Fools do not pause to gain knowledge, understand, and plan. Instead, they just foolishly chase their desires without getting knowledge first. They act without understanding, so their foolish actions lead to disaster and result in ruin. As the old saying goes, “Haste makes waste.”
Desire without knowledge is not good– how much more will hasty feet miss the way!
A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD. (Prov. 19:2-3 / NIV)
Rather than acknowledging their own folly, fools blame God for their failures. Instead of learning from their mistakes, fools rage against God for withholding their desires from them. As a result, they never gain the knowledge that would help them succeed in the future. Fools just wallow in their ignorance, unbelief, and self-pity instead.
Another old adage says, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.”
The way of wisdom is to gain knowledge by studying, doing research, and getting wise counsel (Prov. 11:14, 15:22, 24:6) so you will understand. If the goal is worthy, use that knowledge and understanding to wisely plan how to attain your desired goal. Then work the plan until you accomplish it.
Those who are wise will also:
• Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5)
• Bath their plans and actions in prayer (1 Thes. 5:17; Mt. 21:22; Phil. 4:6)
• Acknowledge God in all their ways and plans (Prov. 3:5-6; 1 Cor. 10:31; James 4:13-15; Col. 3:23)
• Evaluate their results as they progress toward their goal
• Adjust their plan as needed to stay on course
• Give thanks and praise to God for the results (1 Thes. 5:18; Phil. 4:6)
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. (Prov. 21:5 / NIV)