Today I want to take a few moments of your time to talk and think about success!  This will be the spring-board for what we talk about for the rest of the week.  There are a lot of things for us to think about, but most of them cannot be important, until we get comfortable with the idea of success.  Success was God’s idea!  He came up with the whole concept and then the world got a hold of it and began to warp it and make it about a lot of other stuff that God never intended.  We should be comfortable with success – not the world’s version, but with God’s version!  It is God’s desire that each one of us succeed at what He created and gifted us to do.  And we will know that we are succeeding when we begin to experience the fulfillment that comes from walking according to His plans for our lives!  Over the next several days, we will discover some of the Basics Of Success according to God’s Plan!

Success Occurs In The Lives Of Specific People For Specific Reasons!  We need to understand that success does not happen by accident.  Most of us will never wake up one morning to discover we lost twenty pounds without doing a thing!  You will not get that raise or pay off that debt by accidentally finding the money and sending it to the right people.  That promotion will not just accidentally happen – you will have to work for it and prove that you deserve it!  That’s what success is about – doing what God created and gifted you to do and finding fulfillment in it!

Some people think that success would come if they could just change their luck.  “I’m just not lucky like so and so!” you might hear someone say!  But the truth is luck has nothing to do with it!  Did Michael Jordan get to be a basket ball star because he was lucky?  No-Way!  He was a star because he worked hard, practiced continually and gave himself totally to the game!  Success is not based on luck!  Think of people that you know that are successful and think about how they got to where they are – almost every time, if you are honest, they got there because they worked hard with what God had given them and made it count!

Success is something that you make happen!  Wherever you are and whatever you want to happen in your life – if it is going to happen, it will happen, because you have made up your mind that you are going to do whatever it takes!  The Bible teaches that a man will reap whatever he sows!  In other words:  Whatever you plant – God will grow!  What are you planting with your actions or lack of action? 

Be specific!  What has God gifted you to do and what are you going to do about it?  Do more than think about it – get obedient and make something happen!

I am so excited about what God is doing!  God is teaching us some amazing things and when we put into practice the things that He is teaching, we have the potential to experience incredible and blessed lives!  God is allowing Northwood to step out of it’s comfort zone.  Every step we make out of our comfort zone is one more step we make closer to God and His amazing will.  Let’s get out of a small church, scarcity and mediocre mindset and get into a Kingdom Church, Abundannt and Excellent mindset!  We are God’s creation with a God-given purpose and the supernatural power to accomplish that purpose for God’s glory and our blessing!

I am so thankful for the team leaders that God has blessed this church with!  I am so thankful that they are a part of the team and that they are willing to give more than lip service!  The men and ladies that give leadership to our ministry teams are a great blessing in so many different ways.  They give of themselves in service to God, Northwood and others!  We cannot do all that God has called us to do without these leaders and their willingness to submit, obey, discipline and give of themselves!  You guys are great and I am so glad that we are all on the same team!

I am so looking forward to the blessings!  I believe with all of my heart that when we are obedient – God blesses!  When I read through my Bible, I see God blessing the obedience of His people.  Thank you for reading this blog and thank you for working to become obedient to Christ.  Our obedience is opening the doors of our lives to receive amazing and abundant blessings!  Over the next several days – I will be talking about the blessing of success.  I hope that you will join me every day and I pray that everyday God will show you something else about His greatness in your life!

I love the Bible!  I love the Bible because I have found it’s words to be true, accurate and always right on target!  The Bible knows where I am and where I need to be and instructs me on how to get there!  If I will take the time to read a little every day, I will always have a healthy supply of whatever I need to face whatever may come my way.  Don’t look at the Bible as a book of rules and regulations, instead look at it as a guide to the very best life possible.  When it tells you to do something – it is telling you to do it, because in so doing, you will discover blessing!  When it tells you not to do something – it tells you not to do it, because to cross that line will cost you more than you really want to pay!  The Bible is God speaking to you and me – listen and you will hear some amazing things!

In Philippians 4:8 the Scriptures tell us to focus on some things.  If we will shift our focus and put it on the right things, it will make an amazing difference in our lives!  We should focus on what is:

True not false – what good will a lie really do you?

Honorable not destructive -what good does it do anyone to tear down and apart?

Right not wrong -stop trying to make wrongs right, just admit there wrongs and get right!

Pure not impure – purity builds, blessed and binds us to God, while impurity destroys, discourages and defeats us!

Lovely not unlovely – if it’s not the good stuff of God – what do you want with it?

Good not bad – this is a no brain-er!

Excellent not mediocre – we should give our best for the best!

Praise worthy not gossip talk – Granny said it best:  “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!”

This is really all about focusing on the positive!  God is a positive God!  His Word is a positive Word!  We His people should be a positive people!  Shift your focus and think in the positive things of God today!