For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2, KJV

Procrastination is of the Devil. It is a tool he uses expertly to tear down the body and the soul. As for the body, Proverbs teaches us that, “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger,” (Pr 19:15) and “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.” (Pr 21:25) When people procrastinate in their work, they ought not be surprised when their physical life suffers.

The effects of procrastination in the spiritual realm are even more devastating than in the physical realm. 2 Corinthians 6:2 teaches that, “…now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” But when the unsaved procrastinate in responding to God’s call, the result is not temporary physical suffering; it is eternal suffering, both physically (due to the fires of Hell) and spiritually (due to the loneliness — the separation from the Creator — that the inhabitants of Hell can never escape). All it takes to insure one’s entry into Hell is for the unsaved to parrot Felix’s proclamation to Paul, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” (Acts 24:25) Or, just as tragic, all a saved person has to do, when prompted by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel, is to say, “Not now, Lord, the timing is not right.” But what if it is the one and only time when the timing is right? The Christian’s failure to obey immediately may damn a soul to eternal death, and that soul’s blood will be on that Christian’s hands (But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. – Ezekiel 33:6, KJV)

“Put it off! Not now, but later!” the Enemy says. Don’t listen to him! Whether you are tempted to put off your work or to put off your witness, refuse to succumb to the Devil’s call. Whatever you are supposed to be doing for the Lord, do it NOW!