I once had an article written in Business Week about my success that said that through a stroke of “dumb luck” I was able to prosper. Yesterday I was interviewed for my upcoming seminar by various members of the Tallahassee press and upon hearing my story one of them asked me a similar question. He mentioned that it seems there are plenty of people who have strong faith and work hard, but they end up struggling. He wondered if I thought that “luck” might have been one of the prevailing factors in my own success.
G-r-r-r-r-r….
My measured response was that I don’t believe in luck. I make my own luck and essentially the harder and smarter I work to achieve those things that I believe that God wants me to accomplish; the “luckier” I become. I’ve had hundreds of interviews and most reporters want to attribute my success to luck, Karma, my intelligence, or that I’m articulate, or charismatic, or essentially anything other than a faith based approach to life.
I started out full of bitterness and hate for God, mankind, and myself. A panel of military psychiatrists determined that I was violent, devoid of love, absent a conscience, and had the makings of a serial killer. They said my condition was incurable and no medication would treat it. I became a severe alcoholic, drug addict, criminal, homeless, penniless, suicidal loner. Today I’m just the opposite. I’ve been married over 40 years to the same woman, have raised three highly successful happy sons, had a great career, I don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs, and I’m no longer violent to the extreme. I know peace, joy, and love.
I have the same intellect, charisma, or whatever as when I was a degenerate. The only difference is that I now have God in my life. My condition was curable, but it took the Great Physician and not an earthly physician to cure me.
In 1992 after a bizarre set of circumstances left me with next to nothing in current assets, I founded Horizon Software International. In 2008 I sold that company for $75 million dollars cash and I had no debt. On the surface it might sound lucky, but I spent 16 difficult years building that company into the recognized leader for instituionalized food service technology. “Luck” had nothing to do with it. Luck is hitting the lottery, or cashing in on the “Lucky Sperm Club” and inheriting a fortune. I didn’t do any of that.
I realize not everyone has the time or can afford to attend my Success Seminar including some of you who are in the position that reporter mentioned. You have strong faith and you work hard, and yet you are struggling in your attempt at finding your way to the top. I want to help you.
Personally I believe if I could do it anyone can. I don’t believe that God wants everyone to achieve what I’ve achieved, because He created different people to accomplish different tasks in His creation. The body of Christ, (Jesus Christ’s church of believers) is comprised of many differnt people that are performing a myriad of tasks for His kingdom. The prize that we should be seeking is God’s peace, joy, and love. God wants everyone to succeed with that and He’s willing to forgive us our shortcomings. He doesn’t want anyone to fail. You can make your own “luck” in finding your own success by adopting, (in order of importance) the following:
- Unswerving faith in God
- Daily Bible study
- Earnestly seeking God’s purpose for your life
- Perseverance and tenacious resolve to succeed especially when faced with tremendous adversity or lack of support from family, friends, and financial institutions
- Working smart and applying biblical principles to every aspect of your personal and business life
- Written goals, written project plans, written timelines, and written daily schedule
- Self discipline and strong work ethic
- Sacrifice
God has promised that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Those who are willing to do their fair share will succeed. God did not list any exclusion to this promise. The Bible teaches that with God, NOTHING is impossible. You can achieve great things in your life regardless of where you currently are in life. Remember where I started and it should give you hope. There is nothing special about me, but there is plenty special about our God who wants to bless us.
With that said I think you should really put some thought into God’s blessings and what that means. Billy Graham wrote the following and I think it clearly puts this issue into perspective for us:
“God certainly does want to bless us — but the blessings He promises us aren’t material, but spiritual. Nowhere in the Bible does He promise to make us wealthy if we’ll just have enough faith. Remember: Jesus Himself was poor, and so were His first disciples.
What are the blessings He promises us? The first is the blessing of forgiveness. Because of our sins we are separated from God and deserve only His judgment. We also live under a burden of guilt, because down inside we know we haven’t lived the way we should. But when we come to Christ and trust Him as our Savior and Lord, God blesses us by taking away our sins and our guilt. The Bible says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
But God also promises us the blessing of new life — new life right now, and eternal life in heaven. When we come to Christ, God Himself comes to live within us by His Holy Spirit, and He promises to begin changing us from within as we submit our lives to Him. Even when hard times come, we know He is with us and wants to help us. That is good news!
Have you asked Christ to come into your life? If not, do so today. Then thank Him that He is with you every day, and that no matter what problems come your way, you can turn to Him for the wisdom and strength you’ll need to meet them.”
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
1 Samuel 2:9
He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails”…