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10 Biblical
Principles To Succeed
OS HILLMAN S TOP 10 BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES
FOR SUCCEEDING
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PRINCIPLE # 1: SPEND TIME WITH JESUS
Nothing can be accomplished affectively in the Kingdom of God unless
we are connected to Jesus Christ in an intimate and daily basis. Paul
understood this better than anyone when he said, I want to know
Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of
sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so,
somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:10,11).
Jesus said we must abide in the vine and that we can do nothing apart
from Him.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing( John
15:5).
You get to know someone by spending quality time with them. If you do
not have a regular and ongoing sense of His presence, you must
cultivate this by spending time in His Word, talking to Him daily
throughout your day and look for Him to respond to you.
Make getting to know Christ your priority and you will begin to
experience the power of God in your life.
PRINCIPLE # 2: WISDOM AND POWER IS GAINED THROUGH OBEDIENCE IN YOUR
WEAKNESS, NOT YOUR STRENGTH
One of the great paradigms of the gospel is the bible s exhortation
for us to depend upon God, but also use our skills for His glory
(Col. 3:17). Paul understood that what really changed the world was
not his persuasive words or his skills, but it was the power of God
that was working through him. He ministered out of weakness, not
power. Our society depends too much on the Greek-based knowledge
systems which focus on oratory and information.
I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My
message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but
with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might
not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power
(1 Cor 2:3-5).
Sometimes we think we must be in a place of strength to have an
impact. This is wrong. It is being weak that makes us strong and
allows Christ to be reflected to others.
The early Hebraic church learned that wisdom came through obedience,
not knowledge or information. The power of God was reflected through
their obedience. Our culture often has a Greek-centered focus on
knowledge and information, instead of focusing on obedience to the
voice of God in our lives.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding (Ps 111:10).
PRINCIPLE #3: MAKE SURE YOU RE WORKING WHERE GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO
WORK
(You will discover this as you spend intimate time with Him).
Whether you are a VP of Household Affairs with four children, or a
CEO of a major corporation, your work IS your ministry which is
ordained by His will for your life. However, we need to make sure God
has called us to the work we are doing so that we can walk in His
anointing and blessing in that work.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work
of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands (Ps 90:17)
In the beginning we do not train for God, we train for work, for our
own aims; but as we go on with God we lose all our own aims and are
trained into God s purpose. Unless practical work is appointed by
God, it will prove a curse. -- Oswald Chambers
You may not believe that the work you are doing fits your personality
or skill set. This does not necessarily mean you are not where God
wants you. God sometimes places us in unattractive jobs in order to
develop character in us. It is the training from this work that leads
us to God s perfect call for us. Many times these difficult jobs
are mere stepping stones that will lead to other, more fulfilling
work. You may have many jobs before you end up where God plans to use
you most in your workplace calling.
PRINCIPLE #4: WHEN GOD GIVES A VISION, LET HIM FULFILL IT BY
RESPONDING TO HIS PROMPTING, INSTEAD OF HELPING HIM MAKE IT HAPPEN
God s ways often involve God giving us a vision, (Joseph s dream),
then there is often a long period between the fulfillment of that
vision. In between reality and the vision being fulfilled, there is a
deep valley of failure and humiliation (Joseph in prison and
slavery). The vision often dies. If the vision is from God, He will
raise it up (Joseph made ruler) if we don t try to help God fulfill
it. Ishmael was Abraham and Sarah s attempt to help God fulfill God s
vision for them. A great deal of Christian enterprise today is
Ishmael . We must learn the difference between allowing God to lead
us, instead of helping God fulfill our vision.
and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him
(Genesis 15:12).
Maintaining a vertical dimension with God allows us to understand how
God wants us to fulfill the vision He has given to us.
PRINCIPLE # 5: RECEIVE WHAT GOD GIVES YOU THROUGH OBEDIENCE, INSTEAD
OF SWEATING FOR OUTCOME
God called Adam and Eve to join Him in His work by working in and
managing the Garden. It was a form of worship to Him. Work and
worship come from the same Hebrew word, Avodah. God called the people
out of Egypt where they sweated and toiled for food to eat, to a land
of milk and honey so they could worship Him. He was their Jehovah
Jireh My Provider, regardless of whether there was fertile soil to
work.
So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did
not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive
groves that you did not plant' (Joshua 24:13). Whenever we begin
sweating our finances, we are making a statement about our belief in
God.
What is the inheritance God has for you? We are to enter our own
personal Promised Land and take the land God has provided for us
through obedience, not sweat and toil. Unless the LORD builds the
house, its builders labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the
city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and
stay up late, toiling for food to eat--for he grants sleep to those
he loves (Ps 127:1-2). Each of us must come to understand God s
provision for us is through our obedience, not our self-effort. This
includes our physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
To this John replied, A man can receive only what is given him from
heaven (John 3:27). John knew what his calling before God was. He
knew what he was to do and what he was not to do. Each of us must
walk in this understanding in order fulfill what God has planned for
us.
PRINCIPLE #6: EMBRACE TIMES OF ADVERSITY AS OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW IN
WISDOM, CHARACTER AND OBEDIENCE.
Adversity and trials are a byproduct of a life fully committed to
Christ. It is part of our calling as sons.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what
son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and
everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children
and not true sons (Heb 12:7-8).
The question we need to answer is whether our adversity is due to our
righteousness in Christ or unrighteousness due to sin. Or, it can
simply be a result of a fallen world.
God uses adversity to frame our lives for the message He wishes to
speak through us. The depth and width of our adversity and/or faith
experiences is proportional to the call upon our lives. If you
experience major difficulties for righteous reasons, He will use
those to impact more people.
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but
shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. C.S.
Lewis
God uses adversity to develop character, wisdom and obedience in our
lives. Jesus learned obedience from the things He suffered (Hebrews
5:8). Almost every leader God uses in a significant way is taken
through the fire of testing to refine their character and deepen
their call. Avoid becoming a victim to your circumstances. Instead,
see adversity as a place to experience the victory we have in Christ.
PRINCIPLE # 7: IDENTIFY AND RENOUNCE THE INFLUENCE OF ANY
GENERATIONAL STRONGHOLD THAT MAY HAVE CAUSED YOU TO DEVELOP A
COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR.
Satan wants to prevent every person from experiencing the love of God
in their lives. He has made us to have seven basic needs as described
in Genesis 1 and 2.
These needs are 1) Security, 2) Blessing and Provision, 3) Love and
Companionship, 4) Freedom and Boundaries, 5) Dignity, 6) Authority,
and 7) Purpose and Meaning.
Satan encourages us to meet needs outside God s design by bringing
about pressure situations in which people seek to meet their needs in
their own way. When this happens a spiritual stronghold is developed.
This encourages the person to meet their needs by serving the
stronghold, rather than responding to the grace of God. This
stronghold often develops throughout a family line and is passed down
from one generation to another.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish
arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:3-5).
I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for
the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations, of those who
love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5,6).
In order to fully experience the love of God we must renounce the
influence of spiritual strongholds that have kept us from allowing
God to meet our needs.
To learn more this topic order our workbook, Demolishing Strongholds,
$15
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PRINCIPLE #8: BE ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD AND OTHERS FOR YOUR DECISIONS
The road is lined with broken dreams and disappointments because
people have failed to follow God s guidelines for making decisions.
What protects you from the deceit of your own heart? Jeremiah
17:9says The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
Once we believe we have heard God speak through the Holy Spirit or
His Word about a given situation, seek confirmation. Our first wave
of defense against poor decisions is confirmation through our spouses
or others in whom we are accountable. God will protect you from poor
decisions if you truly want to find God s will for a decision.
However, we must learn to give up our rights to have our own way in
the process.
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed
(Prov 15:22).
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there
is no authority except that which God has established (Romans 13:1).
To learn more this topic order Os Hillman s book, Making Godly
Decisions, how to know and do the will of God. $7
http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/productcatalog/
PRINCIPLE # 9: SPEND TIME IN PRAYER WITH GOD AND INVITE OTHERS TO
PARTNER WITH YOU TO PRAY FOR YOU.
God desires to communicate with His children. Intercessory prayer is
the method He has provided for us to communicate with Him.
We must have a life that includes intercessory prayer for ourselves
and from others who will intercede for us. If we are truly in a
battle, then we must have those in the body who are front-line scouts
who can warn us against impending attacks and minefields.
Intercessors are those people. Intercession is not a spiritual gift,
but a calling for each believer. Some are called to greater degrees
of intercession and often appropriate the gift of prophecy at times.
Intercessory prayer is:
1. Intense prayer for others. (Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:12).
2. The priestly calling of all believers. (1Peter 2:5; Exodus 19:6).
3. The Holy Spirit praying in us. (Romans 8:26,27).
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends
greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may
stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured
(Colossians 4:12).
God is calling many men and women in the workplace to pull together
intercessory prayer teams to support them in their marketplace
calling. To learn more about this join our email subscriber list that
focuses on prayer in the workplace. It s free.
http://godatwork.injesus.com. You will learn what God is doing
through prayer in the workplace.
PRINCIPLE #10: SEEK GOD FOR STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR WORK LIFE
God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, including our
work lives. He wants to provide strategy for accomplishing the
purposes of your life. God gave David specific instructions about how
to win a battle.
Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of
Rephaim; so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go
straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front
of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the
tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the
LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." So
David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the
Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer (2 Sam 5:22-25).
God gave others strategy to accomplish His will in their lives. He
gave Jacob a dream which showed him how to fund his family
enterprise. He told Jeremiah to make a land purchase to demonstrate
God s faithfulness to the nation of Israel. God wants to guide you in
your work life and make you successful. However, it requires total
dependence and obedience to Him.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make
your paths straight (Prov 3:5-6).
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