When I want to learn about success, I go to someone who has experienced it. I look to somebody who has accomplished what I want to accomplish. We learn much more from models than manuals.

The best model for ministry we’ll ever find is Jesus. Next to him, the most successful minister who ever lived would have to be Paul. Other than Jesus, no one had a greater impact on the growth of the church.

In Philippians 3, Paul gives us his autobiography. In the first 11 verses he deals with his past. Then he turns to his present and his future. In verse 17 he encourages us to take his example: “Join with others in following my example, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.”
What’s that example? He lived out this four-part pattern:

1. Evaluation: Face your faults.
Being successful means admitting you don’t have it all together and you still have a long way to grow. Pastor, your journey to success should start by doing an inventory of your life. You’ve got to know where you are before you know where you’re going. You start by looking at where you need improvement.
Paul was honest about his faults. In verses 12 and 13 he says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.” The Good News translation says it this way: “I don’t claim that I have already succeeded or become perfect.”
That’s an amazing statement. Paul was an old man at that point. If anybody had the right to claim he had arrived, it would have been Paul. He wrote most of the New Testament. He single handedly spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. He made an incredible impact on the world. Yet Paul at the end of his life says, “I don’t have it all together. I haven’t arrived. I’m not perfect. I’m still growing.” Successful ministers never stop growing. They are always developing, growing, expanding, and learning.
Many Christians will give you the impression they never have any problems. I get indigestion from those kinds of people! The longer I grow as a Christian, the more acutely aware I am of my own inadequacies, limitations, weaknesses, and faults. This is the starting point for successful ministry – face your faults, be honest, and evaluate yourself.

2. Elimination: Let go of your past.

As pastors, we need to stop being manipulated by our past mistakes and failures. Paul says in verse 13, “This one thing I do, forgetting what is behind.” Paul knows to be all that God wants him to be, he can’t focus on yesterday. Yesterday is over. You and I must let go of our guilt, grief, and grudges. We must let go of the past, so we can get on with the present.

To forget actually means to not allow the past to affect you anymore. Successful people (whether they’re pastors or not) learn from the past without dwelling on it. There’s a big difference. They don’t keep hounding themselves about the past.
Many of us are harboring things in our hearts that God has long since forgiven and forgotten. Yet we won’t forgive ourselves. Satan’s favorite tool is to paralyze us with the past and manipulate us with memories.

You don’t want to hang on to past successes either. It’s pretty easy to rest on your laurels and base your security on past performance. This is even true of churches. How many churches out there are still resting on what God did through them 30 years ago or 50 years ago? “The good old days” are over. Let them go.

3. Concentration: Focus on the future.
If all you do is forget the past, you just have amnesia. That doesn’t make you a successful minister. Successful people are goal-oriented people who focus on the future.

In verse 13, Paul says, “But this one thing I do […] straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal.” In Greek the word Paul uses for “one” is like you’re using an exclamation point: ONE! Paul is talking about concentration.

We need to figure out what’s important and focus on that. If a river spills over its banks, you get a swamp. But if that river is confined between banks, and you dam it up and channel it, it becomes a tremendous source of power. That’s the power of concentration. You need to write a goal down and focus on it.

There is no more rewarding goal in life than to please God. Paul wanted to be able to stand at the end of his life and hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” That’s what we need to be living for too.

4. Determination: Fight to the finish.

Nothing worthwhile happens without effort. The only time you coast is when you’re going downhill. If you’re coasting in life and ministry right now, you’re headed downhill. Paul said, “I fight to the finish.”

The great people in life are just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. They don’t know how to quit.

Notice the term Paul uses in verse 12: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Press on in the Greek literally means, “I over extend myself – I go for it with all I’ve got.”

What would happen if Christians would put as much energy into growing spiritually as they do into making money or their favorite sport?

In Acts 20:24 (NLT) Paul says, “My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” This is Paul’s life verse. He’s not going to give up. He’s going to complete the purpose for which God made him.

Just prior to entering the Promise Land God told Moses, “But commission Joshua and ENCOURAGE and strengthen him for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land.” (Deuteronomy 3:28) In a very critical moment in this young leaders life God reminded Moses to encourage him. The Hebrew word for encourage is chazaq which means, “to make strong or firm”. Encouragement has power. Here are 7 things encouragement will do for those we lead.

1. It helps them see the work God is doing in or through their life.
2. It motivates them to continual improvement.
3. It enhances their confidence and courage.
4. It expands their vision. When they know the progress they’ve made has been recognized and appreciated it causes them to dream bigger.
5. It validates their giftedness. Most people struggle with clarity in the area of their giftedness. A specific word of encouragement can help bring needed confirmation.
6. It creates relational bonds between the leader and follower.
7. It teaches them to encourage others.

Apply these things and see the change in the lives of those we lead.
By Mac Lake

Once the disciples joined Jesus’ ministry, their businesses skyrocketed. They were so prosperous that they were able to travel with Him for over three years without having to close down their business establishments. God’s blessing-His empowerment to prosper and succeed in every area of life was on their lives and businesses. Their association with Jesus was the key to obtaining the blessing that equipped them to get the job done.

Likewise, as an entrepreneur, you have been equipped and given the responsibility of going into the business world to gather your inheritance of wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18; Proverbs 13:22; James 5:1-7). Reaching millionaire status through your businesses and other God-inspired means should be sweatless!

Don’t rely on your education or current financial status to determine your success in business. Instead, ask God to teach you how to profit His way, which is the best way (Psalm 66:12; Proverbs 4:7; 8:18; Ecclesiastes 7:11-12; James 1:5). In addition, don’t be afraid to market your ideas. Doing so may be your ticket to success. It may not seem feasible at this point, but God knows the impact your invention or service will have on society.

There is no question that pursuing “God’s Ideas” will lead to your inheritance of wealth. God’s wealth. God’s goal is to get as many people born again as possible. That’s why Christian entrepreneurship is so important in these last days. The wealth that you gather is not for your benefit alone.  Use it to please God by gathering lost souls into His kingdom (or family). Increasing His family will be your greatest profit. Therefore, bless others and allow your money to be used for His mission. It is an investment that you won’t regret!

Owning corporations is a part of your destiny as a believer. Think of the worldwide impact you will make once you take over the major industries of the world-telecommunications, real estate, computer technology, publishing and so on. God is strategically placing believers in places of authority to prepare for a global shifting of power-out of the world’s hands and into theirs.  His goal is to promote you and others like you to a position where you can directly affect the lives of millions. The plan is to get as many people born again as possible.

Many people only think of Jesus as the Savior of the world; However, He is also the ultimate corporate executive. In fact, He owned a successful carpentry business while on the earth (Mark 6:3). Jesus had an excellent ability to organize crusades and minister the gospel to multitudes of people. He made a tremendous impact on the world in the short span of three years. Talk about a true world changer!

Begin to believe in yourself and your ability to be able to start your own business. It is God’s will!

You will find that is some cases that some people who are around us are time wasters. They are people who have no interest in getting ahead much less anyone else. We must be selective who we hang around with because some people will tear you down and if we are going to remain focused we need people around us that can build us up.

AREAS THAT CAN HELP US TO STAY FOCUSED ON OUR GOALS:

1. Our goals first and foremost must be our own goals and not someone else’s.

2. Our goals must be meaningful. Ask yourself the question. Will it make a difference in your life?

3. Our goals must be specific. Think of what they are and write them down. Make sure that they are measurable.

4. Our goals must be flexible and not rigid. Goals may take a detour.  Write goals down in pencil not with a pen.

5. Our goals must be challenging and exciting. If we are not excited about it no one else will be either.

6. Our goals must be aligned with the values we have in our lives. We must never compromise our morals and values to get closer to your goals.

7. Our goals must be well balanced. Are they attainable?

8. Our goals must be realistic, and yet they still will cause to stretch you.

9. Our goals must include contributions. We can contribute into our church, community, outreach, other people.

10. Goals must be supported. There are goals that we are not to share with everyone because not everyone wants you to obtain them. If we make the mistake to tell some people they will end up telling a lot of other people who will tell you that you can’t do it. Let people just watch you make it happen. Then there are goals that we call give up goals. They can be goals like giving up smoking, drinking, being lazy, cussing, and the list goes on. These are goals you can tell some people so they can help you to accomplish them.

The list above is simply a starting point and in no way is complete. I hope that this has been a help to you?

A portion of the credits and resources go to Jack Canfield, Mark Victor, Les Hewitt, Dr. Phillip G. Goudeaux

Focus will give us the ability to take quantum leaps. When focus is in your life you can expect to see results because you are not being distracted by other things.

God desires for us to have focus in our personal life, spiritual life, and in your business or job. God wants us to experience TOTAL LIFE PROSPERITY, which means that every area of your life is strong, healthy, and in order. TOTAL LIFE PROSPERITY in your relationships, physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially is what allows us to achieve true success.

Many people loose focus in their spiritual life because they are too busy chasing money or other things. What is difficult to see is people who have the potential to make millions or be successful in other areas and they only do limited things because they have lost focus. Lose of focus causes people to quit doing things like going to church, quit giving, reading the Word of God, quit their jobs, get divorces and the list goes on.  When we quit we loose sight of what God has for you.

Our ability to stay focused is going to be our biggest asset this year, and in the years to come. Focus shows us how to define our path and start walking in our plan. Focus helps us to everything we want.

Begin to resist right now distractions that have kept you from obtaining your goals and plans.

If we are going to be successful, victorious and experience all of God’s blessings upon our lives we must understand the importance of staying focused especially during the midst of going through tough times.

Some of the greatest success moments in my life was having the ability to stay focused on my plans, and goals in the middle of a storm or challenging times. WHY? Because I did not focus on the problems rather on my goals and plans. My goals and plans became my driving force in the middle of the storm.  When we learn to ride through the storms of life with our focus on our plans and goals we then can expect success as the end result.

Now in order for us to focus on our goals we must write them down and work on them each and everyday. If you do not have goals written down then you have no goals. Your ability to focus is the most important asset in your life to bring success to develop your skills in every area of your life.

Things do not just happen. We cannot be successful in anything if we do not have a plan on how to get to where we want to go. We must learn how to stay focused and remain focused while going through our journey in life.

Broken focus is what has kept some people from obtaining the things they desire to achieve. Success is based on the ability to stay focused.

Focus is what causes people to go faster and further than everyone else. The people that are going to make are the ones who stay focused. Focus helps people to achieve their goals, and  the ability to realize their dreams and able to reach their full potential.

Do not let anyone still your dreams.

Watch for more on this subject in the days to come.

“For a dream comes with much business and painful effort, and a fool’s voice with many words” Ecclesiastes 5:3

What is a habit? A habit is repeated behavior. It is something that you do so often that it becomes easy. It is behavior that is repeated enough that it becomes “automatic” behavior. This is a powerful concept to understand. Your actions are a product of how you think as all actions flow from your mind and from thoughts. Habits are those automatic behaviors that have their roots in your thought processes somewhere. Luke 6:45 Understanding the habits are a result of repeated behavior is powerful for you because therein lies your greatest hope and victory for positive change: Reprogram those automatic habits!

Your Habits will Determine Your Future If your automatic behaviors create lack of finances through poor money management then your future will include a life of financial struggle. If your repetitive actions involve eating unhealthy food than your future will include struggling with staying in shape and staying healthy.
The truth is life doesn’t just happen and success is not an accident. Your life and success is a result of your daily habits.

Your Habits Determine Your Quality of Life Your habits will give you predictable results. If you want to improve the quality of your life you must embrace habits that produce quality results. Quality is not an act, but a habit. Negative habits result in negative consequences, successful habits in your life will produce a steady stream of positive rewards.

Changing Habits Takes Time You will turn your negatives into positives by changing your habits now. Change takes an instant to occur and time to mature. Your change goes into effect the moment you choose to change. But it will take some time to see your changes mature to where you can enjoy the fruit of your improvements. Your change will take time because developing success habits takes time. A powerful quote says:
If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, then you will keep on getting what you’ve always got.

It is one thing to receive a Word of God; however you must hear a Word from God for specific instructions concerning your life. Many times we worry and obsess over the problems we encounter, and then proceed to work harder, instead of smarter; to accomplish everything God has called us to do. When we work harder, we risk becoming stressed out, frustrated and anxious, which leads to spiritual deafness.

Remember, we are doing God’s work and He will provide. However, we need constant communication with Him to succeed.
John 5:30 says, “I can of mine own self do nothing ….”

There are some things God will place before you that you won’t be able to do yourself. He will show you something impossible, just to ensure Him a place in your life.

I want to leave you with four requirements that place you in position to hear from God:

1. Lift yourself up. Release yourself from anything that keeps you down—pressure, stress, frustration, depression, and problems. You have to come out of that and separate yourself unto God. Revelation 4:1 says, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

2. Have joy. With joy you draw revelation and instructions from God. Isaiah 30:29, 30 in The Amplified Bible says, “You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart as when one marches in procession… And the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard….”

3. Free yourself from cares, worry, and anxiety. The Bible says in I Peter 5:6, 7, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

4. Be anxious for nothing. Anxiety has never provided solution for anyone. The Bible says in Philippians 4:6 “Be
careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Always be ready to write down the things you hear God speaking concerning your life!

Excuses have been the reason why many have not followed through with their ministries, business and other areas of their lives. We want to take this time today and challenge everyone to take a leap of faith and begin to kiss your excuses good-bye. Adam blamed Eve, Moses made excuses etc. When we learn to eliminate excuses we begin to move in the direction we need to.
1. Winning starts with beginning: You have to start doing what God has called you to do. People have made excuses like we don’t have enough help to do what we to do. Our response should be just start something. When you begin doing something you release God’s power. When we start making excuses, we are never going to have anything.
2. Excuses hold you back from beginning: Excuses affect every area of our lives. If we make excuses, we will never become winners or move into excellence. We make excuses like we don’t have enough money, people or resources. You have to step out in faith “No one walked on water except for Jesus until Peter step out of the boat there were 11 others but only Peter stepped out of the boat.
3. Excuses stop a person from taking the first step: Excuses stop a person from taking the first step toward the project or goal that God has for us. God calls us into things that we usually know nothing about. We could make excuses why we can’t. Exodus 3 We see God reinforcing Moses to be obedient and not make excuses. Some people never move into their potential as leaders. They never move into their financial blessings, and never come into the marriage relationship they should because of excuses.
4. Excuses will keep you from being a channel of miracles and a vehicle of blessings: There are no excuses that are good enough to satisfy God. Many times we make excuses which stop us from moving into excellence, or receiving what God has for them. Daniel 1:8. In the midst of adversity, Daniel purposed in his heart what he was going to do. Daniel was not making any excuses. He had already set standards of what he would not do. There is no room for excuses in a person’s life.
5. We give in to excuses because of fear of failure: II Tim 1:7 Fear is of the enemy. Fear restricts us, hinders us, blocks us, stops us, and holds us back from our potential. When you are given to a spirit of fear, you are locking arms because fear and excuses go together. Understand that when we stop making excuses God will get involved and do things in our life.