What Is the Secret of Success?

Let's examine several habits we can cultivate to experience true success.

First Habit: Recognize our true identity.

Psalm 139:14-15 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful; I know that full well. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body." (NIV)

I am a bargain shopper – always. So, when I see a 75% off tag, I think it is a sign from God. In my quest to be a stellar bargain shopper, I have learned how important it is to check the label. Why? I want a great price, but I also want great value. And I have learned I can judge a product's value by looking at the One who created it. The same principle is true regarding the One who made us. We are valuable to God. We are loved and belong to God. Before we were planned or not planned by human minds, before we were wanted or not wanted by human hearts, we were planned and wanted in the heart and mind of God. Now that is quite a label!

1 John 4:8-9 "God is love. This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him." (ICB)

A dad came home from a stressful day at work, hoping for a relaxing evening. But when his six-year-old daughter heard him come in, she came running. "Daddy, can I get you something to drink?" she asked. The man smiled and said, "No, honey. But thank you," and returned to reading his paper. A few minutes later, the little girl jumped into his lap and said, "Daddy, can I get you something to eat?" The father replied, "No, honey. I just want to read my paper." However, the little girl was determined and interrupted her dad again. Before she could say anything, the dad asked, "Honey, what do you want?" She smiled and said, "Daddy, I don't want anything. I love you so much that I have to do something about it!"

To be successful, we must understand who we are – created by God, for God.

Second Habit: Uncover your life plan.

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart!" (NIV)

We all have a plan born in God's heart and woven into every thread of our being. I know that plans are rampant in your life, but God's plan is the only one that matters. Our life plan is customized.

Psalm 139: 16 "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!" (The Message)

We were born in response to God's plan, a plan that uses both our strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, we must learn to identify and build on our strengths, accept our limitations, and yield to the seasons of life. Our life plan is guaranteed.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." (NIV)

God calls us to follow His plan. That calling plots the journey we are to take. God also empowers us and provides everything we will need to complete that plan. That's great! But how do we discover our life plan?

-By spending time with the Plan Maker.

-By saturating our life with the Word of God.

-By seeking him through prayer.

When we spend time with God, the plan naturally unfolds.

-What are your spiritual gifts?

-What are your passions in life?

-What are your natural abilities?

-What is your personality type?

-What are the spiritual markers in your life?

-What do others see in you? 

I began to look for the gifts God has given me, not the gifts I wanted or thought I should have. His plan unfolded before me, day by day. I am a child of the King, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an author, and a teacher. I am learning to say "no" to things that don't fit that mission. Sometimes I fail and must begin again. Sometimes I am misunderstood. I would rather be misunderstood than disobedient. I had to choose a new audience, and so must you. We all must run the race for an audience of One.

Third Habit: Recognize the value of rest.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." (NIV)

Rest is not an option. It is a command. I feel guilty when I try to rest. There are so many more important things I could be doing. Right? God doesn't feel that way. Rest and sleep are designed as times when He can give to us.

Psalm 127:2 "The LORD gives food to those he loves while they sleep." (GWT)

We miss eternal things when we don't rest. Is our work ever really done? No. We rest because God commanded it.

• The best time to rest is when we don't have time to rest.
• A busy life is not always a productive life.
• Guilt keeps us moving, trying to prove our worth.

A tourist was taking an African safari. On the first day, he and the group of natives helping him went farther than the tourist had hoped. The next morning, he was up early, ready to go. The natives were not. When the tourist asked the leader what was wrong, the leader said, "We went too far and too fast yesterday. Today we must stop and let our souls catch up."

We must learn the value of rest and make it a regular part of our lives.

Fourth Habit: Practice a life of integrity.

2 Corinthians 1:12 "I can say it with a clear conscience: In everything we have done in the world, and especially with you, we have had an honest and sincere heart from God." (NCV)

Our private and public lives should match. That is what integrity means.

2 Corinthians 7:1 "Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (NIV)

We are entitled to have a private life, but we are not entitled to have a private sin. A life of integrity is the foundation of a powerful life.

Fifth Habit: Control your thought life.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (NIV)

We are in a spiritual battle. Victory is ours when we take our thought life captive. We must guide our thoughts on the paths of excellence.

God is not pleased by our knowledge of the truth. God is pleased when we practice the truth. We are to employ a standard of excellence as the referee of our thought life.

Our children played a lot of soccer when they were young. So, we quickly learned which referees were good. But, of course, some referees just showed up and pretty much watched the game. They didn't take charge. But there was one ref the kids were always glad to see. He was tough but fair.    

When we choose to practice God's standard in our thought life, he will produce order and peace in our lives. We cannot separate inner thoughts from outward action. We will live out our thought life.

When an immigrant comes to America wanting to become a citizen, he must renounce all commitments to his former homeland, pledging 100% allegiance to the United States. Some of us have come to Christ and are now citizens of Heaven, but our thought life still reeks of Hell, our old homeland.

Undisciplined thinking always flows to our greatest weaknesses. The human mind will always set itself on something. Paul challenges us to choose that setting and take charge of our minds.

Sixth Habit: Embrace the pain.

James 1: 2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (NIV)

God is drawn to broken people. He can shine best through broken people like the woman in the book of Luke.

Luke 13:10-13 "On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, 'Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.' Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God." (NIV)

Jesus looked out over the crowd. I'm sure there were many women in that crowd. Jesus knew them all. He could have chosen the most beautiful or the most gifted woman, but he chose the most broken woman. The woman could have been bitter because God had not healed her, but she was in the synagogue, still seeking God's healing touch. Her pain was a highway that led her straight to Jesus. Your pain can lead you to Jesus Christ, too.

2 Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (NIV)

Don't waste your pain. God doesn't! He delights in using broken people to do his work. He is more interested in our character than he is in our pain. Since pain comes to us with His permission, every pain has a purpose. C.S. Lewis says that God whispers to us in pleasure but shouts to us in our pain. Therefore, every pain carries with it a choice.

A choice in attitude. A choice in direction. A choice of victory or defeat. A choice of bitterness or sweetness. A choice of healing or sickness.

What have you done with your pain?

When our daughter was eleven, she played on a coed soccer team. During a game, one of the boys on the other team elbowed Danna in the stomach. She burst into tears and left the game. "I want to go back in there and punch that boy's lights out," she said. I thought that was a great idea! Fortunately, Dan was the coach. He took Danna in his arms and said, "Do you really want to get him, honey?" Through her tears, Danna said, "Oh, I really do, Dad." Dan pointed to the scoreboard. The game was tied. "Remember how much that boy hurt you. Go back in and score the winning goal, honey," he said. And she did!

Every pain has a seed of victory. Sift through every circumstance for the hidden treasure it holds.

Isaiah 45:3 "I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." (NIV)

God has gone before us and, in every trial or storm, has buried a treasure or stored a rich secret. We must go through the pain to find that treasure or uncover that secret. Any tough circumstance that intensifies our need for God can be counted as a blessing. Embrace your pain, knowing God will take it and use it for good in your life. Habits are powerful motivators. As we cultivate these habits, we will find our purpose in life and experience true success.

Mary Southerland is also the Co-founder of Girlfriends in God, a conference and devotion ministry for women. Mary’s books include, Hope in the Midst of Depression, Sandpaper People, Escaping the Stress Trap, Experiencing God’s Power in Your Ministry, 10-Day Trust Adventure, You Make Me So Angry, How to Study the Bible, Fit for Life, Joy for the Journey, and Life Is So Daily. Mary relishes her ministry as a wife, a mother to their two children, Jered and Danna, and Mimi to her six grandchildren – Jaydan, Lelia, Justus, Hudson, Mo, and Nori.