THE SECRETS of SUCCESS

 

What’s the secret of success?  Anytime someone says, “Here’s the secret,” you know they’re wrong because there’s no single secret.  There are lots of “secrets” of success.  But they’re all in the Bible.  I want to give some of them to you over the next few weeks because they apply to all areas of your life.  If you will use the things that I will be sharing as a guideline you will find your personal life, business and the ministry you’re involved in, dramatically improving as you apply these Biblical truths.

 

Everybody’s interested in success.  And the truth is God wants you to succeed.  He wants you to succeed in everything you do in life.  He wants you to succeed especially with your family.  What’s the alternative?  People say, “I don’t think God wants me to be a success?”  What do they think he wants you to be, a failure?  No, He wants you to make an impact with your life so you can enjoy this journey. 

 

Over the next few weeks we’re going to look at the some of the “secrets” of success but right now let’s take a look at what success is not.

 

1. Success is not measured by how I look.  Our society is image conscious.  For many people the goal is simply to appear successful.  The right car, the right clothes, the right accessories, the right style.  People in the world today often just buy things for status symbols.  We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like.  It’s true that many people look at image – “If I appear successful then I am.”  But God says that’s not it. 

 

2. What I have.  You can be wealthy and be a failure at life.  I meet a lot of people who are making more and more money and enjoying it less and less.  Mark 8:38 says  

            What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his soul.”  Luke 12:5 “A man’s life consists not in the abundance of things that he possesses.”  It’s

            not based on your possessions.

 

3. It’s also not a matter of who I know.  If you’ve ever read some success motivational books they often talk about you’ve got to know the right people.  I say, You don’t

     have to know the key men if you know “The Man” who holds the keys.  Take time this week to spend time with God and let Him begin to shape and mold a proper

     image of who He says you are because His view and opinion is the foundation of all true success in life.

 

 

 

 

Amazing Grace

Allen Speegle

 

The Bible says we're saved by grace and that the only way to heaven is through the doorway of Grace. If you're going to get to heaven that's the only way you're going to get there. You can't earn it, you can't work for it, you can't buy it. It's just by God's grace. The Bible says, "For by grace you are saved through faith and even that is not of yourself it is the gift of God, not of works so no one could boast." If you could work your way to heaven, can you imagine how boring heaven would be? Everybody would be bragging about how they got there. The Bible says that we're simply saved by grace through faith.  

 

Grace is free. All you have to do is accept it. It's free to you but it's not cheap. It cost Jesus His life. Grace is the most expensive commodity there is and Jesus died on the cross to pay for it and give us access to “ALL THINGS”  we need to live and enjoy a great life. As you walk through 2008 remember it’s by grace and not our works that we have life.

Encouraging Yourself

Allen Speegle

 

You may have heard this great statement, There was a time in David’s life when no one was encouraging him, as a matter of fact, everyone around him wanted to kill him. That’s when we read, "but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (1 Samuel 30:6). Never underestimate the power of talking to yourself! Zig Ziglar said, "The most influential person who will talk to you all day is you, so you should be very careful about what you say to you!" If others don’t encourage you, encourage yourself! The Apostle John said that we "shall assure our hearts before Him" (1 John 3:19).

The Gift Giver

By Lori Speegle

As I type this, I'm sitting on my parent’s deck that faces the woods in their backyard. The air is just beginning to have a sense of autumn and through the tall trees and branches I see the sky is starting to have that crisp blue color that comes this time each year. I had decided to go out and sit on the deck to clear my thoughts but Someone else had a different plan. As I sat on the there I was reminded of my Father's love for me.

As I looked at nature I realized it had been a while since I'd just sat and enjoyed what He has for me. Too many times I get occupied with the things I don’t have or what I need and I miss out on the gift I have been blessed with. Always looking at the cup half empty can be depressing if you allow it to and lately, I had. But this morning was different. As I looked out over the woods I realized how loved I truly am. I began to hear Him whisper this is for you. This is a gift of love for you my daughter, my bride.

Just then I looked up at the trees, how great they are in height, each decorated in fascinating colors of green. My mind began to race through all the beautiful things I know He has made. From the ocean to the snowcapped mountains to sunsets on the lake, all for me He has created these things.

Have you ever been given a gift that you knew had taken time for that person to make for you? The feeling you have when receiving that gift is not the same as if someone was to stop by the store to purchase you something, no matter how nice it may be. Well, that feeling overtook me. I love thoughtful little gifts and cards from people I am close to and I realized everything around me was a handmade gift from my Father. You cannot buy what He has created.

Confrontation

Part 2

 

 

In my last devotional I began a two part thought on Confrontation and I would encourage you to read it before reading this one so you will understand some basic misunderstandings about confrontation. The truth is most of do what we have seen modeled when confronting problems whether what we have seen is life giving or not. The Bible is VERY clear on how to deal with confrontation so that it does not destroy but rather enhance our relationships with others. Consider this the below.

 

 

Wrong attitudes towards Confrontation:

 

·       Winner takes all.

 

This person lives to be right failing to realize it should be their goal to create a win-win situation. As sad as it is most people approach confrontation with mindset of in order for me to win you must lose. If this thinking is within a person they fail to realize this is the source of most of their conflict and confrontational matters. If I win and you lose we both lose therefore I must free myself from the “I have to win and be right” mindset lest I continue to down a path that leads to nowhere.

 

 

·       That confrontation destroys love, trust and support.

 

The truth is without confrontation a relationship will never become all that it can be. As I said earlier people are people including ourselves and we all have problems and make mistakes that must be confronted. To confront someone or to be confronted is not an indication of the lack of love or commitment it can actually be the opposite. Janice and I as I write this have been married 32 years and our love for each other has grown beyond anything we ever imagined as teenage newly weds. Over the last 32 years and still today we have loved each other enough to confront our issues but we do it without going into an attack mode that would damage our love for each other. Confrontation only destroys when it is an attack on the person.

 

 

Ways we tend to handle confrontation.

 

Walking away from it.

 

This person often says peace at any cost. There are times when walking away would be the best thing you could do, at others it is the worst. I have often said having peace is more important then being right and generally speaking that is true but there are times when you must take a stand regardless of the opposition. As I heard one person say, we must choose our battles so everything doesn't become a war. The key to this is to remember to not make issues bigger than they really are. Whenever I am tempted to act or not act in a difficult personnel situation, I should ask myself two questions:

 

(a) Am I holding back or acting for my personal comfort?

 

(b) Am I holding back or acting for the good of the person and the organization?

 

We confront to much for personal things and not enough for organizational things. If it is a personal issue it often needs to be left alone.

 

 

Whine over it.

 

I heard a person say when I complain I do it because it's good to get it off my chest. When you complain I remind you that griping doesn't help anyone. The truth is and always will be that complaining does not change anything. I have often told people around me if what we’re whining and complaining about others needs confronting do so and if not stop whining!

 

 

Hope it will go away.

 

This person pulls the ostrich head in the sand deal to avoid dealing with it. There are issues this can be done with but not all of them. To just simply ignore the issue and pretend it will all go away is not the answer. Part of leading is dealing with people and people have problems just as we do that must be confronted in a loving and not resentful manner. As long as you lead people and live on this planet there will be times when confrontation is a must and hoping it will go away will not make things better.

 

 

Work at it from a Biblical standpoint.

 

 

Practical Steps In Confrontation:

 

1. Confront directly and personally.

 

Don't save up things and unload them all at one time. Don't do it through a letter or email unless there is not other way because it is the most one sided way of confronting there is and it often sends a message that you did not intend to send. Emails and letter are the LAST resort because words on a computer screen or paper cannot demonstrate your heart in the matter. Most often things seem much more negative than intended when it is not face to face. In our day it is easy to hide behind the computer and use it as our security but in the end we will create more problems than we solve. Jesus said in Matt 18:15 "If a brother sins against you, go to him privately and confront him with his fault. If he listens and confesses it, you have won back a brother. TLB

 

 

2. Check you motive and attitude

 

We should neither be overeager or hesitant to confront when the needs demands it. One of the questions I have learned to ask my self when needing to confront an issue is am doing this to straighten out the other person? Many times I have confronted with the goal to set them straight failing to realize I was creating more problems than I was solving. I learned the hard way until I can go to the person with a heart to help them the pending issue may not be as damaging as my approach. When I find myself with the wrong attitude as I often do when dealing with people who should know better I have to apply the grace that I preach so I can see the person and the value that God places on the them lest I end up hurting someone out of my need to straighten them out. I am by my personality makeup a bottom-line, direct and you don’t have to guess what I’m thinking type of person. The overuse of my personality strength is I can be to direct and confront things to quick rather than finding wisdom of waiting until I adjust my attitude.

 

ALWAYS remember that everyone does things for their reasons not ours so when confronting be careful that you do not have your mind mind up as to why someone did something and it will make life much easier.

 

 

 

 

Confrontation

 

The Webster dictionary defines Confront as to face boldly, to oppose, to bring face to face. In leadership we will always have to deal with confronting and being confronted even though it can be challenging and often intimidating if we view it improperly and approach incorrectly. After well over 20 years of pastoral ministry I have seen things that have worked, things that haven’t and have made my share of mistakes when confronting other and when being confronted. In this chapter I am going to share some practical advice that you apply right away and refer back to when having to deal with confrontation.

 

Four Things to Remember About Confrontation:

 

1) Confrontation is Difficult

 

Anyone that does not find confronting to be difficult at times has serious emotional problems and needs therapy. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4 in The Living Bible; I call upon this God to witness against me if I am not telling the absolute truth: the reason I haven't come to visit you yet is that I don't want to sadden you with a severe rebuke. When I come, although I can't do much to help your faith, for it is strong already, I want to be able to do something about your joy: I want to make you happy, not sad. "No," I said to myself, "I won't do it. I'll not make them unhappy with another painful visit." For if I make you sad, who is going to make me happy? You are the ones to do it, and how can you if I cause you pain? That is why I wrote as I did in my last letter, so that you will get things straightened out before I come. Then, when I do come, I will not be made sad by the very ones who ought to give me greatest joy. I felt sure that your happiness was so bound up in mine that you would not be happy either unless I came with joy. Oh, how I hated to write that letter! It almost broke my heart, and I tell you honestly that I cried over it. I didn't want to hurt you, but I had to show you how very much I loved you and cared about what was happening to you. We see from these verses that Paul like us battled and disliked confrontation.

 

Why is confronting so difficult?

 

• We have a fear of being disliked
• Fear of creating anger or making matters worse
• Fear of rejection.
• We often have the same problem we see in others.
• Not used to sharing our real feelings.
• Lack of confrontational skills.

 

2) Self-confrontation should precede confronting others.

 

Luke 6:41-43 says; Luke 6:41-42 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye but do not notice or consider the beam [of timber] that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Brother, allow me to take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You actor (pretender, hypocrite)! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. AMP

Too often when we have not confronted issues in our own life we are more judgmental towards others to make ourselves look good. Condemning self or others will not change anyone. It takes a secure person to confront their own issues and not condemn themselves for it. Deal with your own stuff first.

 

3) Confrontation is unavoidable

 

As a leader we must understand that their will never be a time that there will be no confrontation, many times it will happen on a weekly basis. To often as leaders we think if we were at another church or ministry things would be different, we would be free from disagreements and confrontation. I learned the mistake of this mindset early on in ministry and have some to realize that wherever you go there will always be confrontation because people are people no matter where you are. Having to confront or be confronted is not a bad thing unless we make it so.

 

4) The more insecure a person is the more conflict they have

 

Insecure people will either avoid confrontation at all cost or they will live their life to set people straight. Either way this person is miserable and wants others to feel the same way. Jesus said love your neighbor as you do yourself, we have come to realize that this means I will love others the way I love myself. And I will only love myself when I realize I am loved by God without conditions. In dealing with an insecure person whether it is someone else or myself the insecurity cannot be changed outside of experiencing the love of God.

 

 

I’ll share more on this next week but until then remember that if your goal in confronting someone is to “straighten them out” and not restoration you should back until you have the proper attitude.

 

Building A Dream

Allen Speegle

 

Someone once asked me what my greatest passion was in ministry and my response was to empower and encourage people to live their dreams. As a leader it is our responsibility to do all we can to equip people to live their dreams. Every person reading this article has a dream concerning what they would like to accomplish in and through their life. The dream of your heart is a driving force and constant motivating factor when kept alive.

 

Webster defines a dream as a series of images or thoughts, yearnings or deep desires. It is my goal that the article will spark some things that are in your heart and hopefully stir up some things in you concerning your dreams. It’s easy to get so busy with life that you forget you had a dream at one time that gave you energy for living. Every great thing that has ever been accomplished started with a dream so lets keep our dreams alive.

 

 

The Power of A Dream

 

Henry Ford once said; “The secret of a successful life is to find out what ones destiny to do and then do it”.

 

1.  A dream gives us direction.

 

      It acts like a compass telling us which direction we should be traveling.

 

2.  A dream increases our potential.

 

     Where there is no faith in the future there is no power in the present.

 

3.  A dream helps us prioritize our life.

 

      A person with a dream knows what they are willing to give up in order to

      see it become a reality.

 

4.  A dream adds value to our work.

 

     Even task that aren’t exciting or immediately rewarding take on added value when

     we know they contribute to the fulfillment of our dream.    

 

5.  A dream predicts our future.

 

     Pro.29:18  Where there is no vision, the people perish:

 

     Vision = dream, mental picture

 

      Perish = go back to the same place 

 

 

A Good Attitude Is A Main Ingredient In Living Your Dream

 

A dream without a positive attitude produces a daydreamer.

 

A positive attitude without a dream produces a pleasant person that can’t make progress.

 

A dream together with a positive attitude produces a person with unlimited possibilities and potential.

 

Your attitude not intelligence, talent, education, opportunity or even hard work is the main factor in living your dream.

 

Your attitude determines your actions and your actions determine your accomplishment.

 

People with bad attitudes major on minors in life.   

 

 

How to Live Your Dream:

 

1.  Rediscover what you want in life.

 

2.  Believe that God wants it for you and has empowered you to live it.

 

3.  Talk it.

 

4.  Make plans.

 

5.  Don’t let others stop you or talk you out of it.

 

 6.  Never let circumstances stop you.

 

 7.  Be willing to sacrifice for it to happen.

 

 8. Step out of your comfort zone.

 

 9. Live it one day at a time.

 

10.  Never think it is too late.

 

The Roads of Life
By Lori Speegle

This morning on my way to work God reminded me of a poem written by Robert Frost, ‘The Road Not Taken’. I know you maybe thinking, 'Yes I know this poem I learned in middle school, so what?' Yet strangely this poem spoke to me in away that I can only image Mr. Frost would have wanted it to. As I refreshed my memory with the lines of the verses I suddenly thought of a scripture...

Deuteronomy 30:19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"

Growing up is scary. Things that seemed unimportant to me not that long ago has struck me as urgent now. Decisions are not just a simply yes or no choices anymore, I must actually think through each situation to make sure what I do is right. It's crazy because for the longest time I thought I had my entire life planned out. From job to friends to wedding to children, I had everything I thought I would ever want in my master plan. Yet the tables have turned. I see now that I have no clue what I am doing. I realize that the choices I was making were based on what I could see with my human eyes, what had the most convenience for me or what would make me the happiest right from the get go. It never once occurred to me that I could only see so far and everything past that was a mystery. Yet now I am beginning to realize that God sees it all, not only the choice I will make, but every option after that too. He knows what will bring me the most contentment and joy as well as sorrow and grief. I know now that the road he has for me may not be the easiest or make the most sense. This road may cause me to have to sacrifice some things I once held with the most importance for something I cannot even see at this moment, but it is the road that will fulfill the desires that have filled my heart since birth.

Remember we have ONE life to live... ONE

Don't settle for what you can see, what makes sense, what feels good.... something better could be right around the bend!