“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do it with thy might; for there is
(Ecclesiastes 9:10; Philippians 4:13).From this word of God, we could see that it’s the will of God for
no work, no device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest
(and) … I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
every Christian to succeed in life.
Success or failure in life comes in line with one’s disposition to
life. God has made time and resources available to man, and every opportunity
must be made good use of. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”, the heart
is the heart of all matters. The unregenerate heart is darkened, think evil and
sees evil continually, thinks low and is brought low, think defeat and is
defeated. But when Jesus cleanses your heart with His blood at salvation, your
life and your attitude will change. Your heart and your thought are regenerated
as you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. Therefore, you
must not allow Satan and the world to force on you any thought and the
consequence actions that may hinder your success. Slothfulness, laziness,
procrastination and discouragement must give way to discipline, diligent,
enthusiasm and determination in your life endeavors.
Discover yourself: You are not an accident of creation. God made you for a purpose, prayerfully discover
the purpose. God made you in His own image and likeness, the image of God is
the image of success, Whatever He is, He want you to be (Genesis 1:27; Romans
8:29). God made you for His glory and praise. Why became a reproach to Him? If
you are a believer, discover who you are in Christ. You are a king and a
priest. God has chosen you to reign in heavenly places with Christ Jesus
(Please read 1 Peter2:9; Ephesians 2:6).
Dream good dreams: It is one thing to have good dream, and quite
another to preserve them. Mind whom you share your dream with and avoid dream’s
killer. Someone said, “Do not share you six feet view of yourself with those
who saw a dwarf in you” do not share your dreams with dream killers. Dream
killers are people who are more critical than complimentary. They are people
who mock and jest at your dream, example, Sambalat and Tobias mocked at
Nehemiah while he embarked on building the wall of Jerusalem. Do not keep
company with those who steal your time and energy with useless, sometimes
useful, but diversionary talks. They are also dream killers. “He that walketh
with the wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be
destroyed”(proverbs 13:20). Usually it is seed sown on good ground that
flourish. Dreams are success seeds. Know where you sow your dreams.Decree and pray: Now you have some divinely imparted ideas
(dreams) in your mind. Ask God to help you pursue and realize them. He has
promise to prosper the work of your hands; pray for the fulfillment of that
promise. Decree the righteous, prayerful decrees, bringing into being favorable
conditions, profitable opportunities and needed resources that will help you to
actualize your dream. “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy one of Israel, and His
Maker … concerning the work of my hands command ye me” (Isaiah 45:11).
Drive/enthusiasm: A strong desire will tunnel through mountains of
difficulties. You may not be able to control the feelings or opinions of others
about you or your dreams but you can control yours. Therefore, motivate yourself.
Never surrender your zeal to criticism. “People who are afraid of criticism
never make decisions which will liberate them” And don’t forget that success
always attracts criticism. Start the pursuance of your dream with zeal,
continue with zeal and finish up with zeal. Don’t let the fire go down. Always
remember that you can do it as long as Christ is in you, He wants you to
succeed and fulfill His divine purpose for your life. “Beloved, I wish above
all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth” (3 John 2).
Discipline: To live a life of purpose and success, you must be
disciplined. Success means maximizing the available resources in order to hit a
desired target. Even in spiritual matters, no one can ever live a victorious
Christian life without discipline. It takes discipline to rise up early in the
morning to pray. It takes discipline to drop some activities in order to study
the word of God. It takes discipline to overcome some temptations. It is true
of all good ventures in life. Discipline will help you not waste your time,
talents and resources but to channel them to the actualization of a goal.
Discipline entails making sacrifice. He who would achieve little, sacrifices
little. Great sacrifices always attend great successes. When the Bible says,
“If thy right eye offend thee pluck it out, and cast it from thee … “(Matthew
5:29), that is discipline. If you are not discipline, you can not plan well;
neither can you follow your plans through.
Determination: The saying goes that where there is will there is a
way. If you are determined, you will not yield to distractions and
intimidations from any angles. Determination means purpose of heart. Daniel 1:8
shows us that determination was Daniel’s success blueprint. He had a clear
picture of what his life should be and he would not settle for transient,
demeaning, and defiling options. It has rightly been observed that the enemy of
the best is the good. Therefore, go for the best and always keep going for the
best.Diligence: There is no food for the lazy man (2
Thessalonians 3:10). “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy
might …“(Ecclesiastes 9:10). That you are a Christian does not automatically
guarantee you prosperity if you refuse to work. It is the work of your hand
that God promised to prosper. That you recite psalm 23 many times a day does
not guarantee food on your table except you rise to work, and you work hard. In
the sweat of your face the Lord God said you should eat. Adam was put in the garden
to dress it. Father Abraham was into animal husbandry (Genesis 13). Isaac was a
farmer. “ And there was a famine in the land … And Isaac went unto Abimelech …
then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundred fold:
and the lord bless him” (Genesis 26:1, 12). In spite of the famine, Isaac went
ahead to cultivate his farm, believing God to prosper his effort, and He did.Keep afloat by His
sovereignty: It is God who gives the increase. We must therefore work with Him
and by His word if we ever hope to make any good success in life.
Then our
dreams, desires, drive and diligence must comply with the scriptures. Otherwise
God will not bless what contradicts His word and His will. You must live a
righteous life, doing your business with clean hands. God will always fight
unrighteousness and break up evil alliances and unequal yoking in businesses.
Faith in God is the crowing of all our efforts. “For the Lord God will help me;
therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be
ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7) … “The LORD … will bless us … He will bless them that
fear the LORD, both small and great. The Lord shall increase you more and more
and your children” (Psalm 115:11-14). Without God we can do nothing (John
15:5). So, if you are still a sinner, accept Jesus Christ into your life and
make Him the Lord of your life. Then success and prosperity will follow.
Remember to do away with procrastination and laziness. Act now and it will be
well with you.