THE TOMORROW TRAP - Pt.II

THE TOMORROW TRAP (Part II)

What is the biblical perspective on TIME?  What does GOD have to say about TIME and our relationship to it?  First of all, there are GOD-ORDAINED SEASONS that are divinely ordered and strategically positioned within our lives.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that “to everything there is a SEASON, and a TIME to every purpose under the heaven.”  This scripture mandates SPECIFIC TIMES – to be born, to die, to plant, to harvest, to kill, to heal, to break, to build, to weep, to laugh, to mourn, to dance, to throw, to gather, to embrace, to refrain, to gain, to lose, to keep, to cast away, to rend, to sew, to be silent, to speak, to love, to hate, to make war and to make peace.  One practical definition for WISDOM is “the ability to be time-conscious and time-sensitive.”

Kingdom Principle Number One: GOD ESTABLISHES COVENANT WITHIN SPECIFIC TIME FRAMES AND DEFINED BEHAVIORAL PARAMETERS.  Sarah bore Abraham a God-promised son – at a set time. (Genesis 17:21 and 18:14)  God rested and thereafter mandated our weekly rest – at a set time. (Genesis 2:2-3 and Exodus 20:8)  Every male in Israel was commanded to appear before God in certain ways – at set times. (Exodus 23:14-17)  Jesus Christ died for our atonement in a particular manner – at a divinely set time. (Romans 5:6)

Kingdom Principle Number Two: WHENEVER WE FAIL TO OPERATE ON GOD’S CLOCK, WE ARE SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR FRUSTRATION AND FAILURE.  We cannot afford to get ahead of God; neither will we achieve optimal blessings when we do not step forward (boldly, confidently, immediately) at His command.  Abraham became blessed and a blessing because “he staggered not at the promise of God…but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” (Romans 4:19-21)  Despite the fact that Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah’s womb was long since “dead,” he believed God and acted in accordance with divine revelation and timing.

Kingdom Principle Number Three: DELAY IS A SATANIC STRATEGY FOR PERMANENT DENIAL.  Had Moses responded doubtfully (or casually) to God’s command to ‘cover’ every Jewish home with lamb’s blood, the firstborn of Israel would have perished alongside the firstborn of Egypt.  Had Bartimaeus been hesitant to call out to Jesus at the precise moment he was passing by, that blind man would have lived out his remaining days without vision.  Had Jairus not moved with a confident and expeditious faith in the direction of The Great Physician, his daughter likely would have died.  Hebrews 4:7 informs us that even God’s grace and mercy operate within the framework of preset seasons.  Consequently, man’s temporal delay can ultimately result in eternal separation from God.  There are hundreds of scriptural exemplars where THE OPERATION OF TIMELY FAITH MOVES GOD and thus transforms human circumstances.

Carvin Winans, the twin brother of Pastor Marvin Winans, penned a thought provoking gospel song entitled “Tomorrow.”  One portion of the song lyrics: “Tomorrow…who promised you tomorrow…better give your life today…for tomorrow very well might be too late.”  It would do well for those of us who serve the Lord to remember that ‘The Manana Syndrome’ is not only a satanic tactic to prevent our personal salvation (Isaiah 55:6), it is also a delaying strategy designed to marginalize and minimize God’s Kingdom, that is, to keep believers from rescuing the perishing. (II Corinthians 4:3)  So please…please…do not delay!  One little known secret behind David’s success was his determination to act in timely obedience to God.  Concerning King David’s response to the King of Kings, he wrote “I made haste, and DELAYED NOT to keep thy commandments.” (Psalm 119:60)  Jesus Christ sums it up so well: “I must work the works of him that sent me, WHILE IT IS DAY: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (John 9:4)

Prayerfully consider this: Are you presently caught in a chronic holding pattern – a place of persistent procrastination and daily delay?  Think carefully.  Examine yourself.  Do it now!  Consider your motives, your motivations, your priorities and your daily agenda.  What specific strategies do you have in place NOW (or what can you immediately put in place) to hold your feet to the fire?  What choices will you make TODAY to be responsible and accountable for performing YOUR KINGDOM ASSIGNMENT with precision and punctuality?

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed and (above all else) make sure that you are ready to meet our soon coming King.  Maranatha!