"HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL
ACHIEVER" - Ten Secrets
Missionary-Evangelist Esther
Thornton
Did you know that bumblebees
can't fly? According to the principles of aeronautics, the shape and weight of
their bodies in relation to their total wing area make it impossible for
bumblebees to fly. Fortunately, however, bumblebees don't know anything about
the principles of aeronautics. So they just go ahead and fly anyway!
Maybe it's the same with
you. Maybe life has crippled you or you feel like you're a loser. But, God
wants us to disregard the past, and just go ahead and fly anyway!
There are ten ways you and I
can become successful:
1. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must… Decide to be a winner - Being a winner is a matter of choice.
Many people live day-to-day
full of worry, fear and doubt with mountains of problems overwhelming
them. They have given up on the idea
that they can overcome the challenges that they face and be winners.
Romans 8:37 "In all
these things we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us."
To be a winner you must
first change the way you think. If you think like a loser, you'll live like a
loser. God wants to stretch our minds and he wants our minds to be open to the
Holy Spirit, without preoccupation with the past or things you can't control.
We have not been called to be a "victim" but a "victor".
God wants us to reach out of our comfort zone, take risks and move forward!
Winners don't just change;
they create change and make things happen. Joshua and Caleb said, "We
should by all means go up and take possession of the land, for we shall surely
overcome". Numers 13:30.
We can learn to see
opportunity and value in everything. Nothing can turn us into negative people.
Walt was a man who had a
problem with anger and selfishness. And, so for thirty days, he would meditate
upon these words over and over:
"Love is patient, love
is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant; does not
act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own; is not provoked, does not take into
account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices
with the truth; bears all thing, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
all things."
Others couldn't help but see
the change in Walt's life. God has said that He sent His Word and healed them.
King David had four
important attitudes of winners:
(1) Winners respond to the
challenge, not the problem.
David, a small shepherd boy,
confronted the giant, Goliath. Goliath had a breastplate that weighted two
hundred pounds and a spear that was eight feet long. The head of the spear
alone was twenty-five pounds.
David didn't see these
things, but he saw a man who had challenged God's faithfulness to His people;
one who worshipped false gods; and defied the one, true God. David knew that
God was greater than his problem.
Whether or not you and I sink
or soar depends on how we perceive our problems and how we perceive our God. We
must perceive our problems as much smaller than our God and trust Him to rise
to the occasion.
(2) Winners don't allow
themselves to be shaped by circumstances, criticisms or the opinions of others.
David's older brother,
Eliab, in I Sam. 17:28-33, tried to get him to have a defeatist attitude; to
embarrass him, and belittle him - to even question his integrity and motives:
"I know the pride and foolishness of your heart, your forwardness and
self-will." Like Eliab, the devil always comes in to tear us down, to
cause us to doubt, and to make us feel powerless and hopeless.
Saul, too attacked David:
"You're not able; you're far too young; you won't be able to take on this
Philistine. You'll die."
People will judge your
motives and ambitions by their own insecurities. But, God judges after the
spirit. The Word of God says that God has chosen the weak things to shame the
things which are strong. (I Cor. 1:27); and I Sam. 16:7 says that man looks on
the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.
(3) Winners live by what
God's Word says, not by what they see, hear or imagine to be true. Goliath
shouted but it was Goliath's words versus God's Word.
We have papers that show the
twelve common lies that satan will use to defeat you, but what God says by each
one to cause you to be a champion.
(4) Winners respond with
courage to seemingly impossible challenges. Tell me your thoughts and I will
tell you your destiny. Challenges are here to remind us of our weaknesses and
total dependence on God. He is giving us opportunities to be stretched beyond
normal strength and abilities.
2. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must….Be courageous - Courage is the quality of standing fast
instead of stepping back when facing opposition. It is the refusal to be
mastered by fear. We can cope with problems in one of four ways:
1)
run
away from them;
2)
go around them (only to face
them again later);
3)
ignore them;
4)
Or do as David did - turn to face them with
courage, knowing that God will help us overcome them.
David had the attitude of a
winner, he hastened to meet Goliath. (I Sam. 17:48).
A story is told about Henry
Ward Beecher, a great American preacher of the past, that he once waged a
preaching campaign against gambling and drunkenness in a certain city. He spoke
out so boldly that he stirred considerable trouble in the community. One of the
city's leading citizens, who owned the gambling casinos and was supplying the
alcohol for the city's drunkenness, was going bankrupt because of Beecher's
preaching. So, he met Beecher on the street one day with a pistol in his hand
and said, "Take back what
you said, or I will shoot
you on the spot." Beecher responded: "Go ahead and shoot. I don't
believe you can hit the mark as well as I did."
That's courage! That's a man
who knows his God and knows how to stand in spite of opposition.
What changes a wimp into a
champion? It's courage. "The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David
from that day forward." (I Sam. 6:13)
It is important to be
faithful in our daily walk and to exhibit courage. David had been faithful to
care for his father's sheep. He began by being responsible with a few sheep,
and God eventually entrusted him with the entire flock of Israel.
If you are discouraged, know
that God is for you, even in human weakness, and doesn't want you to quit. A
Christian college in Illinois had a watchword some years back: "Too soon
to quit." Winners know that it's always too soon to quit.
God has given us promises in
Isaiah forty one to encourage us:
1)
"I
have chosen you and not rejected you,"
2)
"Do not fear, for I am
with you; do not anxiously look about you"
3)
"I am your God"
(Elohim), which here means 'high and lifted up, the mighty one.'
4)
"I will strengthen you, surely I will
help you."
5)
"I
will uphold you with my righteous right hand"
6)
"Those
who contend with you shall be as nothing, and will perish. You will seek those who
quarrel with you, but will not find them"
7)
"I
have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges."
Sometimes we are pulling a
load but God will come to our rescue and lift that load.
There is a story told about
some horses drawing a heavy load of logs. They tried to go up a hill but could
not make it. The driver took some logs off the wagon but they still couldn't
go. So, he took more logs off, but the horses were too tired by then to move.
So, the driver took all the logs off and they started slowly but gained
momentum until they went all the way to the top. So, it is with us. The horses
were more valuable to the
driver than the logs, and we
are more valuable to God than the burdens that we are carrying.
3. To Be a Successful Achiever
I must…Possess God's promises: The scripture contains more than thirty thousand
promises related to the believer. But we have to posses them and apply them.
Charles Spurgeon likened it to a checkbook where the person endorses it as they
know it is true. We can fill in our name on a check from Heaven, knowing that
God keeps His promises.
God gave Abraham promises
when he was eighty-six years old, but he didn't see them happen until he was
one hundred. For fourteen years, he stood on the promises of God without
wavering.
4. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must….Be Motivated: Motivation determines your strength, your
commitment and your enthusiasm toward life. The word "motive" means
"a moving cause, an inner drive, or intention that causes a person to do
something or act in a certain way. Motivation is to a Christian is what gas is
to a tank; it gives the energy needed to reach the destination.
If your motivation is
decreasing, here are five danger signs to be aware of:
(1)
Doubt:
self-confidence is lost and worry and confusion take over
(2)
Procrastination: Putting off
decisions, hesitating to take risks, hoping the problem will take care of
itself.
(3)
Devotion
to false symbols: Desiring to be well-thought-of instead of legitimately
productive; wanting titles; having egotism
(4)
Complacency:
Being satisfied with good instead of excellent.
"You can attain
excellence if you care more than others think is wise, risk more than others
think is safe, dream more than others think is practical; and expect more than
others think is possible" (Carlton Pierson's Bulletin in Tulsa, OK).
(5) Loss of purpose: Failing to make concrete plans for going anywhere
else. Reaching the initial goal becomes the end of the matter, instead of
another beginning. What would you do with your life if there were no obstacles?
What would you like to have written on your tombstone as the final testimony to
your life?
Godly motivation is seeing yourself
the way God sees you and the way the Bible says you can be.
Motivation is linked to a
number of factors:
(1)
Character:
Motivation flows from what you value and what you value most will become your
priority. Your motivation can either be mature and godly or fleshly with carnal
reasoning.
(2)
Dreams
(Phlp. 3:13-14) "I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but
one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies
ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus." Paul had dreams and goals that motivated him to live an
energetic life. Set goals that are reachable and short-term as well as
long-term goals.
(3)
Calling:
Every motivated person in scripture had a destiny. We, too, have a God-given
place that no one else can fill.
(4)
Sensitivity
to the Holy Spirit: He is the one who builds motivation in us, as we stay in
fellowship and prayer with Him, and learn to hear His voice.
(5)
Understanding of God's Word: As we read and
meditate on God's Word, it will become the motivating factor in our lives - it
will increase our faith - and we will believe that nothing is impossible with
God.
(6)
Fear
of God: It is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7). Contemplate the judgments
and rewards of God. That helps us to be
motivated.
(7)
Spiritual gifting: You will
do those things that bring forth that gift as it is a powerful motivating
factor in your life. i.e. If you are called to teach, you will study for
teaching.
(8)
Risk-taking:
Your motivation is linked to your ability to rise to challenging experiences.
Don't be afraid of new things.
(9)
Reservoirs:
Eph. 5:18 says to be filled with the Spirit. Just as your car needs gas to run
- we need Bible study, prayer, and relaxation to run well for God.
(10)
Right
thinking: Phil. 4:8 says, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good
repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your
mind dwell on these things."
(11)
Commitment
to follow the Lord: Caleb was commended by God because he wholly followed the
Lord. Motivation is not only a state of mind, but of heart.
(12)
Enlarging
your heart: As we pray in the Spirit, we'll enlarge our hearts, which in turn
will enlarge our capacity to be motivated. Prayer releases us from stress,
wrong thinking, bad attitudes, sin, unrighteousness and anything else that can
rob us of motivation.
(13)
Faith:
You can be disloyal to God by making small what He intended to make large. Heb.
11 speaks of the heroes of faith. As your faith grows, your motivation will
grow. It is by faith that we receive the promises of God.
I had a phone call from a
man from Africa this past week, who had found me on the internet. We visited at
length and then he expressed his desire to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
He said, "I have the faith to receive right now!" So, I prayed for
him and he almost immediately received!
(14) Attitude: None of the
other factors listed here can improve your motivation if you don't have the right
attitude. Successful people have a positive attitude based upon God's Word. You
can reach higher and further than you ever though possible when you have the
right attitude.
5. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must…Have a Living Faith:
The word, "faith"
is used 558 times in the New Testament. The word, "love" is mentioned
258 times; righteousness 230 times, and hope 85 times. We can conclude from
this that faith is a primary subject in the Bible. The type of faith that we
will mention here is "living faith" that everyday faith by which we
can live and maintain the power of Christ in our lives. It is tied to action
and it will be revealed by the fruit it produces.
(1)
Living
faith speaks with the mouth what is in the heart. Rom. 10:8 says, "The
word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" - that is, the word of
faith which we are preaching. People were amazed at the authority with which
Jesus taught. And, the disciples spoke the Word of God with boldness.
(2)
Living
faith activates spiritual gifts Many people wait for their spiritual gifts and
then wonder why the Lord doesn't use them. He wants us to use us right now, but
we must activate our gift through a living faith governed by prayer and the
Word of God.
(3)
Living
faith stands strong: It never quits in the face of adversity.
(4)
Living
faith is evidenced by a disciplined life-style which cultivates godly character
(5)
Living faith obeys the Word
of God:
This applies even when God's
Word seems to be in conflict with our natural mind. i.e. When Peter and the
disciples fished all night and caught nothing; and Jesus said to let down their
nets on the other side of the boat. Peter obeyed, even though he didn't
understand, and got such an enormous catch that the nets broke. God wants us to
receive blessing, enlargement, and increase. But, we must let down our nets of
faith to take up the great catch God has for our lives, which takes obedience.
Living faith moves in the
power of the Holy Spirit: We freely worship with uplifted hands, clapping,
shouting, singing to God, and dancing. The natural mind says this is
foolishness and out of order.
(6)
Living
faith prays: Prayer in faith sees God moving, working and doing the impossible.
(7)
Living faith sees giving as
a way of increase:
The Bible says that we are
to tithe and give offerings and that if we scatter, we'll increase, while if we
hold back, we may lose what we already have.
(8) Living faith honors
baptism:
It sees baptism as a way to
identify with Christ's death and to receive circumcision of the heart. Then, we
are raised to new life.
(8)
Living
faith sees speaking in tongues as a way to release the Holy Spirit:
(9)
edifies
us as we communicate supernatural things to God (Jude 20).
(10)
Living
faith moves us to become committed to a local body: It is a place to serve,
taking responsibility for people. As you do, you may encounter burdens and even
abuse from other believers. But, you'll also have the opportunity to pray with
others, do spiritual warfare, and recharge your spiritual batteries, and be
fed.
(11)
Living
faith will be tested: There was a man who desired a strong, unshakable faith
and asked God to make him stronger than a wall.
So, trouble came to him and
problems. He soon learned that these were part of God's plan to answer his
prayer. Faith grew as he asked the Lord for wisdom and vigor to attack his
problems.
Living faith honors God by
counting Him able and being fully persuaded of God's willingness and ability to
keep His word. We can have a living faith.
6. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must… Be a Rejoicing Christian:
The world's definition of
happiness is self gratification and pursuing new excitement. It soon dominates
and you become worn out and enslaved to it. Joy is not in people, places,
positions or possessions. But, true Christian joy has its roots deep in God.
Circumstances, moods, seasons, people or possessions do not affect this kind of
joy. Romans 14:17 says that the kingdom of God is "righteousness and peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Four foundation stones are
to be in place if we are to live in the joy of the Lord:
(1) The first is turning to
God with all your heart so that you trust in Him for all your life
(2) The second is entering
into kingdom living. It involves making Jesus, Lord of every area of your life
- actions, thoughts, hopes and dreams.
(3) The third is the love
for righteousness that affects the way you live. There are two kinds of
righteousness: positional and practical. Practical righteousness is behavior
that results from right relationship to Christ. Positional righteousness comes
from trusting in Christ.
(4) The fourth one is the
Holy Spirit. If your source of joy is something other than Him, you'll always
be disappointed.
What do rejoicing people
look like?
(1) They worship with joy
(Ps. 16:11)
(2) They enjoy God - laugh,
have fellowship, enjoy one another, enjoy worship and everything that has to do
with the kingdom of God.
(3) They know how to laugh.
Laughter is the sound of flowing joy.
(4) They rejoice in spite of
circumstances (2 Cor. 7:4). The Apostle Paul said, "I am overflowing with
joy in all our affliction." The key to living a successful Christian life
is true biblical joy.
(5) Rejoicing people have
good health. "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries
up the bones." (Prov. 17:22). An Australian doctor has said that people
who find it easy to laugh have fewer heart
attacks.
(6) Rejoicing people are
strong in the Lord. (Neh. 8:10) "the joy of the Lord is your
strength."
(7) Rejoicing people weep
with hope of the morning. For they know their trials will pass. "Weeping
may last for the night, but.. joy comes in the morning." (Ps. 30:5).
(8) Rejoicing people rejoice
as an act of their will. They bring their emotions and moods under the rule of
God. They choose to say, "I will rejoice in this situation".
(9) Rejoicing people love
faith challenges. Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him.
(Heb. 12:2). Faith can be an joyful experience when it has its roots in God.
God has given Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne a ministry of joy. Richard Roberts came
to his meetings and came into this anointing of joy. He had just come into the
presidency of ORU, where the bills were staggering. Then, someone reported a
huge amount with a deadline as to when it would have to be met. And, Richard
fell on the floor in holy laughter. God soon miraculously supplied every cent
that was needed and the bill was paid. God continued to bless their finances
and improve the budget.
7. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must…Be a Harvester:
Jesus is the model
harvester. He was continually winning people to the kingdom of God.
The greatest strategy of
reaping the harvest in this day and age is to see the multitudes as individuals
and to ask for a divine appointment with them to lead them to the Lord. We
don't have a lack of knowledge on evangelism but a lack of action.
Pat Robertson, host of
"The 700 Club" has stated, "This is the time for the harvest of
the nations. The greatest revival is yet to be seen and churches will never
hold the increase unless they start thinking in the thousands.
The African evangelist
Reinhard Bonnke began with a tent that held ten thousand but today he has a
tent that seats thirty-four thousand. He calls this the age of the
"combine harvester."
(Isa. 43:5-6) says: "I
will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west. I will
say to the north, "Give them up! And to the south, 'Do not hold them back'."
This promise is ours as we
reap the harvest. In City Bible Church in Portland, they pray a harvest prayer,
turning in each direction - north, south, east and west - saying, "Give
them up; hold not back. Release them and let them go." They believe that
the hindering powers must let them go because of their command. In a survey
this same church conducted, they found that people became members of a church
in several
ways:
Ø
6-8
percent just walked in on their own
Ø
2-3 percent came through
a church program they heard about
Ø
8-12 percent were
attracted by the pastor's ministry
Ø
3-4 percent came
because of a special need
Ø
1-2 percent were
invited by church members through outreach
Ø
An overwhelming 70-80 percent were invited by relatives and
friends who already had a relationship with them.
We can reap the harvest of
our friends, our relatives and all those we're involved with.
8. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must…Be a Godly Father:
Martin Luther once said,
"I have difficulty praying the Lord's Prayer because whenever I say, 'Our
Father', I think of my own father who was hard, unyielding and relentless. I
cannot help but think of God that way."
Children tend to form their
view of God according to how they feel about their own fathers. To guild strong
churches and a strong society, we must have strong families.
Here are twelve scriptural
characteristics of a godly father:
(1) A godly father is
born again.
(2) A godly father
respects and obeys God's Word
(3) A godly father
rejects the impurities of our day
(4) A godly father
fears the Lord - The reward is riches, honor and life (Prov. 22:4)
(5) A godly father is alert
to destructive influences that could damage his home and family
(6) A godly father
loves each child by recognizing individual worth and potential
(7) A godly father
cultivates good manners - Love is demonstrated in actions
(8) A godly father provides
for his family through a balanced work life - But, do not go to extremes - do
not despise or worship it.
(9) A godly father
monitors the spiritual health of his children. How can you do this?
Listen to what they like to
talk about. How do they respond when you bring up spiritual matters? What kind
of friends do they choose? Be alert to early stages of rebellion - let them
know what it is and what it will do to their lives.
(10) A godly father loves
his children's mother. If you love her and treat her with respect, your
children will experience greater security. Don't discuss your problems in front
of your children. Good marriages are one of the greatest needs in America.
Teenagers need to see that marriages can last, that divorce is not the way out.
(11) A godly father is a
godly model. This is more effective than teaching and preaching. Don't tell
them one thing and do another.
(12) A godly father
never quits. Many parents feel defeat every day.
9. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must…Keep On Keeping On!
The biblical Greek word for
perseverance hyponone, is used thirty-two times in the New Testament. Sometimes
translated "patience", "endurance", or "patient
waiting", the term means standing firm despite opposition.
At times you will feel that
you have had it harder than others have, but remember that joy is based not on
an absence of difficulty, but on an unearthing your gifts and employing them
for the benefit of the kingdom.
Winston Churchill said,
"Persistence is what gives losers a winner's edge. (It) is what makes
winners out of losers, what makes winners out of quitters”? Edison conducted
eighteen thousand experiments before he achieved his goal; he never gave up
until he
gave the world the electric
light bulb.
Dr. Jonas Salk worked three
long years before he succeeded in developing a vaccine for polio. Abraham
Lincoln failed in six attempts at political office before he was elected
present.
Albert Einstein once said,
"I think and think for months, sometimes for years. Ninety-nine times the
conclusion is false, but the hundredth time I am right."
Be an encourager. The power
of encouragement is the lifeblood of success.
Hindrances to Perseverance:
(1) Unconquered sins.
(2) Undefined goals
and purposes What goals should we shoot for?
¨ Becoming
like Jesus in character and lifestyle
¨ Developing the fruit of the
Spirit and seeking out the gifts of the Spirit
¨ Living a
life that glorifies God in everything we do
¨ Working
and providing for our families
¨ Being a
good wife, husband or child
¨ Maintaining a godly
character in an ungodly society
(3) Deadly distractions: We
must not let anything turn us aside from the goals and visions God has given
us.
(4) Losing motivation: Look
beyond your suffering and your own life and see how your life will affect your
family and how your decisions will affect others.
(5) Becoming weary:
The Greek word for weary is kamno. It refers to runners and how they can let
down after reaching a goal. Beware as Satan will many times attack after a
great victory.
(6) Wrong focus: Keep
your focus on the things of God and don't focus on hardships or molehills will
become mountains in your path.
(7)Reacting against God's
discipline: The purpose of discipline is not to destroy you but to produce
something good in you. And, you will become stronger because of it.
(8)Discouragement:
"If you are slack in the day of distress, your strength is
limited." (Prov. 24:10). The pattern
of discouragement is progressive: frustration, depression, vain imaginations,
criticism, resentment, bitterness, and finally unbelief. If you feel like a
dead battery, God will come alongside you and charge your spiritual battery.
(9) Bitterness: The Bible
warns against a root of bitterness that causes people to become defiled. They
will then bear poisonous fruit and wormwood. It may be slow in manifesting
itself, but when it appears it will be bitter. Bitterness contaminates everyone
who comes in contact with it and makes us unfit to stand before God. The
Apostle Paul never gave up despite shipwrecks, beatings, and disloyalty from
friends and churches alike (2 Tim. 4:7). He fought the good fight and finished
the course.
10. To Be a Successful
Achiever I must…Live Out My Dreams! The future belongs to those who have
dreams, and the faith to live them out and truly they have excitement
and fulfillment in their
lives. God wants to make your purpose become a reality and He will help you to
develop to your fullest potential. He has a definite life plan for your life
and He'll help you accomplish it.
God begins every miracle
with a seed picture - your dreams and desires begin as photographs within your
heart and mind. They are planted as invisible seeds and then He waters and
nurtures them into reality.
Paul Yonggi Cho, pastor of
Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, S. Korea - the largest church in the world -
says that dreams and visions are the language of the Holy Spirit.
When God gives a dream, He
also gives a specific course in life to fulfill. Paul had a course that charted
his life (Acts 20:24).
Five elements must be in
place in your life for you to fulfill your course and accomplish your God-given
dreams:
(1) You must find
your course in life (Rom. 8:28-30) You are called. The Greek word means to
"embrace an invitation by the Spirit of God for some specific task."
A calling is a purpose so enjoyable that we're eager to do it regardless of the
reward or compensation.
(2) You must count
the cost before launching out. (Lu. 14:28-29) Joseph was a dreamer but he had
no idea of the cost of his dream: his brothers hated him and were full of
jealousy and envy; and even his own father didn't understand the dream. It was
thirteen long years before his dream became a reality. Decide that you will not
give up and unite yourself with people who are going in the same direction.
Search out dreamers who have paid the price to make their dreams come to pass.
(3) You must chart your
course scripturally and practically. (Prov. 24:3-4). Planning is essential to
bring our dreams to fruition. Otherwise it could be said of you: "Blessed
is he who aims at nothing, for he shall succeed." To discover new oceans
and unseen land beyond the horizon you must first let the shoreline disappear
from sight behind you. Have a plan and specific goals or you will never fulfill
your dreams.
(4) You must stay on course.
There are five obstacles to staying on course:
(a)
The first obstacle is you.
You must have discipline and that is doing what doesn't come naturally. It is
the key to taking charge of your life.
(b)
The
second obstacle is your past, which may include failed palns, ruined dreams,
aborted goals, what others have said to you, or anything else in your past that
weighs you down. You must not let your past determine your future. Leave it
behind you by the power and blood of Jesus.
(c)
A
third obstacle is your resources. Don't let lack of finances abort your dreams.
(d)
A
fourth obstacle is your frame of reference. If you stay around people who think
small, your frame of reference will shrink. Study the Bible, read good books,
and walk with others who do the same, and your frame of reference will grow.
(e)
The
fifth obstacle is a 3-D obstacle: disappointments, discouragement and delays.
If you can pass this, you'll fulfill your dreams and visions.
(5)
You
must finish your course. Paul said that he fought a good fight, finished the
course, and kept the faith. (2 Tim. 4:7). He describes three people later on in
2 Timothy 4 who began their course with good intentions, but only tow of them
reached the finish line.
Ø
The
first one was Demas. His dream faded because of testing and obstacles. Paul
says that he loved this present world and deserted him.
Ø
The
second man was Mark. He turned failure into triumph, disaster into destiny and
he was restored after stumbling. He got a second chance.
Ø
The
third person is Paul himself. He had a dream, paid a price for it and made it
come to pass.
Yes, you and I can become
successful achievers with the help of God and by following the instructions in
His Word.
May God bless you and
remember that His secret is with them who fear Him!
Psalm 25:14
REF: "10 Secrets of a Successful Achiever"
by Frank Damazio
The secret
of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them His covenant.
In His Love,
Esther
Global
Evangelism Fellowship www.clatskanie.com/gef
