Success

He leads me …

A while ago, two of us got into a lift to get into our respective vehicles. I asked the other man whether he felt that he was winning. He looked at me and said that he was at the corporate level. He then said that they pulled him down followed by, ‘Oh well, I guess that is the price of success.’ Just then the lift stopped, and he got out before I could find out who ‘they’ were.

 It got me thinking. What does success look like? Is it having plenty of money, the latest vehicle and a house with a whole lot of the state-of-the-art fittings? I do not think so. I would be always wondering whether the people in my life were really friends, or just people happy to help me spend my money and enjoy the good life. And does more ‘stuff’ make people genuinely happy? It did not make a person like Michael Jackson happy. He had a net worth of $500 Million but died at the age of 50 after suffering from cardiac arrest caused by a fatal combination of drugs.

 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)

 For a Christian, this scripture is the key to success in life. It provides both fruitfulness and fulfilment in our lives. Obviously the Lord will not provide anything that we want, because what we want may not be what is right for us at that time. Our wishes could also turn out to be foolish, selfish, sinful and harmful.

This verse is interesting in that it has two aspects to it. The first is that as we open ourselves up more to the Lord and read His Word, the more we want to do what pleases Him. His Word becomes part of who we are, and through the Bible He creates in us the desires of His heart to become our desires too, which of course are all scriptural.

The second aspect is that He then gives us the outworking of those desires. In other words if He gives us a burden to give to the poor, He will also provide a way for it to happen. For example, it may be providing an area of land where fruit and vegetables can be grown to feed those less fortunate, and to help them to learn how to grow produce for themselves. Or He may provide a setting where people can work to gain basic qualifications that will make them more employable.

As stated earlier these kinds of ventures can be so fruitful and fulfilling because we are not only providing a blessing to others but we are blessed as well – especially when we see that God has been part of what has happened.

Having God in the form of the Holy Spirit working in and through us during these times provides the best thrill of all. It is true success.

When we ask Jesus to be Lord of our lives, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us[1]. We know that God is Perfect Love, and the Holy Spirit stimulates that kind of love in our heart. As a result we cannot help loving God or His creation.

Then comes hope.

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself. Hebrews 6:19 (TLB)

Now we have a far better hope, for Christ makes us acceptable to God, and now we may draw near to him. Hebrews 7:19 (TLB)

Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. Ephesians 3:20 (TLB)

In the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised, and its strength is in His faithfulness. According to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word ‘hope’ and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. ‘Hope’ in Scripture means ‘a strong and confident expectation.’

However, when life is not going well it is easy to be troubled by what is happening. Let us not be discouraged. Instead, let us ask God to forgive us and cleanse us of anything in us contrary to His standards, so that He may be able to work to His full capacity in and though us. This is liberty.

As the great American evangelist and publisher D. L. Moody once said, ’I believe firmly, that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and self-seeking, and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Ghost will come and fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit, and ambition and self-seeking, and pleasure and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God; and I believe many a man is praying to God to fill him when he is full already with something else. Before we pray that God would fill us, I believe we ought to pray Him to empty us.’

When this happens we come into the third area that the Holy Spirit has for us – liberty.

D.L. Moody goes on to say that there are many people, who when we talk to them and hint that they are not doing what they are supposed to say: ‘I have life because I am a Christian.’ While we cannot deny it, we can see that they are effectively bound hand and foot.

Moody continues in praying that God breaks off these bonds and sets His children free, so that they can have liberty. The Lord comes to set us free, and wants us to work and speak for Him – free from sin and death.  Oh, that God may anoint His people! Not just for those in the ministry, but for every disciple. Just like every mother needs it in her home to manage her family, all believers need the anointing to be really effective in what they do. God will give it to us if we really want it, and say, ‘God, please help me, I will not rest until You empower me with Your power from on high.’

May we seek to be useful for God. That we will be vessels suitable for the Master’s use. That God, the Holy Spirit, may shine fully through us.[2]

[1] 2 Timothy 1:14; 1 John 3:24; James 4:5

[2] Secret Power or the Secret of Success in Christian Life and Work. by D. L. Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899). It was said of Moody that on one single day, over 130,000 people attended evangelistic meetings coordinated by him; https://www.gutenberg.org/files/33341/33341-h/33341-h.htm