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SUCCESS!
May
he give you the desire of your heart and make all your
plans succeed.
(Psalm 20:4, NIV)
THE PARENTS
OF children with autism are an extraordinary group of
people. As a whole, they have as much dedication, passion,
drive, and determination as anyone I have met. They
will do whatever they can to help their children succeed.
Their devotion to their children is very similar to
God’s devotion to us.
God longs
for us to succeed. That means every one of us including,
our children. He did not create us to be sad, defeated
failures. While that does not mean that we will never
experience failure, it does mean that we are not created
to be failures. Ponder, for a moment, the beautiful
words of Psalm 139: 17-18, “How precious also
are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum
of them! If I should count them, they would be more
in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with
You.”
God has loving and precious thoughts toward each and
every one of us. Part of God’s redemptive plan
for our lives is to see that we gain whatever we need,
whenever we need it, in order to accomplish His purposes
for us. Those purposes include our success and our children’s
success.
Success is defined as “turning out well or attaining
a goal.” It means to flourish, to prosper, or
to thrive. Such is God’s will for our lives. Psalm
1:3 says of the godly person, “He shall be like
a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth
its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither;
and whatever he does shall prosper.” There is
a portion, both spiritual and physical, that God has
set aside for each of His children. As we learn what
our portion is, and God moves us toward it, we become
successful in our walk with Him.
When the
Holy Spirit looks at us, He not only sees who we are
today, He also sees who He has created us to become—reaching
our fullest potential in the kingdom of God. No matter
where we are in life, or how insignificant we may feel,
the Holy Spirit can see ahead to the day when we are
successfully fulfilling the destiny for which we have
been created. God sees the end as well as the beginning
and His Holy Spirit calls out to us from where we are—as
children of destiny and success, even though we may
seem far from it.
Some specific
ways in which the Lord longs for us to succeed include:
• causing
us to move forward in our lives and prevailing over
the enemy of our soul;
• causing us to act wisely and strategically as
we move forward;
• promoting us to new levels at the right season;
• helping us to achieve our destined purpose when
we cry out to Him along our path.
In essence, as God’s children, He longs for us
succeed even as He succeeds!
KEYS
TO SUCCESS
Achieving the success and prosperity that God has for
us and for our family is not automatic just because
we are His children. We must cooperate and participate
with the plan of God to help us move toward all He has
for us. Here are some keys to help us along the way:
1.
PUT GOD FIRST.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or else he will be
loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is
not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your
heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry
about its own things” (Matt. 6:24, 25, 32-34).
We may experience
times of hunger in our lives, but if we are following
God and seeking Him first, those times can be considered
as a few pages in the book of our ultimate success.
God knows what we need and he knows what our children
need. The promise in Matthew 6 is that if we seek Him
first, He will see to it that what we need, when we
need it will be there for us.
2. FOLLOW COVENANT AGREEMENT.
Every one of us who has experienced the saving grace
of God has entered into a covenant agreement with Him.
Many analogies are used throughout Scripture to define
the relationship. He is our Father and we are His children.
He is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture.
He is the Head and we are the body. He is the Master
and we are the servants.
Each of these analogies paints a simple picture. It
is up to God to provide for our needs, to promote us
to the next level, to teach and guide us, to help us
move forward and prevail. It is up to God to see that
we have a portion and an inheritance. But, it is up
to us to obey His commandments to us at every turn in
order to see all His provision come to fruition. If
we break the covenant through disobedience, rebellion,
unbelief, sluggishness, forgetting God, or hidden sin,
we have brought peril to our own success.
3. SEEK STRATEGY FROM GOD TO REACH YOUR GOAL.
The concept of reaching toward a goal is both wise and
biblical. In Philippians 3, Paul writes, “No,
dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should
be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing:
Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies
ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive
the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling
us up to heaven” (vv. 13-14, NLT). Here Paul reveals
that the success God has for us is not just for this
earthly life, but will continue in heaven.
Reaching toward our goal of godly success seems to have
a dual purpose. First, we are reaching toward our God-given
potential to accomplish His plan for us while here on
earth. Second, we are laying up a prize in heaven that
is eternal. What a complete picture of success! God
has a strategy for each of us to reach our goal. By
seeking Him, we will gain pieces of the strategy along
the way. As we are obedient to follow that strategy,
we will one day stand before Him with confidence knowing
we reached the end of the race with success.
4.
LIVE IN CHRIST.
“For I live in eager expectation and hope that
I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that
I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in
the past, and that my life will always honor Christ”
(Philippians 1:20-21, NLT). Here again Paul brings success
into an eternal perspective. To live for Christ and
to honor Him in all that we do will bring us ultimate
success and prosperity. Success is as simple as knowing
that when we allow Christ to lead us in our lives, we
will always prosper in our souls and that we will be
blessed in all areas of life, both now and eternally.
God has a
pathway for success for us and for our families! Our
prayer for you and your family is that you will find
your feet firmly planted on that pathway. “May
He give you the desires of your heart and make all your
plans succeed.”
With blessings,
Jack and Rebecca Sytsema
©2006,
Children of Destiny. All rights reserved.
(This
article has been adapted from the book, Possessing Your
Inheritance, by Chuck D. Pierce and Rebecca Wagner Sytsema,
published by Renew Books, 1999).
__________________________________
SUCCESS!
SCRIPTURE GUIDE
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is
the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a
thousand generations of those who love him and keep
his commands.
(Deuteronomy 7:9, NIV)
I
will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and
you will eat and be satisfied.
(Deuteronomy 11:15, NIV)
All
these blessings will come upon you and accompany you
if you obey the LORD your God: You will be blessed in
the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your
womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and
the young of your livestock-- the calves of your herds
and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading
trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you
come in and blessed when you go out.
(Deuteronomy 28:2-6, NIV)
The
LORD will give you an abundance of good things in the
land he swore to give your ancestors-- many children,
numerous livestock, and abundant crops. The LORD will
send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury
in the heavens to bless all the work you do. You will
lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow
from them. If you listen to these commands of the LORD
your God and carefully obey them, the LORD will make
you the head and not the tail, and you will always have
the upper hand.
(Deuteronomy 28:11-13, NLT)
The
LORD your God will make you successful in everything
you do. He will give you many children and numerous
livestock, and your fields will produce abundant harvests,
for the LORD will delight in being good to you as he
was to your ancestors.
(Deuteronomy 30:9, NLT)
He
is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields
its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
(Psalm 1:3, NIV)
May
he give you the desire of your heart and make all your
plans succeed.
(Psalm 20:4, NIV)
The
LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to
lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still
waters. He restores my soul; he leads me in the paths
of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your
staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with
oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell
in the house of the LORD forever.
(Psalm 23, NKJ)
Wealth
and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures
forever.
(Psalm 112:3, NIV)
O
LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success.
(Psalm 118:25, NIV)
Blessed
are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You
will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity
will be yours.
(Psalm 128:1-2, NIV)
With
me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity.
My fruit is better than fine gold; what I yield surpasses
choice silver.
(Proverbs 8:18-19, NIV)
The
house of the righteous contains great treasure, but
the income of the wicked brings them trouble.
(Proverbs 15:6, NIV)
Commit
to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
(Proverbs 16:3, NIV)
True
humility and fear of the LORD lead to riches, honor,
and long life.
(Proverbs 22:4, NLT)
That
everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in
all his toil-- this is the gift of God.
(Ecclesiastes 3:13, NIV)
Moreover,
when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables
him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in
his work-- this is a gift of God.
(Ecclesiastes 5:19, NIV)
Whether
you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will
hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way;
walk in it."
(Isaiah 30:21, NIV)
He
will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the
ground, and the food that comes from the land will be
rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze
in broad meadows.
(Isaiah 30:23, NIV)
They
will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant
vineyards and eat their fruit.
No longer will they build houses and others live in
them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a
tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones
will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will
not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they
and their descendants with them.
(Isaiah 65:21-23, NIV)
“For
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the
LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
(Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)
but
the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry
out great exploits.
(Daniel 11:32, NKJ)
Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will
eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more important than food, and the body more
important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much
more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can
add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry
about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of
these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little
faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?'
or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For
the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them. But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:25-34, NIV)
(Jesus
speaking) I chose you and appointed you to go and bear
fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give
you whatever you ask in my name.
(John 15:16, NIV)
His
divine power has given us everything we need for life
and godliness through our knowledge of him who called
us by his own glory and goodness.
(2 Peter 1:3, NIV)
For
everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the
victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God.
(I John 5:4-5, NIV)
Beloved,
I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in
health, just as your soul prospers.
(3 John 1:2, NKJ)
___________________________________
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