There are many people who spend years contemplating change in their lives, waiting for a sign to fall out of the sky, or for a miraculous intervention to hit them on the head before they will move forward. I myself have been guilty of over using the term, “waiting on the Lord.” Sometimes “waiting on the Lord” can be an excuse to procrastinate, or remain idle.
What would cause someone to procrastinate and waste a single minute of life?
Jesus said, “It is not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21 NJB)
That means in the end we won’t get credit for a great idea, or knowing God’s will and not acting on it, because definitively the Lord is only interested in action pertaining to His will. Maybe that is why were told that faith without works is dead (James 2:17), or dreaming without movement is useless.
Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:1, not to conform to this word, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. When a person struggles with procrastination it reflects a need for mind renewal.
The Message Translation says it this way,
“Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1 MSG)
The Message Translation gives us the idea that maturity involves responding and acting quickly to what God wants for us. No procrastination evident here!
But how do we know what God wants?
Although we have been given free will to do and think as we please, in kingdom living we get to be involved in the transformation process by choosing to renew our minds-- militantly taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5) As our minds are renewed we begin to take on the mind of Christ, just as a son takes on the characteristics of his dad and begins to comprehend his thoughts and will.
What action has the Lord been speaking to you about that you have been neglecting? If you are unsure, you need to lean into your father, become acquainted with His ways and transformed into His likeness. Begin by taking the thoughts captive that are keeping you from moving into maturity. Remember, being responsible with your life and taking deliberate action to do the will of God is true maturity.
