help, accountability partners or a program to give you direction that you have been unable to take on your own? Surround yourself with a community or support system that will cheer you on towards success. Remember you are created in the image of God! With God we TOTALLY got this! 

Proverbs 24:30-34 I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; ³¹ thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. ³² I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: ³³ A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— ³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.