When Fear Masquerades as Procrastination...

I’ve been working on a new project lately that has me excited and full of hope for the future! But there was a point this week where I caught myself procrastinating and pushing back working on a task for this project. I had no reason as to why; the task wasn’t difficult, but I could feel myself running away from it for some reason. So I sat with God to unpack what was going on, and He led me to Numbers 13-14. 

These chapters recount the time Moses sent some spies into the promised land to explore it and report back what they saw. When the spies came back with their report, they all noted that the land was everything God had promised: flowing with milk and honey, and rich with blessings.

But ten out of the twelve spies added things like:

“The people are giants, we can’t defeat them, and we’ll never survive…” (Numbers 13: 27-33).

Only Joshua and Caleb stood firm, reminding the Israelites that even though the people currently in the promised land were giants, because God was with the Israelites, they would be ok (Numbers 14:6-9). The fear of what was ahead kept the majority of the Israelites from stepping into the promise God had prepared for them. They let their doubts and insecurities hold them back from the very thing God wanted to give them.

And that’s when it hit me 🤯

My procrastination was me self-sabotaging and subconsciously talking myself out of doing what I knew needed to get done. I was being like the ten spies, focusing on the potential problems that needed to be "fixed" before moving forward, instead of leaning on the fact that God was with me, so there is nothing ahead to fear. 

If you’ve been working towards something that’s near and dear to your heart and find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the thought of it succeeding (thinking it'll be too big, too scary, and too much for you to handle), this is your reminder that just like Joshua and Caleb, you have a choice to either focus on the giant obstacles that may come, or on the God who’s bigger than them.  

➡️ Stop walking away from the opportunities God is placing in front of you.

➡️ Stop procrastinating on the ideas He’s planted in your heart.

➡️ Stop worrying about what others might think if you take a bold step of faith.

➡️ Stop feeling guilty for wanting to live the abundant life God has promised.

Yes, the path ahead might feel scary, but God didn’t call you to it so you could shrink back; He called you because He’s going to equip you. The same God who promised victory to Joshua and Caleb is with you, too, so here's your reminder for the week:

If the dreams you're working toward feel too big for you to handle, that's awesome because they fit the right criteria for God-sized dreams!

Surrender them to the Lord, trust Him to guide your steps, be obedient when He leads you, and remember that God is bigger than any obstacles that may come your way.