Today we continue our series entitled, “Pursuing Grace-Based Success!”
Here are our foundational scriptures:
(Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV)
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.
10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.
(1 Corinthians 1:30,31 NLT)
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
(2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV)
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
If you have been following this series, you should know by now that I believe the Bible teaches that our earthly prosperity and success are connected to our divine purpose. A while back, my Pastor, Tony Brazelton, taught a series entitled “Truth vs. a Lie.” In the series, Pastor Tony talked about how many of us have been lied to about certain things. The world has taught us many things that do not line up with the Word of God. Along those lines, I preached while he was in the middle of that series, and in my message, I said, “Here’s a lie the world told you, you believed it, and you probably told it to your kids: You can be anything YOU want to be!” I have said this to my children, but I now know I was wrong. I don’t believe that lines up with God’s Word. Let’s discuss it today. As I share several scriptures with you, I believe you will see what I mean for yourself. This series is about becoming a success. I believe you cannot become a success OUTSIDE of your divine PURPOSE!
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Solomon said, “People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps” (Prov 16:9), and “People might make many plans, but what the Lord says is what will happen” (Prov 19:21). Solomon was the wisest man (outside of Jesus) to ever live, and he clearly believed that our plans should line up with God’s plans for us. If not, we risk spending our lives doing things we choose to do instead of what God destined us to do. Wouldn’t it be a shame to think you became a success in this world because of all the accolades you accumulated, only to stand before God and discover that you spent your life doing something you were NOT supposed to do?
2. The Lord told Jeremiah, “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I chose you for a special work. I chose you to be a prophet to the nations.” (Jer 1:5). It doesn’t sound to me like God said, “Jeremiah, what do you want to be in life? You can be anything YOU want to be son.” No, God made it clear to Jeremiah what he was called to do, and Jeremiah’s success was connected to his divine purpose. God did not give Jeremiah a choice. Jeremiah’s success is tied to the plans God made for him before the world began.
3. Paul said, “God had special plans for me even before I was born. So he chose me through his grace.” (Gal 1:15). Paul went on to explain that God specifically chose him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. God did this before Paul was born. Paul could have sought success doing something else, but he would have never found true success outside of his calling. Actually, Paul was on track to become one of the Jewish religious elite. He was groomed to be the best of his day. He was one of the “chosen ones,” and he would have been part of the Sanhedrin. But when God revealed to him that he was on the WRONG PATH, Paul died to everything he knew, he cut off the connections he had to the life he built, and he accepted his divine assignment.
Paul went on to say this about all of us, “God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared, in advance, for us to do” (Eph 2:10). God already prepared something for you to do. Your job is to find out what it is and to DO IT by His grace. So no, you can’t be ANYTHING YOU WANT!
4. David said, “Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place.” (Psalm 139:15). David knew he was not a mistake. Guess what? Neither are you! God saw you and destined you before the world began. Every stage of your life, from fetus and grave, was planned out by God for you. Your job is to discover God’s plans, put His plans above your own (dying to your will), and then embrace the grace to walk them out.
5. Job said, “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.” (Job 14:5). God is a completely purposeful God. God has numbered the hairs on your head and the length of your days. He knows when you are going to die. You don’t. So make the most of the time you have! Pursue your purpose by God’s grace.
This past week has been pretty busy for me. But I know I am doing what God called me to do, embracing the grace to do it, and enjoying every step of the journey. If you live your life for God’s purpose, on purpose, with intentional focus, you will stand before God and hear, “WELL DONE!” That’s all I want. I just want to do what God sent me to this planet to do. I pray you develop the same heart.
6. Isaiah said, “Before I was born, the Lord chose me. While I was in my mother’s womb, he recorded my name.” (Isa 49:1). Isaiah was chosen to be a prophet. You are probably chosen to do something else. What you are called to do (which is different for all of us) is not as important as understanding the fact that you are called. You have a calling. Your calling is calling you! Embrace it. Submit to it. Own it. Die to self, surrender to God, and walk in His calling by His grace.
7. Thinking that YOU can be whatever YOU want to be is not consistent with scripture.
When you make Jesus the Lord of your life:
— Jesus is either Lord OF all, or He is not Lord AT all.
— You are no longer the captain of your own ship.
— You don’t get to selfishly do whatever you want to do.
— Your life is not your own. You were bought with a price.
*** But if you surrender to the life God wants you to have (the life He planned for you before the world began) you will experience an amazing life. This is the life God planned for you. It is a life full of grace and power. If you live this life, #TheGraceLife, you will enjoy a level of fulfillment and peace that you cannot have any other way because there is tremendous joy and peace in knowing that you are doing what you were born to do!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
By Your grace (Your unearned and unmerited favor), You made plans for me before the world began. You called me from my mother’s womb, and You called me by name. All the days of my life were written in Your book for my life before I ever lived one day.
You know my thoughts before I think them, my words before I speak them, and my actions before I take them. You know Your plans for my life.
You now incrementally reveal Your Kingdom’s plans and purposes to me. While You don’t reveal it all to me at once, You do reveal enough (you give me enough LIGHT) for me to maximize the season I am in.
So Father, by faith, I declare that I die to self, I surrender to Your will and way, I pursue Your plans and purposes for my life, and I maximize the season I am in with the VISION You have given me.
The more VISION You reveal, the more purpose I pursue. Not by my power but by Your grace. Not for my selfish desires but for Your glory.
As I live this way, I get to experience the life You birthed me to live. This is a rewarding, fulfilling, and productive life because it is the life You planned before the world began!
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
