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.........................
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