We need to know how God sees success.
Success is being able to say as the Apostle Paul said:
7 I have fought an excellent fight. I have finished my full course and I’ve kept my heart full of faith.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 The Passion Translation (TPT)
The first thing that I want you to see here is that the apostle Paul says, “I finished my full course”, in other words, I did what I was supposed to do. A good question to ask yourself is, am I doing what I am supposed to do? I am busy with the right things? Success is not in doing good things but the right things – the things you are supposed to do; that which God has called you to do.
There was a king who commissioned an artist to paint a large portrait of him and his wife, the queen. The artist wouldn’t allow anyone to see the painting until it was complete. He spent hours upon hours at his easel for days and eventually the painting was complete. The artist was called into the throne room to reveal his work to the king and queen. Instead of awe and delight, the artist was met with shock and anger as the painting was of the king and queen’s shoes and was not a portrait of the royals as was expected. It was not what the king commissioned the artist to do.
“As for us, we have all of these great witnesses who encircle us like clouds. So we must let go of every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall into. Then we will be able to run life’s marathon race with passion and determination, for the path has been already marked out before us.”
Hebrews 12:1 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Each of us has a path that has already been marked out before us, a personal God-given destiny. Some people read or hear this and think that whatever God wants will happen – but that is not true. Destiny doesn’t mean it’s automatic; it’s not a fate that you cannot avoid. You do not fulfil your destiny by default or accident – you have to accept it and choose to run in that direction, with passion and determination.
God has a destiny (a personally appointed path) for each of us. Success is essentially knowing God, seeking His direction, accepting it, and determining to give ourselves to reach His goals for our lives.