One of the worst enemies of progress in life, business and ministry is procrastination. To procrastinate is to put off a currently required action until a future time. It means to defer or to postpone. Procrastination is an attitudinal problem. It is a character flaw that affects millions of people in every walk of life. While it is regarded as normal for people to procrastinate, it can become a problem that hinders progress in life. It affects critical decisions such as accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and many other important things. It is dangerous for a Christian to procrastinate because procrastination can result in loss of fellowship and opportunities. It can also cause loss of souls which should have been won. The dangerous effect of procrastination is lamented in Jeremiah 8:20:
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

There are many reasons why people procrastinate. First is because of their personal convenience (Acts 24:25). This is a major reason many people fail in life, education, business, family and ministry. It is also the reason many do not give their lives to Christ immediately they hear the word of God. Laziness is another reason for procrastination (Proverbs 26:13-16). Many people put off indefinitely what they could have done presently as a result of indolence. A slothful man has many flimsy excuses for procrastinating. These range from imaginary fear to complaints that he or she lacks encouragement. Another reason for procrastination is worldly entanglements (Genesis 19:16, Matthew 19:20-22). Consideration of family pressure at the expense of God’s business could also lead to procrastination of God’s business. There is someone reading this now, who has the call of God upon his life, but finds it difficult to surrender his all to God and go into full-time ministry because of family pressure. God should be topmost on your scale of preference at all times. Family pressure, as serious as it could be, should not be considered at the expense of God’s business. Learn a lesson from Elisha. As soon as the mantle fell on him, he ran after Elijah, turning his back on his family business (1 Kings 19:19-20). Another cause of procrastination is environmental distractions. Procrastination can be solved through proper planning and constant reminders (Luke 14:28). Priorities should be set right. Self-discipline could also help against procrastination when applied in areas such as eating, talking, watching TV or movies, use of telephones and other sources of distractions. It is always better to seize the moment and maximize every given opportunity to complete tasks and achieve goals.