The Bottom Line
Do you have a habit of putting off a dreaded chore until you feel like doing it? One thing on my to-do list is cleaning the garage, and that’s the one job I tend to move down to the bottom of the list. If I procrastinate too long, it becomes even harder to get done. I’ve learned that it’s better to keep it clean than to wait until it’s an overwhelming mess. If you’re not careful, your whole life can become cluttered and miserable with problems that you put off until “tomorrow.“ You have to quit putting things off because it only makes matters worse.
In the Book of Exodus, God sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel. The time had come for the Israelites to be set free from their 400 years of bondage in Egypt. Ten plagues were sent by God to make Pharaoh let His people go. The second plague was a mob of frogs that covered the entire land. Just imagine what it would be like to have slimy frogs knee-deep and jumping everywhere! Frogs were in their beds and in their drinking water. They were in their mixing bowls, pots and pans, and ovens. They were on the table and in their food — millions of frogs everywhere.
So Pharaoh begged Moses to plead with the Lord to take away the frogs. Moses asked him when he wanted to get rid of the frogs and Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.“ Wow — that meant he had to spend another night with frogs in his bed. Why in the world would he put it off until tomorrow? I don’t know — maybe for the same reason people wait until later to do something that will change their life for the better. How long are you willing to let “frogs” make your life miserable? Those frogs will stick around as long as you let them, so get rid of them now!
Problems and/or sin in your life are stealing your peace and joy and they’re like those frogs. You know you should stop and deal with them; you want to do what you ought to do but you don’t. This is one way the devil traps you. “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it (James 4:17 NLT). If you don’t deal with sin and problems now, they’ll dominate your life and continue to get worse until they completely destroy you. Pharaoh is a good example of procrastination because he said he would let the people go nine times, but didn’t. Not until after the final plague, which was the death of every Egyptian firstborn son — even the son of Pharaoh died.
It’s your decision whether to keep the frogs a little longer or get rid of them. Don’t delay another day! The Bible says that you can’t free yourself from sin without God’s help. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 KJV). God can do anything. He rolled the Red Sea back so the Israelites could cross on dry land, and then He caused it to return to normal and all the pursuing army of Pharaoh drowned. God will deliver you just as He delivered the Israelites from Egypt. God will remove the frogs, but He waits for your decision to trust Him.
The Bottom Line: It’s your move. You set the time. Will it be now or ….
Pastor Jimmy Tucker
(620) 223-1483
Diamond Community Church
2591 Jayhawk Road
10:45 a.m. Worship