Stop Procrastinating!

In summary of Philippians 4:13 it says, “I am ready and can do anything through the strength of the one who lives within me.”

Bottom line:
I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength.

What this means to me:
Whatever I have, wherever I am, I have the strength to make it through and can be ready to accomplish anything he gives me to do.  This is because of the one who lives within me and empowers me (I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency.)  Given this I still battle a natural tendency to procrastinate.  In my study this morning (Daily Hope), Rick Warren points out actions I can start to take today in order to battle procrastinating.

• Stop making excuses - Typical phrases for me include "one of these days" or "When things settle down, then I'm going to ..."   The fact is things will never really settle down. So I must make a choice to prioritize what is important.
• Start today - Not next month, next week, or tomorrow. As I have never been guaranteed a tomorrow.
• Establish a planned schedule - "A wise man will plan ahead. A fool doesn't"  If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. I need to designate some specific time slots each week for the things I need to do. Break down larger tasks into small pieces.
• Face my fears. “Courage is not the absence of fear; it's moving ahead in spite of our fears.” His word tells me that there is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives you strength.
• Focus on what you gain, not the pain. Very few things in life are easy. I must push through the frustration and look at the gain beyond the pain. Focus more on how good you're going to feel once you've finished the task.

Jesus never said life would be easy. There will be sacrifice and commitment. But there is tremendous reward when we I the things he calls me to do.  So instead of asking “what I feel like doing?” I need to ask “what does God want me to do?”  Today I will consider things God wants me to do.  Then I’ll work on putting the goals into my calendar.