I am an avid backpacker. There’s nothing I enjoy more than going deep into the wilderness and spending time in the quietness of God’s creation. Getting lost is a real threat to survival. My wife and I have also been members of the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue team. We learned that it’s not one bad decision that gets people in trouble, it’s a series of small decisions that lead them off course. Many continue to forge ahead in the wrong direction thinking they will eventually get back on course which ultimately leads them farther and farther in the wrong direction, instead of circling back the way they came.
On every map there is a declination setting, which is needed to make sure you start your journey in the right direction. A compass points to magnetic north, however, magnetic north and true north are not the same thing. To ensure you are heading in the right direction, you need to adjust the dial of your compass to align the two. This can be a very small twist on the dial, but it can mean the difference between getting to
where you want to go or getting into trouble. Before you set out on your journey, getting your declination properly set is vital.
The Declination Process is a series of exercises we created to help you live your life by design and not by default. The wisdom in Proverbs 15:22 (CEV) tells us “Without good advice everything goes wrong, it takes careful planning for things to go right.” It also says in 4:26 (CEV) “Know where you are headed and you will stay on solid ground.” After completing the exercises, we hope you find your purpose and a burning desire to live a life of personal fulfillment. In other words, it will help you find your “why”.
This series of seven exercises will help you set your compass and lay out a map of how you want to grow personally and what you want to accomplish professionally. As a result, you will set a course from rebellion to redemption. Your life will become much more meaningful and your business will become more profitable.
Completing the Declination Process should ignite a fire within you. Proverbs 24:27 (CEV) “Get your fields ready and plant your crops before starting your home.” What are the seeds you are planting? Proverbs 14:14 (CEV) “You harvest what you plant whether good or bad.” To get the most out of this process will require you to dig deep and spend some serious time reflecting, contemplating, and being true and authentic with yourself. You must plant “good” seeds if you want a good harvest. I have done this exercise, answering the questions from the perspective of who I “wanted” to be, and not being honest and answering truthfully with where I “was”. FYI, that doesn’t work out well. I was later convicted by Proverbs 21:29 (CEV) “Wicked people bluff their way, but God’s people think before they take a step.” This is not something you’re going to knock out over the weekend. It takes weeks, or even months, before it fully evolves into a clear map to your future.
TAKE ACTION
We all know that person who is all talk and no action. I used to live in the land of potential and not reality. I was the guy who was happy to share all the things I was going to do but did not implement any steps to achieve them. Proverbs 10:8 addresses this (CEV), “If you have good sense, you will listen and obey, if all you do is talk, you will destroy yourself.” I wanted good sense. All I had to do was listen and then obey a.k.a. take action. If I didn’t act, the only person I was destroying was myself. The ripple effect did impact those around me, my wife
especially. The NLT says it this way, “but babbling fools fall fat on their faces.” I was tired of being a fool. Proverbs 10:14 speaks about this again, (CEV) “If you have good sense, you will learn all you can, but foolish talk will soon destroy you.” I have learned when the Bible speaks about something multiple times, I need to take note and pay attention. Verse 19 (NLT) drives the point home, “Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.” It was time for me to put up or shut up. Stop talking about it and start doing something about it. Things can only change when you change the things you do.