Do it…! Just do it…! Do what?

I must have been confronting a decision or something I needed to do. I had a vision. Not in the sense of a trance or dream. Just as I knelt to pray, I saw myself take a long step, more like leapt over some gully or pit.

The picture was so clear even though it came in a flash. Then the Lord spoke to my heart, “All you need to do is to take a step.” He ministered to me that all I needed was to take a step of faith and other things would follow. The Lord was telling me to act even if it was just one step I took.

I have had a challenge. I frequently think from both sides of my brain- the logical and emotional sides. Let me put it that way. As a result, it sometimes took me time to act on vital issues.

I would have rationally thought it through and may even recognize it as divine direction to take. But then I would begin to think of its implications, of how it would affect others, especially those dear or close to me.

Consequently, something I was to act upon immediately could take me more than reasonable time in emotional considerations. This delay in taking action was a drawback.

I have come to learn by experience that action deferred can become destiny delayed. Thankfully, as it is said, when a problem is identified, it is fifty per cent solved. Though experience could be a good teacher, it is not the best one.

Acting on what God has prompted in your heart could be as simple as going to say, I am sorry, to your spouse or colleague. It could be proposing to a lady you want to marry, or getting close to a God-fearing potential husband. God forbid! Does God forbid that? Ruth did that without selling herself or her integrity, and it was a destiny-fulfiller for her. It could be making that phone call you have deferred for only God knows how long. It could be meeting with someone to discuss financing for a business plan you wrote long ago.

Acting on God’s prompting could be to begin making Akara (fried bean cakes) for sale to the public. Recently, I read the story of a man who became wealthy by selling Akara. He has built houses and now has several people under his employ.

While I do not subscribe to the philosophy that opportunity comes but once, I believe if you miss an opportunity, it could take quite some time before such opportunity presents again. But God will always make opportunity available to you. Believe me, He will. God is good.

What holds people back from acting? What gully do you have to take a leap over? There are some things I would call inertia factors.

The first of these is procrastination. I would do it first thing on Friday. In my case, I used to say, ‘in two weeks.’

The saying is true, ‘Procrastination is the thief of time.’ The greatest loss you can have is the loss of a resource that can never be replenished. And time is one of such resources. What is the cure for procrastination? DO IT NOW! You must begin to develop a do-it-now mindset. Just do it!

A second inertia factor is fear: fear of the unknown; fear of tomorrow; fear of failure; fear of success; fear of what people would say; fear of this and fear of that.

Fear is deadly! But you do not even have to be afraid of fear. Someone said, Fear is a coward, face it squarely and it would flee from you. What is it that you fear the most that has had you caged in petrified inaction?

God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. Face that fear, and act nevertheless.

A third inertia factor is discouraging advice from others. You tell someone, I believe God is leading me in this direction. “Don’t try it. You would drown in the process. I know so-so-and-so who did it, and it practically ruined him.”

I would be the last person to counsel you not to take advice from others. As much as possible, seek advice from competent persons. The Bible says, “In the multitude of counsel there is safety.”

Wise counsel is meant to help you accomplish your goals in safety. It should not stop you from doing what you know God wants you to do. It should show how to go about it; reveal possible pitfalls and how to avoid them. Wise counsel should encourage and motivate you and show you signposts on the road to success.

The greatest counsellor is the Holy Spirit. Get close to Him, He will lead you and show you the way you should go.

A final inertia factor I would discourse with you is laziness, the worst kind of which is mental laziness. Someone can be a ‘hard worker,’ but is mentally lazy. He does not think through!

The Bible has more than enough words for the slothful. I am sure you are not mentally lazy otherwise you would not have read this lengthy article up to this point.

The lazy person does not add value to what he has gotten, even though he may have gotten it through hard labour. He only perceives dangers he could face if he took action. He basically sees the problems in solutions and not solutions for problems. He always looks for the easy-way-out, short cuts and quick fixes. He practically sleeps his life away. Thankfully, you do not have a lazy mind.

Surely you can dream. Someone said, we ought to be building castles in the air, because we progress by the ideas we have.

Also you should be determined, have good intentions and even decide what it is you want to do. But if you do not act, you cannot and will not make progress. ACT! It is so simple, but it can make the difference between success and failure, and even life and death. 

What do you want to do this week? What do you want to do with your life? Will it positively impact people’s lives? Do it…! Just do it…! Do what? Take that leap of faith! ACT! You will be glad you did.

Thank you. Do not forget to keep living, loving and learning.

References:
Book of Ruth; 2 Timothy 1:7; Prov. 12:27; Prov. 22:13, 26:12; Prov. 6:9-11; Prov. 26:15.

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