The Secret of Godly Success

Self Doubt can be overcome! Photo Credit: Creative Commons

 “God doesn't require us to succeed, He only requires that you try.” Mother Teresa 

Selling Myself Short

I have been beating myself up lately. Picking on my ideas, and criticizing my goals. Who am I to want to write a book? Why are my ideas so important I want to share them with the world?

The answer of course is I am a child of God. Created for a purpose. I've been given a mission. I must try to do what I can to get the message out, because it isn't really my message. It is God's.

There is nothing new under the sun. God has been working toward one goal since the fall in the garden: the restoration of mankind into right relationship with Him. I have a small part to play in spreading that message so others can grow closer to God.

I am no Paul. I am no Peter. I am no Billy Graham, or Amy Grant, or Joyce Meyer, or any of the other people I admire. I am me.

And you are you. Made for a purpose. Born with a unique calling: to be who God made you to be and to share that with others so God gets the glory.

Encountering Resistance 

There was a man named Nehemiah. He had a job working for one of the most powerful men in the world. He was good at his job, he was even friends with his boss. Then he began to feel a tug. A call to do something big. A mission to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. He was changing. 

He  traveled thousands of miles only to find resistance. From officials, and from enemies. But he did not give up, he tried anyway. 

He gathered the resources and he worked 24/7. He recruited everyone he could to help. He became foreman of one of the largest construction jobs in history. 

And he nearly failed. 

Enemies worked against him. Rumors flew. He had to work with a shovel in one hand and a sword in the other just to get the work done. So what did he do? 

He prayed. 

Sometimes resistance comes from within: like the doubts I have experienced. Sometimes resistance comes from our co-workers who wanted the promotion you just got. Perhaps you are experiencing resistance from a family member who does not support your dreams like you want them to.

Where ever the resistance comes from you have to press through it. 

Do Not Give Up

So what you get knocked around a bit. What is a bruise in the grand scheme of eternity? Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. What you do now, this great thing you are doing, will reverberate through time. This will be a legacy that will live through eternity. What you do now is what matters! 

Whether you are trying to be the next great American novelist or just be a Godly parent, your purpose is worth working and fighting for. Like Nehemiah, you may need a shovel in one hand and a sword in the other, but do not give up! 

Keep pressing in and pressing on! Keep going! Don't stop! Don't listen to the detractors, shush the voices that tell you "you can't"! You can! You have a purpose, you matter! 

God's promises are yes and amen! He has a plan for you. He makes your paths straight and lines up your footsteps. Trust in Him and go, go, go! The real success is in the trying. 

Join the conversation: Do you struggle with moments of self-doubt? How do you pick yourself up?