What is True Success?
It's different from what you may think
Recently when I was watching a Youtube video, there were some recommendations of other videos for me to watch, and some of them were of famous people dispensing words of wisdom on how to be successful in life (these videos have millions of views each).
I was sucked into watching a couple of these videos, and there were some nice advice for sure. I also know that there are tons of books, articles, podcasts, etc. that talk about the same subject—how to achieve success. Helping people to become successful is probably a billion dollar industry in itself. You can reach a great level of success yourself by teaching other people to become successful!
In reality, all of these resources on helping you to become successful—telling you how to reach your goals and attain wealth, health, fame, and happiness, how to reach your full potential and become the best version of you—are not telling you the one key to true success. All these voices are missing the point on what it means to be truly successful in life.
The key to true success in life is not a secret. The key to true success has been proclaimed for thousands of years. The key to true success is found in the Bible. Let us read this passage:
Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:17-20
You may think this is a weird passage to be discussing in our topic on being successful, but if you dig deeper, the truth is hidden in plain sight. In the text seventy disciples of Jesus had just returned from healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. They were very successful in their mission as they found out that they had authority over evil spirits (serpents and scorpions) and were able to set people free from demonic oppression and bondage.
Here are several areas of success that those Youtube videos never talk about. You attain a level of success if you recognize that there is a spiritual realm (more than just the natural) and that there are angels and demons, God and Satan. Many people throughout their lives never realize there is a spiritual realm at all. They are blind to the spiritual realm and dull in their spirits. They only believe in what they can see with their physical eyes. That is a tragedy.
You will never reach your potential as a human being if you are not aware of the spiritual realm.
And a higher level of success is, not just being able to “see” or “hear” or “sense” what is happening spiritually, but being able to operate in the spiritual realm. It is being able to flow in the spirit, to access things in the spirit. You were created and designed by God to interact with the spiritual realm. That is your basic function as a human.
(An important note: some people refuses the light and chooses to gain spiritual power by serving darkness. Practicing witchcraft is the the opposite of success. These people will face God’s ultimate judgment if they don’t repent)
Success in life is having authority over evil spirits and commanding them to leave the people they are tormenting.
Then, Jesus mention a higher level of success—having authority “over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” If you reach this level of success, the devil is absolutely scared of you, as you are wielding enormous amount of power from God to destroy strongholds of darkness. You are also under divine protection. The enemy cannot touch you. He is powerless against you. “Nothing shall by any means hurt you” sounds pretty awesome to me!
Now, these areas of tremendous success are available to every single believer of Jesus Christ! So how come most believers are not walking in it? The answer is simple. Most churches don’t teach it, and if you don’t know it you can’t receive it.
If you are ignorant, you don’t activate what you already have. If you are unaware, you don’t use what you already possess. We don’t walk in authority because we don’t even know that we have it.
Even worse, most believers are not interested in the spiritual realm. We are not interested in increasing our spiritual authority. We are not passionate about healing the sick, casting out demons, or raising the dead. We are not focused on setting captives free from bondage. The desires of God’s heart is not on our radar screen. We don’t care about what God cares about. We only care about our own individual success in life.
Personally, I confess that I am not walking in the fullness of authority myself, what I should have according to the Word of God. A good thing is that I recognize my shortcomings and struggles, and I am pursuing this goal of walking in the power and authority that Christ has provided for me. God, I believe!
So, according to the Bible, one measure of success in life is attaining great spiritual authority.
But, Jesus mentions something more important than possessing great spiritual authority. It is having your name written in heaven.
Having your name written in heaven, as a believer of Jesus Christ, is the only measure of true success in life. Nothing else matters.
To be continued in Part 2…
