🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ Procrastination + Comfort = Callus Hearts

Scripture: Isaiah 55:6–7 KJV

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Devotion

Procrastination and comfort have hindered people from experiencing many of life’s blessings!

Procrastination is a trick that causes people to waste all of their time up and never do what they said they were going to do.

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“I’ll start next week.”

“I’ll get serious about it later.”

“I’ve got plenty of time.”

But you keep putting off until tomorrow what you could do today, and somehow…

“TOMORROW” NEVER COMES.

😮‍💨

Here’s the problem:

TIME IS NOT WAITING ON YOU TO MAKE A MOVE.

While you’re sitting there thinking about doing it…

Time is moving.

While you’re waiting for the perfect moment…

Time is moving.

While you’re saying, “One day…”

TIME IS STILL MOVING!

Have you ever put something off for so long that you ended up missing the opportunity altogether?

Maybe you were going to apply for something.

Make the phone call.

Fill out the application.

Take the trip.

Go back to school.

Apologize.

Start the business.

Fix the relationship.

But you kept saying:

“I’ll do it later.”

Then when you finally decided to move…

The opportunity was gone.

And the frustrating part is knowing:

Had I done it when I said I was going to do it, I wouldn’t have missed it.

Whewww! 😮‍💨

Now let’s bring this into something much more serious.

YOUR SOUL SALVATION AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD ARE NOT OPPORTUNITIES YOU WANT TO MISS!

😬😮‍💨

WHEWWWW!

Just the thought of missing it is a bit scary if you really think about it.

This isn’t procrastinating about cleaning your closet.

This isn’t putting off an oil change.

This isn’t forgetting to send an email.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT YOUR SOUL.

And there are people who keep telling God:

“Later.”

“I’ll get serious about God when I get older.”

“I’ll start reading my Bible.”

“I’ll pray more.”

“I’ll go back to church eventually.”

“I know I need to change.”

“I know I need to stop doing this.”

“I know I need to get myself together.”

But when?

How many tomorrows are you assuming you have?

🙏🏽😮‍💨

And procrastination has a partner that can make this even more dangerous:

COMFORT.

The Bible teaches us to be content, but contentment does not mean becoming spiritually stagnant.

There is a difference between being grateful for where God has you and parking yourself there and refusing to grow.

Some people have become comfortable with:

Saying a quick prayer every now and then.

Doing the bare minimum.

Knowing God exists but not walking with Him.

Religiously going to church just to say they went.

Knowing of God without really knowing God.

Remaining in sinful ways with their legs crossed…

CHILLING. 😮‍💨

Being comfortable with no change.

No spiritual growth.

No self-examination.

No repentance.

No desire to become better.

And once you get comfortable enough…

Church isn’t that important anymore.

You don’t have to go.

You’ve been doing “alright” without reading your Bible, so you don’t really see the need.

Prayer becomes something you do primarily when something goes wrong.

Serving God feels like too much effort.

Seeking Him feels inconvenient.

Changing feels uncomfortable.

Sacrifice?

Definitely not.

But…

👀

YOU STILL WANT THE BLESSINGS!

Oh yes! 😂😮‍💨

You still want God to protect you.

Bless you.

Heal you.

Provide for you.

Open doors.

Keep your children.

Fix your marriage.

Give you the job.

Increase your finances.

And when you finally decide to pray…

You want Him to move QUICKLY!

Whewww! 😮‍💨

We want God available to us at all times while becoming increasingly unavailable to Him.

My, my, my.

So how does a person get to the place where they can procrastinate about God and become comfortable not fully living for Him?

A CALLUS HEART.

🙏🏽😕

A callus develops after repeated friction and pressure until an area that was once sensitive becomes harder and less sensitive.

And spiritually, something similar can happen.

You keep ignoring conviction.

Ignore it again.

Ignore it again.

God tells you to change something.

Later.

He tells you to let something go.

Later.

You feel the pull to pray.

Later.

You know you need to seek Him.

Later.

Eventually, what once bothered you…

doesn’t bother you as much anymore.

What once convicted you…

barely moves you.

What once made you run to God…

you can now sit comfortably in.

😢

YOU HAVE BECOME NUMB.

We see numbness happening in everyday life.

Think about how frequently we hear about people being murdered.

There was a time when hearing about a murder could shake an entire community.

Now violence has become so common that someone can see another report of somebody being killed and say:

“That’s a shame.”

And within 60 seconds…

Scroll.

Next video.

Next post.

Next subject.

Not because human life has become less valuable.

We have become accustomed to seeing it.

We have become numb.

And something similar can happen spiritually.

This is the part that really concerns me.

PENTECOST CAN BE HAPPENING ALL AROUND YOU… AND YOU CAN MISS IT.

😭😭😭

The power of God’s presence can be changing people’s lives that you are in the SAME ROOM WITH.

Somebody beside you is crying out to God.

Somebody is repenting.

Somebody is being delivered.

Somebody is receiving strength.

Somebody’s heart is being changed.

Somebody is encountering God.

And you’re sitting right there…

UNMOVED.

Not because God isn’t powerful.

Not because He can’t see you.

Not because He can’t heal you.

Not because He can’t deliver you.

Not because He can’t touch you.

BUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE BECOME NUMB!

😢😢😢

Whewwww, Lord!

And that is right where the enemy wants you.

Because if he can keep you spiritually numb, he doesn’t have to convince you that God isn’t real.

He just needs you comfortable enough not to seek Him.

He doesn’t have to make you hate church.

Just get you comfortable enough not to go.

He doesn’t have to make you throw your Bible away.

Just get you comfortable enough not to read it.

He doesn’t have to stop you from believing in prayer.

Just convince you that you’ll pray later.

He doesn’t even have to convince you to reject Jesus outright.

Just keep whispering:

“YOU HAVE TIME.”

😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

Meanwhile, you keep missing what God wants to do in your life.

But sisters and brothers, THE LORD WANTS YOU!

He wants to save you.

He wants to deliver you.

He wants to make you better.

He wants to draw you closer.

He wants to transform your heart.

He wants you to experience Him FOR REAL!

GET OUT OF YOUR SEAT OF COMFORT AND LET HIM!

🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

HALLELUJAH, GOD!

For You are able to do anything…

IF WE LET YOU IN!

Now look at today’s Scripture.

Isaiah says:

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.”

That doesn’t sound casual to me.

That sounds like URGENCY.

SEEK THE LORD NOW!

Isaiah was speaking God’s invitation to people who needed to leave their wicked ways and return to Him. In the larger setting of Isaiah’s message, God’s people had experienced the devastating consequences of rebellion and idolatry, and Isaiah points them toward God’s promised restoration.

And here’s the problem that repeatedly plagued God’s people:

They wanted God’s blessings while holding onto things that competed with their devotion to God.

And before we judge them too quickly…

👀

Somebody might say:

“Well, I don’t worship idols.”

Are you sure?

An idol doesn’t have to be a little statue sitting in your living room.

Your money can become an idol when financial gain matters more than obedience to God.

Your career can become an idol when success gets the devotion God doesn’t receive.

Your relationship can become an idol when you will disobey God to keep somebody.

Your children can become idols when they occupy a place in your heart that belongs to God.

Your phone and social media can become idols when you can scroll for three hours but can’t give God fifteen intentional minutes.

Your comfort can become an idol when you refuse anything God asks because it requires sacrifice.

And here’s a big one:

YOU CAN BECOME YOUR OWN IDOL.

When “what I want” consistently matters more than “what God said,” who is really sitting on the throne?

WHEWWWWWW! 😮‍💨🔥

So Isaiah raises the alarm:

“SEEK YE THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND!”

Not eventually.

Not when life falls apart.

Not when you’re older.

Not when you’re finished doing everything you want to do.

Not when serving God finally becomes convenient.

NOW!

And I need you to hear the seriousness of this:

GOD’S LOVE DOESN’T RUN OUT, BUT YOUR OPPORTUNITIES TO RESPOND DO.

😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

Our lives are not unlimited.

Tomorrow is not promised.

Conviction should not be treated casually.

When God is drawing you…

RESPOND.

When He is calling you…

ANSWER.

When He is convicting you…

REPENT.

When He is telling you to seek Him…

SEEK HIM!

Isaiah wasn’t trying to condemn people without hope.

He was raising awareness because GOD WANTED TO HELP THEM!

Look at verse 7:

“…let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

THERE’S THE GOOD NEWS!

God is saying:

COME BACK!

You haven’t gone too far for His mercy.

You haven’t procrastinated so long that you should just give up.

If you’re reading this and you realize,

“I’ve gotten comfortable.”

Come back.

“I’ve been spiritually numb.”

Come back.

“I’ve been putting God off.”

Come back.

“I’ve been doing the bare minimum.”

Come back.

“I’ve been holding onto sin.”

Forsake it and COME BACK!

Because the same God who says seek Me now also says He will have mercy and abundantly pardon.

WHEWWWW! 🙌🏽🔥

But don’t read this devotion, feel convicted for five minutes, and then say:

“I’ll work on it tomorrow.”

😮‍💨

Did you hear anything I just said?! 😂

STOP PROCRASTINATING!

Start getting closer to God TODAY.

Open your Bible today.

Pray today.

Repent today.

Forgive today.

Turn away from what God has been telling you to leave today.

Seek Him TODAY.

Tomorrow, we’re going to continue with Part 2 of Isaiah’s message.

But don’t wait for Part 2 to respond to Part 1.

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🔥

Reflect & Respond

Be honest with yourself:

Have I become comfortable with giving God the bare minimum?

What has God been telling me to do that I keep putting off until “tomorrow”?

Have things that once convicted me stopped bothering me?

Am I truly walking with God; or have I simply become comfortable knowing of Him?

And the hardest question:

HAS MY HEART BECOME CALLOUS TOWARD GOD?

Don’t defend yourself.

Don’t make excuses.

Don’t procrastinate.

If God is showing you something right now…

RESPOND RIGHT NOW.

Prayer

Father God, I hear Your Word today, and I don’t want to keep putting You off.

Please forgive me for every time I have said “later” when You were calling me now.

Forgive me for becoming comfortable with the bare minimum.

Forgive me for the times I wanted Your blessings without wanting the responsibility of truly walking with You.

Lord, deliver me from a callous heart.

If I have become spiritually numb, make my heart sensitive to You again.

If I have ignored Your conviction so many times that I barely recognize it anymore, wake me up!

Break through my comfort.

Break through my excuses.

Break through my procrastination.

Show me every idol I have allowed to compete with You, even the ones I haven’t recognized as idols.

I don’t want to be in the room where You are moving and be too numb to respond.

I don’t want Your presence changing everybody around me while I remain comfortable and unchanged.

TOUCH ME, LORD!

🙌🏽😭

Give me a hunger for Your Word again.

Give me a desire to pray again.

Give me a desire to worship You.

Give me the courage to repent.

Give me the strength to obey.

Give me a heart that seeks You while You may be found and calls upon You while You are near.

Thank You for Your mercy.

Thank You for Your patience.

Thank You for allowing me another opportunity to respond to You.

I don’t want to keep saying tomorrow.

I CHOOSE TO SEEK YOU TODAY.

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏽🔥