Want to be more successful at what God has planned for you? Want to stand before Him and hear, “Well done faithful servant!” Or, do you simply want to enjoy His blessings more?
God does have a plan for your life, and you won’t feel truly successful until you yield to that plan. The degree of success you will enjoy is dependent upon the degree that you are yielded. In order to yield, you need to be mentally prepared.
Many people never achieve success because they are not prepared mentally. They trip over themselves along the way. They sabotage their own efforts. They miss the opportunities in front of them, and they spend time on the unimportant instead of the important.
Success is not measured in dollars, but in how close you come to God’s plan for your life. You must learn to get out of both God’s way and your own.
If you want to be mentally prepared for success you, you need to keep 3 things in mind: the role of peace (Part 1); the role of faith (Part 2), and the role of love (Part 3).
The Role of Peace –
Life can be divided into 3 parts: the past, the present, and the future. You need to deal with each part if you want to prepare mentally for success.
Dealing With The Past
The past can prove to be a real hindrance if we let it. We need to acknowledge it. We want to make sense of it. And we need to check it off our to-do list.
- Most folks have something in the past that bothers them – not just you!
We all make mistakes. We cannot change the past, and we cannot undo it. In some cases, we cannot even fix what we did. When we repent, Jesus is faithful to forgive.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
- Not all things are knowable. If someone did something to us, we may not ever understand why God permitted it.
All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
Ecclesiastes 7:23-24
- Come to terms with the past through forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
Trust me, if you are still haunted by your past, you did not apply these to all parties involved. Until you accept the fact that whatever happened is a done deal, your success will be hindered because you will constantly look backwards instead of forwards.
Dealing With The Present
One of the biggest trip-uppers when it comes to success is decision making. We are reluctant to make decisions on our own. We want the advice of everybody, but “everybody” doesn’t know your circumstances, or your future. Sometimes we need encouragement. Sometimes we are just anxious or in a hurry to achieve.
- You need to seek God and believe Him. God will direct your paths.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psalms 37:23
Most folks seek God, but they don’t really take Him at His Word. If you are going to be successful at what God has for you to do, you must have a mindset of trusting God not to mislead you, and be determined to go forward.
- Celebrate the successes as you come to them.
As you prepare mentally for success, celebrating success will encourage you and the folks that are on this journey with you. As you celebrate, remember to give thanks to God.
- Wait on the Lord.
Remember, everything in His timing. Often we want to get ahead of God. We don’t let Him provide because we won’t wait for Him when He says wait. When we rush ahead, we’ll find that we get nowhere fast. It’s just not productive. Prepare yourself to wait, but don’t just do nothing while you wait. Ask God to show you what you really need to be doing in the interim.
Dealing With The Future
Where the future is concerned, being mentally prepared for success means that you have a plan to deal with it when it happens.
- Make plans to handle opportunities.
- Prepare to be in it for the long haul.
- Know that your eternity is settled.
If you are saved, the third one is handled.
The other two can only be dealt with through education, commitment, and a close walk with the Lord. Know what you are getting into, and commit the things that you are reluctant to do to God’s direction.
Remember, Peter got out of the boat. Because of that, he successfully walked on water. Aside from fear, which we will discuss next (Part 2), he could have hesitated for many reasons. Would you have said or thought any of the following?
– What if I sink?
– Then, where will I get dry clothes?
– What if Jesus says no?
– What if the boat knocks me down?
– What will someone else think?
– Will they make fun of me if I fail?
– What will it mean if I do walk on water?
– Will I have to swim to Jesus?
LIFE APPLICATION
The challenge is to realize that a lack of peace where the past, present, or future is concerned can go a long way toward holding us back. If we really want to prepare mentally for success we need to deal with each one. Forgiveness, mercy, and grace are the tools for the past. Seeking direction from God, having an attitude of gratitude, and waiting on the Lord is the tool for the present. Depending on God is the tool to find peace for the future.
Sometimes, we simply need to be more like Peter and get out of the boat!