“Success is finding God’s will for your life”.

I got a congratulatory letter from Deloitte yesterday for our company’s achievement of winning the “FAST” award which is an award for being one of the fastest growing technology companies in Georgia. There Horizon was, right there among some of the largest and most prestigious and successful technology companies in the “world”, not just Georgia. Lately I have received some other “glowing” accolades from some other sources that I will not bore you with, but if I did not know better I might become convinced by some of this stuff that I am…well…successful.

What is success? Hmmmm…Every person has a different interpretation of success. Is it financial independence? If that is true, how can anyone explain that every Powerball winner to date has experienced personal devastation in their life since drawing the winning ticket? What about excelling at one’s chosen profession? Explain an athlete like Terrell Owens who is possibly the best receiver alive today, (who incidentally is also very wealthy). T.O. as he is called, somehow just did not exemplify the word success Saturday when his team the Philadelphia Eagles banned him from rejoining them again because of his self-centered outrageous behavior toward the team and certain of his teammates, even though it might very well prevent them from reaching the Super Bowl again this year.

For years I have believed that a successful person is a happy person.
Success cannot be measured in dollars, material possessions, winning awards, power, or fame. I take the position that unless one is truly happy, then they are not successful. How can we be happy? My happiest days are when I am the closest to the Lord. Unfortunately for them, non-Christians cannot relate to the feeling that comes when the Lord God almighty, Creator of all is very close within one’s heart and soul. I absolutely love that feeling and wish I could experience it 24/7. As the Bible tells us, God’s presence brings us peace that is beyond understanding. His mere presence will calm my heart and fill me with His peace. I have been asked by non-Christians since God does not appear to me or talk to me in human audible terms how I can tell that God is present. To me it is just like the ocean’s rip-tide, I might not see it, but I can definitely “feel the pull”. It is no problem to know with absolute certainty when God draws very close to me.

When do these events occur? When I am living within His will for my life! He created me to fulfill His purpose, not mine. Whatever talents I possess were given to me by God in order that I might fulfill His purpose for my life. When I am on track I know it because I am happy and filled with peace. When I am off track, I know it because I am unhappy and can find no peace. Getting on track can be a struggle since we daily do battle with an adversary, satan, who has supernatural power. The answer again is God who can easily defeat satan. God can strengthen us and prepare us fully to move on towards our purpose…His purpose…All we have to do is focus on Him and ask for His help. Achieving success apart from God is impossible. Within God’s will for your life nothing is easier…



1 Peter 5:10

But may the God of all grace
who called us to His eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered
a while, perfect, establish,
strengthen, and settle you.