The Steps To Success

Year 2011 is quickly fading now, and 2012 is almost just around the corner! It is time to leave behind the past, and have a sense of "starting a new beginning" in whatever endeavor you might be in. This might not necessarily mean stopping from accomplishing the great works you have already started, but rather have a fresh new sets of motivation and inspiration to continue on your pursuit.

On this very early morning, it was a blessing to ponder on God's Word.
Don't you know that the Bible has everything you need to prepare you for the upcoming new year?

Let me share you some tips and guidelines from the Bible that would surely help you have that sense of accomplishment, and of course, success in whatever you do!

Four Steps to Success

(1) "I'm not going to worry about that."
Ask yourself, can worry really help you accomplish things? Absolutely not! In fact, worrying is bad for your health!

Here's a proof!

Is worrying bad for your heart? A prospective study of worry and coronary heart disease in the Normative Aging Study.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:

Worry is an important component of anxiety, which recent work suggests is related to increased incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). Chronic worry has also been associated with decreased heart rate variability. We hypothesized that high levels of worry may increase CHD risk.

METHOD AND RESULTS:
We examined prospectively the relationship of worry with CHD incidence in the Normative Aging Study, an ongoing cohort of older men. In 1975, 1759 men free of diagnosed CHD completed a Worries Scale, indicating the extent to which they worried about each of five worry domains: social conditions, health, financial, self-definition, and aging. During 20 years of follow-up, 323 cases of incident CHD occurred: 113 cases of nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI); 86 cases of fatal CHD; and 124 cases of angina pectoris. Worry about social conditions was the domain most strongly associated with incident CHD. Compared with men reporting the lowest levels of social conditions worry, men reporting the highest levels had multivariate adjusted relative risks of 2.41 (95% CI, 1.40 to 4.13) for nonfatal MI and 1.48 (95% CI, 0.99 to 2.20) for total CHD (nonfatal MI and fatal CHD). A dose-response relation was found between level of worry and both nonfatal MI (P for trend, .002) and total CHD (P for trend, .04).

CONCLUSIONS:
These results suggest that high levels of worry in specific domains may increase the risk of CHD in older men.

Article Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9054737

And the Bible's remedy for that?

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:4-7

Notice one thing, the Bible does not just give the remedy, but the also the benefit - the peace that will guide your heart and your mind! The truth is, God knows you and your circumstances. He knows your needs, He understands your feelings, and your future is already on His hands. Why carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, when you can entrust these burdens to God?

(2) "I'm not going to try to figure that out."
This does not mean that you would just sit comfortably on your sofa, and sleep the whole day lazily because you know you have a God! This is a grave misunderstanding of the phrase "Don't worry, God knows what you need and He will help you." Remember, God hates the lazy!

I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:

A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
~Proverbs 24:30-34

 What this means is that before you start in whatever plans you have, consult it to God first. The truth is, God's ways are far better than ours!

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
~Isaiah 55:8-9

 (3) "I'm not going to try to make something happen."
Again, this does not mean being lazy! Quoting J. M Farro in the book "Life on Purpose for Men":

"But we'd be wise to remember that getting ahead of God and trying to make our own way can not only delay our blessings, but keep us from receiving God's best. The fact is that we are more likely to make mistakes when we fail to wait on God, than when we fail to move on His cue."

 Isaiah 30:18 says:

Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

(4) "I'm going to trust God." 
This is the most important step amongst the four. If we're trusting God, we would not worry about anything else. If we're trusting God, we would consult God first before you make your decisions. And if we're trusting God, we're going to wait for God's perfect time!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. 
~Proverbs 3:5-6

May you ponder on these things today, my friend.

 © 2011 Erickson Ibana