The Principle of Process

The Fire is not destroy, but refine!

The biblical account of Joseph’s ascension to the second highest position in the land of Egypt is a perfect illustration of providential and elevatory process.  We all know Joseph’s story.  Joseph has a couple of dreams that reveal his rise to prominence.  Dreams and visions are of great significance.  Each of us should have at least one dream; a vision of what we are to be and what we are to accomplish.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” 

(Prov. 29:18)

“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”  

(Habakkuk 2:2)

Whether dream or vision, we are to take hold of it, lay claim to it, speak it, write it down and make it our own.  Your dream will be the guiding constellation by which you find your path, explain your pain, and fulfill your destiny.  Dreams and visions are not our focus today, therefore I digress.

 Let’s define process.  Webster defines process as:  A system of operations in producing something; a series of actions, changes, or functions that achieve an end result; ongoing movement or progression’ prepared or converted by special treatment.   Hence, for the sake of discussion, we will say that “process” is a series of actions, changes and functions, through which God systematically deals with His people in order to prepare, develop, strengthen, and promote them.  The process is a means to an end.  Pay close attention to what I’m about to present to you; successful navigation of the labyrinthine corridors of life’s multitudinous processes is not understanding the process but understanding the principle.  The process changes, but the principle is immutable.  Allow me to paint a picture through scripture:

There is purpose in your pain!

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  No “temptation” has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:12,13)

The Greek word “peirazo” from the root “peira”, translated here as temptation, actually means (“to test” in verb form and “a test” in noun form).  It carries the connotation of an experience or endeavor that serves to scrutinize motives, commitment, and faith.  It can entice one to either, stand firm in their faith or to give in.  So the first point of the principle of process (POP) is:  The process always has a purpose”.  Everything in the process; every hurt, disappointment, setback, and failure; every up, down, and the eventual graduation out of the process, all hinge on this one truth; “but God is faithful” (V 13).  This means that God is trustworthy in your circumstances.  He will not allow more to beset you than you are capable of enduring, and the trial is always meant to advance you in your spiritual journey.  When we apprehend this awesome truth, we will be able to “glory in the tribulations” as admonished by Paul and to “count it all joy” as exhorted by James.  The process can be troubling, exasperating, and depleting in ways inexpressible, but if we understand the principle of the process, we can press toward the mark; we can fight the good fight of faith. 

Romans 5:3 says that we are to “glory in tribulations”, not so much in the present discomfort, but in the eventual results.  Genuine faith planted and cultivated in the heart of the believer produces an exacted and particular expectancy as to the outcome.  Faith tells us that God is working all things together for our good and that patience encapsulated by spiritual fortitude will produce positive results.

Why are we to glory in tribulations; what are the promised and expected results?  Perseverance!  Preserving is that virtue that generates endurance.  The Greek word “hypomone” translated “perseverance” in Romans 5:3 means a cheerful or hopeful endurance, consistency;  It is a derivative of “hypomeno” which means “to stay under, i.e. remain; figuratively to undergo, i.e. to bear (trial), have fortitude.  Biblical perseverance produces the capability through grace to endure the vicissitudes of life without sustaining permanent loss or deterioration.  Like precious metals such as silver and gold, the furnace of sufferings can produce, in the settled and focused believer, a state of purity. In actuality, all that you were designed to be and all that you hope to be can only be obtained through the perseverance of life’s trails and tests. You must successfully navigate the process in order to receive the promise.

The process is the story behind the glory.  Every victory, every triumph, and every glorification is the culmination of a particular process.  Process precedes promise; whether Abraham or Joseph, Moses or Joshua, there was a process that had to be endured before the promise could be obtained.  There is no promise without process.  There are multifarious Christians who are aware of the promise, yet, they have, because of ignorance of the process, been consumed by it.  Then there are those who, because of faintness of heart (which can be contributed to cognitive distortions as it pertains to the faithfulness of God), grow weary in the process.  You have not obtained because you have not endured the process.  So many of us fail to obtain maximum blessings and optimal results because of an innate inability to navigate the process (the writing of the story) while maintaining focus on the end result (the promise).  Every moment of glory has a corresponding story (the process). You are hoping for a breakthrough while looking for a break. Unfortunately there is no breakthrough without first being broken.

You can't circumvent the process!

It is quite easy for most of us to become disenchanted by our struggles. Many of us have been convinced by the teachers of erroneous doctrines that being a believer somehow exempts us from the toils and struggles of this life. You have been told to speak to the circumstance and it will leave. I always say this, “A little bit of Bible is a dangerous thing!”  What I mean by this is that when we choose to neglect the scriptural mandate to know the Word in its completion, we leave ourselves open to the fallibilities of ignorance.

Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Through the prophet Hosea, God reveals a powerful and incessant truth; ignorance is the most destructive force in the life of any Christian. When we take scripture in the form of snippets and attempt to apply it to a complete and detailed problem we will find ourselves in a place of confusion and disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the power of the believer to speak into their situation, but I’ve delved deep enough into the Word of God to understand that there are just simply some things that God has either placed or allowed to be placed into my life. I understand that these tests are a part of the growth and maturation process. I understand that there can be no crown without there first being a bearing of the cross.  

James Chapter 1

2 Consider it a great joy, my * brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. *(James 1:2-4, NASB)

James points to the fact that there is profit in the struggle. There is a work being wrought in the struggle. There is the development of power in the struggle. The struggle is simply a part of the process. Your promotion comes through the process. Your victory comes through the process. Yes, your breakthrough is a product of enduring the process. Too often we want to lay claim to the promise while attempting to circumvent the process.

Dr. Rick Wallace

12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13  but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. (1 Pet. 4:12, 13, NASB)

So when the storms of life are raging and you can’t seem to see your way, do not become discouraged. Recognized that you are in the process and the process is filled with potential. Know that the process is the prerequisite to the promotion. Know that the process precedes the promise. Know that the process sets the stage for prominence. Know that the process is the pathway to fulfilling your purpose. Know that the process is God’s way of preparing you for perfection. Know that the process is propels you into purity. Count all joy as exhorted by James; Glory in it as commanded by Paul. Not because you have a fetish for pain, but because you understand that with the pain comes power. Shout out praises to God because he is about to complete a mighty work in you and it begins in the process. Dr. Rick Wallace