THIS I Know September 2010

2. "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.
 
 
3. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come to pass, It will not tarry.
 
 
Last night at bible study my pastor began my talking about success and what it takes to be successful. That got me thinking about how I define success. Am I successful? What does it really take to be successful? If you have read my other post you will know that I am not about magical or hopeful thinking. I believe that if you really want something in life you have got to be truthful to yourself and others. Success is for those who want to be successful. You choose to be successful. You have to make the wise choices that it takes to be successful. But the deceived make poor decisions but still expect success to happen.
 
 
When I think of success I believe that it simply means to be able to get up in the morning and to do exactly what you where supposed to do with your life. Success to me is the feeling or knowing that you are in the mist of fulfilling your destiny and purpose for being on earth. To me success is not for just someone who is seen or heard. Success is not only for someone who stands behind a pulpit, a politician or actress. We all have a right to be successful on our own God given positions in His kingdom. But it wouldn't be me if I was not honest. So many people will go through their lives, wandering around aimlessly and never fulfill there purpose for being. That is failure to me. To live an ordinary, impact no one go no where life.
 
 
Monday I was watching desperate housewives of Atlanta. My guilty pleasure I most confess. As I watched these African American women who appear to be mans definition of successful. I thought how often we define our success as the houses we live in, the car we drive, having the latest hand bag or shoes. But you can have all that and according to my definition not be successful. I don't know those ladies real bank account so I wouldn't dare comment. But there are people in life that are asset poor. Meaning they have nice things but their lives go to paying for their things. Their bank accounts are in the red because we want to drive and look a certain way. We are trying to impress people that we don't like, with money we don't have, with things that do not really make us very happy.
 
 
This weekend I was watching another black in America special on CNN. By the way I think they should do a better job at being more balanced. Yes, black people do have their issues just like every race does, but we are who we are and we are not all the same. So choose both the positive and the negative. I know that they have shown the positive side but to me the focus is more on the negatives than the positive. This is my opinion some may disagree. But back to my point what struck me the most is the African American couple who were going through foreclosure. They could not afford to pay their mortgage in two years and instead of trying to somehow get rid of their home they were hoping to still stay in the home. Towards the end of the program the woman says "I know I will get a job". As a counselor I want to rack their brains a little more. Because something is wrong. As the bank has already decided not to negotiate any further now you say you will get a job after two years of not paying the mortgage. Ummm.
 
 
Anyway but the point is you could see that they were beaming with pride showing the home off and still hopeful that it could be saved. This house was huge. Apparently they could afford to live elsewhere.
 
 
The main question I had was, what is it about this house that is costing them a huge debt, bad credit, foreclosure and probably a lot of sleepless nights that made them still hopeful to want to keep this home they could not afford? But on the outside they looked successful. I am not trying to judge them in anyway or make them feel bad. But it does make you think.




If you tomorrow get blessed with five thousand dollars and the first thing you do is spend it on getting a fresh tailored suit and some new pumps. A week later you are broke again, but you still got that nice tailored suit. Regardless of what you look like on the outside, you still have a poverty spirit. If you get five thousand dollars tomorrow and you pray Lord how should I spend this money and He gives you a plan. (AND HE WILL GIVE YOU A PLAN!) So you work that plan in whatever way He directs. Like an investment somewhere or paying to get back in school etc etc. Yes you still may be wearing the same bad suite you had on before you got the money. You still may look the same but you don't have a poverty spirit. In fact you are on your way to true success. Not because of the investment per say but because of the wisdom and the ability to seek God. When you follow His plan, you may not immediately see success but you will get there. Remember Habakkuk who said the vision awaits an appointed. Like they said on the show "you can want the right thing at the wrong time".
 
 
To me success means having a vision. The vision for Christians comes from God. The vision is God's purpose for your life. The plan is the way that God has preordained for you to bring His vision for your life to pass. This is why I love apostolic ministry. The prophetic anointing is what reveals the vision and plans. But it is the apostolic that set foundation in you, builds your character, positions you and gives you a strategic plan to make it come to pass.
 
 
So am I successful? By some people standards maybe I am or maybe I am not. For the material things. I am a young single Christian woman who walks in holiness. I have a master's degree from Howard University. I am also working towards my PhD. I live on my own, not in a house in an apartment and I have a car. I have completed two books. I use to fear that I would eventually fail. I feared I would be a teenage mother or that I was not smart enough graduate from college. But years later here I am, no teenage pregnancy, working on my third degree, successfully single. I have a job. So maybe in some ways I am successful. In some ways I am not. I thought I'd be much further along by now. I don't own my own home. The day God releases me from my job that I am really good at by the way. Trust I will run and never look back. I don't have my own private practice by now. There are some dreams and visions I have for myself that have still yet to come to pass. I don't drive the BMW 745 LI that I really really want.  I am not a millionaire yet but I have no doubt in my mind that I will be one day. I still have to pay back my student loans. So by some standards I am not successful.
 
 
But do I consider myself successful? Honestly yes and no. I am not successful because the main dreams that I have been holding on to since I was young. The day I left for undergrad and God showed me His vision for my life has not come to pass. I will never be satisfied until I get there. I can learn to be content but never satisfied.
 
 
But yes I am successful. Because like the examples given earlier. I may look the same, but I have a vision and an investment from God Himself and it will come to pass at His appointed time. I have by the grace of God defied every barrier that was ever put in my face. I am not what I was told. I am an over comer. I have defined the odds. I am stronger and happier than I have ever been in my life.
 
 
So yes I am a success, but I am still on my way to success at the same time.
 
 
Key points to True Success:
 

•  Mark 9:36,37 36: "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? 37: Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? The point it doesn't matter what your favorite celebrity looks like. It does not matter what kind of car you drive or house you stay in. Any gain absent from Christ is utter and complete failure with the ending results being eternal damnation.

 

•  True success is when you start with a vision and stay focused until you get to the fulfillment of the vision. Many people have a vision but they allow distractions or as my pastor would say, "dumb decisions" prevent the vision God has placed in them from coming to pass.

 

• You are not guaranteed to be successful. There is no such thing as luck or happenstance even in the kingdom of God. Yes we have promises, but it is our decision to stay the course that will bring the vision to past.

 

•  Success does not come from wishful, magical or hopeful thinking. Remember James 2:14 Faith without works is dead. That means you can shout, jump, speak in tongues, run all around the church and so on. But you have to do something with your life. No success is not going to simply fall from the sky into you lap because you are a good Christian.

 

• You also still have to wait. I can already hear some say, "hold on isn't that a direct contradiction to what you just stated". No. To wait on success simply means to prepare. God will always place you where you are supposed to be. Waiting in the kingdom of God is the training ground. For example if you want to own your own restaurant. In your waiting season God would have you working at a restaurant or go to school for entrepreneurship so you can understand the finances of your restaurant. Waiting does not mean doing nothing. Since I want to own my own private practice one day. I went to school and learned about counseling. I completed clinical hours and passed the test to become a therapist etc etc. Remember God prepares you for anything He has for you. Your waiting stage is your preparing stage. Before you graduate you got to take the necessary courses.

 

• Stay focused. Don't allow people and there foolishness allow your vision to be just that a vision that does not come to pass. Remember you can only bring people into the glory that God allows. If He hasn't allowed them, it will cost you. God will not change His mind for you because you cry. No I am not a snob, but there are some people who simply want nothing and are going no where in their lives. My father always told me if you look at the company you keep that is what you will become. So let people think what they will think. It is better to make it to your divine destiny than to look around and wonder in discouragement why you allowed people to abort your divine destiny.

 

• Go to school. Yes I said it. There is nothing wrong with taking a course. Attending a seminar, reading some books, going to the library in preparation.

 

• I believe this is the season where God is releasing His kingdom to those He can trust. Key words being those He can trust. There will be a big emphasize on entrepreneurship and creative business. Prepare!

 

• Pay your tithes

 

• Do whatever you do as unto service to the Lord. That means God will release you when you have succeeded at whatever level you are on. For example why would God bless you with your own business making hundreds of thousand of dollars a year when you refused to pay your tithes where you are right now. It doesn't work that way. Once you are faithful and diligent then God promotes you, not your boss God. Show up to work on time, do your best not to impress folk but God. Treat people right, don't gossip. Gossip releases curses into your life anyway.

 

• Don't be unequally yoked with non believers, or people who have influence over you and are not on the same spiritual level that you are on. They will end up bringing you down.

 

• Get rid of your stinking thinking. If you have a negative mind set you will never get to your purpose never. So ask God to change your perception. If you think yourself to be a looser then everything around you will lose. If you think that you are not worthy to be successful then that is what you will get. This is false humility.

 

• Be strong, stand up for yourself. Keep praying, reading the bible. Meditate on His promises.

 
So from someone who is successful while still on her way to being a success most of all ask God to help you see yourself the way He sees you. He will give you dreams and visions about your future. At first you may think who is that person and how in the world will I ever get there. But as time goes on as you are in your waiting (preparation stage) you will see that you are making those steps towards that vision. You see yourself evolving, changing and growing. Sometimes progress can seem slow but you will get there.
 
Lastly I can remember when God first began to speak to me. What really helps me is holding on to that vision. When I was at jobs that I couldn't stand. I would hold even closer to the visions. I just kept telling myself that this is temporary and I won't be here long. Your coworkers, neighbors and friends maybe content to live and die here but you will not. Whenever you get discouraged talk to God about it. There is nothing wrong with talking to God as if He is your best friend. He doesn't just give you one vision. As a matter of fact it is when you are discouraged that He will give you another vision to keep you encouraged even when the manifestation is not immediate. So when you get discouraged ask Him for another vision.
 
Success is in your hands. Allow God to not only prepare you but bring it to pass. As I always say if there is no preparation there is not manifestation only the spiritually immature try to make the vision come to pass without preparation. Remember you can't make it happen so allow God to prepare you.
 
Love
Samaria
 
Samaria Colbert © 2010