God Has a Plan for Your Success

Many Christians today labor under a misunderstanding that the Bible teaches that we cannot be successful and still be faithful to God. I believe that this is largely a misunderstanding of the meaning of success.

I recently finished reading "Success God's Way: Achieving True Contentment and Purpose" by Charles Stanley. It is a must-read book for every Christian who feels that God must want something more for his or her life.

In this book, Stanley clarifies the difference between the world's definition of success and God's definition of success.

"Success is the continuing achievement of becoming the person God wants you to be and accomplishing the goals God has helped you set." -Charles F. Stanley

When success is viewed in this manner, it becomes clear that God wants all of His children to become successful. So why, then, are so many Christians struggling, feeling inadequate, or engaging in self-defeating behaviors?

WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?

The answer to the struggle that you may face as you pursue success is simple: change your focus.

Focus is crucial. Whatever you focus on expands. Energy and resources flow where you are focusing. Choosing to focus on the wrong things or failure to focus at all will block God's ability to equip you for success.

Here are some common problems that Christians encounter in pursuing success. Do any of them apply to you?

Orphan Short-Term Goals: Many Christians fall into the habit of setting only short-term goals. Although there is a payoff for quick achievement of a goal, there is no lasting satisfaction. It is only when a short-term goal is connected to God's purpose for your life, or your lifetime goals, that lasting satisfaction is found. If your short-term goals don't connect to your overall purpose, they are To Do list items rather than goals. Ask God to show you the distinction each day as you plan for the next day's work.

Failure to Write Down Long-Term and Lifetime Goals: You will not fully commit to a goal if you don't take the time and effort to write it down on paper. In fact, if you haven't written it down, it's very likely that your goal isn't clear. In order for you to persevere toward achieving your goals, you must have absolute clarity on what you are setting out to do. Writing the goal down, keeping it in front of you every day in prayer and meditation, and continually refining it keeps you fully committed to the goal. Ask God to give you a clear vision of the goals He helps you set for your life.

Poor Stewardship: If God has given you the goal, He expects you to be a good steward of your time and resources in working towards that goal. Many Christians fall prey to the worldly habit of procrastination, wasting time on worldly pursuits. Just as you do with your finances, budget some time for leisure activities and some time towards working on your goal. When you are working on your goal, do not procrastinate or allow yourself to become distracted by other concerns. Constantly ask God to strengthen your focus and determination for the task you are working on.

Lack of faith: This is, perhaps, the root of all the other problems I've written about so far. If you doubt that God wants you to be successful; if you don't believe that you have any special, God-given gifts; if you think that success is for other people who have more or know more than you do, then you lack faith in God and His promises. The very first thing you need to do is confess your sin and ask God to strengthen your faith in Him.

After you have done that, spend some time every day reading the Bible. There you will find many stories of successful people, many of whom were not the world's models for success. David was the youngest son, a shepherd, who was never expected to amount to much, yet God anointed him King of Israel. (1 Samuel 16) David went through many trying times before he reached that goal, but he never doubted.

There is also the story of Rahab, the prostitute who saved God's men through her faith. What an unlikely success story! Because of her faithfulness, her entire family was saved when Jericho fell. (Joshua 2 and 6)

If God can elevate a lowly shepherd to kingship and use a prostitute to win a critical battle, He can use you. There is only one condition: you must be willing. Stop doubting and start believing. God has a plan for your success. It is waiting for you. Are you ready?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liz Shaw is a Christian Life Coach who specializes in helping people develop a successful and fulfilling lifestyle. Sign up for her inspirational ezine, Wings To Soar, at http://www.wingstosoaroverstorm.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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