Morning Devotional
June 11, 2005
"The Five Words of Success" (Part 3) 
    by Don Emmitte

If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin. But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT).

 

Do you remember the Five Words of Success from the previous two days’ devotional? If not, here they are again: Someone else has done it!

 

I don’t want to leave you the impression that this is an easy road to walk. However, I want to emphasize that it is possible to walk it! God is faithful! Those are the words of Paul that ought to bring us to a sense of the conquest that is within our reach. There is nothing that cannot be achieved in our lives with God’s help.

 

I know there are those who are thinking as they read these words that I simply don’t understand the challenges they face. Well, you are partially correct. No one can truly understand exactly what you are going through. We are all unique. However, there is a common experience in all of our challenges. The temptation to quit is common to all of us in the face of difficulty. That is a challenge I am old enough to have experienced. I want you to know that the day I gave those fears to the Lord was the day I began to overcome them. That’s the message of hope.

 

But there is one thing more. Knowing someone has succeeded is only half of the magic. The other half is strategy. Anyone who has succeeded at achieving a goal or dream followed a specific strategy to make it happen. It was not luck; it was doing the right things, in the right order.

It's just like a recipe. You have to put the ingredients together in a specific order, and in specific amounts, to get the desired result. Your dreams are no different. And our society is such that nearly every strategy for success is detailed in thousands of books, magazines, speakers, newsletters, Web sites, newspapers, movies, and hundreds of other methods. You are surrounded by the secrets to achieving your goal. Think of a goal that is important to you. Now ask yourself, 'Has someone already done it?' If so, don't reinvent the wheel! Find out exactly what they did and use their strategy to help you succeed in half the time and without the struggle or frustration. Martin Luther was often heard to say, “Pray as if it all depends on God, and work as if it all depends on you.” That’s the balance.

Today could be the first day you take a positive step towards a better future. It could also be the day that you take another step forward, already having begun the journey. Whatever your situation may be, once you begin, don’t quit until you have achieved your goal.