Foundation and Success

Foundation and Success

Lead Like Jesus had an interesting post this morning on their Twitter feed:

“As successes mount, we attract more attention from the enemy, not less. Be prepared by making God's Word ur foundation.”

As we move through careers or leadership positions and have failures we will often ask God why He is putting us in situations that end in failure.  Or we will blame the failures on the enemy.  We question because we have heard statements like God moves us from glory to glory.  Why would He let us suffer in failure?  And if we are there too long some many even lose faith.

On the other side when we have success in careers or leadership positions we may start offering prayers of thanksgiving to God for the successes.  But if we are unsure of our identity in Christ we may begin moving from a foundation in Christ to believing that our success is from ourselves. 

I’ve been there… I think many of us have been.  When I lost a job I looked right at the face of the enemy.  I questioned why God would allow me to go through this again.  When I forget that God is working and I turn from Him I open a door for the enemy to attack and pull me further from God.

So when we do have success we get comfortable in saying God abandoned me before so this success has nothing to do with God and everything to do with me and me alone.  We shift our focus from Him to our self and our flesh.  But so much of the help self-help industry supports this “me” first culture and that success and fulfillment is from what we do.  The culture says you are the only person you can count on.  When we continue to give praise to the self and the flesh for success we open more doors for the enemy to attack us.  This becomes an empty place over time and a lonely place.

1 Kings 8: 12-61 reminds us that we know the source of our success and remember at all times to give God the credit and have Him as the foundation of success. 

Read 1 Kings 8: 12-61 here: http://bible.com/111/1ki.8.12-61.niv

This section of 1 Kings describes the temple just built.  His payer reminds Israel of what the temple is and Who it is for.

John Maxwell sums it up this way…. After completing the temple to house the Ark of the Covenant he offers prayers reminding Israel that this Holy place is committed to God.  Although Solomon engaged the building of the temple and demanded that this temple was to be magnificent and exact, he knew and recognized that the glory belonged to God and to God alone.  All leaders must recognize that success appears by the blessing of God. 

Success is not by what we do.  Keep your focus on God.  Pray for guidance and to hear the will of God.  Each step is placed before us to continue to shape His creation.  Jesus is the only One who can change us and move us from glory to glory.  Recognize and praise Him for your success.