Dealing With Procrastination. RCCG House Fellowship

Proper Ways Of Dealing With Procrastination

OPENING PRAYER: Father, please help me not to be procrastinating.

PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE: Leaders should ask members why believers or Christians can’t go extra mile for spiritual growth.

MEMORY VERSE: “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. ” – Acts 24:25

BIBLE TEXT: Acts 24:22-25, Acts 26:28 (KJV)

Acts 24:22-25:
22 And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.

23 And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.

24 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

Acts 26:28:
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

LESSON INTRODUCTION:

“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Proverb 27:1. explains the fact that time is of the essence in all decisions of life.
Procrastination is willfully delaying a required action until a future time. It means to defer, to postpone until tomorrow, what should have been done, a day before tomorrow. It is an enemy of success. We trust the Lord to deal with this vice in our lives in Jesus’ Name.

LEADER’S DIARY.

A. LESSON AIM: To admonish Christians to constantly stop the habit of procrastination.

B. TEACHING OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, members should be able to:
i. Not delay what they ought to do.
ii. Know that procrastination is a delay to success.

C. TEXT REVIEW: ACTS 24:22-25, ACTS 26:28.
i. Is a bad habit that can destroy life.
ii. If you find yourself in this habit of procrastination, make an amendment.

D. TEACHING METHOD: Use interactive/ discussion method.

E. TIME MANAGEMENT: Share the teaching time using the suggested time schedule.

LESSON OUTLINES:

CAUSES OF PROCRASTINATION

Excuses – I need time to think, let me relax a little and start later.
Personal Convenience – Acts 24:25.
Laziness – Proverbs 26:13-16
Slothful – Proverbs 12:24
Environmental Distractions – Ecclesiastes 11:4
Pleasure and worldly entanglements – Genesis 19:16, Matthew 19:22
The erroneous belief of “working better under pressure”

EFFECTS OF PROCRASTINATION

Promising yourself that you will start tomorrow might be soothing and harmless while taking the pressure off temporarily, but the consequences can be disastrous, to say the least. Some effects of procrastination include:
Loss of trust from peers and colleagues due to missed deadlines
Constant anxiety and being caught off-guard
Guilty conscience due to incessant failure
Missed opportunities
Strained relationships
Failure due to lack of preparation
Shoddy jobs and incomplete outputs.
Self-confidence erosion.
Lost time and unnecessary delay.
Lost souls if we procrastinate in witnessing Jeremiah 8:20.

DEALING WITH PROCRASTINATION

Proper planning and constant reminder Luke 14:28
Set priorities right Ecclesiastes 3:1
Recognise that success never comes without discipline and diligence Pro 22:29
Avoid distractions by applying self-discipline in legitimate pleasures like eating, gisting, visits, TV, movies etc.
Get disciplined with the use of mobile phones. Studies reveal that people spend an averagely 5 hours daily on social media.
Always remember we don’t control tomorrow.
Work on one goal at a time
Start small and be specific
Join an accountability group where goals are followed-up and checked for accuracy and completion.
Find suitably-qualified mentors who can call you to questions on life assignments.

ACTIVITY: Discuss why believers always find themselves in the Act of “Procrastination”?

SUMMARY: Procrastination is a bad habit, you can stop it with the help of God.

CONCLUSION: Rosie O’Neil once said, “Procrastination is the arrogant assumption that God owns you another chance to do tomorrow, what He gave you the chance to do today.” Do it today, do it now. Just do it.

PRAYER POINTS: