I use PROSPECTIVE HINDSIGHT to increase my ability as a CEO to identify risks on the road ahead. Then I turn this thinking into a PRE-MORTEM to imagine why a project has “failed” even though it has not started. With that information in hand, I work back to determine what could be done–before beginning–to avoid the negative outcome.
To make this easy, think of a PRE-MORTEM as the opposite of a POST-MORTEM—the test to determine why something failed or died (most-commonly associated with a medical autopsy). The POST-MORTEM reveals conditions that were unknown before the autopsy.
Conducting a PRE-MORTEM on humans is impractical😊. But a PRE-MORTEM of our FAITH WALK is not only practical—it’s prudent because it identifies infirmities before they cause problems. And, importantly, it reveals those problems in time to correct them.
Conducting a FAITH PRE-MORTEM is not asking “what might go wrong.” It is ASKING IF your FAITH WALK is in danger of being barren right now.
It is a hypothetical exercise because you must generate prospective causes of FAITH WALK FAILURE without having the evidence that it actually failed.
Conducting regular FAITH PRE-MORTEMS is an imperative for spiritual growth and understanding God’s purpose for our life. This ongoing, reflective probe into our spiritual condition is one of the ways God shapes our path and points out things that need to be changed. Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Hit the refresh button and increase self-awareness.
- Reduce emotion and slow down the pace of life.
- Rewind our “life tape” and identify blind spots.
Here are the questions I typically ponder in my regular FAITH PRE-MORTEMS:
- Am I ignoring someone who needs my attention, love, or time?
- Am I in touch with how my current mood/attitude looks and feels?
- Am I living the habits of a disciple: Word; Prayer; Fellowship; and Tithing?
I ask God to help me maintain an ongoing, reflective probe into my relationship with you. To show me where I need to change. To guide me toward his light and away from the world’s darkness.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Pick a time in the next 10 days and conduct a FAITH PRE-MORTEM. Try it!
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5
