My father in the Lord once said in one of his teachings to pastors that you should not consider yourself a failure yet in life or ministry until you have done church work for a minimum of six years. I understood it better after our church clocked six years. This truth is also valid for every other area of life; success is not immediately determined, and failure is not ultimately final.
Friend, success is not immediately determined, and failure is not ultimately final (Micah 7:8). The truth is, many of what we call failure today are success stopped mid way. Most people do not follow their lives and enterprises to see it succeed (Acts 26:19). Especially in a generation where people believe in instant success, you must keep your eye on the goal while walking your own process with God.
There must have been a reason the Bible likens the Christian to a farmer (James 5:7). Farming operates by the law of seed time and harvest, which is the fundamental principle by which the earth operates (Genesis 8:22). Farmers are future thinking and process driven. A farmer knows that it is not the same day that he plants that he harvests.
Just as different seeds require different timing for harvest, different calling and enterprises would require different processes and timing for manifestation (Mark 4:20, Luke 8:15). Whereas the maize farmer can expect harvests after only a few weeks, a cocoa farmer would require longer. This is why you cannot compare the economic value of cocoa to that of maize.
If you are not ready to wait on your vision to see it manifest, you cannot succeed as a visionary (Habakkuk 2:3). Hasty people miss God’s best for them in life and destiny (Isaiah 28:16). They also become victims of pressures and frustrations. If you believe in the validity and potency of God’s vision for your life, you would wait on it. That waiting is necessary to process you for your future.
Patience, endurance, and long-suffering are important in destiny fulfilment. You need patience with God. God may not show up for you immediately, but He would, ultimately (Luke 18:1-8). You need endurance with the devil. Don’t allow the devil to wear you out (1 Peter 5:9). You need long-suffering with people (1 Corinthians 13:4). People are your greatest assets in life, but they can also be the greatest threats to your success if you don’t manage them well.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria