ROMANS 12:1-2

God has prepared work He wants us to do, and our delays in carrying out His plan constitute disobedience. That makes habitual procrastination a serious problem.

Daily Bible reading, praying, and tithing aren’t the only things Christians can put off. We can also delay:

Serving in the church. We volunteer to serve, but when the call comes, we say no. If asked, we might reply it is the length of the commitment that doesn’t suit us. At other times we say the position itself is not a good fit. In both cases, if we examine our feelings, we will find we are dodging what we do not like or feel inadequate to do.

Sharing our faith. We can get very anxious about how to express ourselves, what reaction we’ll get, and whether we’ll be able to answer questions adequately. When insecurity threatens us, we often choose silence and inactivity over obedience.

Surrendering our will to the Lord’s. Just thinking about giving God control in certain areas makes many of us feel fearful. So we cling to our way and avoid His. True submission says, “Lord, I am willing to do whatever You want in this situation. I will obey Your Word.”

After a while, because of our procrastinating ways, our spiritual growth becomes inhibited. Then our usefulness to the Lord and our sense of joy in Him diminish.

The Lord has asked us to be His ambassadors, who represent Him to a hurting world according to His plan and timetable (2 Cor. 5:20). Therefore, procrastination has no place in the life of a believer. Which areas of your life does this bring to mind?