Everyone has a built-in desire to live a successful life. But this can mean different things to different people… 

For some, it’s money and stuff. To others, it might be fame and recognition, etc. Success for a believer is a life full of wholesome, life-giving relationships with family and friends. These relationships are mutually beneficial as we advance the Kingdom of God together. This is real success. We were created for relationship!

People were not made for money. Money was made as a tool for our time here on the earth. Therefore, a materialistic, temporal view of success will be extremely disappointing. At a much deeper lever, what we all desire is emotional stability. If we don’t have peace, we will give anything and everything we do have to acquire it. Fame, fortune and all the “friends”real peace and emotional stability is impossible without an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.

The Christian life is all about living easy and free from the inside out. Grace and peace are meant to dominate our hearts as we enjoy our relationship with our Abba-Father. The greatest benefit of our eternal inheritance is relating intimately to our beloved Father.

Though others would tell me that Christian living ought to be like this, my life of faith was strained. In fact, the longer I lived as a believer, the more strained my life became! It took me a long time to grasp that the life of Christ is something that flows out of my heart. It’s not some holy standard for us to conform to that’s against our true nature. Freedom happens as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth—day by day, for the rest of our lives.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:14

Being led by the Spirit is not some mystical, spooky thing. This verse is simply telling us to follow what is true in the spirit. When we begin to believe what’s true about us in the spirit, we experience our son-ship in Him. What is true in the spirit is that we were made righteous, holy, healthy and prosperous (successful) in Jesus Christ!

Once I understood this, God was able to affect great change in my life and ministry. And it was effortless for me.
Change that is not effortless is not real change.

The moment you begin to try to change yourself, it just becomes behavior modification, and it won’t last because your heart stays the same.
A successful Christian life becomes really easy when you allow the truth to sink into your heart and soul. You begin to change on the inside. Then that truth manifests effortless change on the outside. When you truly know that you are righteous, holy, prosperous and totally whole in Christ Jesus, a successful life comes naturally—just like it’s supposed to!

-Blessings on you this month, Arthur

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