The 3 Essentials: All You Need for Success in Life (14 page)

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Authors: Casey Treat

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God wants every person to do the following:
• Live a long, healthy life (Psalm 91:16).
• Have a good marriage and family relationships (Genesis 1:28; 2:18).
• Show financial generosity (Proverbs 3:9-10).
• Be a positive influence on other people (Matthew 22:39).
One thing you should know for sure: God has not planned a barely get by, mediocre, mundane life for you. It is not part of God’s character to bring someone into the world for no purpose, or even for a minimal purpose. In addition, He has never created anyone for an evil purpose or just so that bad things could happen to them. Yes, there are times of struggle and despair in every life. There are times of sowing and times of reaping. We all go through winters before we enjoy the summer, but God planned for every one of us to bring forth good fruit throughout our lifetime. God is a good shepherd, not an evil one, and if we walk with Him we shall not lack any good thing. There will be times we will go through valleys—even the valley of the shadow of death, but He will never leave us there to camp in the valley. With Jesus, we will always go through it to reach our destiny.

 

5. What is the witness of the Holy Spirit in your spirit?
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God . . . The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:14, 16).
God has a way of letting us know what is right, what is wrong, and what His will is. Call it a feeling, a knowing, an intuition, or a green light on the inside; we all have a witness in our spirit when something is in question. Sometimes we get a sense about a certain circumstance and we just know that person is not telling us the full truth or is trying to hide something. Other times, we feel an inclination about particular opportunities and whether or not we should embrace them or let them go.
This is not usually an audible voice; it’s just a witness in our heart. It’s a spiritual directive about what we should or should not do. Even people who don’t know God have some ability to discern His desires for their lives; but for the Christian, the Holy Spirit lives inside of each one to tell us what to do. How amazing is it that God Himself, in all His infinite wisdom, lives on the inside of us and directs and guides us?
Sure, there are times when we “miss it,” when we either misunderstand God’s direction or ignore it all together. We are human and make mistakes, but as we grow and mature in our relationship with the Lord, and become more sensitive to His promptings inside of us, His voice gets clearer, and we can sense more clearly what to do.
It’s like developing an ear for music. When listening to a song, most people hear only a small portion of the sounds and arrangements. They listen to the words and may even hear one or two specific instruments. The fact is, there are dozens of sounds and layers in the production of most songs, and only the trained ear will be able to decipher all of them. A person with a career in music production can hear bass, percussion, strings, and vocals, all at the same time. He can tune his ears to move from layer to layer as the music progresses. So it is with the witness of the Spirit; with practice and focus in your inner being, where you can learn to hear the voice of the Spirit—even when the sounds of the world seem to be drowning it out.
Sometimes the Spirit’s directive may be contrary to what your reason tells you. Not that we are to turn off our brains, but there are times when God leads us in a direction that makes absolutely no sense to us at all. I remember a time when my congregation and I were faced with a decision about church facilities. This was a major decision, and several of the elders were nervous about it. After much prayer, discussion, and counsel from other leaders, it came down to decision time. All I had to go on was a witness of the Holy Spirit about what He wanted us to do. There were great arguments for and against the project. In addition, there were other options that seemed viable. In the end, I had to decide, and I went with the witness of the Spirit, not any other rationale. I’m so glad I did, because in the years following, we completed that project, and it wound up being very profitable for our ministry.
Follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your spirit. God’s direction will help you to grab hold of and clearly focus the vision in your heart. Sometimes you won’t be able to explain it; you will just know you are supposed to walk in a particular direction. You may make mistakes, but you’ll pick yourself up and go again. God wants to direct your life by the Spirit within you. Let Him do it.

 

6. What do mature Christians see in you?
As you are growing in destiny and going after the life God has designed for you, it is important to remember, you are not alone. God will bring to you friends and leaders who can help you on to destiny’s course. From their viewpoint, they will be able to see gifts and talents in you that you may have overlooked. They might be able to help you recognize situations you were going to pass up as incredible opportunities. In the journey of focusing our visions to be able to discern God’s destiny for us, it is imperative we have mentors and friends who can help us along the way.
Proverbs 18:1 tells us, “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire: He rages against all wise judgment.”
Don’t try to make every decision on your own. Use the gifts and talents of others. Although you cannot rely on them for any final decisions (you must be responsible for those), you can draw great wisdom and insight from them. Remember, we are the body of Christ. No member of our body functions completely separately from the other members. Our eyes need the brain to do its job, and our hand needs the arm to do its job. We should not try to discern and fulfill our destiny alone. Granted, this sixth question is assuming you are an active member in a local church body and have taken the time to build relationships with strong Christian people. If you have not, find out today how you can become involved with a productive, Bible-centered local church.
I realize it feels vulnerable to build friendships, not to mention the time it takes to build the kind of trust required to feel comfortable enough to be honest and transparent, but God
never
intended any of us to live alone and isolated. He will not only give you the wisdom to know who He would have you connect with, He will also give you the courage to approach them. If right now, you feel you have no one to pray with, to be completely open with, or to seek counsel from, don’t just sit around and feel like a victim. Take some action and decide it’s time to reach out, extend trust to someone, and build new relationships.
“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14).
We can’t possibly make all the right decisions on our own. Even when it comes to raising kids or handling money, we need input from others. But we need to be sure we are seeking counsel from mature, Christian people. Your mama or your uncle Billy Bob’s best friend may not be the best sources for information. You must be careful about the selection of friends you have. (Notice I used the word
selection
. Yes, just because you are related to someone does not automatically give them the place to speak into your life.)
Take a good look at your closest friends, the ones with whom you share most of your life. Whether you realize it or not, you are becoming like them, and they like you. “He who walks with wise men will be wise; but the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Proverbs 13:20). The more time you spend with an individual, the more like-minded you become with him or her. If your friends have a negative outlook on life, it will be very difficult for you to maintain a positive one. If they view themselves as victims, as strugglers, or as the ones who never have enough of anything, you will begin to think just like they do. If their marriages are bad, they may negatively impact yours. If they are always in a financial crisis, they may negatively affect your financial life. If they always struggle with their health, they may put doubts in your mind about your own health. Be very careful in whom you choose as your close friends, because “the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

 

7. What career or ministry do you feel the peace of God about pursuing?
When we are on course with our God-given destiny, there will be a peace that passes understanding in our life. Even when this destiny takes us to extreme and challenging circumstances, we are able to rest in the knowledge we are smack-dab in the middle of God’s plan for our lives. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
This kind of God-peace goes beyond the natural mind. It defies understanding or explanation. It is a supernatural part of knowing you are on course with God and with your destiny—convinced that before the foundation of the world, God established a destiny for you and that you are on your way to fulfilling it.
There have been several times throughout the history of Christian Faith Center when things were not easy. Financial needs, people problems, staff changes, and personal doubts are just a few of the things that have caused me some frustration over these three decades of ministry. Nevertheless, after prayer, meditation, and discussion with friends, I always come back to God’s peace that surpasses my understanding. I have a sense the way has been prepared for me, and even though the hill might get steep and long, I know I will make it. I will finish the course.
I’m convinced many of those who suffer from heart attacks, ulcers, headaches, high blood pressure, and other stress-related conditions, do not know this peace. They don’t know or they doubt God’s destiny for them, so they worry and wonder about all their decisions. As a result, they have no peace and soon lose control of their emotions, feelings, and health.
Paul told us that the peace of God would guard our hearts and our minds. The use of the word
guard
implies a garrison or protective force that stops the destructive forces of fear, anxiety, and confusion. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
When we choose to walk in peace, everything in life becomes easier. We find the ability to love those who may try to use and abuse us; we are able to keep our hearts soft and free from bitterness. No matter what the challenge, the peace of God helps us to go home at night and not let the cares of the day intrude on our time with our spouse and children. And when problems arise, the peace of God keeps us from freaking out and getting off course. In His peace we just keep moving forward in destiny.
Isaiah 26:3 tells us, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” When we can clearly see God’s vision for our lives, we trust Him to lead us day by day and to help us reach our goals. We can be at perfect peace, and our minds will be clear and focused. However, if we focus on the troubles, fears, and worries of life, we’ll quickly lose the peace of God.
Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” The Amplified Bible says to let the peace of God be the “umpire of your life.” Imagine what would happen if the athletes were left to their own decisions on a playing field! The pitcher would never agree with the batter, basketball players would kill each other over foul decisions, and as far as rugby goes, well, let’s not even go there. Umpires and referees bring order and discipline to whatever sport they are officiating in. They decide what is fair and what is foul, and they help to keep the games from ending in a standstill.
So it is with your life. As you find peace with God and man, you will find a place of strength and order. Confusion will keep to a minimum, and order is present in your heart and mind. Disagreement with yourself will no longer drain your energy or restrict your vision.
Let God’s peace call the balls and strikes in your path of destiny. Let it say whether a decision is safe or out of the question, and let it direct the game of life so you will stay in order and under control.

 

8. What thoughts, visions, or dreams are impossible to put out of your mind?
In Acts 2:17, we find the Holy Spirit was giving visions and dreams to all flesh, young and old. It seemed everyone was overflowing with ideas. We can be, too. The very same Holy Spirit residing in those first Christians is the same One who abides in every believer today—we simply need to be able to recognize it. Most of the time when the Lord plants something in our spirit, it becomes a thought or an idea that just won’t go away. “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart” (Proverbs 20:27). It’s as if God turns the light on inside us, and no matter how much we try, we can’t extinguish it.
As a young Christian, I began to think about the ways in which I could help others and make a difference in their lives. At that point and with simply a genesis of an idea, I was already on the course of destiny, even though I didn’t know much about what it was going to look like. My dream of helping others would not go away; in fact, it only increased as I matured in my relationship with Jesus. I could not reject or escape this vision because it stayed with me for years until it finally grew into a vision of Christian Faith Center.

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