How to have real success – take these 3 steps
HOW TO HAVE SUCCESS – REAL SUCCESS
Real success is only achieved when we are walking out and fulfilling God’s will for our life. God has a plan for your life. It is a plan to prosper you and not to harm you, a plan that will give you hope and a prosperous future. (Jeremiah 29:11) His plans are always greater than you can ever dream or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) However, most of us spend our time pursuing things that are not God’s will. Often, they are good things just not the God thing for us. The only way to have true success is to pursue God’s plan for your life.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Provides the Answer
It is our duty, and it is our joy to find, to follow, and to finish the will of God for our lives. When we do our lives are fulfilling and successful. The big question is how do you do that? Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us the recipe for real success. It says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
3 Steps for Real Success
Hidden in these powerful words are 3 clear-cut steps for guaranteed success in life. They are –
1. Trust the Lord.
You will never experience real success until you put your full dependence on the Lord. Why do we find it difficult to trust the Lord? In most cases, it is because we don’t know Him well enough to trust Him. To really know God, you have to spend time with Him. Then to know God is to love Him and to love God is to obey Him. And… to obey Him, is to be blessed. If you want to have success in life begin to fully trust God – now! He is one hundred percent trustworthy. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7) What are you trusting in?
2. Don’t Lean on Your Own Understanding.
First of all, notice it does not say we are not to have understanding. In fact, Proverbs 4:7 tells us, “to get understanding” What we need is God’s understanding, not our OWN understanding. God’s understanding comes from knowing His Word. “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130) We often rely on our own understanding gained from the world and natural reasoning. To achieve real success we need to follow the path of God’s understanding. Are you relying on your own understanding and pursuing your will or are you letting go and seeking His understanding and will?
3. Acknowledge the Lord in All Things.
Acknowledge in this verse has two major meanings and applications. First, acknowledge means to recognize the rights, authority, or status of. Experiencing real success begins with us recognizing God’s supreme authority and Lordship over our lives. We acknowledge Him in every situation big or little. Second, it means to express gratitude and honor. When we achieve anything that is worthwhile we acknowledge God. He is the one who gives us the ability and grace to accomplish anything. All the glory goes to Him! (1Corinthians 10:31) Are you taking the credit or are you acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus in all things and giving Him the glory?
But What if He Sends You to the Jungle?
One more thing about trusting the Lord, don’t be afraid of the will of God. I have heard many people say, what if He sends me to a remote village in the jungle as a missionary? Listen, if that is where He sends you, then that’s exactly where you’d want to be – smack dab in the middle of His will for your life because that’s where you find real success. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
He Will Direct Your Life
Lastly, Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “He shall direct your paths.” This literally means that God will bulldoze a path in front of you. Not only does God show the way, but He also clears the way. When you follow His direction you are guaranteed success. That doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges you have to work through, but when you encounter them, God is there with you making away even when there seems to be no way! This is a huge difference between following God’s plan versus following our plan.
Great Illustration
There was a family who had a little girl who was crippled. When at home, she would lay her crutches aside and scoot around on the floor. One day when her father returned home from a long trip, as he entered the house he was greeted by his little girl sitting near the door.
She noticed he was carrying a big present and said, “Daddy, let me carry it to Momma.” He tried to convince her she couldn’t carry the present and take it to her mother, but she wouldn’t relent. Finally, he said, “Alright, here take it.” She held it in her arms and said, “Now Daddy pick me up and take me to Momma.”
What Will You Do?
I have a question for you. Has God ever done that for you? Have you recognized the times your heavenly Father has picked you up and carried you? He has carried me many times when I have been struggling to fulfill His will in my life. Father God has reached down picked me up and carried me through difficult times to places of great success. When you fully depend upon the Lord – trust Him, let go of your way, and acknowledge Him in all things, He will direct your life, and He will be the driving force behind your success. What will you do?