Don’t Let The Devil Run Out The Clock

“He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” (Ecc.11:4)

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

Here I am, on a working vacation in the mountains. Judy made me some great breakfast. I was on a zoom call, and my faithful dog Judah was waiting patiently for me to roll around on the fresh green grass and play fight with him.

Over the course of a few conversations with fellow entrepreneurs who are all wanting to make an impact with their lives through the vehicle of business that God has given them, a common thread emerged…

It was subtle, yet obvious once it was pointed out. It was so pervasive that it escaped direct observation. It’s like it wore an invisibility cloak which shielded it from view, but the very real impact was measurable and costly.

It robs you and I of the rewards we seek. Those rewards are made possible by the results of our efforts, (the fruit of our labor).

Those results are the fruit of our beliefs. Therein is the rub.

Our days are numbered. None of us know how many are allotted, but we do know that every day we live, is one less day we have left.

When I was young, it felt like there was no end in sight. I had all the time in the world. Or so it seemed. But now, I’m keenly aware of the clock ticking. Not because I’m expecting to be raptured any day, but because I know I’ll be leaving whether anyone comes with me or not. Same is true for you. We just don’t know when.

But we do know it’s certain.

And I have so much to accomplish. Destiny, like my dog Judah, waits patiently for me. And destiny waits for you as well.

Will you step into it with full throated gusto? Will you rip off the invisibility cloak of that thing holding you back, keeping you from fulfilling the mission God has invited you into?

The thing holding you back is a strategy of the evil one. Strategies aren’t seen. They’re felt. And that strategy has a name…

Delay.

Sometimes that delay is due to a technical issue or unplanned interruption. But so often the delay is simply the result of a choice…

A choice to do anything but THE THING that will move the ball down the field. And so often we choose that other thing because we believe something that is not true. We think we have more time than we do. I’m not speaking eschatologically, I’m speaking realistically in life terms. James reminds us… “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)

Sometimes it’s simply the paralysis of analysis that causes us to hesitate, to wait for a more favorable time. A lot of time it’s just busy work. It looks like you’re doing something, but in reality you’re just cleaning the football instead of carrying it down the field.

While you think you’re engaged in the game, the reality is, if you’re not moving the ball down the field, the devil has it in his hands and is occupying your mind and time with anything that will keep you from fulfilling the work, the destiny God has made available to you.

He is very aware of time and how short it is, and is simply trying to run out the clock…

By that I mean, he is intent on keeping you from scoring by any means possible, whether that be social media, a fixation on the news, a host of respectable looking but low yield activities – anything to keep you from making meaningful progress.

For just one day, do an honest inventory, accounting for your time in 15 minute blocks of what you actually put your effort into. Then ask how much it really contributed to the mission.

It usually contributes something which is why we persist in it, but what I encourage you to do, is ask these questions “What is the best use of my time right now? What will do more to advance my mission than anything else? What action will have the highest payoff today with respect to my mission?”

Back in July of 2015 I was asked to help a struggling commercial real estate company that only six months earlier had twelve agents, but had since dwindled down to just three – and they were looking for another job. I came on full time with one focus every day… What will bring the highest return today? What one thing, if accomplished will make the biggest difference and turn this company around?

The owner of the company wanted a turnaround so significant that he could rank high on the INC 500 list for fastest growing companies over a three year period. I knew the goal and every day, I focused on the activities that would move the ball further than any other activity.

Six months later, we were fully staffed, had grown 930% over the previous year and had a seven figure profit. After two more years of that simple practice, that company became the 16th fastest growing, privately held company in America on the INC 500 list with an 11,350% three year growth rate.

Too often we look for the new shiny object or strategy that will make all the difference, but if you study the lives of successful people, what they do is not particularly brilliant or some secret formula they followed.

They understand the value of time, and do everything they can to get the most out of the time they have. They don’t wait for conditions to be perfect. They know they will adapt if necessary, but nothing keeps them from doing what is going to bring the most return that day.

Solomon whose wealth makes Trump look like a beggar, instructs us to sow in the midst of uncertainty and reap even when darkness is approaching.

Do you see darkness approaching?

All the more reason to put the pedal to the metal. Solomon teaches to sow in the morning… In other words, don’t delay getting started. Quit hesitating. Quit making excuses for delay. And then, work till evening. In other words, make the most of your day.

Jesus was our model and in John 9:4, He said, “ I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”

Jesus knew His mission and time was short, so kept His focus sharp.

Paul warned in Ephesians 5:15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” He elaborates further in 2 Corinthians 6:2 “I tell you, NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOWis the day of salvation.”

What on earth are you waiting for? Certainty?

You’re not going to know with certainty what tomorrow holds, but you can have certainty (faith) that whatever comes your way, you can have the victory… “and this is the victory that conquers the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4)

As always, there is much more I’d like to share, but I’m about to meet with folks in my coaching and mastermind groups. We do that most Fridays at noon Eastern. If you’d like to learn more about what I share with the group, visit https://sellingamongwolves.com/

Have a beautiful focused day today.

Love and peace to you all!