Transcription
Some of the things God calls you to do have an expiration date. And delaying may be more dangerous than you think.
Hello everyone. Welcome or welcome back to 828 with Kate. I'm your host Kate Taylor. If you've never clicked on this podcast before, my mission behind it is really to give you big sister advice and encouragement as you discover that God's plans for your life really are good, just as he promises in Romans 8:28. And there is no life more fulfilling than the one where you're following him. If that resonates with you, I would love for you to subscribe, become part of this little community.
But today, we are going to be talking about how to stop procrastinating on the thing God told you to do. If you have been dragging your feet, making endless lists of what needs to happen first before you can begin, this episode will give you the motivation to finally get up and just do the thing.
I want to preface this by saying all of the advice you are about to hear is coming from a chronic procrastinator. I have the longest list of goals and dreams for my life, but often I sit down to do something productive and two hours later realize I have just scrolled Tik Tok. I even procrastinated writing this message on procrastination. But there is one thing that keeps me coming back to what I am meant to be doing again and again. It centers me. It refocuses me. It's the reason I got up today and filmed this video. I even keep it as the screen saver on my phone. It says this, "Somebody somewhere is depending on you to do what God has called you to do. Someone is depending on you. Their destiny is tied to you fulfilling yours."
I'm going to say that again. Someone else's destiny is tied to you fulfilling yours. And here you are sitting on the couch thinking it's just your life that will be affected if you don't start making moves. Think again.
Imagine if Noah procrastinated building the ark. He had a set amount of time to build that thing before the rain came. Had he procrastinated, his entire family would have died along with all of the animals in the world. And who knows what would have happened to God's plan for preserving creation. Thankfully, scripture says Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. So, we get to exist today in 2025 because of Noah. And the fact that you have a pet dog, you can thank Noah for not being lazy and getting the job done. Because if he had waited even a little while just for the first drops of rain to land to see if God was actually serious, it would have been too late.
Some of the things God calls you to do have an expiration date. Someone's safety, someone's breakthrough might depend on you moving now, not later.
One of my favorite examples of this is Matthew 2:13 when in the middle of the night, an angel of the Lord visits Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, and says this, "Get up, take Jesus and his mother, and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." Now, we need to give Joseph more credit because in the very next verse, it says, "So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt where he stayed until the death of Herod." Joseph didn't even wait until the morning. This was complete and immediate obedience. And because of it, Joseph protected Jesus's life. And God's entire plan for salvation stayed on track. Had Joseph procrastinated, Jesus could have been killed before his ministry even began. The savior of the world, our Messiah, could have been gone.
So when God tells you to move, there is always a reason. And delaying may be more dangerous than you think.
And you might be thinking, "Well, Kate, what God has told me to do is pretty minor compared to Noah or Joseph. He's just been nudging me to start a Bible study or write music or share my testimony." I felt the same way. My calling is just making videos. And to tell you the truth, I don't like being on camera. I don't like taking photos. That's why you guys get such sporadic posts from me on Instagram. I get very self-conscious about the way that I look. And I'm also a perfectionist. I feel like I have to do everything to the highest possible standard. I need all this professional equipment. So I put off my calling for years and years and years because of fears and insecurities and perfectionism until one day I decided to just do it to do it imperfectly to do it with what I had. And so my first videos I filmed from my mom's wardrobe because it was the only quiet place in the house. I had no privacy, no equipment, just me and my iPhone making encouraging videos that I put on Tik Tok.
But before long, I started to receive messages from people. Some of those people had just lost their spouse and were encouraged by my videos. Some of those people came to know Jesus because my content came up on their for you page. Some of those people left unhealthy relationships and even I have received messages from people who say they were going to end their life before they came across one of my videos. I want you to know that I take no credit for any of those things. I did not save or change any of those people's lives. Jesus did. He just used me as a vessel. And what an honor that we get to carry this precious treasure, the divine light of the gospel in frail earthn vessels to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from ourselves. And when God created you, he had a specific intentional way for you to shine the light of the gospel and share his power with the world. From the very beginning, he has had something in mind for you to do and he has entrusted it to you. No matter how small that calling may seem, you have no idea what or who is on the other side of your obedience. One simple yes to God can set off a ripple effect that lasts for generations to come.
In Acts chapter 9, God asks a man named Ananas to go and pray for a man named Saul, who at the time was pretty infamous for persecuting Christians. Well, that prayer led Saul to become Paul, the greatest missionary of the early church and the man who wrote down most of the New Testament. That's the power of one simple act of obedience. It doesn't mean the thing God is telling you to do is going to be easy. It doesn't mean it won't be scary. Ananas even said to the Lord, "I have heard of this man's reputation." He was clearly frightened by what God was telling him to do. The thing God is telling you to do may require you to be brave. It may require you to step outside of your comfort zone. But what would have happened had Ananas refused to pray for Saul? I want you to think about all the people who have inspired you, who have brought you closer to Jesus. What if they never fulfilled their calling? Where would you be? How would your life look different? Because there is someone else waiting on you in the same way to make their life different. It might be a stranger. It might be a friend. It could be your future children 5 10 years down the track, but their destiny is tied to you fulfilling yours.
I do want to take a brief pause to say this. If you are procrastinating because you are burnt out, please evaluate that because for a long time I was feeling like I was just being lazy and unmotivated until this year I had my cortisol levels checked and found out that I have been in serious burnout. So my first order of business to get back on track with my goals has been taking good care of my body. If your cup is empty, you are no use to yourself, let alone anyone else. So, please look after you.
Part of my self-care routine has also been going to therapy. And this is where I would like to thank the sponsor of today's episode, Better Help. If you watched my mental health episode I did with my friend Seb, you will know that Seb and I both vouch for Better Help because it has really benefited us at difficult times in our lives. Their therapy service is all online. You can do your sessions via video chat, phone call, or messaging, which is very convenient if, like me, you don't have a car right now. I also use BetterHelp a lot when I'm traveling. One of my favorite things about their service is that you can specifically request a Christian therapist. So, if you feel like you could use a little extra support in your life right now, you can follow my link on screen, answer a few questions, and BetterHelp will match you to a licensed therapist, usually within 48 hours. Just visit betterhelp.com/kateetaylor or select kateaylor during sign up for a special discount on your first month.
We are about to get into the part of this message that really lights a fire under my bum and motivates me. If you read your Bible, you will see that if you fail to step up to your calling, God will send someone else. This kind of terrifies me because then they're going to be the one who gets to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." And I don't know about you, but when I get to heaven, I want to be the one to hear that. I do not want God to tell me that he had to send someone else to do the thing that he chose me to do, which is exactly what happened to Moses in the book of Exodus.
God chose Moses to be the one who would go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of slavery. God said to Moses, "So now go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Do you ever feel like that? Who am I to start a ministry? Who am I to write songs? Who am I to do X Y Z? Do you know how God responds to that? He didn't tell Moses to stop doubting in himself, just start believing in himself. He doesn't actually say anything reassuring about Moses's shortcomings at all. Instead, he simply says, "I will be with you." Because that's all you need. I almost feel like God is agreeing with Moses by not responding to his insecurity because yes, who are you to lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Moses was just a man. Who am I to write these messages and share them with the world? I am no one apart from him. He is the vine. We are the branches. Apart from him, we can do nothing. We can't even breathe air without God filling our lungs. Which means you don't need to be confident in yourself before you begin. In fact, it's better that you're not because that makes you humble and dependent on God when he says the only thing that you need is to trust and believe that he is with you. Deuteronomy 3:18, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged."
But sadly, when it came to Moses, he continued with his string of excuses. He said, "What if they don't believe me that you sent me to do this? Or what if they don't listen to me?" Then he says, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." I can actually relate to Moses on this one because I never thought the Lord would use me to convey a message verbally. I have always been more of a writer than a speaker. But God shuts down this excuse so fast. He says to Moses, "Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses is still hung up on his fears and he says, "Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else." Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother Aaron the Levite? He can go with you and do the talking." So God lets Aaron join Moses as his helper. But it kind of ticks God off. It makes him angry at Moses because God had already accounted for Moses's weaknesses when he called him to the task. God has already factored in the things you are not good at. And often he actually wants to use those things because his power is made perfect in our weakness. But if you won't step up to the plate, God will use someone else just as he used Aaron. You may have been God's first pick. He chose you for your task, but his plan must move forward with or without you.
We see this in the book of Esther when she is also tasked with rescuing God's people. And her cousin tells her, Esther, if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place. But who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. If you don't write that song, God will give the lyrics to someone else. If you don't write that book, God will download it to a willing author and that project, that business, that ministry will arise from somewhere else. But who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Don't be like Moses who was too focused on himself, his own insecurities, his own fears. Be like Noah who built. Be like Esther, Joseph, and Ananas who obeyed without hesitation. Be like the disciples who, when Jesus called them, immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. For every one of these people, procrastinating would have meant missing the greatest calling of their lives. I don't want you to miss yours.
So, let me ask you this. What's the ark that God has asked you to build? How much time do you really think you have? And who is waiting on you to say yes?
Thank you so much for watching or listening wherever you're tuning in. I hope this episode was helpful. If it was, I would love if you would consider leaving a comment letting me know which part of it resonated with you. I love to read through your comments and chat to you guys there. I look forward to talking to you again, not next Wednesday, but the Wednesday after. Until next time, God bless you guys.