The 3 Essentials: All You Need for Success in Life (27 page)

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Authors: Casey Treat

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Day 17: Children
Psalm 127:3—“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.”
• Is your vision of children that they are a blessing from God?
• Are you dreading the teen years?
• Do you have a vision for strong relationships with your children into their adulthood?
Children
are
a blessing from the Lord! Throughout my thirty-plus years of being a pastor, I have seen many parents regard their children as burdens. They cost money and extensive amounts of time, and they cost even more emotionally. Wendy and I never viewed parenting this way. Sure, there were times we were frustrated, exhausted, or angry (sometimes all at one time), but we never lost sight of the fact these children were tremendous blessings from God. We were honored to be entrusted by God to guide, guard, and govern them, and we chose to thoroughly enjoy every season along the way.
Now that our three children are all adults, we are so glad we stayed true to that vision. Not only have we found the cliché “You blink, and twenty years go by!” to be absolutely true, but also we realized the more we embraced each part of parenthood, the easier it became. And today, we have strong relationships with all three, they all are passionate about God and His people, and better yet, they are all great friends with
one another
!
Love your kids. Engage in their lives. Spend time as a family together. Pray and talk about Jesus together on a regular basis. At least a few times a week, eat a meal together as a family. Support them and encourage them in their gifts. Help them to find mentors and other mature Christian adults they can connect with. As you sow of yourself into these amazing children, you will find your heart more fulfilled than you ever imagined.
Day 18: Emotions
Joshua 1:9—“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
• When you envision yourself, do you see a person who is in control of his or her emotions or one tossed to and fro by them?
• When given to your emotions, do you justify your behavior with excuses like “Well, this is just how I am” or “I can’t help acting like this”?
There is nothing wrong with feeling emotion. God is an emotional being. We can see many examples of Jesus showing and responding to His emotions, and you and I were made in God’s likeness and image. Feeling emotions is never an issue—it’s what we
do
with those feelings that can become an issue. Ephesians 4:25-27 says, “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.”
These verses give such insight. If we are embarrassed or “caught” or feeling hurt, we are admonished to fight the feeling to lie; rather, we should speak the truth at all times. If we are angry, we should not punch a hole in the wall or become embittered and full of unforgivingness; instead, we are to seek to resolve the situation quickly. Basically, this is saying, whatever the emotion, if it is negative, then make a choice to not react. Choose to stop for a moment and
respond
instead of reacting. Keep God’s principles in mind, and decide to act accordingly. This is true for depression, jealousy, covetousness, lust, and the like.
If you will create a vision of yourself as one who thinks through the feelings instead of saying or doing the first thing that comes to mind, you will become that kind of stable, wise person. And there will be much less drama in your life! We
all
could use a little less emotional drama. In addition, you will be set free from the roller-coaster ride of a life led by emotions. Feelings come and go (sometimes many in a matter of moments), but wisdom is a solid rock. Keep your eyes focused on the vision of God’s Word, and your heart will never be moved.
Day 19: Success
Joshua 1:8—“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
• Do you truly have a vision to succeed, or do you only wish and hope you are lucky enough to succeed in life?
• Do you see yourself as the head, not the tail? As a winner in life, not a loser?
• If things don’t go your way, is your immediate thought,
Well, that’s just as I expected things would turn out
?
This is a big one. No matter how much you want to succeed, no matter how much
God
wants you to succeed, if you do not see yourself as a success, then you will never attain it. So many times, we want to blame our lack of success on outward factors: our gender, our race, our background, our education. The truth is there are many examples of extremely successful people who have made significant impacts upon the lives of others and have had far more obstacles to overcome than we have.
The difference between a person who succeeds and a person who does not can be found in their respective visions for success. A person with a clear picture of personal success will have the tenacity to walk through any trial or difficult situation because she believes strongly the only possible outcome will be success. Failure just is not an option for her; even if she finds herself seeming to fail, she will simply use that disappointment as a means to grow bigger on the inside.
You can cultivate this kind of vision for yourself. Consider all the realms of your life, and ask yourself if you truly see yourself succeeding in each area. Pick one of the areas of your life in which your vision is weak, and begin to imagine yourself succeeding in it. Find scriptures promising you God’s blessings in that area, and speak it out every day. Frame your future with your words, and very soon, it will become so engrained in who you are, you will begin to believe in yourself like never before.
Day 20: Generosity
Luke 6:38—“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
• Do you have the vision for your life to affect the people around you? To influence the next generation?
• Do you give of yourself, your time, your finances, and your emotions freely to others?
In Matthew 10:8, Jesus says to us, “Freely you have been given, freely give.” This is definitely the way Jesus lived His life; He freely gave
everything
to us even though it cost Him His life. As Christians, we should live our lives the same way.
So often, we can get so caught up with the issues of life—the job, the kids, the sports, the hobbies, the housework, and so on—that we become cocooned in our own realities. We are so busy doing what needs to be done, we barely have time to breathe let alone talk to our neighbor or say a kind word to the person behind the espresso bar. Our lives become all about our own needs, and we lose perspective that there is a world all around us going to Hell.
Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 5:14-15, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” God needs you and me to be His light in this world, to hold up our light so they can see the goodness of God.
I’ve mentioned it many times throughout this book that we were made in God’s likeness and image. Everything about God is blessing, life, love, and generosity. If we say we are Christians, and we do not live our lives in this same manner of giving, we are actually violating our own self. It is impossible for us to find perfect peace in our hearts and minds because we are at odds with our own belief system. Maybe the disease you sometimes feel inside you is simply God dwelling on the inside of you yearning to be expressed through your life to those around you.
Slow down. Take a moment to assess if you are caught in a trap of useless business. Prioritize your activities in order to ensure all your days are not simply taken up on self. Ask God to show you each day someone whose heart you can make a deposit in. Take the time to smile at the woman handing you your coffee. Look up and connect to those people who are all around you. You will be surprised at the amazing opportunities God will bring your way.
SECTION THREE
RENEWAL
Just because we are saved does not guarantee we will have a successful life on Earth.
It simply means we will spend our eternal life in the presence of God. When we became born again, the transformation that happened on the inside was
instant
, as our spirits came alive to God. However, the new birth was simply the first step in our walk with God. Our spirits became new, but now, if we want to live a dynamic, prosperous life on Earth, we must commit our lives to a daily path of renewal. We need to reprogram our minds that have been conformed to the world by secular school, media, and television. It is only by thinking like God thinks can a Christian find the complete freedom they desire.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). This scripture has proven to be the most significant and life-changing truth in my life. I’ve preached this message of renewal for more than thirty years, and even today, I continue to discover deeper revelation of this passage. Let’s take the last ten days in this manual and learn to reprogram our minds.
This section of the Renewal Manual is designed a little differently from the last two. Instead of questions each day, I will offer some common beliefs many of us face that are contrary to God’s Word. We need to address these areas, acknowledge the thoughts that go against scripture, and begin to engraft the truth into our hearts. Perhaps each one does not exactly apply to your present situation, but most of these are thoughts that hook us at some point in our lives. My desire is for you to understand how the process of renewing your mind works, so you will be able to apply these principles to every area of your life.
Day 21: Change Is Possible
John 8:31, 32—“ ‘And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’ ” They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, “You will be made free”?’ ”
• Untruth: I could never change.
• Untruth: I will never be able to overcome this problem.
• Untruth: My situation is unique and way too big to ever change.
• TRUTH: God’s Word will always produce results.
This is the very first belief we must renew before we move on to anything else. If you have been reading these chapters on renewal and, for whatever reason, have opted yourself out of this process, you have chosen to believe a lie. There is no problem, no addiction, or no circumstance facing you that is bigger and stronger than the Word of God. His Word works in
every
situation and for
every
person. Here are some scriptures to replace those untruths lurking in your mind:
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Basically, Paul is saying, “Don’t be tricked by the devil to believe God’s ways are false.” Then he writes that if a person gives themselves to spiritual things, then he will reap the promises of those spiritual blessings, but if a person gives himself to the ways of the world and his own fleshy desires, then he will reap defeat and discouragement. No matter what you are facing, if you apply the Word and God’s principles to that thing, you
will
reap if you do not give up.
Isaiah 55:8-11 promises:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
In other words, there will never be a time when you apply God’s Word and it does not come to pass. It may take some time, but His Word
always
produces the promise. You
can
change, and your situation is
not
too big for God’s Word to overcome.

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