Speaker: Bro. Bobby Rodriguez ,Elder, The Lord's Flcok Catholic Charismatic Community

“ Procrastination ”

What Is Procrastination?

P rocrastination is putting off doing until a future time. It means delaying action from day to day. It is habitual postponement until tomorrow what can be done today.

P rocrastination is laziness. It is the habit of doing things later. It is inconsistency in undertaking a given task.

M any of us are procrastinating in different areas of our lives. For instance, in physical health, we procrastinate exercising. We put off our physical exercises until we have to work out twice as hard to get back into good shape. Concerning our spirituality, we delay our reading and study of the Word of God and keep on saying that we would eventually double our study time.

P rocrastination is ever present with us. Let us beware that if we continue to delay making our decision and not acting on what we know is right, our procrastination could bring about disasters in our lives.

Do Not Procrastinate for the Second Coming of Christ

T he second coming of Christ is certain to happen. No one can stop it – not even the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. It will come no matter what happens. Yet, most people are procrastinating in their preparation for this event. Many do not even believe that the Lord is coming for the last judgment. Despite the presence of men and women spreading the Word of God through different methods including full use of the media and evangelization by missionaries around the world, there are still millions of people who do not want to accept Jesus as their God and Savior.

I n our Lord's Flock community, we have received Jesus as our God and Savior. We have felt the love of God; we have received blessings from the Lord. Why is it then that we still procrastinate by delaying (and even forgetting) our service to God?

A ccepting Jesus as our Lord is important but what is more important is surrendering our whole life to him. When we surrender to Jesus, we deliberately and voluntarily transfer our whole being - body, soul and spirit, to him. In reality, we give back to the Lord our free will. However, if we do not want to change, there is nothing that God can do to us. God is powerful; nothing is impossible to him. But, if we refuse to change, God will respect our decision because He has given us our free will.

L et us surrender our whole self to God and we shall see the change in our views. Let us not procrastinate in receiving Christ now. Let us prepare for his second coming. “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In [those] days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be [also] at the coming of the Son of Man. ” (Matthew 24:36-39).

S urrendering all to God also means being ready for all that the Lord wants us to do. We do first God's business before we attend to ours. We do not put off our work and commitment for the Lord. When we do so, God will bless us abundantly.

L ot, the nephew of Abraham, hesitated to leave Sodom ; the angels, by the Lord's mercy, seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and led them to safety outside the city. (Genesis 19:1-29). The procrastination of Lot could have been disastrous. He and his family could have perished when fire rained down upon Sodom .

Reasons Why People Procrastinate

T here are many reasons why people procrastinate when things have to be done.

1. S loth or Laziness – Sloth is another word for laziness. Sloth is disliking activity; a disinclination to work. Being slothful is being lazy like a sloth, a slow-moving, tree-dwelling mammal.

S loth or laziness is the biggest reason why most people procrastinate.

? “The way of the sluggard is hemmed in as with thorns, but the path of the diligent is a highway.” (Proverbs 15:19) [Please read Proverbs 24:30-34 for similar verses.)

L et us not procrastinate. God uses people who are willing to listen to him and ready to be obedient. Let us not put off what God wants his workers to do. “ The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.” (Matthew 9:37).

P rocrastinating is like letting grass grow higher and higher in one's yard or letting the flowerbed collect weeds until he is overwhelmed with tall weeds everywhere. Let us beware of procrastination and laziness. “Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” (Romans 12:11).

2. D isobedience To God's Word – Disobedience to the Word of God is another major reason why we procrastinate. We may have heard the Word of God but we either postpone doing what we are told to do or we do not act at all.

L et us obey God's Word as soon as we hear it. “I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” (Luke 6:47-49).

3. M aking Up Excuses – Making up all kinds of excuses is common among people who try to explain why they cannot do what they need to do. This is also procrastination.

M oses of the Old Testament was a man of excuses. When God was sending Moses to go to the Pharaoh to lead the Israelites out of Egypt , Moses made many excuses:

? “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt ?'” (Exodus 3:11).

? “But, said Moses to God, when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' if they ask me, ‘What is his name? What am I to tell them?'” (Exodus 3:13).

? “'But,' objected Moses, ‘suppose they will not believe me, nor listen to my plea? For they may say, “The Lord did not appear to you.”'” (Exodus 4:1).

? “Moses, however, said to the Lord, ‘If you please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past, nor recently, nor now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and tongue.'” (Exodus 4:10).

? “Yet he insisted, ‘If you please, Lord, send someone else!'” (Exodus 4:13).

M oses raised all kinds of “but's” and excuses. He claimed he was not qualified for the task; he asked the Lord to send someone else.

W hen we are given a task by the Lord, are we like Moses who make excuses and try to refuse the work? Let us accept immediately such a task; let us not procrastinate. Doing God's work is a great honor!

Let Us Not Be Procrastinators

W hen the Lord gives us an assignment, let us do it today, not tomorrow. Doing the task may be hard, but once we start it, God will finish it as He will guide us all the way.

A re we procrastinators? Have we committed the sin of procrastination? Let us be honest and admit that we have been procrastinating many times in our lives.

H ow should we avoid procrastination? If we want something out of our life, let us examine ourselves, determine exactly what we want, and check our progress. Let us not be procrastinators; let us go ahead and pursue our dreams and goals.

I f we need to ask forgiveness from our family members, our friends, and other loved ones, let us immediately ask for forgiveness – without a day of delay. Perhaps, we also need to forgive ourselves for some dumb things we did a long time ago. Let us quit procrastinating and do it now.

P erhaps, we need to go to our doctor for our medical check-up. Let us not delay this visit.

P erhaps, we need more time to spend with the Lord. We need more time to read and study the Bible. Let us not put off deepening our spirituality. Let us do it starting today – not tomorrow!

T here are many areas where we procrastinate. Some opportunities may be lost because we do not take advantage of them when they are available. We do not know if these opportunities would still be available tomorrow. If fact, we do not know if we would still be alive tomorrow. Let us not procrastinate! Let us act now!

God Will Strengthen Us

I s God calling us today? Let us not harden our heart. (Psalms 95:8). Let us not delay our “yes” answer. As St. Paul wrote: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (Philippians 4:13).

G od will give us strength to go ahead and get things done. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Let us trust the Lord and obey him now - not later!