The 3 Essentials: All You Need for Success in Life (15 page)
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Authors: Casey Treat
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What thoughts, visions, or ideas are swirling around inside of you? What are the true dreams (not just fantasies) you cannot seem to shake off? Many times we bury these visions under a pile of doubt, fear, and rationalizations for why it could never work, but if instead you decided to view your future through the eyes of faith, what ideas begin to emerge? Those thoughts and visions and dreams that stay with you may indicate God’s plan for your destiny. Make sure you are not too quick to shove them off to the side.
9. What vision can you give 100 percent of yourself to for your entire life?
Whatever God planned for you will require
all
your gifts, talents, strengths, and emotions. He did not give you abilities only to ignore some of them in His destiny for you. “We also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren,” says 1 John 3:16. God will ask us to give everything we have for the people we serve. Fulfilling the vision God has for your life will not be an easy, part-time job in which you can cruise through half asleep. You will be stretched to the limit. You will use everything within you, and you will have to dig deeply to finish your course.
all
your gifts, talents, strengths, and emotions. He did not give you abilities only to ignore some of them in His destiny for you. “We also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren,” says 1 John 3:16. God will ask us to give everything we have for the people we serve. Fulfilling the vision God has for your life will not be an easy, part-time job in which you can cruise through half asleep. You will be stretched to the limit. You will use everything within you, and you will have to dig deeply to finish your course.
One of the greatest tragedies in our world today is the number of people who go to work every day but never use what is really in them. They drive down the freeway with their brain still asleep, and they float through the day just trying to get by. They feel they are successful if they can simply keep a job. That’s called “making a living,” and it is a low level of life. Dogs make a living trying to be man’s best friend. Monkeys make a living finding bananas. You and I are called to live lives of abundance, blessing, and prosperity in every area. We were not put on this planet to just make a living.
If you are involved in a job or a ministry that is not utilizing all the gifts and talents God has given you, if you are not deeply challenged to accomplish your goals, and if at the end of the day you put your head on your pillow with a nagging feeling of dissatisfaction—God has more for you! If you will take the risk to look inside your heart and discover the visions He has placed within you, you will find a destiny beyond your wildest dreams.
10. What do people want to gather around and help you accomplish?
The final questions you should consider to discover your destiny are these: What do people want to help me do? When I set out to accomplish something, do I find it easy to motivate people to join in the effort? This may apply more to those in leadership, but I believe every person is a leader of some sort. No matter where we are in life, there are people around us we are influencing and making a difference in their lives. It is important we realize this so we can best be the ambassadors for Christ that God needs us to be.
In the book of Acts, Paul receives a vision and shares it with his ministry team. Notice their response: “Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:10).
Paul had the vision, but all of those with him immediately picked it up and were willing to go with it. This is the dynamic that happens when destiny is obvious. People sense the power of it and want to get involved. Churches, ministries, and businesses that are born of God attract people, and like a magnet, draw them to become involved with the vision. Departments in the church or businesses destined to prosper simply will attract the necessary people to make them succeed. When no one is interested and no one will get involved, it could be (though not always) because this is not part of a destiny.
RENEWAL
11
Renewing the Mind
I
was still the same. I thought that I would somehow feel completely different. I kept hearing phrases like “new life,” “new person,” and “new creation,” so I naturally assumed that when I gave my heart to Jesus everything in my life would change. But leaving the church that night, I still felt like me. Although I could not deny I now sensed a new hope within me for my future, all other aspects of my life seemed about the same. I was still on very strict probation, still returning to a drug rehabilitation program, and still had the same insecurities I had when I entered the church service that evening. Yes, something was different on the inside, but in all other areas, I remained an unchanged Casey Treat.
was still the same. I thought that I would somehow feel completely different. I kept hearing phrases like “new life,” “new person,” and “new creation,” so I naturally assumed that when I gave my heart to Jesus everything in my life would change. But leaving the church that night, I still felt like me. Although I could not deny I now sensed a new hope within me for my future, all other aspects of my life seemed about the same. I was still on very strict probation, still returning to a drug rehabilitation program, and still had the same insecurities I had when I entered the church service that evening. Yes, something was different on the inside, but in all other areas, I remained an unchanged Casey Treat.
I am grateful to have had Julius as a mentor and spiritual father during that time, leading me and helping me to sort out the next weeks and months that followed. He was able to explain to me what the new birth was—and what it was not. Perhaps if he had not influenced my life at such a crucial point, I would have become discouraged by the fact that so much of me was still the same. I might have gone back to my former way of living and Christianity would have become just another “been there, done that” experience. Although I was saved, it really wouldn’t have made much of an impact upon my life here on Earth.
This disillusionment I felt when I first became born again affects many Christians today. They believe in Jesus, are assured of their eternal salvation, even go to church every week, but they are confused. They hear God is a God of prosperity and blessing, but they are not experiencing a prosperous or blessed life. They read the promises of healing and emotional freedom in the scriptures, but they are still living fearful, anxious, angry, or depressed lives. And when they look at some other Christians around them, they witness the same unhappiness, the same cheating and lying, and the same pain that is experienced by people in the world.
As Christians, the people on Earth who are united with Christ, we ought to be the ones always on top, having the best jobs, raising successful, confident children, living free from debt and diseases, and being examples for everyone to follow. So often, the world looks at us and thinks,
Those Christians’ lives are no better than mine, so why should I want to be like them?
Our divorce rate is the same as theirs. For many, our debt-to-income ratios are the same, and often our quality of life is the same. How sad that we have the Spirit of the One who created the universe and the power of Jesus that reigns over death residing on the inside of us, and the world looks at us and wonders why so many of our lives are just as messy as theirs! How can this be? How is it possible for a person who has the King of kings and Lord of lords living on the inside of them live a mediocre, unfulfilled life or, even worse, a life of habitual sin?
Those Christians’ lives are no better than mine, so why should I want to be like them?
Our divorce rate is the same as theirs. For many, our debt-to-income ratios are the same, and often our quality of life is the same. How sad that we have the Spirit of the One who created the universe and the power of Jesus that reigns over death residing on the inside of us, and the world looks at us and wonders why so many of our lives are just as messy as theirs! How can this be? How is it possible for a person who has the King of kings and Lord of lords living on the inside of them live a mediocre, unfulfilled life or, even worse, a life of habitual sin?
Just because we are saved does not guarantee we will have a successful life on Earth. It simply means we will spend our eternal life in the presence of God. In fact, there are many Christians who are on their way to Heaven, but their earthly lives are lived separated from a real relationship with God. They exclude God and His ways from their finances, their marriages, and their parenting by turning to the world and its ways to seek the answers to their problems. Even for those who are growing in the Word of God, when we spend large amounts of time watching television, or when we allow laziness, anger, fear, or any other fleshly behavior to dominate our lives, we have let the things of the world take up room in our hearts instead of God, and then we wonder why we are not discovering the level of life the Bible says is available to us.
Just because we are saved does not guarantee we will have a successful life on Earth.
When we became born again, the transformation that happened on the inside was
instant
, as our spirits came alive to God. However, the new birth was simply the first step of faith in our walk with God. Our spirits became new, but now, if we want to live a dynamic, prosperous life on Earth, we must use our faith to create a vision for our lives. But it cannot stop there. That would be like having a treasure map in our hands but never actually utilizing it to lead us to the treasure. We can look at the details drawn on that map all we want, but unless we get off our rusty dusty and
do
something,
go
somewhere, the chest of gold will stay unearthed.
instant
, as our spirits came alive to God. However, the new birth was simply the first step of faith in our walk with God. Our spirits became new, but now, if we want to live a dynamic, prosperous life on Earth, we must use our faith to create a vision for our lives. But it cannot stop there. That would be like having a treasure map in our hands but never actually utilizing it to lead us to the treasure. We can look at the details drawn on that map all we want, but unless we get off our rusty dusty and
do
something,
go
somewhere, the chest of gold will stay unearthed.
This brings us to the last of “the 3.” In order to experience the full richness of life God has intended for us, we must commit ourselves to a daily path of
renewal.
We need to use our faith and our vision as tools to reprogram our minds that have been conformed to the world by secular school, media, and television. It is only by thinking like God thinks that Christians can find the complete freedom they desire.
renewal.
We need to use our faith and our vision as tools to reprogram our minds that have been conformed to the world by secular school, media, and television. It is only by thinking like God thinks that Christians can find the complete freedom they desire.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). This scripture is the most life-changing scripture Julius helped me to understand, and it is the crux of the message God has placed in my heart to teach around the world. It is as much alive to me today, if not more, than the first day I heard it well over thirty years ago, and I believe it is the most important scripture in the Bible, second only to John 3:16. Once a person is born again, if he can understand and embrace this revelation, he will, just as the passage promises, begin to walk in the perfect will of God for his life. God’s perfect will—isn’t that what we all are looking for? Striving for?
It is only by thinking like God thinks that Christians can find the complete freedom they desire.
At nineteen years of age, I began to realize the same patterns of thoughts that led me to a reckless life of drug abuse were still alive in my head even after I had received salvation. Unless I worked at changing and renewing these thoughts, Julius explained, while I might possess the strength to live clean for a while, it wouldn’t be long before I was right back into the drug lifestyle. For the first time in my life, I felt the incredible power of knowing I could change. Every habit, every insecurity, every thought—I was sure I could change them all! I could decide what I wanted my life to become, and through the strength of God working within me, I could achieve it!
Change Is Possible
Every fall, I am always amazed as I watch the birds gather and fly south for the winter. How do thousands of birds find each other, organize themselves, and then cooperate with each other to get to their warmer climate before the first freeze? Many of us have a hard enough time getting our own families out of the door for church every week, let alone arrive at the service before it starts! But unlike humans, animals operate on instinct. They do what they do because that’s how God made them, and they don’t think outside that parameter. You won’t find a bird deciding whether or not he feels like flying south. Even if he is bone tired, he simply cannot help himself; he
must
fly south—it’s instinctive.
must
fly south—it’s instinctive.
Genesis 1:26 tells of another species created by God, one living on an entirely different level than instinct-driven creatures. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ ” God set humankind completely apart from the animal kingdom. Not only do we possess dominion over the animals, but we also have been uniquely given the miraculous ability to change. We can choose who we want to become, how we relate with people, what to do with our gifts, talents, and destinies. We choose to be happy or not, to be prosperous or not, to be healthy or not. We are not subject to the confines of instinct. We have the free will to grow, to dream, and to change. The success for every realm of our lives dwells within every one of us. We just have to choose to access it!
So many people are dissatisfied with their lives, but they are waiting for someone to rescue them or to improve their lives. They feel they are victims of their circumstances, helpless to get out of what they feel is their lot in life. They believe the government should do more to take care of them, or that God should come down and magically fix everything for them, or maybe even that the devil needs to be cast out from their crisis. Waiting around for someone else to bring about the needed change in their lives will only bring extreme disappointment, because first of all, that’s never going to happen. Second, the change they desire can only happen from within each one of them. It starts with new thoughts, new beliefs, and new habits. It starts with renewing the mind.
Paul wrote in the book of Romans that it was necessary for every Christian to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. In the original Greek language, the word used for “transformed” is
metamorpho
and literally means to be changed completely. What this scripture in Romans 12:2 is revealing to us is that once we have become Christians, although our spirits are united with Christ, every other part of growth begins with the transformation that happens when we renew our minds. The power of this passage is a revelation every Christian must understand in order to succeed in life. It reveals that not only do we have within us the ability to change and to choose God’s perfect will for our lives, but exactly
how
to bring about that change. It can only come about by renewing the mind.
metamorpho
and literally means to be changed completely. What this scripture in Romans 12:2 is revealing to us is that once we have become Christians, although our spirits are united with Christ, every other part of growth begins with the transformation that happens when we renew our minds. The power of this passage is a revelation every Christian must understand in order to succeed in life. It reveals that not only do we have within us the ability to change and to choose God’s perfect will for our lives, but exactly
how
to bring about that change. It can only come about by renewing the mind.
We all have areas we wish could be better: our marriage, our relationships, our finances, our parenting habits, our weight. Many of us get stuck in our pain and problems in life, and we don’t like where we are, but we don’t know how to get out of these negative, or even just mediocre, situations. You are
stuck
with only those things that you allow! You are made in God’s image; you possess an enormous capacity to learn and to grow—and to change.
Change
is not a bad word. It’s the key to your success in life, and when you decide to operate in the strength God gifted you with, you can transform
any
area of your life that you desire.
stuck
with only those things that you allow! You are made in God’s image; you possess an enormous capacity to learn and to grow—and to change.
Change
is not a bad word. It’s the key to your success in life, and when you decide to operate in the strength God gifted you with, you can transform
any
area of your life that you desire.
Renewing the mind simply means exchanging your thoughts of negativity, doubt, fear, anxiety, prejudice, greed, and any other worldly perspective for the thoughts of God. Isaiah 55:7-8 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts [or, as Paul said it, do not be conformed to the world]; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.”
The world is negative, depressed, and ever looking to highlight bad news. Rarely does a newspaper headline or a special edition on the evening news communicate a wonderful, positive event. But we tune in to the news anyway. The editors know that fear sells, so you hear, “Could your drinking water be causing you cancer? Tune in at ten tonight!” Or “Are your children at risk of being abducted by aliens? Find out the surprising facts in our special report.” Usually, these teasers are grossly exaggerated and the news brief is actually just a simple, run-of-the-mill story. But ordinary stories don’t attract viewership. Consequently the producers invent scary headlines so people will tune in. Fear and negativity is the air the world breathes.
When we conform to the world’s attitudes, and our thinking flows along the current of its depressive mind-sets, then we will never be able to experience God’s good and perfect will for our lives. We think,
I can’t . . . , I’ll never be . . . , I can’t help that . . . ,
and
I don’t have enough . . .
We suffocate the dreams for our lives with our poverty attitudes, low self-esteem, and victim mentality. But God is showing us another option! He’s providing a new path for us to choose, a way to work out the salvation of our souls.
I can’t . . . , I’ll never be . . . , I can’t help that . . . ,
and
I don’t have enough . . .
We suffocate the dreams for our lives with our poverty attitudes, low self-esteem, and victim mentality. But God is showing us another option! He’s providing a new path for us to choose, a way to work out the salvation of our souls.
According to Romans 12:2 and Isaiah 55:7-8, God is telling us to get out of our culture. It’s weighing us down and making us believe we are far less than what He created us to be! His thoughts and ways are far above the world’s but completely available to every believer. If you will think like He thinks, believe what He believes, and see like He sees, you will naturally gravitate toward a higher level of life. You will clearly envision the exciting life He has planned for you and you will find the ability to accomplish your dreams.
If we will embrace the challenge to renew our minds to God’s thoughts and God’s ways, we can experience the incredibly abundant life He planned for us. It doesn’t happen instantly, and there’s no magic prayer to pray, but most long-lasting results never come quickly or easily. Renewal is a process that matures throughout our journey of life with God, and the rewards of joy, strength, inner wholeness, prosperity, and peace are so worth the effort.
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