6 Factors That Can Stop You From Making Progress In Your Business Or Career (Part 1)

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Many people today are a shadow of themselves due to unfulfilled dreams. Some have given up, while others are wallowing in the dark path of regret.

The sad part is that a large percentage of this set of people are very talented and full of potential and promise.

For today's discourse, a man whom the bible refers to as the father of faith, Abraham will be the reference point.

Let us begin by taking a look at Genesis 12:1-4 which says: Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Looking at verse 1 of Genesis 12, you will notice the instruction God gave Abraham. The verse points to some of the major reasons people don't move forward in life.

In Genesis 12:1, God said to Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

In other words, God is saying drop the mindset, culture and relationships that do not align with my purpose for you.

Factor Number 1: Mindset

Mindset is a mental attitude that dictates how you see, process and interpret a situation, an event or other people's actions.

This is normally determined by certain factors, such as your experience, environment or culture, just to name a few.

How is this important and how can it stop you from moving forward in life?

Let us take a look at the impact of a negative mindset by sharing the story of the children of Israel in Numbers 13:31-33.

The scripture says: But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.?

And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.?

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Twelve spies were sent to check out a place they were heading to, and ten of them saw themselves as grasshoppers after they saw the inhabitants of the region.

The ten spies who were paralysed by fear had unknowingly lost the war in their minds before the real war.

Proverbs 23:7a says For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. In other words, your life is a reflection of the thoughts in your mind.

A dear mentor always says that your life will go in the direction of your most dominant thought.

Your mindset, that is, the way you think and process events and situations, can make or mar you.

• How do you see yourself?
• What is your conclusion about the situations in your life?

Your mind is the battlefield for the control of your life and the thoughts you feed it or allow it to brood on, will determine how far you go.

Your thoughts determine your words, and your words dictate your actions, which in turn, produces outcomes that can negatively or positively impact your life.

Having established the importance of your mindset, it is also important to highlight how it is formed.

1. The sum total of your experiences is one major factor that forms your mindset, whether negative or positive.

For instance, your experience with money while growing up might cause you to develop either a positive or negative mindset about money, lack or abundance, depending on your outlook.

2. Your environment, whether physical or mental, is also another factor in the formation of your mindset.

3. So also is the association you keep. The Bible says evil association corrupts good manners.

The interesting thing about your mindset is that it can be changed, and it can also be improved.

Proverbs 4:23 says: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

In other words, guard what goes on in your mind because the things that will determine the outcomes of your life start from there.

• First of all, you have to identify the mindset or thought patterns that have limited and hindered you from moving forward.
• Secondly, you have to accept that they are limiting and that they need to be changed.
• Without this admittance, you are not ready for the process of mindset change.

Matthew 9:16-17 says: No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

• The next thing is to identify relevant and useful experiences or information that will replace the old limiting mindset.
• You need new information if you want to break the hold of any limiting mindset.

2 Corinthians 10:4 says: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

The word of God can improve your mindset and help you with ideas on how to fulfil your purpose.

A stronghold in bible days was a military term that referred to a place of defence or a fortified fortress.

In 2 Corinthians 10:4, Paul in the use of the term, stronghold, was pointing to the deep-rooted belief systems and thought patterns that have gained ground in your mind to the extent that they dictate the outcomes of your life.

Strongholds are also entry points for demonic spirits, and sometimes can be sponsored by them.

How then, can this stronghold be pulled down?

The Bible in Hebrews 4:12 gives us some insight. It says: The word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Apostle Paul in the book of Acts 20:32 also highlighted the importance of the word of God, when he said: And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

In other words, the word of God has the ability to groom you, improve your mindset and then deliver to you outcomes that are consistent with God's will and purpose for your life.

So how then do you engage the word of God to the extent that it begins to change and improve your mindset?

• First, it starts with you paying attention to the kind of thoughts you allow into your mind and also what you think as we read earlier in Proverbs 4:23.
• Secondly, feed your mind with the right thoughts.?Let's see what the word of God says about this in Philippians 4:8 (MSG); Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

The scripture above recommends that you meditate on things that are uplifting and value-adding to your life and destiny.

Meditate on what God says about you and how he sees you in his word. One of the meanings of meditation means to imagine.

It's like using your mind to picture the word of God coming alive in a particular situation. Like plotting the shots of a movie.

It is clear that the tool for mindset change is studying and meditating on the word of God as buttressed in Joshua 1:8.

It says: This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

One important thing you should take note of in the scripture above is that the level of progress you want to make depends on you, and that it is also determined by the word of God you have inside you.

Factor Number 2: Your Comfort Zone

God will always require that you leave your comfort zone and follow him just like Abraham in Genesis 12:1, and your obedience will determine the outcome of your life.

Until you step out of your comfort zone, you will not take hold of the possibilities available to you in Christ.

The story in Mark 8:22-23 sheds more light on this. The scripture says: And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.?

And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

In verse 23, you'll notice that Jesus led the blind man out of his Comfort Zone before he could heal him.

Most times, your next level will come when you step out of your comfort zone.

What is a comfort zone?

A comfort zone is a psychological or physical state that keeps you from aspiring for change and innovation, due to certain factors which present themselves as advantages or disadvantages.

Factors such as success, failure, wealth, and your job could be a comfort zone, and the dangerous thing about a comfort zone is that you can enter that state without knowing.

So sometimes in other to shake you up, situations come to rattle you and cause you to move.

Take the story of the rich young ruler, for instance, his wealth was like a comfort zone. This in no way means that wealth is bad (Matthew 19:16-22).

• To break from the hold of your comfort zone, you need to accept or take up new tasks and challenges.
• Look for opportunities to serve others and also, improve yourself.
• You must also develop a mindset that sees problems as opportunities.

Sometimes, you might be required to brace the odds and step out in the midst of the ups and downs of life.

Other times, just like Abraham, the full details of where you are expected to go will not be revealed to you.

Just rest assured that as long as it is Jesus bidding you to come, you will be fine.

The second part will be published tomorrow.

I pray that the God of all solutions will sort out every difficult situation in your life in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen!

Thank you for your time and Merry Christmas in advance.

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If you'd like me to join my faith with yours in prayer concerning any area of your life, please send me a WhatsApp message at: +234(0)8122346756.