Life itself is a process. At the end of the previous episode, I asked you a few questions: Who surrounds you? I used the example of someone going through a healing process. You have the promise of healing; that is true, but does the way you live show that you truly believe in this process? Let’s look at an example: You say that God is healing you from diabetes, yet while you wait for that healing to manifest, you take no precautions. You eat whatever you want, whenever you want. Do you think you are actually in the process? No. In fact, you are delaying the process. You might even end up developing further complications. In other words, you must demonstrate that you are committed to the healing process. If you are advised to be careful about what you eat, you cannot continue consuming food that are harmful to your health and still claim to be in a healing process.
We also asked another question: You say you are going to become a successful businessman or businesswoman, you have plans to launch a business venture. But what are you doing to prepare yourself? Are you learning? Are you reading? Are you training yourself? If you aren’t doing any of these things, you aren’t in the process.
Let’s look at another example. You say you are in a process of behavioral change. You pray to God to change your character. You want to live out the scripture that says: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) You want to leave your old life behind. But if you are talking about renewal, you must be willing to allow changes to take place in your life. The question is: What strategy have you put in place for these changes to happen? You know there are certain things that always make you angry, yet you keep putting yourself in those same situations. You aren’t in the process.
Do you know your limit?
You know you have a tendency to get angry easily. You know there are certain arguments you shouldn’t get involved in, because you already know how you tend to react. This doesn’t mean you should never respond; but if you speak at the wrong moment, it shows a lack of wisdom. This means you have stepped out of the process, because your behavior does not reflect the change you claim to be seeking. You know which environments trouble you. You know which situations cause you to lose control. Yet, you continue these conversations, these relationship.
Are you disciplined?
All of this is part of the process. And remember what we said at the very beginning: You cannot skip steps. Recall the example we gave regarding someone undergoing surgery. A doctor puts a patient on a liquid diet, but the patient decides to eat solid food prematurely. It’s the same principle. Sometimes you say, “I’m fine now,” and you expose yourself too soon before the necessary phase is actually complete. The same applies to business. You launch a project before mastering the required discipline. You enter the business world too early, skipping the essential preparatory stages. When the business collapses, you blame others for its failure. Yet, often, it is actually your own lack of discipline. You spend money you shouldn’t have spent. You fail to make proper calculations. You aren’t prepared. That is why the project fails. I could provide many other examples, but they all point to one thing: you derailed the process because you wanted to reach the finish line too soon. You acted prematurely.
