19 Bible Verses about Procrastination

Most Relevant Verses

Proverbs 6:2

You are taken as in a net by the words of your mouth, the sayings of your lips have overcome you.

Proverbs 6:4

Give no sleep to your eyes, or rest to them;

Ecclesiastes 11:3-4

If the clouds are full of rain, they send it down on the earth; and if a tree comes down to the south, or the north, in whatever place it comes down, there it will be. He who is watching the wind will not get the seed planted, and he who is looking at the clouds will not get in the grain.

Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise: Having no chief, overseer, or ruler, She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.

Exodus 22:29

Do not keep back your offerings from the wealth of your grain and your vines. The first of your sons you are to give to me.

Deuteronomy 23:21

When you take an oath to the Lord, do not be slow to give effect to it: for without doubt the Lord your God will make you responsible, and will put it to your account as sin

Proverbs 15:19

Thorns are round the way of the hater of work; but the road of the hard worker becomes a highway.

Proverbs 22:13

The hater of work says, There is a lion outside: I will be put to death in the streets.

Proverbs 26:13-15

The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed. The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.

Ecclesiastes 5:4

When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

Matthew 8:21-22

And another of the disciples said to him, Lord, let me first go and give the last honours to my father. But Jesus said to him, Come after me; and let the dead take care of their dead.

Matthew 25:1-12

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, the friends of the bride, who took their lights, and went out with the purpose of meeting the husband. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their lights, took no oil with them.read more.
But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lights. Now the husband was a long time in coming, and they all went to sleep. But in the middle of the night there is a cry, The husband comes! Go out to him. Then all those virgins got up, and made ready their lights. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lights are going out. But the wise made answer, saying, There may not be enough for us and you; it would be better for you to go to the traders and get oil for yourselves. And while they went to get oil, the master came; and those who were ready went in with him to the feast: and the door was shut. After that the other virgins came, saying, Lord, Lord, let us in. But he made answer and said, Truly I say to you, I have no knowledge of you.

Luke 9:59-62

And he said to another, Come after me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and give the last honours to my father. But he said to him, Let the dead take care of their dead; it is for you to go and give news of the kingdom of God. And another man said, I will come with you, Lord, but first let me say a last good-day to those who are at my house.read more.
But Jesus said, No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is good enough for the kingdom of God.

Matthew 19:16-22

And one came to him and said, Master, what good thing have I to do, so that I may have eternal life? And he said to him, Why are you questioning me about what is good? One there is who is good: but if you have a desire to go into life, keep the rules of the law. He says to him, Which? And Jesus said, Do not put anyone to death, Do not be untrue in married life, Do not take what is not yours, Do not give false witness,read more.
Give honour to your father and your mother: and, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself. The young man says to him, All these things have I done: what more is there? Jesus said to him, If you have a desire to be complete, go, get money for your property, and give it to the poor, and you will have wealth in heaven: and come after me. But hearing these words the young man went away sorrowing: for he had much property.

2 Corinthians 8:10-14

And in this I give my opinion: for it is to your profit, who were the first to make a start a year before, not only to do this, but to make clear that your minds were more than ready to do it. Then make the doing of it complete; so that as you had a ready mind, you may give effect to it as you are able. For if there is a ready mind, a man will have God's approval in the measure of what he has, and not of what he has not.read more.
And I am not saying this so that others may get off free, while the weight comes on you: But so that things may be equal; that from those things of which you have more than enough at the present time their need may be helped, and that if you are in any need they may be a help to you in the same way, making things equal.

Jeremiah 13:16

Give glory to the Lord your God, before he makes it dark, and before your feet are slipping on the dark mountains, and, while you are looking for a light, he makes it into deep dark, into black night.

From Thematic Bible


Procrastination » To be avoided in » Performance of vows

Ecclesiastes 5:4

When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

Deuteronomy 23:21

When you take an oath to the Lord, do not be slow to give effect to it: for without doubt the Lord your God will make you responsible, and will put it to your account as sin

Procrastination » Danger of, illustrated

Matthew 5:25

Come to an agreement quickly with him who has a cause against you at law, while you are with him on the way, for fear that he may give you up to the judge and the judge may give you to the police and you may be put into prison.

Luke 13:25

When the master of the house has got up, and the door has been shut, and you, still outside, give blows on the door, saying, Lord, let us in; he will make answer and say, I have no knowledge of where you come from.

Procrastination » Saints avoid

Psalm 119:60

I was quick to do your orders, and let no time be wasted.

Procrastination » Causes of » Family cares

Luke 9:61

And another man said, I will come with you, Lord, but first let me say a last good-day to those who are at my house.

Procrastination » Motives for avoiding » The present the accepted time

Procrastination » Motives for avoiding » The present the best time

Procrastination » To be avoided in » Glorifying God

Jeremiah 13:16

Give glory to the Lord your God, before he makes it dark, and before your feet are slipping on the dark mountains, and, while you are looking for a light, he makes it into deep dark, into black night.

Procrastination » Motives for avoiding » The uncertainty of life

Procrastination » Causes of » Worldly entanglements

Procrastination » Exemplified

Procrastination » To be avoided in » Keeping God's commandments

Psalm 119:60

I was quick to do your orders, and let no time be wasted.

Procrastination » To be avoided in » Making offerings to God

Exodus 22:29

Do not keep back your offerings from the wealth of your grain and your vines. The first of your sons you are to give to me.

Procrastination » To be avoided in » Hearkening to God

Psalm 95:7-8

For he is our God; and we are the people to whom he gives food, and the sheep of his flock. Today, if you would only give ear to his voice! Let not your hearts be hard, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the waste land;

Procrastination » Instances of » Elisha

1 Kings 19:20-21

And letting the oxen be where they were, he came running after Elijah, and said, Only let me give a kiss to my father and mother, and then I will come after you. But he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you? And he went back, and took the oxen and put them to death, and cooking their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, he gave the people a feast. Then he got up and went after Elijah and became his servant.

Procrastination » Condemned by Christ

Luke 9:59-62

And he said to another, Come after me. But he said, Lord, let me first go and give the last honours to my father. But he said to him, Let the dead take care of their dead; it is for you to go and give news of the kingdom of God. And another man said, I will come with you, Lord, but first let me say a last good-day to those who are at my house. read more.
But Jesus said, No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is good enough for the kingdom of God.

Procrastination » To be avoided in » Seeking God

Procrastination » Exemplified » Felix

Acts 24:25

And while he was talking about righteousness and self-control and the judging which was to come, Felix had great fear and said, Go away for the present, and when the right time comes I will send for you.

Procrastination » Causes of » Personal convenience

Acts 24:25

And while he was talking about righteousness and self-control and the judging which was to come, Felix had great fear and said, Go away for the present, and when the right time comes I will send for you.

Procrastination » Causes of » Unbelief

Acts 17:32

Now on hearing about the coming back from death, some of them made sport of it, but others said, Let us go more fully into this another time.

Procrastination » Instances of » Pharaoh

Exodus 8:10

And he said, By tomorrow. And he said, Let it be as you say: so that you may see that there is no other like the Lord our God.

Procrastination » Instances of » Esther

Esther 5:8

If I have the king's approval, and if it is the king's pleasure to give me my prayer and do my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast which I will make ready for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.

Salvation » Neglect of » Procrastination

Acts 24:25

And while he was talking about righteousness and self-control and the judging which was to come, Felix had great fear and said, Go away for the present, and when the right time comes I will send for you.

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Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain