How many of you are just like me, Class A+ Procrastinators?

Did you know having good intentions can still be a form of disobedience? Procrastination is very deceptive and Proverbs 3:27,28 instructs us not to do it. Often, we do not see putting things off as disobedience because we intend to obey God; it is just that we are going to do it when–when we have more money, when we are not so busy, as soon as Christmas is over, after we get the kids in school/college, when we return from vacation, after the snow is gone, etc. Remember, the best intentions do not produce results. Ask God to help you take action in a timely manner in every situtation.

So, what are some strategic solutions to helping Class A+ Procrastinators; Proverbs 4:5 instructs us to get “skillful and godly Wisdom,” and here are some of the results that you can expect as you apply wisdom in your life.

Wisdom will always lead you to God’s best. Wisdom teaches that you will not keep friends if you try to control and dominate everything that goes on in your life and theirs. You will not keep friends if you talk about them behind their backs or tell their secrets. Wisdom says, “Do not say things about others that you would not want people saying about you.”

Wisdom will guide you in money matters. You will not get into debt if you do not spend more money than you make. A lot of people never have fruitful ministries because they think they can run a ministry without good business principles. The Holy Spirit does not need to speak in an audible voice to tell us that we cannot have more money going out than we have coming in. Wisdom tells us that we will get in trouble if we do that.

Wisdom will not let us get overextended in our commitments if we listen to her. No matter how anxious we may be to accomplish things, wisdom says we need to take time and wait on God to give us peace about what we are to do and not do. It has been very difficult for me over the years to learn to say no to certain speaking opportunities, but I have learned that it is not wise to wear myself out trying do to so much that I end up not doing a quality job.

To God, quality is more important than quantity. Many times wisdom leads us to say no to things we would like to say yes to. Wisdom may also lead us to say yes to something to which we would like to say no. Having an opportunity that will stretch you outside of your comfort zone may cause you to say no, because you are afraid you might fail. But Wisdom may be telling you that you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you, and although you may have never done this or that, or tried this or that, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try. How do you ever grow beyond what you are capable of if you never put yourself in a situation where you know exactly what you are made of. Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Wisdom is our friend; it helps us not to live in regret. I think one of the saddest things in the world would be to reach old age and look back at your life and feel nothing but regret about what you did or did not do. So many people are playing it safe. In case you haven’t noticed, “You can’t get out of life ALIVE!” It’s always more fun on the field than it is in the stands. Failure is merely feedback. The sorrow is not in the falling down, the tragedy is in never having tried in the first place. Wisdom helps us make choices now that we will be happy with later.

A word of advice to all my soon to be reformed Class A+ Procrastinators, don’t put off for tomorrow what you can to today, maximize your moment!

Be Encouraged. [Excerpts from Joyce Meyer Amplified Bible] 

Linda Dillard

Founder/CEO & Relationship Strategist for Power In Progress, LLC

Do you ever wake up in the morning and regret that you don’t have one more hour of sleep? You get up and prepare for a day at work and lament that you haven’t gotten promoted after three years of dedicated diligence and an impeccable attendance record. You frown at seeing your superiors because you loathe his/her direction. And as you sit in morning rush hour contemplating on how dissatisfied you have become with your life, you become outraged with how slow the traffic is moving. This becomes the typical start of your Monday morning, a routine that has become so customary to you that you’ve grown to see nothing wrong with it.

You’ve accepted pity and grief as suitable emotions. Faith and gratefulness suffer lack. In the book of Job, a servant speaks of worrisome nights and days swifter than a weaver’s shuttle. He speaks of living without hope. He complains of Christ not being by his side and how his own life has become a burden to him. He speaks of choosing death over life. “Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”(Job 7:11). He begins to question “And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? For now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. (Job 7:21). His view of life was one of great displeasure and criticism. The gift of life that God has given him is being disregarded. It is no longer considered a gift, but a burden. This is not any different than the way you may feel about your job, your home and finances, your relationship, or even your confidence about your personality or appearance.

What we as Christians must remember is that life is not meant to be easy. Your success is measured by your faith, your dedication to Christ, and your ability to share your testimony amongst others. A synopsis of what I just said would be to simply stop complaining. Stop expressing grief, discomfort, and discontent for all that your life has become or all that you possess in life.

It’s time to test your ability to thank God for what you have, and pray for more. “A faithful man shall abound with blessing; but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.”(Proverbs 28:20), it goes on to say; “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.”(Proverbs 28:22). Testing your ability, tests your faithfulness to Jesus Christ. So I recommend starting your spiritual growth with him by initializing a spiritual fast.

Fasting can be defined as an act of denying something physical to glorify God and go deeper with him in the spirit. Biblically, fasting is abstaining from food, drink, sleep, or sex to focus on a period of spiritual growth. You choose to deny something of the flesh to glorify God, enhance your spirit, and go deeper in your prayer life. In this case, instead of abstaining from something physical, abstain from something mental to gain a little more self control.

Will Bowen, a Kansas City minister, challenged his congregation to go 21 days without complaining. I would like to challenge you the same. Thus, I call “The 21-day Fast from Complaining.” He challenged them to place a purple bracelet on their right arm, and every time they complained, they were to move the bracelet to the left arm and start from day zero.

Now lets define complain. According to dictionary.com, it means to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault. So basically, expressing negativity. Your goal is to refrain from expressing negativity. Jesus endured the most brutal death known to man for you. As they beat him over and over again with whips, place a thorned crown on his head, and nailed his hands and feet to the cross, he had your best interest in mind and he did not complain once. He knew no sin, spoke of no negativity, and suffered for your sins. So think before you complain. Tell yourself, if Jesus could make it through that tragedy, then I can make it through this tribulation. Gain a deeper relationship with him by renouncing from discontent and showing gratitude for his sacrifice.

So then on Monday morning, when your alarm goes off, jump out of bed and thank him for another day. And as you think about your well overdue promotion, you remember three years ago when you were unemployed and desperately seeking employment. You thank god for your job and pray for a promotion. And as you sit in morning rush hour, you thank God for giving you a vehicle to get back and forth to work.
Give God the glory, show appreciation for the gift that God gives you every morning, that gift is another day. Initiate your “21-day Fast from Complaining” to build a compelling relationship with God “…..Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:12)

Suggested Reading:

Fasting Journal

JENTEZEN FRANKLIN. Charisma House 2008, Hardcover, 128 pages, $8.38

Fasting

JENTEZEN FRANKLIN. Charisma House 2007, Hardcover, 256 pages, $8.98