The world defines success as the power to get whatever you need and whenever you need it. For the believer, the definition of success is to contribute to the betterment of others in the name of Jesus Christ. In this, God is glorified.
Christ set the example by giving of Himself in performing good works in order to demonstrate the building up of the body of Christ and, ultimately, to glorify God.
Ephesians 4:11-12
11 And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2:16
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace.
1 Timothy 6:17-18
17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share.
James 2:14-17, 26
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
The biggest reason why Christians fail and become victims:
Jeremiah 4:22
“For My people are fools;
they do not know Me.
They are foolish children,
without understanding.
They are skilled in doing what is evil,
but they do not know how to do what is good.”
In order to know God, it requires the development of a relationship with Him. It requires time and effort. The more that you know God, the more that you can draw upon your relationship with Him and live victoriously through Him. God wants you to know Him and learn about Him each day, and He gives us instruction, through His Word, on how to live with success in your life.
Some other reasons for failure:
- A refusal or unwillingness to walk by faith
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Romans 14:23
But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from a conviction (faith), and everything that is not from a conviction is sin.
- Failure to see the need to succeed (or to improve). Much of this comes from the willingness to settle for less. If you desire to succeed in Christ, you are not willing to only strive for what is best for you.
- Failure to make the commitment to be successful. There are requirements for success, and it takes a commitment and a focus to “walk by faith and not by sight.”
God wants you to be successful. He wants to be able to use you for His glory. He wants you to be seen as pure and righteous, for you are called to be holy and without fault through Him.
Isaiah 43:10
“You are My witnesses”—
this is the LORD’s declaration—
“and My servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe Me
and understand that I am He.
No god was formed before Me,
and there will be none after Me.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Philippians 2:15
so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.
Jeremiah 32:27
“Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?
Note these attributes of God that you are to remember in your success through Him:
God is not a liar and He keeps His promises (Isaiah 46:11)
Numbers 23:19
God is not a man who lies,
or a son of man who changes His mind.
Does He speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfill?
God is watching over you and protecting you in your efforts to be successful through Him.
Jeremiah 1:12
The LORD said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I watch over My word to accomplish it.”
Psalm 1:6
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
Psalm 121:1-8
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.
5 The LORD protects you;
the LORD is a shelter right by your side.
6 The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.
7 The LORD will protect you from all harm;
He will protect your life.
8 The LORD will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.
2 Timothy 4:18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil work and will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
When we surrender to God, He molds us and shapes us to be the person He wants you to be. The only person that prevents you from being successful in Christ is you.
Look up
Look up to God and look to those who are progressing in your faith for your best examples of success.
Give up
Be willing to trust God enough to let something go that is comfortable or familiar to you in order to realize or achieve something that is better for you. This is also part of your growth and improvement.
Show up
Be ready to learn something with the willingness to show up and face the things in the life that are holding you back. When you show up and face these difficulties, God is right there with you.
God did not save you to be a failure. He wants you to live an abundant life in Him. He wants us to be successful in life because we are the servants of the Most High God. Our success comes when we hear God speak to us saying, “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Akron Alliance Fellowship 