The Devil’s Favorite Word: Tomorrow
Key Passage: Proverbs 27:1 — “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
The devil does not always need a man to say no to God if he can get him to say tomorrow. Tomorrow sounds so reasonable. Tomorrow sounds respectable. Tomorrow does not look like rebellion at first glance. It does not shake its fist at heaven, curse the Bible, mock the blood, or announce itself as wickedness. Tomorrow speaks softly. Tomorrow says, “I will get right later.” Tomorrow says, “I will pray when things calm down.” Tomorrow says, “I will witness when I feel more prepared.” Tomorrow says, “I will forgive after I have had time.” Tomorrow says, “I will obey when the season is better.” Tomorrow says, “I will be saved someday.” Tomorrow says, “I know this is true, but not now.” And while tomorrow is talking, today slips out the back door, conviction cools, opportunity passes, the heart hardens, and the devil smiles because he got the same result as open rebellion without all the bad publicity.
Proverbs 27:1 says, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” That verse is a loaded pistol pointed at every procrastinating sinner and every delaying saint. God does not merely tell us that tomorrow is uncertain; He tells us not to boast about it. A man boasting of tomorrow is pretending he has ownership over a day he has never seen. That is arrogance dressed up as planning. There is nothing wrong with wise planning. The Bible is not against diligence, preparation, stewardship, or setting things in order. But there is a world of difference between planning under God and presuming upon time. James 4:13-15 warns the businessman who says, “To day or to morrow we will go into such a city,” and then reminds him, “ye know not what shall be on the morrow.” Life is “even a vapour.” The wise man says, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” The fool says, “I have time.”
Delay is one of the most successful weapons in hell’s arsenal because it rarely feels dangerous while it is happening. A person usually does not feel himself becoming harder in the moment. He just puts off obedience one more time. He does not feel the door closing; he just ignores one more knock. He does not feel the conscience searing; he just smothers one more conviction. He does not feel the grave getting closer; he just assumes another day will be handed to him like all the days before. The devil’s favorite word is tomorrow because tomorrow keeps men from dealing with God today. It keeps lost men from salvation, saved men from obedience, backsliders from repentance, wounded men from forgiveness, fearful men from witnessing, distracted men from prayer, and called men from stepping into the work God put before them. Tomorrow is a beautiful word when used under God’s will. It is a deadly word when used to avoid God’s command.
Chapter One
Tomorrow Is the Language of Presumption
Presumption is the sin of acting like God owes you another day. It is not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes it is just the quiet assumption that you will have later to do what God told you to do now. Proverbs 27:1 says, “Boast not thyself of to morrow.” Why? “For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” You do not know what tomorrow contains. You do not know whether tomorrow will bring health or sickness, peace or disaster, opportunity or loss, another breath or a coffin. You do not know whether the person you plan to call later will still be there. You do not know whether the door you plan to walk through later will still be open. You do not know whether the conviction you plan to obey later will still be tender. Man is very bold for someone whose heartbeat is on loan.
The rich fool in Luke 12 is the classic picture of presumption. He had plenty, planned bigger barns, and said to his soul, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.” Many years. That is the language of a fool who forgot he was mortal. He thought his barns were full enough to secure his future, but God said, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” Not many years. This night. He had plans for tomorrow, but God had an appointment for tonight. His mistake was not having a harvest. His mistake was thinking abundance gave him authority over time. He planned for storage and forgot judgment. He prepared barns and neglected his soul. That is not ancient history. That is modern man with better insurance and a retirement account.
Presumption is especially dangerous when it becomes religious. A man says, “I know I need to get saved.” Then why not now? “I know I need to get right.” Then why not now? “I know I need to forgive.” Then why not now? “I know I need to start reading my Bible.” Then why not now? “I know I need to stop that sin.” Then why not now? The flesh always wants to schedule obedience for a day it does not control. Tomorrow becomes a religious storage closet where men place every command they do not want to obey today. The trouble is that God never promised the closet would still be there when they get around to opening it.
Chapter Two
Tomorrow Makes Conviction Feel Less Urgent
Conviction is one of God’s mercies. When the word of God cuts, when the Spirit of God presses truth on the conscience, when a verse follows a man around like a hound, when preaching lands too close for comfort, when the heart knows, “That is me,” that is mercy. It may not feel pleasant, but it is mercy. The worst thing that can happen to a man is not that conviction troubles him. The worst thing is when conviction leaves him alone. A tender conscience is a blessing. A seared conscience is a judgment. Tomorrow is dangerous because it teaches a man how to put conviction to sleep without obeying it.
Felix is one of the great warnings in Scripture. Paul reasoned before him of “righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come,” and Acts 24:25 says Felix trembled. That is a serious response. The man was shaken. He was not bored. He was not indifferent. He felt something under the preaching. But instead of responding rightly, he said, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” There it is: tomorrow in royal clothing. Felix did not say Paul was wrong. He did not say judgment was false. He did not say righteousness did not matter. He simply postponed the matter to a “convenient season.” The text never records that the season came. That is how tomorrow works. It promises a convenient season while quietly burying today’s conviction.
Every delayed conviction gets easier to delay again. The first time God deals with a man, the heart may tremble. The second time, he knows how to change the subject. The third time, he has a refined excuse. The fourth time, he can sit through the same truth and feel much less. That is not growth. That is hardening. The devil does not mind a man getting emotional under truth if he can keep him from obeying truth. Tears without obedience can become part of the anesthesia. A man cries, feels relieved, does nothing, and calls it spiritual. But if conviction does not lead to repentance, confession, faith, or obedience, it can become one more rejected witness. Tomorrow takes the sharp edge off conviction until the sinner can handle truth like a man handling a dull knife.
Chapter Three
Tomorrow Keeps Lost Men Out of Christ
There is no more dangerous use of tomorrow than delaying salvation. Second Corinthians 6:2 says, “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Not later. Not someday. Not when you are older. Not after you have had your fun. Not after you clean yourself up. Not after you understand every question in theology. Not after your family approves. Not after your pride finds a way to stay alive. Now. The gospel does not call sinners to admire Christ at a distance while they schedule salvation for a more convenient hour. It commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 16:31 does not say, “Think about believing next year.” It says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
Agrippa said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Almost is tomorrow’s cousin. Almost is close enough to feel respectable and far enough to stay lost. The man who says, “I will be saved later,” is gambling with a soul he cannot afford to lose and a life he cannot control. He assumes he will want Christ later. He assumes he will have clarity later. He assumes he will have another opportunity later. He assumes the Spirit of God will deal with him in the same way later. He assumes death will not come first. He assumes judgment can be postponed because he has unfinished business with the world. That is a fool’s bargain. Hell is filled with people who intended to get serious someday.
The devil loves religious delay because it lets a lost man feel like he has not fully rejected Christ. He says, “I am not against the gospel. I just need more time.” More time for what? More time to sin? More time to harden? More time to collect excuses? More time to sit under light and reject it? The thief on the cross did not have years of discipleship, but he believed while he could. The rich man in hell had plenty of regret, but no second chance. A sinner does not need to know everything to be saved. He needs to know he is guilty, Christ is sufficient, the blood has been shed, the resurrection is real, and the gospel is true. Tomorrow is the devil’s lullaby to the almost-persuaded. Now is God’s word to the sinner.
Chapter Four
Tomorrow Keeps Saved Men from Obedience
The devil cannot send a saved man to hell, so he works to keep him fruitless, delayed, distracted, and disobedient. Tomorrow is useful there too. A believer says, “I know I need to pray more.” Tomorrow. “I know I need to open my Bible consistently.” Tomorrow. “I know I need to witness to that person.” Tomorrow. “I know I need to get out of that habit.” Tomorrow. “I know I need to deal with that bitterness.” Tomorrow. “I know I need to serve.” Tomorrow. “I know I need to obey what God showed me.” Tomorrow. By the time tomorrow has had its way, a Christian can spend years knowing what he should do and never doing it.
James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” That verse takes delayed obedience out of the neutral zone and puts it under the word sin. If you know the good and refuse it, even politely, even quietly, even with reasonable explanations, God knows what it is. Christians love to think in terms of sins they committed, but James reaches into the sins they omitted. Prayer neglected. Witness withheld. Forgiveness delayed. Duty ignored. Truth unspoken. Help not given. Bible unread. Fellowship avoided. Sin unconfessed. Light postponed. Tomorrow becomes a warehouse full of omitted obedience, and God has the inventory.
Saved people can become experts at sanctified procrastination. They call it waiting for peace, seeking confirmation, needing balance, praying about it, wanting the right timing, or not wanting to rush. Sometimes those phrases are legitimate. Often they are perfume on disobedience. If God has not shown you the next step, wait. But if God has shown you the step and you are waiting for the flesh to stop objecting, you are not being spiritual. The flesh never approves the will of God. Obedience is often inconvenient, uncomfortable, and costly. That is why tomorrow is so attractive. It lets a believer feel obedient in theory while remaining disobedient in practice.
Chapter Five
Tomorrow Lets Sin Grow Roots
Sin rarely stays the same size while a man delays dealing with it. It grows. It spreads. It deepens. It hardens. The habit that could have been judged early becomes a stronghold. The bitterness that could have been confessed becomes a root. The lust that could have been starved becomes an appetite. The lie that could have been corrected becomes a life structure. The pride that could have been humbled becomes a personality. The compromise that could have been stopped becomes normal. Tomorrow gives sin time to move from a visitor to a tenant, then from a tenant to a landlord.
Hebrews 3:13 warns about being “hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Sin deceives. It does not walk in saying, “I am here to harden you, steal your joy, ruin your testimony, and choke your usefulness.” It says, “Just this once.” Then it says, “You can deal with it later.” Then it says, “It is not that serious.” Then it says, “You have already gone this far.” Then it says, “You cannot change now.” Tomorrow is one of sin’s favorite fertilizers. Every delay gives the root another inch. Every excuse gives the habit another defense. Every postponed confession makes the next confession harder.
This is why immediate confession matters. First John 1:9 is not there so a believer can play games with sin. It is there so fellowship can be restored when sin is judged honestly. The longer a believer delays confession, the more tangled the matter becomes. David delayed after his sin with Bathsheba, and the silence ate at him. Psalm 32 speaks of his bones waxing old through his roaring all the day long. Delay did not make the sin lighter. It made the soul heavier. The devil tells Christians that confession will be humiliating. Maybe so. But hiding sin is more costly. Tomorrow may spare your pride today, but it will charge interest tomorrow.
Chapter Six
Tomorrow Steals Opportunities That Do Not Return
Some opportunities are seasonal. They do not stay open forever. A person may be reachable today and hardened tomorrow. A door may be open today and shut tomorrow. A child may listen today and be gone tomorrow. A church may have a moment to stand today and lose the chance tomorrow. A conversation may happen once and never come again. A burden may be fresh today and neglected into numbness tomorrow. The devil loves delay because he knows opportunity has a shelf life. He knows that “later” often means “lost.”
Paul tells believers in Ephesians 5:16 to be “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Redeeming the time means buying up the opportunity. It means treating time as something precious, limited, and slipping away. Modern people waste time like it comes in endless crates from heaven. They scroll it away, complain it away, worry it away, entertain it away, and then tell God they have no time for the things that matter. That is a lie. People find time for what they value. Tomorrow is often what a man says when God touches something he does not value enough today.
The tragedy is that some doors do not reopen. Esau found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Israel missed moments of obedience and wandered. Jerusalem had a visitation it did not recognize. Judas had years beside Christ and still walked out into the night. Felix wanted a convenient season. Agrippa was almost persuaded. Opportunity is a mercy, not an entitlement. When God gives a chance to obey, speak, repent, believe, forgive, serve, or stand, the wise man moves. The fool schedules it for a day he may never own.
Chapter Seven
The Cure for Tomorrow Is Obedience Today
The cure for the devil’s favorite word is not a dramatic speech about someday. It is obedience today. Psalm 119:60 says, “I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.” That is the right spirit. “I made haste.” Not frantic emotionalism, but prompt obedience. When God gives light, walk in it. When God gives conviction, respond to it. When God shows sin, confess it. When God opens a door, enter it. When God gives a duty, do it. When God says now, do not answer with tomorrow. Tomorrow may be fine for appointments and errands. It is deadly when used against God.
This requires humility because the flesh loves delay. The flesh wants to negotiate. It wants one more day, one more excuse, one more indulgence, one more emotional preparation, one more sign, one more conversation, one more convenient season. The flesh is never ready to obey God. Stop waiting for it to feel ready. Walk in the Spirit. Obedience often begins before the emotions catch up. You may not feel like forgiving, witnessing, praying, confessing, studying, serving, or separating, but feelings are not final authority. The question is not, “Do I feel ready?” The question is, “What did God say?”
Today is where Christian life is actually lived. Not yesterday, which is gone. Not tomorrow, which is not promised. Today. Hebrews 3:15 says, “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” That is one of the great divine words: today. The devil says tomorrow. God says today. The devil says later. God says now. The devil says wait until it is easier. God says obey while the light is shining. If a man wants victory over delay, he must stop admiring obedience from a distance and take the step God has put in front of him. The Christian life is not built on intentions. It is built on faith and obedience.
Conclusion
The devil’s favorite word is tomorrow because it sounds harmless while it murders urgency. It keeps lost men from Christ and saved men from obedience. It calms conviction without curing sin. It makes rebellion feel polite. It lets people believe they are not saying no when they are refusing to say yes. Proverbs 27:1 warns us plainly: “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” No man owns tomorrow. No sinner can promise he will have another chance. No Christian can guarantee the same opportunity will return. Time is not a possession; it is a stewardship.
Delay is dangerous because hearts harden, sin grows, opportunities pass, conviction fades, and life is uncertain. A man may plan to get saved later and die tonight. A believer may plan to get right later and lose years of fruit. A parent may plan to speak later and find the child no longer listening. A servant may plan to obey later and discover the door has closed. Tomorrow has buried more intentions than anyone can count. Hell has heard countless sermons that began, “I meant to.” The judgment seat of Christ will expose many lives filled with things Christians knew they should have done and never did.
So the answer is simple and sharp: obey God today. Believe the gospel today. Confess sin today. Forgive today. Pray today. Open the Bible today. Witness today. Serve today. Make it right today. Walk in the light today. If God has spoken by His word, do not answer Him with the devil’s favorite word. Tomorrow belongs to the Lord. Today is the only field you can plough. Today is the only battle you can fight. Today is the only obedience you can render. The devil says, “Tomorrow.” God says, “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”