Challenges Before Honour!

Scripture Text: "Before honour is humility." — Proverbs 15:33 (KJV)

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Greatness without process is like a palace built on sand, it will collapse when tested.

Honour is a crown many desire, but few are willing to pay the price it demands.

In the Bible, those whom God greatly honoured: David, Joseph, Daniel, Abraham, Esther, and others, first walked the rugged road of challenge, testing, and refining.

They were not just promoted; they were prepared. They didn’t rise by chance but by character built through difficulty.

The problem today is that many believers want the throne without the trials, the glory without the grind.

David was anointed as king but went through rejection, betrayal, and hiding in caves for years before the crown touched his head - 1 Samuel 16–2 Samuel 2.

Joseph dreamed of leadership but ended up in a pit, Potiphar’s house, and prison before stepping into Pharaoh’s palace - Genesis 37–41.

Daniel rose in Babylon, but not without opposition, threats, and a night in the lion’s den -Daniel 6.

There is no honour without humility, no glory without grit.

It was T.D. Jakes who said;

If you’re not willing to go through the process, you’re not ready for the promotion.

God allows challenges not to break us, but to build us. The road of honour is paved with patience, obedience, and faithfulness in the shadows.

If you skip the process, you forfeit the promise.

Let's See 5 Ways To Prepare For your place of honour:

1. Submit to God’s Process

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."— 1 Peter 5:6 (KJV)

Honour comes in due time—not your time. Don’t fight the process; submit to it.

2. Walk in Integrity Even When It Hurts

"The integrity of the upright shall guide them..."— Proverbs 11:3 (KJV)

Joseph refused sin in secret (Genesis 39:9). Honour finds those who walk right even when no one is watching.

3. Stay Faithful in Little Things

"Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things."— Matthew 25:21 (KJV)

Before honour comes responsibility. Excellence in small things qualifies you for great things.

4. Endure Hardship with Joy

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."— James 1:2–3 (KJV)

Challenges are not roadblocks—they are preparation grounds.

5. Surround Yourself with Godly Counsel

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."— Proverbs 11:14 (KJV)

The journey to honour is guided by wisdom. Stay close to mentors and people of vision.

POINTS OF REFLECTION

1. Am I resisting the process God is using to prepare me?

2. Do I value the secret place of growth or only public platforms?

3. What lesson is God teaching me in my current season of challenge?

PRAYER KEY POINTS

Lord, give me the strength to endure every season of preparation for honour.

Father, refine my heart through every trial, and let me come out as gold.

Help me to be faithful in the hidden places until You lift me up in due time.

COMMIT TO MEMORY

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."— James 4:10 (KJV)

ASSIGNMENT

Write down 3 challenges you are currently facing. Next to each one, write what God might be teaching you through it.

Commit to praying daily for grace to grow through, not just go through them.

The path to honour is not always easy, but it is always worth it. Let God shape your heart in the fire so you can wear the crown with wisdom.

The honour that lasts is the one God gives after you’ve passed the test.