DESTINY DOESN’T SKIP STEPS

In our secondary school days, we used a Mathematics textbook called the New General Mathematics. It was full of exercises. The unique thing was that it had answers on the last pages of the book. The answers were to confirm if the solution was right or wrong after the student had practised.

Whenever the math got tough, we’d flip to the back, peek at the answer, and then reverse-engineer our way to it. At one point, my friend’s dad sealed that part of the book. They were forced to work it out. They became better mathematics students. For those of us who kept checking the back of the book for answers, we remained average mathematics students.

To make it more interesting, our teacher always knew who had tried to fake it. Why? Because he didn’t just grade the answers. He graded the process.

That’s how life works, too. God isn’t just interested in results. He’s deeply invested in how you got there. Moses struck the rock, and water gushed out. It was a big win in the eyes of the people. But to God? That was disobedience. It wasn’t how He said to do it. And for that one act of getting the right result the wrong way, He missed the Promised Land.

Let this sink in: You can’t build a destiny on skipped steps! There’s nothing noble about arriving early if you cheated to get there. One of the worst things that can happen is to enter a new season and realize you’re unequipped—because you avoided the training in the last one. That’s how people get stranded in life.

Do not cheat. It is better to fail honourably while you keep a good name than to succeed without a sense of value or integrity. 

King Solomon said:
“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

There is a time for everything. Life responds to principles. If you keep breaking principles, you will be out of shape in destiny. Many character deficiencies that the church gets to address are failures of life lessons not picked or learnt in a domestic family.

If you don’t learn self-control as a single person, you’re not preparing for marriage—you’re rehearsing for adultery. A fornicating single is just a married adulterer in waiting. Discipline isn’t downloaded overnight. It’s developed over time.

“A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.” (Proverbs 25:28)

Go through the moments that humble you. Learn the lessons. Failure can be a springboard or a grave point. It depends on how you respond to it. Responding well can launch you to a new level with greater accuracy and better insight. If you respond poorly, life has a way of making you repeat the classes you failed. Life will not promote you on trial. Work your sums. Do not cheat. Honour process.