Time is the greatest commodity we have! It's
precious and we waste so much of it!Below are 4 of the greatest wastes of time I have experienced in life and ministry:
1. Fear- Fear is not to be confused with worry or
the "fear" that the Bible descibes as reverence for the Lord!
Fear is an unrealized, presumption of what might be happening or could happen.
It often is related to a circumstance of our past and has no real bearing on
the present moment. However it can be crippling and rob us of precious time. We
should remember that fear is NOT from God, "For God has not given us a
spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2
Timothy 1:7 NLT)
2. Worry- Worry, like fear is an unnecessary
presumption, but it's more about the future than the present reality. It's a fear of the unknown and can literally rob you of the joys of the moment. Worry
is also an indicator of your faith and reflects your view of who God is. Jesus
reminds his disciples "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday
life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t
life more than food, and your body more than clothing?" (Matthew 6:25 NLT)
he goes on to say later in the passage "And aren’t you far more valuable
to him than they are"(Matthew 6:26 NLT) We tend to forget that when we worry,
we simply tell God that he isn't big enough.
3. Doubt- seemingly a synonym for the latter, doubt
is one of the more precarious time stealers. When we doubt, we basically do not
trust in the character and provision of God. When doubting, we waste our time
on the "what if's" or "can it be's" rather than relying on
what we already know to be true about God. Scripture reminds us,
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own
understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which
path to take. (Proverbs 3:5, 6 NLT) You see doubt will always keep you from
seeing exactly what God is doing in your life and that's time wasted!
4. Anger- Finally there is the fierce force known
as anger. Scripture tells us that anger can make you look like a fool
(Ecclesiastes 7:9) That in a growing relationship with Christ it should be
something we are slowly moving away from (Col 3; Eph 4) And that it if not
carefully addressed can lead to deeper sin (Psalm 37). More than anything,
anger can be very harmful to your relationships with others, which is one of
the key ways God desires for us to use our time on this earth. Anger is also another indicator of
your faith and trust in God and how he is moving and working in your
life and relationships.
Time is precious, we have been entrusted with a certain amount of it,
and it would be a shame to allow Fear, Worry, Doubt, or Anger to waste your time!
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