The Delay Tactic

This week I’d like us to think about the Delay Tactic. To clarify what I mean I’ll provide an example. If you ever play strategy games then you know that sometimes to win you have to mess with your opponent’s head, make him doubt his choices, make him hesitate. Under such circumstances the goal is to keep your opponent from taking the action that would leave you vulnerable to him. By using deception and manipulation you get your opponent to act as you wish, not as he wishes.

While many of us are familiar with such tactics, we remain ignorant of how they are used against us daily. In the example I laid out above, the goal is to keep your opponent from acting. In the same way, the enemy seeks to keep us from acting on the things of God. This often comes in forms like not contacting someone God is telling you to, wanting to sleep for 30 more minutes, or waiting weeks to write this article. These may not seem like a big deal but that’s exactly why these tactics work so well on us. It’s like there’s this little voice in our heads saying “it can wait,“ or, “I can do it tomorrow.” Days go by, weeks, months, or even years.

For the examples above I’m guilty of all of them. Because I didn’t contact the person I was supposed to, it’s possible that I withheld some amount of healing for his soul. Because I slept in longer than I should have, I decided I didn’t want to rush to church and didn’t go, who knows who might’ve been encouraged by connecting with me. Because I waited weeks to write this, who knows how many people needed to hear it but didn’t.

The longer we let the enemy deceive us about the value of our actions, or the value of ourselves, the more we will withhold what we have to offer the world.

We have a responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Christ, and even to those outside of Christ, to act on what God places on our hearts. We are one body, and when one of us refuses to function all of us suffer! Each moment not pursuing what God has called you to is another moment that we are playing into the enemy’s hands.

Don’t hear what I’m not saying. Leisure, play, and rest are important. They can be restorative and in proper doses Godly. I felt the need to say this because the enemy will use anything he can to push us to one extreme or another, workaholism or laziness. If you fall prey to the delay tactic you could live a life that keeps your light from shining and keeps you from making any sort of impact for God. On the other hand, you could live a life that burns your light out. Shine brightly but dim occasionally to catch your breath.

After reading this you may feel like there’s something you’ve been putting off, something that you should do now.

Delay no further. Ignore the voice that says, “it’s too late to start now.“ That’s the enemy talking! Rarely is it ever actually “too late,” and if it is, resolve to act differently next time. Train yourself to be obedient to Christ. If he puts an encouraging word on your tongue speak it, if he puts someone on your heart reach out, and if he points out that you have free time to start that project he’s been telling you to, do it!

Here are a couple of tips to help you fight against the delay tactic:

·      Personally, I find that responsibility goes a long way. If I know that there are others counting on me to do what I’ve been putting off, I’m much more likely to do it. So, when you realize that you’re procrastinating take a few minutes to meditate on how others would benefit from your actions. For me, this creates a sense of duty that isn’t easily ignored.

·      It also helps to have a battle plan for your time, or simply put, a schedule. And this is where I leverage my values against myself. For example, I value other people’s perception of me as a productive member of society, but sometimes I have a hard time getting motivated. I find that I’m much more productive on days when I’m meeting somebody at some point. I work harder because I want to give others a positive report, I want to be respected.

·      Lastly, talk about it. Talking about it sets expectations. If you’re not talking about it, it’s too easy to brush it off.

While each of these tips can help remember that these are just practical ideas to set yourself up against the delay tactic. To effectively live out the things that God has called you to It takes continually turning your attention toward what pleases him, being concerned with his will and not your own.

Please comment below if:

·      You feel like God has spoken to them through this article.

·      You have any additional wisdom, ideas, or suggestions on how to fight the enemy regarding this topic.

·      You need prayer on this point.

·      You feel led to say something encouraging.