HOW WERE YOU SAVED?

If someone asked me to explain salvation, I would start by asking the person to describe to me how he got saved. Tell me how you were converted. To make my question more clear, instead of using the passive “got saved,” I would ask, “How did God save you?” What did God do in history to save you, and existentially, what did he do ten years ago, or when you were six, or sixteen, or thirty? Describe to me how God brought you to himself.

I am searching for how a person describes his lostness and the action of God to bring him out of his blindness, to bring him out of deadness to life, to bring him out of insensitivity to spiritual things to being thrilled with spiritual things. I come at the question of election by studying its effects in life. Very few people that I have asked those questions want to take decisive credit for their own conversion.

Now, with their hearts leaning in that direction, I take them to texts that teach what really happened to them, just to affirm that their impulse is, in fact, found in the Bible. “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Once, we had no light and God gave it just like on the first day of creation. I would read, “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive” (Ephesians 2:1, 5). You were dead, and God made you alive. That is how you got saved. “The servant of the Lord must be patient and correct with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24–25). How did you come to repentance? God granted you repentance.

God gives sight, God gives light, God gives repentance, and “no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father” (John 6:44, 65). At this point, I ask if they see that God was the decisive cause of their seeing Christ as true, and desirable, and the source of their spiritual life, and their repentance, and even their coming to Christ

How were you saved by Jesus? What is your personal story of how you were saved?

send your contribution to : englishchapel.csmcottaroad@gmail.com

A WORD TO THE WISE- PROVERBS 16

One man once asked a number of important men: "What is the meaning of life", and nobody seemed to have an answer. But Proverbs 16 does. What does this passage tell us about living a life that is fulfilling and filled with God's blessings?

Please read;
Proverbs 16;

1.       The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

2.       All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

3.       Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

4.       The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

5.        Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

6.       By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

7.       When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8.       Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

9.       A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

10.   A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment.

11.   A just weight and balance are the Lord's: all the weights of the bag are his work.

12.   It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

13.   Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.

14.   The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.

15.    In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

16.    How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!

17.   The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

18.   Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

19.   Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20.   He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

21.   The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

22.   Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

23.   The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

24.   Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

25.   There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

26.   He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

27.   An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

28.   A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

29.   A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.

30.   He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

31.   The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

32.   He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

33.   The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

 

 stay blessed

 

 

 

 

 

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING?

Proverbs 3:5-6

Before we let others lead us, it would be helpful to know their direction.- Charlie Roberts

Far too many people in the world, just trying to find a place to fit in, they are following people, that they have no idea of where they are going or leading them to. Only interested in being in the popular crowd, or jumping on the next big craze and one day they wake up and realize they've been going in circles for far to long. As I thought about the word for today, I couldn't help but remember the group that came to sing at the church some years back in Ijebu-Ode, they sang the song called "lead me on" and it went something like this,

Lead me on to the top of the mountain,
take me over to the other side,
take my hand dear Lord and guide me,
as long as you're going I don't mind the climb!

You see, before you can let someone direct your paths, you have to be willing to give up control and let them do what you ask them to do. One of the most difficult things to do in any single situation is to relinquish our control to someone else and depend totally on that person to lead and guide us. Most of the people don't have a problem doing it in any given single situation, but to give up control and let it happen your whole life through is a different story. And that keeps a lot of people from living the life that God has already prepared for them in advance, and it's not any old life, but life on the grand scale, the bible calls it, "abundant life" with the parameters set by Gods supernatural capabilities, instead of mans limited ones!  

Which leads me to the question, how much do you want out of life? Also followed up with another question, how much do you want of God? Because the second question, determines the first one each and every day, your whole life through, several years ago, there was a song called what the world needs now is love sweet love and it went on to say, It's the one thing that there's just too little of! And it's true, the world does need more Love in it, only the right kind of love. But there's a song that has far more significant value to ones eternal situation and it goes something like this,

Jesus loves me this I know,
for the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong

Yes Jesus loves me,
yes Jesus loves me,
yes Jesus loves me
the Bible tells me so

And if you were at to ask most people, they would tell you that they knew that song. But clearly they don't understand the meaning of that song, because for to comprehend how much God wants to really do for you and bless you, you have to understand how much he truly loves you! And when you understand how much He loves you, it makes it so much easier, to trust Him and wait on His direction in your life!

The Word of God gives us instruction, when it comes to letting God lead and directs our lives. His plans become your plans, plans to prosper you and give you hope and to keep you from harm. His care, concern, consistency, capability and commitment that He has for you, have all been made possible by the Love He has for you. If you haven't made Him The Lord of your Life, right now, this very moment would be a good time to start letting Him lead, guide and direct your life. To trust Him completely, not only for eternity, but for each and everyday, all along the way, until that day! Amen?

Enjoying all the blessings he has along the way until He safely leads you home!

SKEAKING THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD

Ephesians 4:25
Let us go back to the context in which Paul encouraged speaking the truth in love. It had to do with what we believe and teach. Paul had been writing about building each other up in knowledge of the Son of God, into that maturity that is measured by comparison with Christ himself. Paul had spoken of the knowledge that had the power to build people up, he went on to warn of false teaching:

(Ephesians 4:13-15) until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. {14} We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. {15} But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.

Here we come to the hard part. If we are to speak the truth about God and about Christ, who is to say what is true? Should we not respect differences of opinion? Is not tolerance of different opinions essential to our living harmoniously in a diverse society, especially in regard to religious beliefs?  Can we not live and let live, giving every person's version of the truth equal respect? And after all, you might say, is it not all a matter of personal opinion and preference anyway? If your beliefs are helpful to you, what does it matter if someone else thinks what you believe is not true; and what right do they have to say you are wrong?

Here we have the modern dilemma that leads into post-modern cynicism. If one belief is as good as another and it does not matter what you believe, then why believe anything at all? If you can believe anything your like, what is the point if what you believe is not true? I ask you, is it better to believe something that is false, or something that is true, no matter what your personal preference might be? It is not a popular view today, but I believe that sooner or later people will discover that it matters what is true regardless of what we prefer, regardless of who we are or where come from. Ultimately it matters because God is not to be fooled or manipulated. He does not change his nature to suit us.

 

Disbelief in any objective universal truth comes from disbelief in God. In other words, religion, or certainly the Christian faith, is not all a matter of personal opinion. If it is not true independently of what you think or prefer, you might as well not bother with it. If it is not true in any sense apart from yourself, what value can there possibly be in believing it? On the other hand, I can hear people thinking, if it is not true for me personally, no matter what any supposed authority might say, how can I believe it?

This is an awfully big problem for people today. I don't know how much it troubles you. If you are a traditional believer, perhaps not very much, for you accept the truth about God as it has been handed on to us. But what if that tradition is like the language and culture of a foreign country to you. The truth about God has to be embodied in everyday things, in a living culture, in the way people think and act towards one another at a particular place at a particular time. That is why God sent his Son into the world, to live our life and die our death, so that the truth which takes us beyond this life could be revealed in our human life.

To be continued...............

SPEAK THE TRUTH-TO YOUR NEIGHBOUR

Being members of one another carries a little more meaning than being members of the same body. It goes beyond the idea that we need to be truthful so that the parts of the body can work together. It says we are each not only parts of a larger body but parts of each other -- members of one another. We are so involved in the lives of others, and they in our lives, that any falsehood or deception of them is a deception of ourselves. The integrity of our speech is a function of our integrity as persons. It works both ways, people who are not whole integrated persons, who do not know who they are or where they are going, behave inconsistently and deceive others in both speech and action; and wherever people do deceive others their relationships tend to disintegrate while they lose a sense of wholeness in themselves. People who become alienated from others tend to become alienated from themselves.

Well, you might say, that is common human wisdom, the sort of thing that people anywhere might learn by observation of human experience. You might wonder whether there is anything particularly Christian about it. I believe that what Jesus taught, and what he achieved in his work on earth, is not only for the good of those who are his followers, but for the benefit of the whole of humanity. As to speaking the truth to our neighbours, I think we can see an obvious way in which the way of Christ is different from common human wisdom, and in fact challenges that wisdom to be more true to itself.

When are people in our society often encouraged not the tell the truth? One fairly common experience in daily work is the little, or not so little, office lie. The boss wants you to tell a client that he is out when he not, or the cheque is in the mail when it is not, so you might deceive someone, perhaps in a small way. This sort of thing, and deception on a larger scale, tends to be justified in terms of the interests of the company or the government or perhaps the family. Within a work group or family, speaking the truth is usually expected because you have to be able to trust the information provided by other members for people to work effectively. This is what we were saying before about the functioning of the body, both in Christian fellowship and in human groups generally. But does the same obligation extend to people outside the group? If you do not regard the client as part of the group in whose interest you are working then you might feel justified in deceiving that person. This is where what Jesus said about loving your neighbour applies in a way which challenges that tribal kind of group loyalty. The question he dealt with when he told the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) was, "And who is my neighbour?"

The point is that the kind of loyalty, consideration and compassion that is due a fellow member of your own family, group or nation is due to all people. The idea that we are members of one another is extended widely to include people beyond our own circle in the right to be told the truth. In fact many large commercial organisations recognise this general principle, at least to a limited extent. It is in their interests to consider the interests of those with whom they deal and to require that clients be dealt with honestly. This might not be simply because they run risks under the law if they are deceptive, but because it is good business too. The challenge of Christian teaching is to extend that sense of obligation without limit. So we are not talking here only of the ethics of behaviour within the Christian fellowship, or the sort of thing that Christians should do. Speaking the truth to our neighbours is important in the whole of human relationships for we are all members of one another. But there is a most important reason for speaking the truth within the fellowship of Christians because of the special nature of the body of Christ.

 

To be continued..............

SPEAK THE TRUTH

Ephesians 4:25-So then, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another.

If the truth hurts, do you tell the truth? In the passage we read from Ephesians we are encouraged to speak the truth to one another

 

That is clearly about being honest, and not deceiving each other. The reason that we should speak the truth to each other, says Paul is that we belong to each other; indeed more than that: we are members of one another. I take this to include the idea that Christian believers are all members of the one body of Christ and should be building each other up in truth and love. As the various parts of the body depend upon one another, so we should be open and honest with each other for the effective functioning of the whole body for the good of all. The body cannot function well if the various parts send false messages to each other. As with a physical human body, it is as if when the hand is moving to pick up something the eye were to send a message to the hand that it over to the left when it is fact to the right.

 

Co-ordination or working together requires all the parts, in any kind of body or organization, to receive reliable information from each other and about each other. Families don't work well if people deceive each other and there is lack of trust, and neither does human society in general, so putting away falsehood will generally make things go better. There is a general human value in speaking the truth, as well as the value to Christians of the way our fellowship works to encourage spiritual growth.

It was in the context of growing to maturity in the faith that Paul used the well known and often quoted phrase speaking the truth in love.

• (Ephesians 4:15-16) But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, {16} from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

Therefore, we must put away lies and we must speak the truth in love.  We must make sure the content of our speech is Christ-honoring.  Therefore the content of our speech should always be truthful and honest: including being encouraging at times and confrontational at times.  Truthful speech encourages godliness and obedience and seeks to plead for more growth. 

 

 

To be continued........

SOW NOT AMONG THORNS

I sat in the Church yesterday  Sunday 07 June 2015 listening to what massage does God have for me today as Pastor directed that the whole congregation should open our Bible to Jeremiah 4:1-3. After the reading, the Holy Spirit directed me to the last verse of the Bible “sow not among thorns” 

Thorns are a consequence of Adam's transgression (Gen. 3:18).  Thorns cling to clothing, fur, pierce skin, and cause pain.  Instead of providing food, thorny weeds only make more of the same.  When Jesus went to the cross bearing upon Himself the sins of the world, a crown of thorns was pressed into his scalp.

 

Jesus told a story often called "The Parable of the Sower."  Matthew 13:3-9 and  later in chapter 13, He explains the meaning of the parable to His disciples.  The good seed represents the Word of God (Luke 8:11), and each place the seed is sown symbolises various conditions of the heart.  Some seed fell on stony ground while other seed fell on good soil.  There was also seed which fell among thorns which choked the seed.  Matthew 13:22 contains Christ's explanation:  "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful."  It appeared to be good ground, but there were other seeds which produced thorns present in the soil.  Thorns sprang up with the tender shoots from the good seed and made them unfruitful.

If you have done any amount of gardening, you will have been confronted with weeds and thorn-bearing plants.  I have carefully cultivated a small garden plot, bought quality topsoil and amendments, only to have more prickly weeds than vegetables!  While this may be a testimony to my poor gardening, we can easily understand the point Jeremiah makes.  It would be a gross waste to sow seed upon dry, hardened, unprepared, fallow ground.  It would also be foolish to sow good seed among thorns because they would demand the nutrients young plants require to grow and be fruitful.  A distinction between Christ's teaching and Jeremiah's exhortation is that Jeremiah makes it deeply personal.  God through the prophet Jeremiah says to the people, "Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns."  This is an objective statement intended to drive home the point personally:  "You have unprepared hearts.  The consequences of sin marks your hearts:  lack of repentance, fruitlessness, hardness, and barrenness.  To think that God's Word will make the slightest impact upon your hearts in your current condition is utter folly.  Don't bother wasting your time unless you first humble yourself before God and repent.  Prepare yourself to meet with God."

As I read this, it struck me how we can fall into the same trap as the Jews to whom God spoke through the prophet.  They were God's chosen people, had been given His ordinances, and were offered fellowship with God.  But they had not first prepared their hearts to receive from Him.  They were caught up with the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches.  The problem was not a lack of good seed or effort in scattering it, but a lack of brokenness and repentance.  Their hearts were hard and the weeds - the consequences of pride, greed, unforgiveness, bitterness, and all manner of sin - grew unabated.  The good will not overcome the evil if the evil is not systematically, thoroughly eradicated.  The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin and is the divine "Round Up" that kills sin in the very root.  But if we neglect to prepare our hearts to seek the LORD, becoming resistant to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can have a patch of thorns in our hearts which need uprooting before the good Word will have the desired effect.

Spiky weeds are an easy path to a green yard, but God wants more than green foliage:  He desires fruit!  When we are battling doubts, confused, or struggling with temptation, sometimes we think the answer lies in more Bible reading and listening to sermons.  Unless we prepare our hearts first by breaking up our fallow ground and clearing our hearts and lives of all sin, it will profit us little if at all.  Praise God that Christ is the Husbandman who gives us new hearts and renews our minds.  Let us heed the good Word:  plow up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns. 

May the good result described in Colossians 1:10 be manifest in God's people:  "...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

PROCRASTINATION IV

Procrastination(Continue..)

Procrastination is a cancer that will consume your whole life. It will affect your relationships, your job, your marriage and your faithfulness to God’s will in your life. Master your moods. Attitude is everything when it comes to procrastination. It’s attitude that gets you in the slump in the first place. It’s your moods that manipulate you and cause you to put off what you know would be the right thing to do. Your moods go through eight stages of procrastination.

1. “I’ll start early this time.” That’s hopefulness.
2. “I’ve got to start soon.” You start to feel a little bit of tension.
3. “I should have started sooner.” You start to feel a little creeping guilt
4. “There’s still time to do it.” That’s false reassurance.
5. “What’s wrong with me?” Desperation starts to set in.
6. “I can’t wait any longer.” Now you’re getting to the stage of intense pain.
7. “Just get it done.” Stressed out and feeling burdened, you finally act.
8. “Next time I’ll start earlier.”

And the cycle repeats itself. If you’re going to learn to break free from procrastination you must learn to master your moods. You cannot be manipulated by your emotions and feelings. Most of what gets done in the world is by people who didn’t feel like doing it when they did it. If I only taught you when I felt like it, I’d quit right now. The fact is you have to do things you don’t feel like doing. You must master your moods.Philippians 4:13“There is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives me strength.”Set a deadline and schedule it. Proverbs 13: 16says, “A wise man plans ahead but a fool doesn’t.” The best intentions aren’t good enough. We say, “I’ll do it when I have time for it.” You never have time for it. You have tomake time for it. If you just think, “I’m going to do it someday,” days turn into weeks. Set a deadline. Write it down on your schedule. If you don’t schedule it, you’ll never do it. Many of the projects that we procrastinate over in life, we do because they’re huge projects. So in order to make a schedule sometimes you have to break it things down into bite size pieces. Like that old phrase, How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. So what do you need to schedule? What is your first step you need to take?
Next, get an accountability partner, someone you can be accountable to and who will help you work through this issue in your life. Don’t face this alone. Romans 1:12 “I want us to help each other with the faith that we have. Your faith will help me and my faith will help you.” That is the principle of a spiritual partner. Anything that you procrastinate on, get a partner. It is always helpful to have somebody who’s going to walk you through this as a partner.
Start now! Not next month. Not next week. Not even tomorrow. Start now. Don’t say, “I’ll do it some day.” Someday is today. Don’t say, “When things settle down.” They’re not going to settle down. Don’t say, “When I get around to it.” You’re never going to get around to it. You’ve got to do it now. There’s no time like the present.
James 4:17 from the Message paraphrase “If you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that for you is evil.” Procrastination is not some little innocent fault or shortcoming. It’s evil. It keeps you from being all that God intends you to be. That’s why procrastination is so serious. It limits your potential. It wipes out your opportunities, but most of all it presumes upon the future that you or I may not have. None of us is guaranteed a tomorrow and neither are your loved ones. Whatever God’s calling you to do with your life do it now. If you need to make a change in your life, do it now. If you need to mend fences with somebody, do it now. If you need to get started on a dream, drop a terrible habit or even get out of debt, start now. Because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
I want you to identify, right now, an area or issue in your life God is calling you to address and where you need His help. You know what’s right and you know what you need to do but you’ve been procrastinating. You know you need to make a change, but you’re stuck and haven’t acted on it. It is an area of your life where there might be shame, some fear and some resistance in your heart. You need to quit rationalizing, respond to the call of God and call it what it is: a spiritual problem. Just say, 'God, I can’t, but You can. I need Your help.' Today, you can make this promise to God to stop procrastinating and then turn to him to empower you to get up and act and become the person God has called you to be. Make the commitment to act on His transforming purpose for your life. In Jesus’name. Amen.

PROCRASTINATION III

Jonah 1-4

Continue from yesterday’s question; what are you doing for heaven’s sake?

 Here’s the second question: what does God have to do get your full attention? Look at what God had to do to get Jonah’s attention. Verse 17: “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” God will put you in a place where he has your full attention because other people’s lives depend upon it . . . it’s not just about you. When you live a life outside of God’s purpose, it will lead to nothing but a belly full of frustration. Look where Jonah was. Have you ever been there? In the belly of a fish – it doesn’t say whale, does it? We just know it was a great fish churning gastric juices! Recognize the symptoms: life stinks; a closed-in feeling where you can’t get a foothold; you’re out of control. The fish’s agenda becomes your agenda. Wherever the fish goes you go, so you’re in this frenzied roller coaster existence. Yet God has created you for something better. But guess what? Our lives are such that He will put you in a place where you are stripped of all of your props to get your full attention. So what is God doing right now to get your attention?

Here’s the third question: what are you waiting for? Look at where Jonah goes in 2:1-3, “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.” Whoa! What a novel idea. “In my distress I called consequences of procrastination. Here’s three of them: First, it wastes opportunities in life. Ephesians 5:16 says, “Make the most of every opportunity for doing good.” The way to live a joy filled life is to take every opportunity that God sends our way and make the most of it. When opportunity knocks, you open the door. I wonder how many opportunities we’ve lost because we’ve procrastinated, opportunities to make a difference in a relationship or in another person’s life or to make a difference with my life in the world?

Second, it causes problems. Proverbs 15:19 “A lazy person has trouble all through life.” Do you ever procrastinate on getting your gas tank filled up? Then the next day you run out of gas and you’re stuck and late for an appointment. Even more tragic is when someone who has procrastinated about going to the doctor. When they finally do go, they found that the cancer had spread beyond control. The fact is delaying never solves anything. It only makes things worse. The longer you wait, the harder it is. It never gets easier. It always gets harder.

Third, it hurts others. Many of us never realize procrastination at its core is unloving. Showingto the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. You hurled me deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me.” So how can you purge procrastination? First, stop making excuses. Stop making excuses for what you’ve been putting off. Proverbs 22:13a (LB) says, “The lazy man is full of excuses.” The people who do things with their life, who get stuff done, stop making excuses. They accept responsibility. They don’t blame others. They don’t blame circumstances. They choose to do something with their life because they stop making excuses and get on with it. What excuse are you giving for not doing what you know you need to do? Second, ask God for help. If you find yourself procrastinating in an area or issue in your life, ask God for help. Why? Because procrastination in any area of your life is a spiritual problem.

 

To be continued..............

PROCRASTINATION II

Jonah 1:1-5

Today, we’re looking at personalities in the Bible who did a lot of things well, but struggled in one area of their life. And for God to use them, they need a conversion. In today’s Scripture, we have Jonah who struggled with procrastination. He’s not alone. Procrastination is something that many of us struggle with. There’s something in your life you know you need to do, and yet you keep putting it off. That is called procrastination. Procrastination is a spiritual issue. The Bible says that procrastination eventually leads to poverty in all areas of our life. The good news is that God wants to liberate you from procrastination.

The first thing we need to do is understand the causes of procrastination. The Bible says there are five. Any time you know what you need to do and you keep putting it off, it’s always one of these reasons. First is indecision. James 1:8 says, “The double minded man is unstable in all he does.” Whenever you have a hard time making up your mind, you’re going to procrastinate. Today, with all the choices we have in life and the store, there’s always a temptation to procrastinate.

Second is perfectionism. The problem is we set such a high standard and think, ‘I can’t do that’ so we never going to begin in the first place.

Third is fear. Whenever we’re afraid of something, we tend to put it off. It could be the fear of failure or even the fear of success. What if I fail or worse yet, what if I achieve it, how do I top that? Fear can keep you from making that tough phone call, scheduling that counseling appointment, sharing your faith, volunteering your talents or pursuing your dream.

Fourth is passive resistance. Procrastination is often a way of getting back at people. It’s about control. If you’re a parent, you know this. Kids do this all the time. You tell them you want them to do something and then they say, “Just a minute.”

Fifth is laziness. Proverbs 13:4 says “Lazy people want much but get little.” You’re never going to see a best seller with the title, “Ten Incredibly Difficult Ways to Lose Weight” or “Nine Really Tough Ways to Get in Shape.” We want it easy. The myth of procrastination is that if I put it off it’ll get easier. But the truth is procrastination only makes things worse. So whenever you’re procrastinating, you need to first ask what’s the cause? For Jonah, it was his fear: fear of going into a pagan nation, fear of sharing his faith, and fear of failure that the Ninevites might not respond.

Today, what are you doing for heaven’s sake? God created you to be in relationship with him and to fulfill His purpose. Your life is not about you, your job, your money, your wants, or your family. You’re here as a follower of Jesus to accomplish the mission of Jesus in the world. Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” There are two great days in every person’s life. The first day is when you were born; and the second day is the day you discover what you were born for. When you get in touch with why God created you, you discover your call from God. Here’s how that calling looks. The first call is general and is shared by all of us. It is a call to follow Jesus Christ. You can’t even begin to discover your life purpose unless you deal with that first call. It’s at that point that you make all your life available to God, to His purpose and to become like Jesus. The second call is your unique contribution to God’s mission, utilizing your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experiences all the mission and glory of God. All of us have the responsibility or call to use our unique S.H.A.P.E. to reflect the holiness or wholeness of Jesus in the world and to serve Jesus’ mission in the world.
Procrastination in any area of life comes with a cost. The Bible is very clear about the destructive real love to people, that takes commitment, energy, time and hard work. When I procrastinate, I’m deciding not to commit that to the other person. That is the destructive power of procrastination. The reason why a lot of marriages fall apart is procrastination. Both people are not willing to give the effort to make it work. A lot of divorces happen when both people know what needed to be done. They delayed and didn’t have the conversation they needed to have. They didn’t take the time to be together. They didn’t get around to addressing their issues. So eventually they grew so far apart, it seemed easier to get a divorce.
So in your heaven sent priorities, what are you doing for heaven’s sake? There’s another lesson Jonah teaches us about how procrastination hurts other. It threatens their eternity. Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh and in so doing was saying, “Go to Hell!” When you hear God’s call, don’t look to somebody else. God created you specifically with your gifts and talents to be the answer to other people’s prayers. Can you imagine if the people who so faithfully were witnesses of Jesus in your life had said no to God? How many people’s eternal destiny would it have affected because then you were never able to influence others for Jesus? This is the problem with procrastination. What are you doing for heaven’s sake? Not your sake, not your job, your time, your interests, your money, your hobbies - what are you doing for heaven’s sake?

To be Continued.........................

PROCRASTINATION

Good Morning Brethren,

What makes procrastination so annoying and sitting on the fence infuriating?

No matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, we like being able to tell with a good amount of certainty, what direction or action we must take to deal with the matter at hand. We abhor being lied to and hate deceit, even when it is so readily excused where we are the ones carrying out the act. I am yet to come across that being, even amongst those renowned for being exceptional liars and professional con artists, who enjoys being on the receiving end of their trade. They are often the ones who blow up in explosive anger at being deceived.

The ability to be true to who we are being right from the little basic things we choose to accept in our daily lives. Our moral principles are vital as we are faced with decisions constantly, some massive in nature, others seemingly inconsequential. However every choice we make is significant and is a marker for what the future bears for us. Nothing is stand alone and the choices made all interlink to the tapestry of life woven around us.

Because God is a God of order and precise in His timing, everything He sets up to occur for you is best achieved in the time and space for which it is intended. When we lie and scheme our way out of things, when we refuse, ignore or despise that which He has asked of us to do, when we sit on the fence rather than take decisions that are vital, we put ourselves out of God’s timing and His protection. We inadvertently say to Him, we are in control and don’t need Him therefore opening ourselves to attacks from all sides. Delayed obedience has us working in our power and strength to achieve what God’s grace had hitherto made available for us, with no more guarantee of success.

Is your yes too late?