Keys to Success

This week I had several conversations about the topic of success.  What is considered success?   How do you achieve it?  What does it take to get there?  And, why are we so obsessed with attaining it?

There are some people who define success by the amount of money in their bank account.  Others define success as achieving a certain level of distinction in their field.  Still there are those, that see success as becoming a better, stronger, and smarter person than they were yesterday.  I believe these are the people who are truly able to find the key.  Those that are not in competition with others, but rather are in competition with themselves.  They are focused on bettering themselves, and helping others do the same.

As I began to study the topic of success, I found myself in the Bible in the book of Joshua.  As I began to read in chapter one, I was tickled to find God's recipe for a successful and prosperous life.  I love when that happens.  No one can tell me that the Bible is irrelevant...you don't want to have that argument with me.  (I WILL WIN!)  No matter what I am thinking about or searching out, there is always an answer in the Word.  Anyway, I digress.

The Lord was talking to Joshua in this passage.  Moses had died and now Joshua was left with the task of leading the Israelites into the promised land.  He was in a new job, filling some really big shoes, and the Lord is letting him know that he is not alone.  He gives him very specific instructions for success.

Joshua 1:5b-9

"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.  Be strong and courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

First thing is first, a reminder that you are not alone.  Just as the Lord is speaking to Joshua, He is speaking to you today.  "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  No matter what God is calling you to do, He is not sending you in alone.  He is there to lead and guide you every step of the way.  Sometimes in the middle of the some of the most difficult challenges in our lives, we feel alone.  Why is that do you think?  I can only answer this question for myself.  I have the tendency, especially in business, to take on the challenge without first asking for God's help and guidance.  Why is it we only ask for help once we have jumped into something and gotten in way over our heads?  Perhaps if we had begun the task with God's help, we wouldn't be struggling.  

Then the Lord begins to repeat himself.  "Be strong and courageous...Be strong and courageous...Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous"  I would say the next step to success would probably be to "be strong and courageous."  We cannot walk in fear.  We must have faith and believe that no matter what we go through, God will get us through it.  David had courage as he faced Goliath.  The three Hebrew children had courage as they faced the fiery furnace.  Daniel had courage as he was lowered into a den of lions.  I could go on and on.  If they can, we can.  God was with them, and he will be with you too.

The next key to success is knowledge and obedience of the Word of God.  We must spend time in our Bibles everyday.  We must memorize scripture so that it is living in us when we need it most.  Too often when life gets busy and we see "success" on the horizon, we get too busy to spend time with God.  It becomes the first thing to fall off our to do list.  This is the biggest mistake we can make.  Discouragement, fear, depression, loneliness...all symptoms of a lack of devotional time with God.  You want to know why you struggle?  When was the last time you put God first?  We all struggle with this, myself included.  I love to be busy.  I love a little stress in my life.  It keeps me going.  But without God, I can't do it.  No matter how hard I try.  

Success and prosperity will follow if we remember these things.  These are the keys.  When you try to measure your success, check these areas.  Are you spending time in the Word?  Are you stepping out strong and courageous?  Do you realize you are not alone?  Are you stronger today than you were yesterday?  If you follow God's Word you will be a success.  Perhaps not in the way the World measures success, but who cares?  If I can look myself in the mirror and know that I did my best for God today, I'm a success.  That is the only thing that really matters.  

Blessings!

Are You Ready?

The last few days no matter what book, bible, or devotional I touched, they all pointed me to one portion of scripture.  At this point, I really can't ignore what God is saying.  I wasn't consciously ignoring Him, but there are times we let life distract us from even those things that God is making painfully obvious.  And, I know I'm not alone in that.

Joel 2:28-32 (Also quoted by Paul in Acts 2:16-21)

"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls."

Joel prophesied the day of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon God's people.  It is available today to all those who believe.  I feel like there are days we operate as though we are on this earth alone.  He didn't leave us alone.  And I believe with my whole heart, that we are gearing up for another outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  The question I have for you is, are you ready?

On the day of Pentecost, God's people were gathered together in unity.  Since I was little I always pictured it as the greatest worship service the World had ever seen to that point, everyone fully immersed in prayer and worship.  They were not distracted by the worries of every day life.  They were 100% focused on their mighty God.  And then, in the middle of their insatiable worship, God invaded that space and changed the church forever.

Do it again Lord!  I don't know about you, but I am ready to see God pour out His Spirit upon the Earth in a powerful life altering way.  The question is, can we put away our pride and selfishness and unite as one church, one voice.  Can we stop trying to come up with excuses, busyness to distract us from time in prayer, reading of the Word, and worship?  Can we stop worrying about the things that we can't control and begin putting our faith in a God who loves us and wants what is best for us?

God loves you and has amazing plans for your life.  Stop trying to control everything and put God back into the driver's seat.  I have to admit that this is my biggest fault.  I try to control my life, as if that were even possible, instead of just following God where He leads me.  To look at my life, things don't make a lot of sense.  The trajectory of my life seems out of whack, but this is due large in part to my desperate need to continually grab the steering wheel.  Does that mean God can't use me?  On the contrary, He is using me right now.  I don't want others to make the same mistakes.  Allow God to lead you and open the right doors.  You don't have to go out and knock them down.  Let go and Let God be in control.

As I have said to others many times before, "What God placed in you at birth was enough to change the World."  The question is are you going to allow Him to use you or are you going to continue to walk your own way?  I surrender all.  I am letting go of my own agenda, and I am going to let God direct me.  I am going to make sure that everyday I give God my time, my ear, and my heart so that He can use me.  I want God to give me visions and dreams.  I want to see people miraculously healed and financial burdens miraculously lifted.  I am making a passionate pursuit of God my number one priority.

Are you ready?  Can you let go of your own agenda and allow God to guide you?  Are you prepared to be used by God in ways you never imagined?  I believe, with all my heart, that when the Church does this, the World will see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they could have only imagined on the day of Pentecost.

Please pray for me, and I will be praying over you!

Blessings!

Trouble? Take Heart!

"Is anyone among you in trouble?"  Everywhere I looked today people were dealing with some form of trouble.  It seemed the unmistakable theme of the day.  Watching those around me explain their struggles made me think about that phrase, "the last straw or the straw that broke the camel's back."  I picture that poor camel burdened down with as much straw as his master can toss on.  Under the immense strain the camel is standing there with his knees wobbling under the pressure and every muscle crying out for relief, and his greedy master just can't help but pile on the one last piece of straw that had fallen by the wayside.  At which, the poor camel's body gives way and crumbles to the ground.  Quite a picture isn't it?  Today, I spoke with several people feeling that same strain.  The weight of the World bearing down heavily up them, and the intense uncertainty of their situations causing every fiber of their being to cry out.

Life is difficult...the Word of God says in John 16:33, "In this World you will have trouble."  God never hid that fact from us.  When sin entered the World in the Garden of Eden, we had to accept that trouble would come.  How do we deal with it day in and day out?  It seems at times that it never lets up, and we struggle to keep our hope and joy alive.

I love a passage of scripture that my Pastor quotes often in James.  By the way, James is an incredible book of the Bible for your personal study time.  So much, in such a small book.  James 5:13-16 says this, "Is anyone among you in trouble?  Let them pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let them sing songs of praise.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.  If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."  

I love that this passage leaves no wide room for us to argue over it's interpretation.  It is extremely straight forward.  Are you in trouble?  You should Pray!  Very often we overlook the most basic answer to our most difficult situations.  I am the Master Blaster Disaster when it comes to trying to handle it on my own.  I tend to be a control freak.  When things don't seem to be going my way or when trouble strikes, my brain's instant reaction is to find a solution on my own.  By the way, that's a complete waste of time!  Every time that I try to "fix it" I tend to make a bigger mess than I had when I began.  I end up even more upset and worn.

Heed the Word of God.  When trouble strikes, it is time to pray.  When illness bares it's ugly head, call believers to pray.  God makes it clear that He will answer.  When we reach out to Him, he is there.  And you know the passage in John 16:33?  It goes on to say, "But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  If you didn't read that out loud you need too.  He has "Overcome the World."  There is truly nothing in this World that can come against you, that your Heavenly Father cannot defeat!  Lay your troubles at his feet in prayer and allow "the peace that passes all understanding" to fill you up.

Let me challenge you today!  Are you experiencing trouble?  It is time to PRAY!  No matter what your circumstance, nothing is too big or small for God to intervene.  Remember He loves you.

Lord, I pray for all those reading these words.  May your presence rest upon them and give them peace.  I pray you would meet their every need and make them a beacon to others seeking answers. You are the Answer Lord!  The hope for a broken World.  

Blessings!

Come to Jesus

Yesterday I had one of those God moments that came out of nowhere.  I currently work in a real estate office, and I was at the fall convention.  As I sat listening to the keynote speaker, I felt as though God had out a bull horn speaking so clearly that there was no way I could mistake it. 

My best friend, Paula has made comment many times that perhaps someone might need a little "Come to Jesus, either by death or repentance."  Yesterday, that person was me.  I needed to come to Jesus, and it was by no accident that the speaker for this conference decided to talk about faith.  Not faith in God.  I have never really struggled with my faith in a mighty, holy, God.  My problem is faith in myself.

The most successful people in the World believe in their abilities.  They are sure of themselves and believe they can accomplish every big audacious goal.  Though I have fleeting moments of confidence, I struggle with this kind of faith.  I readily believe God can do anything.  I can easily believe that those around me can do anything.  However, I struggle to believe in myself, my abilities, and my calling.  Truth be told, I have some good reason to question myself.  If others were to look at my goals and then look at my life, they would probably be a bit confused. 

God called me into ministry when I was 11 years old, and I have always been involved in some form of ministry.  However, since my graduation from Bible College, I have only once been hired to be a full-time paid youth pastor.  I have held volunteer positions in other areas including my passion which is children's ministry, but never officially made part of the staff.  Though I don't fully understand why, I have struggled with my confidence because of it.

But success to me is not measured financially, it is measured in the lives that you touch each and every day.  I have had hundreds of opportunities to share Jesus with others.  I have walked along side some amazing young people who needed to believe not only in God's love for them, but in God's awesome plan for their life.  I have held up the arms of ministers who were serving others.  I need to start believing in myself and trust in the God who has called me.  He has a plan for me.  Now I need to have faith in myself. 

I posted this on facebook after my conference yesterday, "If God leads you to do something, then don't back down because you lack confidence in yourself. Keep moving forward, because "when God is in it...there is no limit!" ‪#‎israelhoughton" God can speak anywhere, anytime.  Yesterday, I needed to hear His voice and I am so glad I did.