How God Spells Success

Do you know the Lord wants you to succeed at what you are doing for Him? He didn’t put you into church leadership to fail in what He created you to do. However, He doesn’t define success like the rest of the world. 

God says success isn’t measured in how you look, what you have, or who you know. God measures success through your character.

The apostle Paul is an excellent example of success in the Bible. He shows us seven attitudes of achievement that we can model in our ministries.

1. Sense of direction.“My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else” (Romans 15:20 NLT).

   It’s difficult to succeed if you don’t know what direction you are headed. Perhaps you heard the saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” That’s true in our ministries, businesses, and every other area of our lives. 

   Paul understood that when God had called him to plant churches. He was a pioneer church planter who wanted to start churches where people didn’t know Jesus. He never faltered from that sense of direction.

   Not only did he know what God called him to do, but he was determined to succeed. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 NKJV). Paul wouldn’t settle for a subpar performance. God had called him to start churches in places where Jesus wasn’t known, and Paul accomplished that assignment well.

2. “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” (Philippians 4:12 NKJV).

   Paul had an incredible discernment. For example, he understood there was no conflict between goal-setting and contentment. Contentment didn’t come naturally to him. He had to learn it.

   You won’t have that kind of discernment from a self-help book. You get it from the Bible. Joshua 1:8 tells us we’ll succeed when we study, memorize, meditate on Scripture, and apply the Bible to our lives.

3. “…I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24 NKJV).
   
   Many leaders struggle with making commitments. They look at life like a buffet. They’re afraid they will miss out on something at the end if they commit too early. Paul knew that God’s mission must be his top priority.

   One well-known pastor discovered large churches differed significantly in strategy, structure, and style. His study confirmed that these large churches had something in common: They were all led by pastors who stayed at the church for a long time. 

   That’s why I committed at the beginning of Make It Clear Ministries to lead it as long as the Lord made it possible. Commitment is crucial to success. 

4. “…though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries [secret things] and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2 NKJV).

   Nothing else matters in your ministry without love. Jesus sets our priorities in Matthew 22:37-39, called The Great Commandment—Love God and love others. The entire Bible can be summarized in those two phrases. 

   Success happens to the leaders who genuinely care about the people they lead. People want to follow someone they know will love them and be willing to serve them.

5. Enthusiastic faith. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

   Paul is an eternal optimist. In Romans 8:31, he tells us,“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (NKJV). Nothing is too difficult. Centuries before, missionary William Carey said, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” That was Paul’s ministry cornerstone.

   One person stated the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek phrase “in God.” Enthusiasm comes from having God in your life. 

   No doubt you’ll face significant challenges in your ministry or business, but your ability to overcome them will increase the size of your dreams. 

6. Service to others.“We are doing this service to bring glory to the Lord and to show that we really want to help” (2 Corinthians 8:19 NCV).

   Success doesn’t come without service. Jesus said, “…whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26 NKJV).

   Scripture indicates the more you give your life away, the more you get back. Paul gave everything to help others (2 Corinthians 12:15).

7. Staying-power. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed”(2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT).
   
   Reading these verses in 2 Corinthians 4 makes it easy to imagine an NFL quarterback dodging blitzing linebackers. That’s the image Paul gives us of facing our problems from every direction.

   Paul was very aware that success wouldn’t mean you stopped facing problems. In fact, success often brings on a new round of challenges. But early on, Paul committed to never giving up. Look what he faced in his ministry—stoning, imprisonment, being left for dead—and yet Paul never gave up. 

   Successful people may fail but have staying power, meaning they refuse to quit.

I don’t know what you’re facing in your ministry, business, or life, but I believe the Lord wants you to succeed in anything you do for Him. Let Paul’s life be a model for your ministry.