Discipline and Success

Abundant Grace Fellowship

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Discipline and Success - Parts 1-3

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Discipline and Success Part 1

By Pastor J.D. Link

Col 3:17, 23-24 says "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Have you purposed in your heart that 2010 is going to be a year of success? If you haven’t, then you should. Most people don’t set out to be failures; but through inaction or indifference, that’s what they become. They don’t purpose to succeed. They just think they are going to catch success like a cold. Many men, in order to excuse their mediocrity, prefer to believe that successful people are just "Born with a silver spoon in their mouth". They think some people just "Get a lucky break". While this may be true in some cases, it is certainly the exception, and not the rule. Most successful people are that way because of hard work and dedication. They have sacrificed. They have struggled. They have put in the hours of preparation. They have skipped many "good times", and put their nose to the grindstone. They have worked hard and failed; but regrouped and got back at it.

Despite the socialist entitlement attitude of our day, The Bible’s prescription for success is hard work and discipline. The above Scriptures clearly say that our every word and our every deed should be done in the Name of Jesus. That’s a tall order, and does not come naturally. It requires us to think. It requires us to purpose. The lazy, sloppy man can never come close to walking it out. It will cause us to be very careful about what we say, and it will cause us to do excellent work in whatever we set our hand to. Verse 23&24 says we should do everything we do with all of our heart, as if we are doing it for The Lord. Indeed, we are doing it for The Lord. He is our Master, and we will receive our reward for hard work from Him. This should cause the Christian to want to do all he does with a spirit of excellence.

Life is not a dress rehearsal. This is our shot. Ecc. 9:10 confirms this when it says we should do whatever we do with all of our might, because nothing can be done from the grave. If it’s going to be done, it must be done now. We need to run as those who want to receive the prize (1Cor 9:24). This is not just in spiritual things, but also in earthly things. What Olympic athlete sets out to win the silver? He may have to settle for silver, but he sets out to win the gold. That is the prize. God’s grace should cause us to labor abundantly; not be slothful, with a "punched ticket" attitude. Romans 12:11 says that we are not to be slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving The Lord.

Joseph and Daniel are prime examples of successful men who walked close to God. These guys were the best. These guys were successful. They were desired. They were at the top. However, they still walked close to their God. Many Christians are afraid of success. They have believed, or maybe been taught, that success is bad. "It will take you away from God", some say. Well, it could; but it doesn’t have to. We need to get rid of our poverty mentality. This "Poor is holy" stuff is hogwash. There are some poor people that hate God, and there are some rich people that love Him. Your income level has zero to do with how much you love and serve God. The important thing, is that we do everything as unto The Lord, no matter what our occupation or income is.

Seek to be the best at whatever you do. Find out what you love to do, and strive to master your calling. Ben Franklin said, "Be a jack of all trades, and the master of one". A guy I was in the Coast Guard with once said, "I want to be an authority on something. You know, like an expert witness. A master of some field of study." That has always stuck with me. Yet, here is the reality: you wanting to do something, and you actually disciplining yourself to do it are two different things. Wishing won’t get it done, and tomorrow won’t ever come. Stop wishing, and do something today that will reap dividends tomorrow. There are dreamers and wishers, and there are doers. The Bible says we ought to be doers.

I challenge you to set goals for 2010. Stop waiting for things to magically happen - they won’t. Find what you love to do, and become the best at it. Practice. Work hard. Study. Pray. Have faith in God. You can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you. The only question is, will you? To be mediocre is easy. To be the best is hard. Stand out because you have an excellent spirit; not because you dress like a tramp. Draw attention because you have purpose and integrity; not because you act like an idiot. Be different because your words are filled with faith, hope, and truth; instead of profanity and foolishness. Be head of the board, instead of head of the bar. 2010 can be the year you turn it all around. Don’t let it go to waste, in Jesus Name! Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!

Discipline and Success Part 2

By Pastor J.D. Link

agf-blanco.com

In II Thess 3:10-14, the apostle Paul says that if a man doesn’t work, he shouldn’t eat. That with quietness we should work, and eat our own bread. That if a man doesn’t work, he is disorderly, and should be ashamed of himself. Some people think that because work is a four letter word, that it is a cuss word. It is not. God invented work. After creating man, God gave him a job. He told him to "Tend the garden" (Gen 2:15). If Jesus asked you to do something for Him, would you do a sloppy, half-way job? The fact is, we are doing what we do for Him. Always keep that in mind. It will make you a success. It will drive you to do excellent work.

Don’t keep putting things off until tomorrow. There is a new Christian song out called "The Motions". I encourage you to listen to it. The chorus goes like this: "I don’t want to go through the motions, I don’t want to go one more day, without Your all consuming, passion inside of me, I don’t want to spend my whole life asking, what if I had given everything, instead of going through the motions". Decide today that you are not going to waste one more day of your life. Every breath, every day, is a gift from God. Do something constructive. Set some goals for your life, and start being an achiever. If you feel like the task is to large, then do what you can day by day - but don’t just sit there and do nothing. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. You can’t do it all, but you can do something. Live for the glory of God.

Don’t take your potential to the grave yard. It won’t do you any good there (Ecc 9:10). You use it now, or you lose it. Oral Roberts recently died after about 70 years in the ministry. That’s no small accomplishment. He was a pioneer in consistently praying for the sick. He was a pioneer in big tent revivals. He was a pioneer in Christian television, and preaching the gospel over the air. He pioneered a successful accredited Christian university, ORU. He had people criticize him constantly; but he didn’t let that stop him. I certainly do not agree with everything he said or did. He made big mistakes, but he kept going forward. Have you never done or said dumb things you regretted? Maybe you should not be so judgmental, and cut people some slack. Instead of criticizing everything he did, maybe we should learn from his pioneer spirit, and how to keep going forward with your calling, no matter what. Besides, even if you didn’t like him, do you know what the apostle Paul would tell you to do? Rejoice, that Jesus is being preached (Philp 1:14-18)! Don’t waste all your time criticizing everyone else - do something yourself!

I believe most Christians don’t have a problem acknowledging how great God is. The problem lies in them not acknowledging how great God is IN THEM. He is not far off. He dwells in us and lives through us - if we’ll let Him. Will you let God be great through you? Will you let God live through you? Will you acknowledge what the apostle did in Galatians 2:20? Don’t grieve the Spirit of God. Don’t limit what He wants to do in you and through you. You can do all things through Christ. If God is for you, who can be against you? You are more than a conqueror through Him. You are always caused to triumph. With God, all things are possible. Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. God’s favor surrounds you like a shield.. Through faith, nothing is impossible for you. These are all Scriptures. Meditate on them. Speak them. Believe them. Go forward and purpose to be a success. Discipline your body. Discipline your mind. Fight the good fight of faith. Fight to win. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!

Discipline and Success Part 3

By Pastor J.D. Link

agf-blanco.com

The past couple of weeks we have been looking at the subject of discipline and success. These two words work hand in hand. There is no success without discipline; and discipline breeds success. As I have stated in the previous articles, success should be something that the Christian strives for. Notice I didn’t say we should strive for money; but rather, we should strive to be the best at what God has called us to do. Money is often the by product of success, but it should not be the motivation. In fact, the deceitfulness of riches can choke out the Word of God in people’s lives (Mt 13:22). We must remain pure and Biblical in our motivation, and know that it is God who will reward us for what we do as unto Him (Col 3:23-24). That being said, I would like us to look at another factor in being successful, and receiving our reward from God. Let’s get into God’s Word.

Proverb 12:14 says this, “A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him. Notice these two factors: it is not only what a man puts his hand to, but also what he speaks out of his mouth, that determines his success. These principles must work together. If you only speak success, but you don’t put forth any effort to be a success - then you will not prosper. On the other hand, if you diligently put your hand to a particular work, but yet you curse it by continual negative talk - then you will not prosper, either. You must put your hand to the task, and bless it with your mouth.

Since I have already spoken about work ethic prior to this article, I want to spend some time today addressing the issue of a positive confession. While positive confession often gets a bad rap in some Christian circles, we must acknowledge that it is Godly and Biblical. Speaking in a derogatory fashion, some people call it “Blab it and grab it” or “Name it and claim it”. However, is it not God Himself Who calls things that are not as though they are (Rom 4:17)? Is it not Jesus Who said, “Ye shall have whatsoever ye saith” (Mk 11:23-24)? Is it not Paul who said, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth” (Eph 4:29)? By the way, do you see any similarity between Proverb 12:14 & Eph 4:28-29? Interesting.

Is it not Peter who said, “If any man speak, let him speak God’s Word” (1Pt 4:11)? Is it not Solomon who wrote, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21)? Is it not Jesus Who said, “By your words you will be justified or condemned” (Mt 12:37)? Is it not James who said the tongue is like a rudder that steers a ship, and a bridle that steers a horse (Jam 3:3-10)? Is it not David who said, “Set a watch, oh Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips” (Ps 141:3)? Is it not God Who spoke creation into existence (Gen 1)? There are many more Scriptures on words and the power of the tongue, but these will suffice to make my point clear. To say our words don’t matter is silly at best, and deadly at worst.

Pray the Scriptures. Speak blessings over the work of your hands. Your confession will rule you, so you had better rule it. Many people are hung by their own tongues. Are you a constant complainer? Are you a constant negative talker? Do you constantly confess your lack? Failure? Fear? You have what you say. Imagine if you heard a clap of thunder and a voice from heaven saying, “You have what you say” every time you spoke something negative. I would imagine you would start being real careful about what you spoke out of your mouth. Well, you should do that anyway. The children of Israel said they could not go into the promised land, and God reminded them of their own confession when they didn’t get to go. They got what they said (Num 13: 31-32, 14:28-30).

You will eat the fruit of your mouth. Your words bless or curse. They create or destroy. They build fear or faith. They agree with God’s Word or they agree with the devil. Don’t think you can have an undisciplined tongue and be a success. Loose lips sink not only ships, but lives as well. Bless your family. Bless your work. Bless your things. Bless your church. Be thankful and bless God with your mouth. The spoken blessing is good, Godly, and Biblical. Before you sow another word, start thinking about if you want to eat it later - because you will. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!