By Rev. Dr. Sam Oye
“The lazy man says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!’” — Proverbs 22:13
Excuse-makers never become history-makers—they often become destiny-wasters. No man ever rose to greatness riding on the back of excuses.
You cannot embrace excuses and command extraordinary results. Opening the door to a life full of excuses is shutting the door against your future possibilities. Those who are skilled at crafting excuses are rarely found making great impact in life. You cannot embrace a lifestyle of excuses and expect to manifest extraordinary results.
Excuses drain potential, delay progress, and destroy destiny. Run away from and avoid intimate relationship with those who have mastered the art of glorifying their reasons for failure and embellish their failures with sophisticated explanations; their mindset is contagious and their influence is corrosive—they will poison your drive, dilute your vision, and derail your future.
If you’re serious about rising, surround yourself with those who take responsibility, not those who take refuge in excuses.
Excuses are not harmless—they are assassins of potential, saboteurs of purpose, and the graveyards of potential great men. They don’t simply delay obedience; they dismantle destiny. They don’t merely express hesitation; they empower stagnation.
An excuse is a decision to stay small.
It is a choice to opt out of fruitfulness while appearing to sound wise. God doesn’t anoint an excuse or bless an excuse giver, he corrects them first before using them.
Excuses sound noble but deliver nothing. They explain inactivity, validate fear, and empower inertia.
It’s time to shut down every internal justification and shift into bold execution. You don’t need more reasons—you need more results.
- Excuses Justify Disobedience – Obedience Unlocks Dominion
Excuses are polished disobedience in religious vocabulary.
They allow you to talk around the instruction without carrying it out.
God will never multiply what you disobey.
When you hide behind explanations, you shut down execution.
When you stall your obedience, you forfeit increase.
“But the one who had received the one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money… ‘I was afraid, so I hid it.’” — Matthew 25:25
Excuses don’t protect you—they paralyze you.
They keep you circling in the wilderness while others take cities.
- Excuses Magnify Limitations – Faith Activates Possibility
Every time you rehearse your weakness, you shrink your faith.
Excuses inflate your insufficiency while minimizing divine sufficiency.
You don’t need all the strength—you just need enough trust to take the next step.
Gideon downplayed himself. Moses disqualified himself.
Jeremiah dismissed himself. And each time, God overruled their excuses with a commission.
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’… You must go to everyone I send you.” — Jeremiah 1:7
When you talk yourself out of obedience, you walk yourself out of destiny.
You don’t lack capability—you lack conviction.
- Excuses Create Delay – Execution Accelerates Destiny
Excuses are spiritual speed breakers.
They block the flow of divine timing and clog the path to fulfillment.
Every day you delay is a day you deny your fruitfulness.
Destiny doesn’t respond to passivity—it rewards momentum.
You can plan, prepare, and pontificate forever, but until you execute, nothing moves.
“How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land…?” — Joshua 18:3
Stop putting off obedience and start putting on action.
The longer you excuse, the longer you exclude yourself from expansion.
- Excuses Protect Laziness – Diligence Commands Multiplication
Excuses often cover up what we don’t want to confront: slothfulness.
It’s easier to spiritualize delay than to discipline ourselves for action.
But heaven doesn’t reward intentions—it multiplies execution.
When you put off stewardship, you turn off supernatural supply.
God multiplies what you manage—not what you ignore.
“A little sleep, a little slumber… and poverty will come upon you like a bandit.” — Proverbs 24:33–34
Multiplication is not for the lazy; it is for the diligent.
You don’t stumble into fruitfulness—you work your field and watch God breathe on it.
- Excuses Preserve Comfort – Multiplication Requires Confrontation
You cannot multiply in your comfort zone.
Excuses keep you safe—but also keep you small.
Until you confront your fears, insecurities, and patterns, you cannot step into dominion.
God never called you to a safe life—He called you to a fruitful one.
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion…” — Amos 6:1
When you cling to comfort, you cancel capacity.
When you settle for safety, you abort significance.
It’s time to step out, speak up, build big, risk more, and obey faster.
- Excuses Wait for Conditions – Vision Demands Commitment
If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never plant.
If you wait for all the lights to turn green, you’ll never leave the driveway.
The conditions don’t need to be ideal for obedience to begin.
The provision often shows up after the movement starts—not before.
“He who observes the wind will not sow…” — Ecclesiastes 11:4
Move with what you have. Obey with what you know.
Trust the God who multiplies loaves—not the fear that multiplies delays.
- Excuses Attract Regret – Execution Releases Reward
You will never regret obeying God—only delaying Him. The servant who gave excuses was not just ignored—he was demoted.
In the Kingdom, fruitfulness is not optional—it is expected as proof of faithfulness. God does not accept barrenness from those He has blessed.
“Well done, good and faithful servant… You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many.” — Matthew 25:21
You will either explain your excuses or display your harvest. But you cannot do both.
The Excuse Pandemic: 7 Deadly Effects Of Embracing An Excuse Lifestyle
- A lifestyle of excuses turns potential great individuals into miserable losers.
- A lifestyle of excuses suffocates destiny and normalizes mediocrity.
- A lifestyle of excuses polishes failure and makes bondage feel like safety.
- A lifestyle of excuses delays progress, destroys purpose, and disguises cowardice as caution.
- A lifestyle of excuses is a slow but sure execution of divine potential.
- A lifestyle of excuses attracts pity but repels power, favor, and promotion.
- A lifestyle of excuses may explain your past, but it will abort your future.
Shift Action Plan: How to Move from Excuses to Multiplication
• Call Out the Excuse: Identify what you’ve been using to justify delay.
• Confront What You Fear: Excuses often hide behind hidden anxieties. Drag them into the light.
• Cut the Backup Plan: Burn the escape boats. Go all in on your God-given assignment.
• Connect With Movers: Partner with those who stretch you, not those who console your inaction.
• Commit to Imperfect Progress: Start where you are. Execute with what you have.Personal Declaration: I Shift from Excuses to Multiplication
I tear down every mindset that justifies delay.
I crush every excuse that restrains obedience.
I reject every internal voice that downplays my divine assignment.
I rise in obedience, diligence, and vision.
I break out of hesitation and step into multiplication.
I move forward. I build boldly. I steward faithfully.
I release excuses and receive increase.
From this day forward—no more distractions, no more delays, no more defenses.
I SHIFT—from excuses to multiplication
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