The Secret of a Successful Fulfilled Life.

To live a wholesome life everyone knows that we must be healthy and strong both physically and emotionally. To ensure that we operate at our optimum we do best what we know how.

We read up on what to eat, on how to keep fit, on how to be successful in life, on how to make money and be financially stable and on how to make our relationships work. Our resources are spent mostly on the pursuit of our success and happiness.

When we are successful we get a sense of achievement and we take pride in what we have done.  We depend mostly on ourselves, our knowledge, our abilities  and our resources, failing which on others. Very sadly, in our youth we think that we know everything and that we do not need any parental advice. When all our efforts fail we discuss with elders and like minded friends and tap on their experiences and knowledge.

Where is God in all this? What part does He play? Except for atheists we all know that there is a God Who created us and Who sustains us. Yes we have a vague knowledge of Him and He is kept at the back of our minds and we turn to Him as the very last resort, when we know that no one on earth can help us. Even then, some turn to other supernatural sources, spirits and mediums before surrendering to God.

Many wait till they are in deep trouble or they lose their loved ones or they are financially broke or critically ill before they turn to the Almighty. God does help even when we turn to Him as the last resort, but why wait till then? We may say that we must stand on our own feet and be independent first and we may even say that God helps those who help themselves, but sadly that is very wrong thinking.

As human beings, we are helpless without God. We need Him. That is why we are us and He is God, the Almighty. Happy is the man who depends totally on God to mould him and lead him every step of the way. A successful person is one who develops and builds a deep and intimate  relationship with God.

We Christians are fortunate that we have a Saviour in Christ Jesus; God Who became man for our sake to show us how to live and attain salvation; the God-Man Who took the sins of the entire world past, present and future, upon Himself and won us, victory over sin, sickness, Satan and spiritual death. All we have to do is believe in Him and accept Him as our Lord and  Saviour and look to Him for direction.

We have a Success Manual (the Bible) and it is full of instructions on how to live a happy, healthy and successful life. We are told that if we put our trust in God we will be blessed.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream…. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.(Jeremiah 17:7-9)
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. (Psalms 40:4)
O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psalm 84:12 NKJV)
"But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.(Jeremiah 17:7 NLT)

Then we are told that not only must we put our trust in God, but that we must seek Him first, above all else.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33 KJV).

What will be added to us when we seek God first? Yes, we will have success, financial stability, health and good relationship with everyone, added to us when we do the following:-
1.  Acknowledge that we are nothing and we can do nothing by ourselves.
2.  Surrender our lives and our desires and our plans to God.
3.  Let God mould us and use us.
4.  Submit to God's leading and authority.
5.  Spend quiet time with God daily to get our lives recharged and to seek His will for our lives.

Wise is the man who does this early in his life. Foolish is he who tries all else first, because he will be extinguishing all his resources due his stubbornness of heart. But still, even if we go crawling to Him , He is always there with extended arms to forgive us and to receive us and help us. 

The Lord of angel armies is waiting for you. He is waiting to lead you to sure success and fulfillment. Will you seek Him first today?

Under Pressure to fulfill your Pleasure?

What kind of pressures do we face today? There are three kinds of pressures :
1) one that shapes us
2) one that breaks us
3) finally one that is sweet yet fatal.

A little of the first kind of pressure is good because it means we are being shaped into the likeness of our Saviour eg. Pressure to complete datelines or to be in places on time would force us to plan well ahead. Pressure to meet people and mingle in their company for long periods would teach us to be understanding, compassionate, non-judgemental and forgiving. Pressure to get well, would teach us to eat healthily, moderately and live healthy lifestyles. These, I would deem are good pressures. All we have to do is surrender to God completely, in humility and remain pliable in His hands so that He can mould us and use us to bring His Kingdom into the lives of people of this world.

Pressures of the second kind occur through no fault of ourselves. It happens when others pressurize us to do something not right. This kind can be overcome or even avoided  through constant prayer and meditation.  Whenever we are pressurized by others to do something we know is not right or something against God's will for us, we have to constantly remind ourselves of the following words of God, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13) Then we must make the bold step of rebuking binding, casting out and praying against the principalities and powers in Jesus'mighty name. We must also not let these pressures weigh us down but have faith in Him who has promised that no weapon forged against us will ever prosper...Isaiah 54:17. After praying we must confidently pursue what is right and just, without fearing and without yielding to such pressures.

Finally the third kind of pressure is the most sweetest but deadliest. It is the pressure to fulfill one's pleasures without thinking of the consequences. We see in the Old Testament that Esau traded the lasting rewards of his birthright with the immediate pleasures of food. He showed complete disregard for the spiritual benefits that would have come his way, had he kept his birthright. He acted on impulse without considering the eternal consequences. Like him we may be pressurized into following our own impulses to satisfy the immediate needs of our flesh like food, sex etc.  When we see sumptuous food the health aspects may not seem important to us. Some even say, "I will die eating, what I want to eat!" When we feel sexual pressure, the pressure to fulfill sexual urges, a marriage vow may seem unimportant and for those already married, adultery will seem all too permissible. Therefore to avoid falling into the trap of being pressurized into fulfilling our pleasures, Jesus tells us to watch and pray.

Matthew 26:41 NIV
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

He also teaches us how to pray in the 'Lord's Prayer,'
Matthew 6:13 NIV
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’

We are constantly reminded to  humbly submit ourselves to God and resist the devil. Only when we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us. Until then he will pursue us and be on our heels.
King James Bible
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. -James 4:7

When the Word of God tells us to renew our minds, it means constant renewal, to do it constantly and consistently, not once, not twice and not even three times, but all the time. How do we do it? Well, we are to  read and meditate on God's Word everyday and be soaked, marinated, fully immersed in His Word and let His Word transform our thinking. we are to bring our every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Then we are to dwell on pure, lovely, righteous, reputable, excellent and praiseworthy thoughts at all times. Below are the four key Scripture references for the renewal of the mind.

First Verse for Renewing the Mind
2 Corinthians 10:5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Second Verse for Renewing the Mind
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Third Verse for Renewing the Mind
Romans 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

Fourth Verse for Renewing the Mind
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Therefore my sisters and brothers in Christ, let us pray for Wisdom and do what we are told to do in God's instruction manual (bible) to avoid falling into the trap of  acting on our impulses to fulfill our immediate and fleeting pleasures while disregarding the consequences and losing our eternal rewards in heaven.

God be with you always.
Mary Augustine.