ProcrastiNOT

This past Sunday I taught about procrastination in my message, “procrastiNOT”. I received quite a bit of positive feedback from this message and requests for some of my notes. I figured I would use this forum to share my research and maybe provide a little hope and help for you as you deal with this very real part of our human nature. I taught about the three foundational reasons for procrastination. In this article, I will add two more that I did not use on Sunday in the interest of time.

Fear, mainly fear of the unknown. Since faith and fear are processed in the same part of the brain, it is important to take a step of faith in the face of our fear. Dr. Martin Luther King once said, “Faith is taking the first step when you cannot see the rest of the staircase.” Instead of procrastinating on a decision or action because of fear, take a step of faith!

Perfectionism refers to the notion that if I can’t be perfect, I just won’t even try. Problems arise when we judge perfection by our own standards as opposed to GOD’s. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus tells us to be perfect as GOD is perfect. Christian perfection is not about us being free from errors, but learning to live with a pure motivation of loving GOD and others. Instead of allowing fear of imperfection to hold you back, let us allow GOD to shape your idea of what it means to live active lives of love.

Disorganization often shows itself in terms of not having goals or a poorly understood purpose. Jesus gave us our purpose when He ascended into heaven: to share His light and love with the world to help others know about salvation in Jesus Christ through the forgiveness of sins. When we have disorganized goals, our priorities are misplaced, meaning we settle for good things as opposed to the great things that are in store for us thanks to GOD Almighty!

So often, when we engage in procrastination, we settle for good things as opposed to great things! GOD wants great things for us and our ability to achieve them rests only in our active faith in following GOD. In following GOD, He addresses our fears, bent toward misunderstood perfectionism, and poorly defined purpose and goals. This leads me to my two honorable mentions for this article…

Lack of Desire: Often times, when we procrastinate, it is because we do not want to do what we are called/asked/required to do. When we know our purpose in life and service, then our lack of desire can be overcome with fulfillment of purpose. All of us have to do things that we don’t want to do; say, for example, taking out the trash. No one enjoys taking out the trash, but we know that if we do not, garbage will pile up, begin to stink, attract pests, and cause all kinds of nasty germs and bacteria. There is a payoff in virtually every situation for doing the things we don’t want to do when we follow-through. Now take this to a spiritual level and think of the things that can be accomplished for the Lord Jesus Christ when we are faithful!

Guilt: Guilt plays a significant role in procrastination, and typically after we have already begun procrastinating. When we put something off that really needs to be done, guilt feelings can creep into our consciousness. After a period of time, the guilt feelings grow, making us think that we would feel worse for actually doing the task, because of how it exposes our procrastination. The good news, however, is that in Christ there is no condemnation, so grace is extended, enabling us to serve GOD as we should, even in the face of past procrastination.

One last little thought about condemnation, though, and this strikes at the heart of procrastination as a tool in spiritual warfare. We have an enemy that would love nothing more than for GOD’s people to put off doing good in the name of the Lord. Additionally, Satan would also love to see us settle for doing good things as opposed to the great things GOD has in store for us.

These points came up in response to The Message’s interpretation of Jesus’ teaching in Luke 9.62: “Jesus said, ‘No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.’” May these words serve as a great reminder for how Jesus wants us to live our lives! Don’t procrastinate…announce GOD’s love…seize the day! ProcrastiNOT, my friends!

Have a wonderful 4^th of July and a great rest of the week! I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Pastor Mark