Success Principles – Part One
It is never a wrong thing for a Christian to desire success. As long as you live among men as a Christian, people will have expectation of you. So you must endeavour to do well. Surprisingly, our Father in heaven also expects us to do well. So it’s not out of place to desire wealth, prosperity or any good living. It is therefore important you disabuse your mind from the general opinion that it’s wrong for a Christian to succeed.
It is not God’s intention that you live on earth and not succeed. For Him He wishes that as you grow in Him, His grace will be upon you to succeed at everything you do. God expects that those who live righteously will gain from His vineyard. Such people are those He calls His sons. They’re those who are recruited into His army; and such people shine for the rest of their lives. If you’re righteous, your path must shine (Jeremiah 29:11-13, Joshua 1:8, Proverbs 21:31).
It’s also important to note that life on this earth is governed by principles, so for you to succeed you must know the principles that govern success and apply them. To succeed in life more often has nothing to do with your educational background, connections, etc. It has everything to do with you which includes your spiritual life. There are spiritual and natural principles that govern success.
SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES THAT GOVERN SUCCESS
There’s no denying the fact that the spiritual rules over the physical. For anything to happen in the physical, it might have first happened in the spiritual. We cannot win any war against the flesh (physical) if we don’t involve ourselves physically. However, what brings us victory is what we do in the spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ whom we follow and look up to didn’t just live a normal life while on earth; He lived beyond the natural. Man is a spirit, has a soul and lives in a body. You cannot succeed if you only apply physical principles. To succeed you must be able to combine both the supernatural and the natural. Many people have had talents yet they have had their lives amount to nothing because they failed to acknowledge and apply the spiritual principles that aid success. There’s more to our talents, abilities and skills than meets the eyes. For your talent to be useful you must nurture it both spiritually and physically (Joshua 17:8-16, Daniel 4:17, Exodus 6:8-16).
WAYS TO WALK IN THE SUPERNATURAL
- Total submission to the Lord – Proverbs 3:5-8
You must shun evil and not lean on your own understanding. You cannot walk in the supernatural if you don’t totally submit yourself to the Lord. Serve the Lord with a sincerity of heart. Learn to be prayerful and serve in your church. The Lord is looking for men who are after His heart to use. Don’t be lukewarm Christian; submit your will to Him.
- Honour the Lord with your substance – Proverbs 3:9-10
You must learn how to sacrifice your substances to the Lord if you want to succeed. You cannot be a strong Christian if you cannot sacrifice anything of your own. Your altar will not speak if you don’t sacrifice. Pay your tithes, offerings, sow seeds, give to the poor, etc.
- Be receptive to divine rebukes – Proverbs 3:11-12
The Lord rebukes in a few ways – through His word by reading of the bible; through dreams; through people we don’t even know; through our parents; and many times through our pastors. When you’re rebuked about something you did wrong know that it’s God Himself who’s rebuking you. He does this so you change from your old ways to the new one. Many people have messed up their lives because they closed their ears to rebukes.
- Faith – Hebrews 11:6, James 1:6-8
Faith is that important character you need to cultivate if you want to hear from God. Faith never gives up, it never doubts, and it never succumbs. You cannot walk in the supernatural when you lack faith. Faith is when you believe thou is the will of God upon your life and no matter what happens that will be done. It is faith that helps us to experience the supernatural.
In conclusion, know that God expects you to do well as His child. You must do everything to meet this expectation of Him. Learn to place premium on things that matter and such are things that help you to walk in the spirit. Learn to live holy, learn to pray often, learn to sacrifice your substances and learn to listen to rebukes when they come your way.
