5 Minutes Bible Study - Haste Is The Parents Of Most Mistakes Video

HASTE IS THE PARENT OF MOST MISTAKES by Dr. Harold Sala
The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Then the LORD said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh and say, Will I really have a child, now that I am old? Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son. Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, I did not laugh. But he said, Yes, you did laugh. Genesis 18:13-15

Haste is the parent of nine-tenths of our mistakes! How's that for a rather bold statement? If you doubt it, stop to think for a few minutes of some of the goofs that you made, all of which could have been avoided had you only taken a little more time. It may have been a business deal when that fast‑talking salesman convinced you that if you signed the contract the same evening, you would get an extra set of dishes thrown in for free, but those free dishes were costly. Again, it could have been a marriage that you jumped into before you were ready. Marry in haste; repent in leisure is the sign over a church door in Amsterdam. I think you will tend to agree that haste is the parent of most of our mistakes in life.

I know that one of our listeners will agree. He was living in another country when a camera was stolen out of his home, and he quickly reported the theft to the police who apprehended the two young men that were suspected. But four days later, it was discovered that the camera hadn't really been stolen; it had been misplaced. But the interrogation of the police along with some physical persuasion forever ruined the possibility of that individuals ever reaching those young men with the Gospel.

Another acquaintance of mine would tend to agree with my premise. He was riding on a crowded bus when he felt the bus lurch to one side, and as he did so a man standing next to him bumped into him. Instinctively he reached for his wallet in his hip pocket. It was gone, and he was sure that at the moment the bus lurched, the man standing next to him had neatly picked his pocket and that the wallet would be tucked in the folds of the newspaper. He yelled, "I've been pickpocketed!" and he grabbed the man standing next to him. The two were soon joined by other riders who wanted to make sure that the thief didnt get away. Police arrived, and the man was thoroughly searched, but the wallet was nowhere to be found.

Later the wallet did show up. A very red‑faced and embarrassed bus rider found it on his dresser when he got home that night. It was right where he had put it the night before. Remember, haste is the parent of nine-tenths of our mistakes. We jump to conclusions without finding out the facts. We say things which we later regret because we just couldn't hold it in, and then we are sorry. "He who rules his spirit," wrote the writer of Proverbs, "is better than he who takes a city". Again, Proverbs 14:29 says, "He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding, but he that is hasty of spirit exalts folly."

If you are in doubt, don't... If there is a question, wait, "because waiting is not weakness, nor is it vacillation. When you include God in your deliberation, waiting becomes strength of character. It gives you time to think through issues, to consider the options, to determine what you really need to do. "Wait on the Lord," says Isaiah 40:31, "for they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Before you make the decision confronting you, pray about the situation, asking God to show you clearly what to do. Then, when the direction is clear, move ahead and carry out the conviction you sense within.

The Bible is replete with examples of men and women who could not wait—from Esau, who sold his birthright, to Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament. Those who couldn't wait often had a lifetime to repent. Don't add your name to the list of those who acted impulsively and then had a lifetime to regret their folly. Truly, haste is the parent of nine tenths of our mistakes.

Resource reading: Proverbs 14