THE SUBTLE TRAPS OF PROVING A POINT 

Anytime the girls are at the table, you will likely hear things like, “I finished before you”, “I finished first” or a line that shows competition. We always emphasize that it is good to finish well not just first. We also told them there was no need for that competition or comparison. We would tell them the importance of being secure rather than having unhealthy competition. Some of us were wired to always compete. I see drivers who struggle to ensure you do not overtake them. It is always childish. 

Also, in the early days of ministry exposure, my timeline would look like, “On my way to Abuja for a meeting” or other things like that. When I asked myself why I did all those things, my conclusion was simple- I had to prove a point that something was going on with me. I thought ministry was about the number of invitations that I got and the sizes of the meetings. I was excited at “big” meetings and saw them as a breakthrough. 

A couple of years after now, I am comfortable turning down a ‘big invitation’ because I have a meeting with five members of a ministry unit in church. What changed? I realised that there is nothing as beautiful as sitting down with what the Lord has committed to your hands. 

There is the spirit of Nehemiah that says, “I am doing a great work”. 

I sent messengers to say to them, “I am doing important work and can’t go down there. I am not going to let the work stop just to go and see you.”

Nehemiah 6:3 GNT

If you are still trying to pursue the call to prove a point, you have a long way to go. You have bypassed the altar where self and flesh are sacrificed as a burnt offering unto the Lord. 

There is the trap of Saul- it is a trap that forces you to make moves that are good for public reputation and social media imprints. 

And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.

1 Samuel 13:11‭-‬12 KJV

You will force yourself to look and appear in a certain way. You will do what our generation calls “borrow pose”. You will even sell it as a great idea for David to use your armour. You will transfer patterns that did not work for you. If David is not confident in the sling and stone, the spirit of Saul will take over. That would have been the end of his story. There is a way you will abandon what the Lord has blessed you with to prove a point. 

God does not need you to put yourself under any pressure to help him. You do not have to pile up debt so you can help God “look good”. Be calm. Realize it is a journey. Be patient. God still shows up. While waiting, He will open your eyes to see what grace He has blessed you with. He will make you see the resources hidden in the men you have. You will realise that the vision God has given you is a marathon and not a sprint. He will open your eyes to the sling and stone under your nose. You will soon realize that God can do great things from “seeming small places”. 

If you do not understand this early, you will soon hear the words of Prophet Samuel that he told King Saul re-echo to you loudly either directly or through situations: 

“That was a foolish thing to do,” Samuel answered. “You have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. If you had obeyed, he would have let you and your descendants rule over Israel forever.

1 Samuel 13:13 GNT

Put pressure on your faith to go through the process in grand style. Do not get into trouble and then realize that you will still have to build the faith and patience that you abandoned earlier. 

Grace.