Week 13
Finding True Success

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10b

     The key to success is building my whole life around the Word of God by meditating on Scripture and applying it to my life, so that I can receive and follow specific direction from the Lord. When we live in accordance with the principle of success, we will experience true purpose in life.

Study Questions:
     Define success in your own words.




     How does the world view success?





Key Truths:
     The devil attempts to distort our view of success by trying to distract us with the world’s “glittery” ideals and self-serving temporal achievement.
     The world’s success is like glitter — shiny and appealing, but with no true value. Hebrews 11:25 refers to “...the passing pleasures of sin...”; it is interesting to note that sin may be pleasurable for a short time, but it is followed by bitter consequences that may last a lifetime.
     The world’s success is temporal — that is, it passes quickly away. How much better it is to spend our time and energy on what will count for all eternity!
     The world’s success is deceitful in that it promises to satisfy all our needs and make us happy, but it fails to do so. (See Proverbs 9:13-18.) Have you ever experienced the deceitfulness of the world’s success? If so, how?





     The world’s success is based on being popular and earning the approval of other people. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” — Luke 6:26. The Bible also tells us that we cannot strive to please men and at the same time serve Christ. (See Galatians 1:10.)
     In your own life, have you ever experienced pressure to conform to the world’s ideas of success?  If so, how?





     The best things that the world's success can offer are only temporal rewards -- like money, fame, and popularity. Even with these temporal rewards, those who seek after the world's ideas of success end up disappointed, discontent, pressured, and still unsatisfied. We see this truth illustrated in the lives of many of the world’s most celebrated people.

     True success is fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives. This is where we will find true joy and fulfillment!
     God’s success is like hidden treasure; it requires effort, but is richly rewarding. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” — Matthew 13:44. (See also Proverbs 3:13-15.)
     God’s success is eternal — that is, of lasting value. "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." - John 15:16.
     God's success is true and assured if we follow His way. "...those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing." - Psalm 34:10b. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33. His promises are always true!
     God's success is not always instantly obvious. Often God chooses to strengthen our character and trust in Him by giving us times of waiting before we see the rewarding results of following Him. "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" - Psalm 27:14.

     Read the following Scriptures and list insights and truths to apply from each one:
     Matthew 6:19-21





     Matthew 7:24-27





     1 Corinthians 3:11-15





     The first step in fulfilling God's purpose for your life is to deliberately and wholeheartedly seek God as your number-one priority.

Read the following Scriptures and list insights and truths to apply from each one:
     Jeremiah 29:13





     Philippians 3:7-10





What active things can you do to make sure that God stays as your number-one focus?

• Say no to the world’s success and yield your right to gain the world’s approval. "...For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." - Galatians 1:10b. (See also Romans 12:2.)
       In what ways can you say no to the world's success?
  
  
  
  
  

•  Surrender your will to God and trust Him that His will is truly best.  God is omniscient (knows all things), sovereign (in control over every detail in the universe and in every life), and all-good and perfectly loving.  We can trust that His will is best.  "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9. "...If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 16:24-25.
       In what areas of your life do you still need to surrender your will to God?
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Read some in the Bible each day and look for ways to apply it to your life. Psalm 119:105 tells us that God's Word is meant to be used as a light to our paths. (See also 1 Peter 2:2 and James 1:22-25.) Making daily Bible reading and study a habit in your life is vital for spiritual sustenance!  One chapter a day is a good place to start.
       Sometimes people who do not read the Bible every day make excuses that they are busy, gone all day, just don't have time, etc. It's interesting to note, however, that these people never seem to be so busy that they go an entire day without eating or drinking anything! Providing nourishment for our minds and hearts through Bible reading is every bit as important as providing nourishment for our bodies!
       Are you willing to commit to read the Bible every day?
  
  
       Make yourself accountable to your mom or Bible-study leader. My accountability partner:
  
  
       Remember that reading God's Word won't do you a whole lot of good if you breeze through it as fast as you possibly can! You will get the most benefit out of reading when you read with an open heart, asking God to show you what you can learn and apply to your life!
  
  

• Pray often. We can pray so much more than just at each meal! Prayer is a tremendous aid in really getting to know God personally.
       When Jesus went to the cross, He did it because He cares about you. He loves you and wants a relationship with you. He wants you to get to know Him, and He wants to help you in your life. We should tell the Lord Jesus in prayer all our concerns, worries, problems, and needs, and ask Him to help us honor Him in how we deal with them.
       But it is important that our prayers are not exclusively about us. We should also take time to thank the Lord for all He has blessed us with, praise Him for being so mighty and compassionate, and tell Him how much He means to us.
       Are you satisfied with your prayer life the way it is right now?
  
  
  
       If not, make a reachable goal that you will try to implement immediately (i.e., pray for a set amount of time every day):
  
  
  
       Lara Bode writes, “Some people do not like setting a time like this because they feel like they keep looking at the clock to see how much longer they have. Certainly we do not want the clock to dictate our prayers! However, it has been my experience that setting aside a certain amount of time helps make my prayer time happen, because I have scheduled it into my day. When I know I will be praying for 30 minutes, I don't feel rushed or pressured by other needs during that time. I can relax, take a few moments to clear my mind of the day's events, get my focus fixed on the Lord of the universe to whom I am speaking, and really share my heart with Him and commune with Him. This type of regular prayer time has been a great blessing in my life!”
  
  

•  Meditate and ponder Bible verses. We will discuss this in detail in Bible study week 14.
  
  

• Abide in the Lord. More about this in the next chapter, too!
  
  

• Be sure to remain under authority. If we are rejecting the authorities that God has placed over us, then we are in essence rejecting God as well. We cannot be properly seeking Him and His ways if we are not under authority. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves." - Romans 13:1-2.
       Are you fully under authority?
  
  
       If not, what can you do to get under authority?
  
  
  
  
  
  

• To bring glory to the Lord.

Read the following Scriptures and list insights and truths to apply from each one:
Ecclesiastes 12:13





1 Corinthians 10:31

• To share God’s love with others.
  "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10.

• To become like Christ.
  "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps". - 1 Peter 2:21.

• Ecclesiastes 12:13
• Matthew 6:33

     If there was one question Courtney hated to hear, it was "What are you going to do when you grow up?" She tried to dodge it with something like, "Grow up? Me? You aren't serious!"
     But as the months of high school ticked by, the question became more and more frequent. Courtney didn't want to think about the future -- the here and now was busy enough. Why worry about the future when she could just have fun in the present?
     Thoughts of the future worried her because she had no definite idea of what she wanted to do -- except for one thing. She wanted to rise above normal and live a great life that everyone would admire. She wanted to be successful, popular, beautiful, intelligent, and a little rich -- but not too much. She did not want to do nothing -- but that prospect was becoming more probable with each passing day.
     What is wrong with Courtney's perspective? If Courtney asked you what she should focus on right now, what would you tell her?