By Everyone wants to be successful, but our definition of success is usually quite different than God’s.
How Do You Define Success?
Some of us see success as proving ourselves to family or friends that don’t believe in us. We strive to be successful so that one day we can tell them (in the words of Chris Brown) “Look at me now.”
Some of us see success as a solution to our problems. Others define success as making lots of money or compensating for past failures.
Society defines success as having lots of followers, getting thousands of likes, achieving wealth, fame and having the finest materialistic things – but what does success mean to God?
Being successful in God’s eyes happens when we submit to His plan. For example, if He called you to start a podcast and you did – you’re already successful. You might say, “Well how am I successful when I don’t even have more than a couple of people listening to my podcast?”
God Doesn’t Measure Success the Way We Do
It’s important to realize that God isn’t about the numbers. He doesn’t measure success in the same way we do: how many subscribers we have, how many followers, how many shares, etc. The truth is that God is far more concerned that we actually say “yes” to doing what it is He is calling us to do to the best of our knowledge and ability – God will take care of the rest!
If God called you to do something then that means He already knows. God already knows who is going to listen to your podcast. He already knows who needs to read your blog. He knows who needs to go to your business. He knows who needs to be in your workplace. God already knows all the details.
Get Your Focus Straight
Your job isn’t to focus on being successful. Your job is to accept God’s plan for you and work on being the absolute best you can be in that. Don’t try to compare yourself to anyone. There may be other people who share your gifts or talents, but God has an audience only you can reach. For example, if you know God has given you the gift of singing, work on that! Take lessons, practice, challenge yourself.
However, when you place too much focus on doing things in order to be successful, you can easily fall right into the enemy’s trap… and this can happen even if you’re working in ministry! As a matter of fact, you can get so caught up in the ministry and “working for God” that you actually forget to spend time with Him!
Having Success as Your Main Goal Can Actually Hinder Your Success
Believe it or not, having success as your main goal and target can actually hinder your success.
Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor said:
“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.”
Practically speaking, you should focus on carrying out what you feel God has placed in your heart to do to the best of your knowledge and ability, and, in the long run, success will follow because you’ve forgotten about it. Success should be the byproduct not the main goal.
Check Your Motives
Make sure your motives are right before God.
People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.
Proverbs 16:2, NLT
If your only motive is to chase success, don’t be surprised if things don’t seem to work out. You may want to do great things for the kingdom of God, but unless your motives are in the right place then you might constantly find yourself frustrated as to why nothing seems to be happening.
The Solution
The solution? Let your main goal be to carefully listen and obey what God is calling you to do.
Matthew 6:33 states “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Make God the center of your focus and you will be successful in all of the things He has planned for you.
Swole Equally Yoked!
Your doing Great at revealing God’s Wisdom and making it easy to understand.
Have a Blessed Day!
Thank you so much! God bless you!
Today was my last day working at my job, I was blessed so much. I’m moving into what God has for me, this is our walk together. Can I request a pray from you, their is so much to do and I can describe what I’m feeling right now but it is Strong and Good! –