SHORTCUT- THE DANGER AHEAD

It is never dangerous when you don’t have money in your account, neither is it dangerous to be rejected once or twice in life. Every one in his or her life will at least face challenges that will make him or her better. Problems are encountered on the way, first as means to make you matured and reason beyond your strength. Secondly, you encounter problems or challenges in life to bring out the best in you.

The most dangerous thing that we always forget to avoid is SHORTCUTS. Yes, every tom, dick and harry wants to be rich in this life. People want to enjoy relationships they have not built. Others want to usurp authority and position that they have not be trained or worked for. This canker is spreading at a very fast rate and crushing the lives of many.

You can never flourish at a place that you have not been prepared for. Nothing comes easy in life. People believe in luck, but i bet to differ. Luck is only when preparation meets expectation. The moment you prepare yourself for a task and your expectations are met, you will always outshine those who never prepared; that is luck. LUCK is when your preparations meet your expectations after being touched by an element of GRACE. It is not when you have freebies in life or rig in order to be chosen.

Now, people are in a hurry to make it in ministry. They will watch one or two videos and will try to imitate how a preacher delivers his sermon. After few hours, he thinks he can do same. Young ministers watch the lifestyles of seasoned old ministries and just want to have those lavishing things they see overnight. 

A guy will look at the outward appearance and just propose to a lady,having at the back of his mind that the lady is from a well to do family so he is sorted out. A lady will also say ´yes` to a guy she has the least affection for just for her future to be secured.

Those at the firms don´t want to pass through the system, but want to make it big overnight. They end up cutting the heels of their colleagues, framing them up, bootlicking and being involved in eye service, just to be recognised.

The youth of today now have the mindset of getting rich at all cost. As a result of this, moral standards have declined drastically because they want to get rich or die, trying. They don´t care who to take out from the system or position, what to give out for what they want and all that.

All these are shortcuts that this generation is following and this is the cause of a lot of social vices and news of reduced standards on the airwaves of late. Shortcuts are dangerous. Anyone who follows shortcuts in life lacks preparation. That person is bound to use everything to his advantage, which will lead to his fall. When you follow shortcuts you :

Don´t SCRUTINIZE every piece of information you get

Are in a HASTE to act than to think

Become OSTENTATIOUS

RESCIND instructions and guidance

End up being TACTLESS

CONDEMN those who use the right path

Are UNPREPARED for the challenges along the way

Will TRAIL at the end

People who don´t allow the test of time to meet their preparations in ministry, fall along the way. They end up being disgraced at the end or use dubious and pseudo means to get what they want. They may have the anointing from the beginning, but will saint their image by trying to be ahead of god´s plan for them.

Those who take shortcuts to marriage always land in divorce. They end up meeting giants they cannot handle in life. They enter with what they saw outwardly and come out with regrets and tears.

It is always nice to be seen at the top, however, the way you used shortcuts to get there will be the same way that will cut you short. Anyone who uses shortcuts lack firm foundation. When you go through the mill, you build your foundation with bricks, unlike with sand when you use shortcuts.

Why do you think that God never allowed the Israelites to use the shortest possible route to the promised land? The answer is in this scripture:

´´And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said , Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt``Exodus 13:17. 

The Israelites were not prepared to fight. they were not trained for a task like that. Though the road to the promised land was shorter through the land of the Philistines, they were made to use the hard way. God could have slain all the Philistines for Israel to have a jolly ride, but He wanted to teach them a key lesson in life. Gehazi could have been the most famous prophet after Elisha, but due to his desire to have a shortcut to success, Elisha died without handing over the mantle to him.

It is good to have a vision. Never stop dreaming big, but make sure you prepare yourself to face that dream. Nothing comes easily. Ministries you see flourishing today took years of hustles and toils to be what they are now. Marriages you admire have gone through their worse moments. You may not know the story behind the success of the man you admire. Spend time to learn more, train yourself for the task ahead. Yes, learn from their weaknesses, add up to your strengths and avoid the danger of taking the SHORTCUT in life.