THE LAWS OF SUCCESS_''success is not an accident''
By Senior Pastor Dr. A. Bernard.
Success is not an accident. It is the result of specific measurable actions. That is important because that only works once. Indeed, people get results; but they don't know what they did so that they can repeat it.
There is a specific set of actions you have taken to bring you the life that you have today, negative or positive. You have taken certain actions to bring you the life that you have today. In other words, the life that you have today is your thought and your lifestyle is simply the external expression of your internal experience.
Successful people simply discover in them the law that governs success. They discover the law and they simply use it. For instance, disciples came back excited about the authority they had just used and they said, ''Lord, even the demons were subject to us.'' Thus, they had just realized that they were operating in a law and it has to deal with the law of delegated authority. They were operating in a law.
They were successful with it and came back excited. But Jesus cautioned them.
Let us realize this: ''Saved, sinner or unbeliever, these laws work no matter who you are, if you are willing to work on them.'' For this reason, it is shame for Christians to get jealous and mad at sinners who are operating in Christian law and experiencing the benefits of it thereafter getting jealous and upset because God is blessing the sinners. Instead they should realize that God causes the sun to shine over the unjust; He causes His rain to rain on the crops of the just and the unjust. But they don't give God credit.
With this realization, we can understand why Jesus said, ''They are pressing in to the Kingdom while looking how to get its benefits.'' Then He said, ''if they don't come in through Him, they are thieves.''
Jesus cautioned His disciples saying, ''Don't rejoice in the fact that in My Name even demons are subject to you; but rejoice in the fact that your names are written in the Book of life. That is the most important thing.
But even though it is a reality that our names are written in the Book of life, we have got an experience to deal with. Therefore, the Bible says, ''He has given us the promises of the world to come and for the world that we want to deal with.''
Thus, we should realize that we live in the universe of laws governed by a system of order. The Bible is the revelation of those laws, that order and the God who created them. This will make you look at the Word of God differently.
Matthew 6:33 says, ''Spiritual renewal will always be followed by economic revitalization.. It says, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that is spiritual renewal.
It is obvious that you cannot seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, without being renewed in your spirit and that will cause all things to be added to you, that is, the effect. Thoughts are causes; conditions are effects. So, you change your conditions by changing your thoughts. This is in line with the Bible says, ''You will change your conditions when you renew your thoughts'' {Romans 12:2}. Isn't that fine!
In this universe, there are laws at work whether we are aware of them or not. They are daily influencing our lives. So, something is influencing your life and you don't know what it is. It is real stupidity to realize that something is influencing your life on daily basis and you don't know what it is.
Thus, you are living daily at the mercy of it and you just cooperate with it to your own destruction instead of your success.
One of the laws that govern this universe is the law of productivity. Remember God wants us to be productive; for He said, ''Be fruitful and multiply'' and Jesus said, ''It is the desire of your heavenly Father that you bear much fruit.'' So, God wants fruitfulness in your life. He wants productivity because the ultimate objective of God that is synonymous with maturity is that each entity in existence in this creation reaches its maximum level of productivity. Whether it is human, animal, fish, fowl, plant or tree, God's objective is that it reaches its maximum productivity.
Ability means productivity. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, '' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth (KJV). In the NIV, it says the ability produces wealth. God has given everyone ability. But it does not mean that everyone is productive because to have ability does not necessarily mean you are being productive with your ability.
So, you can have ability that God has given you; but it does not mean that you are productive with it. Ability is the power to act and you can have the power to act while not acting, in actual fact. Apostle James says that faith is meaningless unless it is backed up with works. If you really have what you are talking about, it should be evidenced by something you are productive in your life. For instance, if I come back and find you still being where you were seven years ago, something is wrong with you.
Let me share with you the laws that govern ability, the laws that govern the power to act. Let me explain what that means. Remember effectiveness demands a clear definition of terms. If you are clear in the terms you are using, those terms empower you to act. But if you are ambiguous, if you are unclear, then you will not act effectively.
Clarity is the first law of learning and that is why you have preachers who are unclear so that you cannot understand what they are preaching about. So, you get emotionally charged, but you have no idea about what they are talking about. That is preaching for reaction and not preaching for change. There are many preachers who preach for reaction and not for change.
So, let me expand this definition:
''Ability is the power, skills or resources to accomplish something.'' This is a very important definition because it is a crystal clear one. When you become crystal clear, you become focused.
Success is not an accident. It is the result of specific measurable actions. That is important because that only works once. Indeed, people get results; but they don't know what they did so that they can repeat it.
 |
| Mdee Junior |
Successful people simply discover in them the law that governs success. They discover the law and they simply use it. For instance, disciples came back excited about the authority they had just used and they said, ''Lord, even the demons were subject to us.'' Thus, they had just realized that they were operating in a law and it has to deal with the law of delegated authority. They were operating in a law.
They were successful with it and came back excited. But Jesus cautioned them.
Let us realize this: ''Saved, sinner or unbeliever, these laws work no matter who you are, if you are willing to work on them.'' For this reason, it is shame for Christians to get jealous and mad at sinners who are operating in Christian law and experiencing the benefits of it thereafter getting jealous and upset because God is blessing the sinners. Instead they should realize that God causes the sun to shine over the unjust; He causes His rain to rain on the crops of the just and the unjust. But they don't give God credit.
With this realization, we can understand why Jesus said, ''They are pressing in to the Kingdom while looking how to get its benefits.'' Then He said, ''if they don't come in through Him, they are thieves.''
Jesus cautioned His disciples saying, ''Don't rejoice in the fact that in My Name even demons are subject to you; but rejoice in the fact that your names are written in the Book of life. That is the most important thing.
But even though it is a reality that our names are written in the Book of life, we have got an experience to deal with. Therefore, the Bible says, ''He has given us the promises of the world to come and for the world that we want to deal with.''
Thus, we should realize that we live in the universe of laws governed by a system of order. The Bible is the revelation of those laws, that order and the God who created them. This will make you look at the Word of God differently.
Matthew 6:33 says, ''Spiritual renewal will always be followed by economic revitalization.. It says, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that is spiritual renewal.
It is obvious that you cannot seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, without being renewed in your spirit and that will cause all things to be added to you, that is, the effect. Thoughts are causes; conditions are effects. So, you change your conditions by changing your thoughts. This is in line with the Bible says, ''You will change your conditions when you renew your thoughts'' {Romans 12:2}. Isn't that fine!
In this universe, there are laws at work whether we are aware of them or not. They are daily influencing our lives. So, something is influencing your life and you don't know what it is. It is real stupidity to realize that something is influencing your life on daily basis and you don't know what it is.
Thus, you are living daily at the mercy of it and you just cooperate with it to your own destruction instead of your success.
One of the laws that govern this universe is the law of productivity. Remember God wants us to be productive; for He said, ''Be fruitful and multiply'' and Jesus said, ''It is the desire of your heavenly Father that you bear much fruit.'' So, God wants fruitfulness in your life. He wants productivity because the ultimate objective of God that is synonymous with maturity is that each entity in existence in this creation reaches its maximum level of productivity. Whether it is human, animal, fish, fowl, plant or tree, God's objective is that it reaches its maximum productivity.
Ability means productivity. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, '' You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth (KJV). In the NIV, it says the ability produces wealth. God has given everyone ability. But it does not mean that everyone is productive because to have ability does not necessarily mean you are being productive with your ability.
So, you can have ability that God has given you; but it does not mean that you are productive with it. Ability is the power to act and you can have the power to act while not acting, in actual fact. Apostle James says that faith is meaningless unless it is backed up with works. If you really have what you are talking about, it should be evidenced by something you are productive in your life. For instance, if I come back and find you still being where you were seven years ago, something is wrong with you.
Let me share with you the laws that govern ability, the laws that govern the power to act. Let me explain what that means. Remember effectiveness demands a clear definition of terms. If you are clear in the terms you are using, those terms empower you to act. But if you are ambiguous, if you are unclear, then you will not act effectively.
Clarity is the first law of learning and that is why you have preachers who are unclear so that you cannot understand what they are preaching about. So, you get emotionally charged, but you have no idea about what they are talking about. That is preaching for reaction and not preaching for change. There are many preachers who preach for reaction and not for change.
So, let me expand this definition:
''Ability is the power, skills or resources to accomplish something.'' This is a very important definition because it is a crystal clear one. When you become crystal clear, you become focused.
THE LAWS OF ABILITY.
1. Life Distributes To Everyone According To The Level Of One's Ability.
In the Gospel of Matthew 25, it speaks of the parable of the talents. He gave to one man five, one man two and another one. But notice, He gave to each one according to the level of his ability. With this realization, you can easily understand the law of limitation that states that every thing has a limit. But the limit changes.
Jesus said in John 16:12 to His disciples: ''I still have many things to say to you, but you can not bear them now.'' The Bible also says in Hebrews 5:14 '' Strong meat belongs to the matures; milk belongs to the babes.'' So, you don't give messages in the way of depth to individuals who are shallow because they cannot appreciate the deep things of God owing to their lack of deeper life.
2. You Only Get What You Can Handle.
This is very important because the Bibles says that God will not give you more than what you can handle. The most interesting thing about this is that we don't really know how much we can handle.
There are things that you have gone through and when you were going through them, you firmly believed that you couldn't handle them. But after God took you through them victoriously, you looked back with twenty-four divisions and you saw that with God you handled them.
So, you have no idea of the potential inside of you. Thus, you only get what you can handle.
3. The Expectation Of God Is That You Will Seek To Raise The Level Of Your Ability.
It is God's expectation that you and I will seek to raise the power, skills and resources. How do we know that? Let us go back to Jesus' statement. He said, ''I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.'' The insertion of the word ''now'' indicates the expectation that the disciples would grow up to the place where they could receive the things He wanted to say to them.
Thus, there are things that we cannot handle now. But it is the expectation of God that you will seek to raise the level of our ability.
4. Ability Is Increased By Use.
According to Hebrews 5:14, the matures become mature by reason of use. They grow to discern both good and evil. For instance, the man who had five talents, by reason of effective use, increased his talents to ten. But in the use of his talents and the increase of those talents, he also increased his ability. He started out with the ability for ten. With his successful use of ten talents he would increase his ability for twenty and with his successful use of twenty talents , he would increase his ability to forty. With his successful use of forty talents, he would increase his ability to eighty.
So, it is a cycle where effective use of ability leads to an increase in abilities, an increase in values or an increase in resources.
5. Your Ability Will Grow To The Level Of Your Dreams.
In 1980, we were buying our present facilities for our church. The price was 1.2 millions. But now the value of our present facilities is 24 millions.
So, we continuously increased the value by effective use of our ability simply because we were able to dream this new building.
My ability will always grow to the level of my dreams. So, i must dream. I have to dream because dreams cause me to ask my self the question: ''What do i have to become or in order to keep what i want to get?'' So, dreams raise questions. Dreams challenge where you are. Dreams cause you to investigate and analyze your present conditions.
Both above average jobs with above average pays only come to above average people. So, you must determine to be above the average, if you want to experience, walk and live in above average living standard. You have to get stop blaming God.
When I read Scriptures and look for patterns and laws so that i can add to my collection of resources that empower me through wisdom and understanding to become successful in life, I have responsibility to do that.
Proverbs 18:9 says, ''He who is slothful in his work is brother to him who is a great destroyer.'' The Amplified Bible says, He who does not use his skills, talents and abilities to heal him self is a brother to him who commits suicide.''
Thus, it is your responsibility to use resources available to you to change your conditions. Your failure to do so is tantamount to committing suicide. You become your own murderer.
It is our duty to raise above the mediocrity of the average and begin to walk in excellence. Therefore, let us exemplify the spirit of excellence that God had put inside of us.
6. Inability Has More To Do With Attitude.
The man with one talent had a bad attitude. He said, ''Master, I know that you are a hard man who goes around reaping where you have even sown anything. So, i was afraid. It took your talent and buried it.
So, the man had a bad attitude. As a result, his attitude hindered the use of his talent. How many people you and I recognize that they have tremendous ability. But their attitude causes them to be rejected.
So, inability has a lot to do with the attitude. Attitudes determine approach and approach determines success or failure. There are people who may not be at a certain level of ability, but they have the right attitude. Then that right attitude will carry them beyond their present level of ability.
What is the attitude? It is your frame of mind. For some people, their frame of mind is too slow.
7. With Ability Comes Responsibility.
To whom much is given, much is required. It also says, ''To whom people commit more, they demand more.'' This is especially true for us, we leaders.
So, the people have the right to demand a higher level of excellence from you because you have been given a higher level of responsibility.
Thus, with ability comes responsibility. In a sense, responsibility is simply your response to the ability within you.
8. The Greater The Ability, The Greater The Demand.
The ability creates the demand. To whom much is given, much will be required. People have the right to ask more from you because you have been given too much. The greater the ability, the greater the demand.
With ability comes responsibility. If you don't show yourself responsible for what you have, you will disqualify yourself for having more. To be responsible to what belongs to somebody else qualifies you for having your own. Being responsible to something that belongs to someone else not only qualifies you to get your own, but also enables you to get blessings that would be for someone else. If you are irresponsible with material wealth, you will be irresponsible with spiritual wealth. Thus, the material is a proof for the spiritual.
9. As Ability Increases, So Does The Power Of Attraction.
10. What We Attract In Life Is Determined By The Kind Of Attitude We Have.
11. Ability Has The Power To Attract Opportunities ( Proverbs 18:16).
Joseph's ability to interpret dreams opened him the opportunity to come out of the dungeon thereafter standing before king Pharaoh who subsequently elevated him to the second rank after him, following his correct interpretation of his dreams.
12. Ability Attracts Ability.
People with ability attract people with ability. In other words, people with ability will look for people with ability. When David was about to take over the crown from Saul as King of Israel, his tremendous ability attracted many people with ability.
However, your ability is either hindered or enhanced by the company of people around you. The Bible says, ''Evil company corrupts good habits'' (1Cor. 15:33). But good company has positive effect on you. It takes positive relationships to carry you beyond your own limitations. God responds to your needs based on your relationships. God uses positive relationships to responds to your needs.
For financial freedom Click here.
Life Changers Ministry
mdeejunior@gmail.com
@mdee_junior (twitter)
mdee.junior (skype)
