Some time ago I heard someone say, “we need to put motion to our intentions; that actions to intentions are not automatic”.  Thinking about this simple yet very profound statement, I cringed because it brought to mind different times that I intended to do something and didn’t.  Ugh!  If we catch ourselves too often saying “Oh, I thought about doing that …” or “I intended to do that …” then we have a problem that needs to be corrected.

Always intending to do something and not carrying it through is the disguise of procrastination. Intending just sounds better than to admit procrastination, soothing the mind but defeating the heart issue.  The trap of “always intending” is a tool of the devil. Don’t fall for that lie; it keeps us from fulfilling the plan and purpose God has for our lives.

Procrastination steels our time by wasting our time. It causes more stress in the long run for us, others, and can even hinder relationships as well. Putting off until later what should be done now just weighs us down with discouragement and thoughts of being a failure because we’re not seeing projects, or to-do-lists, completed and accomplished.

When we miss opportunities, regardless of the reason, it almost always brings regret to our heart and mind. The only solution from these regrets is to ask the Lord to forgive us, and to help us do better. We’ve all failed in this area at some point in our lives and need to learn to put those things under the Blood of Jesus and keep moving forward in our faith walk. (Philippians 3:13-14)

Most of us probably have both areas in our lives; disciplined in some and not so disciplined in others. Again, ugh!  So, what is the problem? Well, it could be as simple as just over-loading our calendar.

Let’s use the lesson in Luke 14:28 where we are taught to count the monetary cost before we endeavor to take on a project. In the area of procrastination, we need to “count the time” needed to complete projects so we don’t over-load our “to-do-list” on our calendar. I know the world is really big on multi-tasking, but I’m here to tell you that is not always the best way to get things done.  We cannot do everything all the time – at the same time.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve two masters. Now granted this passage is talking more about trying to serve God and be a servant to our money, but the principle-truth is applicable to other areas in our lives. We cannot do two things at the same time. When we intend to do these things but run out of time and energy, the result is incomplete projects which produces regrets, which produces a sense of failure, which causes discouragement, which can then end with the attitude of wanting to do nothing.

Personally, I like variety. I like doing different things like: reading-reading a lot actually, different crafts, vacationing, visiting with family and friends, and if not careful, that leads me astray into the area of “intending” and not accomplish much of anything.  The answer for all of us to is to seek God’s plan for our lives so we are doing what He has called to do. There is nothing wrong with wanting or liking different projects, we just need to keep them prioritized and understand what His call and purpose is for our lives.

My help with prioritizing is my all-time favorite Scripture, Matthew 6:33, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.  It’s that simple, let’s don’t make it hard.  God gives us different talents but that doesn’t mean we have to doing all of them at the same time.  For me its sewing, crafts, music, and writing. For you it might be gardening and woodworking, going for a swim or cleaning house or mowing the lawn or vacationing. Our talents and gifts are from God and need to be in their rightful place.

Schedule time in your calendar for God and find out if your intentions are what He wants you doing. The antidote to procrastination is obedience.

Have a great week; and get some “intentions” completed.