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© Copyright 2012 – Mornay Johnson Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Emphasis within Scripture quotations is author’s own. Please note that Destiny Image’s publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from some publishers’ styles. Take note that the name satan and related names are not capitalized. We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of violating grammatical rules. DESTINY IMAGE® PUBLISHERS, INC. P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 “Promoting Inspired Lives.” This book and all other Destiny Image, Revival Press, MercyPlace, Fresh Bread, Destiny Image Fiction, and Treasure House books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors worldwide. For a U.S. bookstore nearest you, call 1-800-722-6774. For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040. Reach us on the Internet: www.destinyimage.com. ISBN 13 TP: 978-0-7684-4126-0 Ebook: 978-0-7684-8835-7 For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 / 13 12
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Dedication To my wife Angela, whose immovable faith and perseverance have proven to be beacons of stability amidst life’s storms. Thank you for your unending love, encouragement, and support. And to all those who are looking to achieve the high calling of God for their life, take this book and set sail for your destination of Godly Success.
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Acknowledgments We are the product of those around us. The following people have aided in the production of this book or helped me become a better person or both. My mother, Veronica—your prayers have sustained me over the years. Eric and Doreen Smith—thank you for showing me what Christ’s love looks like in practical form. Wouter and Yvonne Kempen—your sacrificial lives for the Kingdom will be echoed throughout eternity. Pastor Greg Brown—thank you for your support of our ministry, your wise counsel, and your friendship. John Mark Pool—you were the catalyst in the production of this book.
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Pastor Elisabeth Syrè—your prophetic word ignited the motivation for this book. Lisa Thompson—thank you for your speed and precision in the editing of this work. Dr. Greg Brown, Dr. Ché Ahn, Dr. Mark Chironna, James W. Goll, Elisabeth Syrè, John Mark Pool—thank you for providing valuable endorsements for this book. As respected leaders, your words of accreditation bring an authenticity to this work that would otherwise have been lacking. To all the staff at Destiny Image who were involved in the publication of this book—thank you for providing me a forum of communication that allows me to minister the timeless truths of God’s Word. Lisa Ott—whose prompt organizational skills pulled together multiple resources.
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Endorsements Every Christian wants to know the seven steps, the five keys, and the ten secrets to success—financial success. In Mornay Johnson’s newest book, Godly Success, he beautifully defines and illustrates God’s blueprint for success and prosperity according to the principles of His Word. Mornay provides practical, everyday life testimonies we can all relate to, at some level, which demonstrate how God’s success is an integral part of our everyday lives. Dr. Ché Ahn Senior Pastor, HROCK Church, Pasadena, CA President, Harvest International Ministry International Chancellor, Wagner Leadership Institute
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I am thankful for Mornay Johnson writing Godly Success. This is a great book all Christians need to read to develop a biblical worldview for the season in which we are living. Each chapter is filled with wisdom on topics we deal with in our daily lives. The sound and practical approach to each topic is easy to read and understand. This book can also be used as a daily devotion or even at Bible study groups. You will want to share this with your friends once you read it! Dr. Greg Brown Senior Pastor, Skyway Church President, Ascend Apostolic Network
Godly Success by my dear ministry friend, Mornay Johnson, both prophetic messenger and successful businessman, gives us the purest form of God’s success plan—not just to a select few— but for everyone who will read and apply this basic biblical guide to obtaining genuine success! Believe me, you will never again look at living in godly success as a prosperous “dream” that is not for you, but for the few who seem to always grab God’s arm of favor! No, quite the contrary; Mornay Johnson sets the record straight in Godly Success, substantiating that real success is based and pursued as God’s obtainable destiny for you—and yes, that can include immeasurable prosperity and a treasure trove of blessings that others will want as you grow before them into your true godly success! I highly recommend this book to help every person looking to seize God’s best for their lives and touch the world in doing so! Godly Success is now in my “ready reference” shelf to help in many of my teachings as I know the results seen in Mornay and Angela’s lives will work for those the Lord sends us in our travels. You too must have this book for your library—and be sure to get one for your friends! It is one investment that you can rest assured
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brings yourself, and many others, the true necessary message on godly success! Get it and live it today! Always a Voice for God, John Mark and Sandy Pool Authors, Prophetic Messengers Founders of Word to the World Ministries www.w2wmin.org
This book is such an eye-opener for all who read it. Many years ago I got a word for Mornay in South Africa: “You will be a business minister. Your home will be in America. The business world needs you more than a congregation would need you.” At that stage Mornay was already a good public speaker. And sure enough, today Mornay is used mightily in business events and seminars. His home is in the U.S.A. and he encourages and strengthens people with a heart for business and a heart for God. Mornay experienced the pitfalls of structural patterns in communities that would neither enhance nor encourage the talents of individuals to become a success through their talents. Mornay is called to bring the reality of success as an endorsement of God to men and women in the marketplace. People need his input all over the world at the place where they are at. I heartily endorse this book to anyone who is looking for the keys God provides for true success. Mornay takes us away from the religious cliché thinkingpattern of serving God in a box. I believe that our Creator is so much greater. He has given each one of us gifts to enhance life and to bring glory to Him in the corporate world and in our own individual ways.
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Many years ago my spiritual mom, Corrie ten Boom, told me: “Follow God’s instructions, never to be sidetracked about what people think about it. Obedience is better than sacrifice.” Thank you for hearing His voice, for following His instructions for your life, Mornay. You are an inspiration and a gift for the “now” generation. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to endorse your book after so many years of friendship and prayer. You are a blessing. Elisabeth Syré www.elisabethsyreministries.net
With every move of God there comes progressive truths and new voices. It is my honor to commend to you a book with userfriendly revelatory content and a person of outstanding character. Mornay Johnson has done us a great favor by penning his thoughts as a marketplace prophet in this generation. He lives his message and his message is his life. Take and eat! A great meal is set right in front of you! James W. Goll Encounters Network • Prayer Storm • Compassion Acts National Best-Selling Author
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Contents Foreword by Dr. Mark Chironna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 CHAPTER 1 Essential Business A Matter of the Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 CHAPTER 2 Kings and Priests “A Divine Partnership— for the Good of the Kingdom” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 CHAPTER 3 Destination Coordinates Hitting the Mark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 CHAPTER 4 Daily Alignment One Bite at a Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
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CHAPTER 5 Maintaining Focus What You Behold, You Become . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 CHAPTER 6 Christian Character A Container for the Anointing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 CHAPTER 7 Money Matters It Really Does! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165 CHAPTER 8 Godly Success Access to GOFIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
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Foreword We live in a day of unprecedented change, challenge, chaos, and uncertainty. Yet for those with a discerning eye for what wants to emerge, we live in a day of unparalleled opportunity. Ultimately, each of us has developed a definition of what we perceive success to be. Over the many years of being in the people-helping business, I have listened, counseled, coached, and prayed with thousands of individuals from every strata of society and practically every part of the globe. Invariably, whenever the topic of success has arisen, there are as many different definitions of success as there are people on the planet. All of us perceive success differently, and our perception is tied to the environment that helped shape us, the beliefs that helped form us, the individuals that helped mold us, and the choices that helped bring us to where we are in our current reality. -15-
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GO DLY S U CCESS Finding common ground in terms of individual perceptions of success is not as easy a task as you might think. Place 50 people in a room and ask them to give you a 12-word definition of success, and there will be 600 different words in combinations of sentences that may have certain similarities, yet will also have a broad range of differences. How come? We all perceive reality through the lens and filter of our own deeply held mental models of how the world “really works.” In addition, those deeply held mental models operate at a deeply unconscious level, and because of that, they govern us even in ways we fail to realize or become conscious of because we tend to live life on automatic pilot and experience many things by default. In essence, we will tend to consistently experience what we believe to be true (even if what we believe isn’t true at all!). The only way to change your experiences, therefore, is to change your beliefs and your belief systems. For the mature son or daughter of God, there is a deep knowing that the only way to experience real metamorphosis is by way of the mind being renewed. When the mind is renewed, God’s sons and daughters have the ability to prove those things that are consummately good, acceptable, and complete (mature, perfect, having come to full intention). When you are about proving that in your life, you are operating at what God deems to be success. Although you can have your own definition and idea of success and I can have mine, we have a “Manufacturer’s Warranty Statement” (it’s called the Holy Scriptures), and it reveals both the reason you have been created and given an opportunity to live on this planet and the One who manufactured (created) you with His highest and best intentions in mind. Operate according to His intentions and you will discover that, rather than you searching for success, it will actually search for you. A brilliant playwright from a few generations back, who loved God and struggled for years with a nagging sense of failure -16-
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Foreword by Dr. Mark Chironna
because he never seemed to have any of the big New York producers on Broadway consider taking one of his plays and turning them into major productions, brought his petition regarding this to the Lord, only to hear the Lord say to him these words: “Don’t write so that you can get to Broadway; write so that Broadway can get to you!” In essence, God was letting one of His children know that when we are driven by an unmet need to be recognized for what we do, success evades our grasp. It isn’t that success is inherently wrong; it is that our reasons for success can often go unnoticed because of those deep mental models and belief systems that have not been renewed by the work of the Spirit through the Word of God. They can become the very cause of the blind spot that prevents us from seeing what genuine success really is, not from our point of view, or someone else’s point of view, or anybody’s point of view (because as we have already said, we all have our own definition of success). Rather, we will discover what success is from God’s point of view. Once the point from which you are viewing things is adjusted and you shift to God’s much more inspiring viewing point, success takes on a whole new meaning. Are you ready for godly success? Are you ready for the kind of transformation on the inside that leads to major shifts and changes on the outside, beyond your wildest dreams? If so, Mornay Johnson has provided you a blueprint from which to rechart your course and reshape your path. His newest release, Godly Success, is a “boots-on-the-ground” training manual that will help you win the battle for success as you fight the good fight of faith according to the truth as revealed in the Scripture. Take the time to work through every nugget he shares, and don’t merely give mental assent to what he is sharing; apply the principles in your life and work them! If you will work with the principles he teaches you, the principles will work both with you and for you! There truly is a realm of success known only to those who walk with the God who wills a kind of success that exceeds -17-
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GO DLY S U CCESS limited human definitions. Get down to the essentials of what really matters, and set your sails to catch the winds of the high calling of God in, on, and for your life. Take this navigation manual that you hold in your hands, and head for that port of call known as godly success. Thanks, Mornay, for inviting us to launch out on God’s sea of adventure and possibility, and reach for the prize of that high calling! Dr. Mark J. Chironna The Master’s Touch International Church Mark Chironna Ministries Orlando, Florida
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CHAPTER 1 Essential Business A Matter of the Heart
For a businessperson, the objective is simple—win! The word win holds different connotations for people, but essentially it encompasses the aspect of achieving. Whether it’s climbing to the top of the corporate ladder, listing your company on the NASDAQ, monopolizing a particular market segment, or simply exceeding your sales projections, your desire is to achieve what you initially set out to accomplish. Having this type of determination, drive, and vision to reach your goals is admirable. However, if you only ever strive for fleeting material possessions and short-lived earthly accomplishments, your life will be shallow and meaningless, to say the least. These temporal material goods and endeavors hold little value in the grand scheme of things. Make no mistake; you need belongings (houses, cars, clothing, and so forth) in order to survive. Nevertheless, if -19-
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GO DLY S U CCESS your possessions become your sole source of fulfillment, you are sorely lacking. What good is your Mercedes-Benz parked in the garage—while your kids run wild? What is the benefit of your company exceeding financial projections for the second or third year—at the expense of your marriage? What value is there in winning the award for salesperson of the year for the umpteenth time—while your health suffers? What have you really gained?
There is more to life than mere financial gain. There is more to life than mere financial gain. According to Scripture, it is God’s intent for you to experience prosperity in every aspect of your life. I know that some of you reading this may find that hard to believe. Many folks opine that the Bible is a set of rules designed to keep people from enjoying life. They view it as a book intended to stifle all forms of pleasure and think that those who live by it will be deprived of any excitement in life. Furthermore, they insist that its adherents are in grave jeopardy of becoming boring and bland. On the contrary, the Bible is God’s blueprint for humanity and provides the only legitimate, comprehensive “instruction set” for life. Upon closer examination, the Bible offers dozens of benefits. Just a few include gaining insight into God’s intended plans and purposes for your life, obtaining necessary wisdom to charter the course of life, and finding out how to live in harmony with your neighbor.
To the degree that you prosper internally, you will prosper externally. One of the many certain promises given in Scripture is God’s intent that you will “prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2). Notice the correlation, though, -20-
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Essential Business A Matter of the Heart
between external prosperity (“all things”) and the prosperity or well-being of the soul (“just as your soul prospers”). In fact, what this Scripture really says is that external prosperity originates from within. In other words, the degree to which you prosper internally is the degree to which you will prosper externally. This may be a new concept for some since it radically opposes the current mind-set. A modern, secular viewpoint advocates that, in order to feel good on the inside, you have to concentrate your efforts on the external. The more accomplishments you can rack up, the more wealth you can amass, the more popular you become, the higher you climb up the corporate ladder, the more fulfilled you will feel on the inside. You can see a glimpse of this throughout media and society in general. Magazine racks are laden with gossip periodicals, which provide the reader with the latest celebrity scoop. Numerous television programs provide insight into the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Whether in print or over the airwaves, the storyline is the same: Celeb so-and-so has broken up with rock star such-and-such, and is now dating sports personality what’shis-name. Mr. Super Rich has just erected splendor building number who-cares and paid a record price for possession number meaningless. From relationship to relationship and thing to thing, people make every attempt to fill the void inside. After all, hasn’t society taught us that external behavior will determine internal happiness? Wrong! The Creator’s handbook, known as the Bible, dictates otherwise.
The Manufacturer’s Handbook Before we start, let’s take a brief moment to discuss the somewhat controversial topic of the Bible.
The Bible is God’s blueprint for humanity. -21-
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GO DLY S U CCESS I want to emphasize that the Bible is God’s blueprint for humanity, and it provides the only legitimate, comprehensive set of instructions for this life. I have always been amazed at how some people think they know all the answers and how to best manage life. They think that their clever logic, rationalization skills, higher education, and intellect are all they need. Yet, for all of their supposed knowledge, what do we usually see when we look at society? All of our humanistic efforts have not accomplished much. All we have to do is check the latest news on any given day or glance at the morning paper to tell us that. Yet, amidst all of this disharmony, chaos, and turmoil, many continue to reject the one Book whose guidelines concerning life will provide them with the answers they so desperately need. To illustrate my point, let me share this example. What would happen if you were to buy a brand-new stereo system and immediately place it in water, plug it into a voltage supply that’s out of range with the manufacture’s specifications, or simply bash it with a hammer? Could you return it to the store and complain that the product was bad? Of course not, that would be absolutely absurd. When you purchased the stereo, it came with an instruction book. It is the owner’s responsibility to read and follow it—thereby ensuring the item’s peak performance and longevity. In like manner, the human race was provided with a “manufacture’s handbook” called the Bible. By following its instructions and heeding its cautions, we’ll live the optimum lives God intended for us. Instead, many of us flagrantly violate God’s laws and then have the audacity to complain to the manufacturer (God) when things are not going so well for us. We’re simply suffering the consequences of our own actions—a warning that’s mentioned in the handbook, by the way (see Deut. 28:15; Ps. 146:9b). All of life’s principles of success are derived from the pages of the Bible and woven throughout this time-tested Book. I offer no apologies for my support of God’s Word because I’ve -22-
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learned that any success outside the parameters of the Bible amounts to naught when weighed against eternity. God intends and desires for us to experience prosperity in every aspect of our lives. Furthermore, there’s a distinct correlation between external prosperity and internal well-being. Over the next few pages we will see how we can achieve this in practical terms. After all, we’ve already stated that we want to win as businesspeople, including achieving our goals.
The Internal Person First of all, we need to lay a foundation for what the Bible means when it talks about internal prosperity or wellness. To do this, we need a basic understanding of the human makeup. From Scripture we discover that each person is comprised of a spirit, a soul, and a body (see 1 Thess. 5:23). The spirit is that part which knows God. The soul, in turn, consists of the mind, the will, and the emotions. The mind, as we know, is the place where our thought processes originate. Our emotions allow us to feel and respond to these thoughts, our external environment, and other people. The will gives us the ability to choose—based on our thoughts and emotions. Our bodies or flesh are the physical part of us that envelops or surrounds our souls and spirits. In Genesis 3:19, we learn that when our physical bodies cease to function, they will die and return to the dust from whence they were formed. The apostle Peter likens our bodies to a tent, which houses our spiritual beings (see 2 Pet. 1:14). Although separate, we cannot treat the spirit, soul, and body as stand-alone entities, since what affects one influences the others. For example, when our bodies experience discomfort or disease, our emotions are affected. And the reverse is true as well. When we become angry or bitter and hold those poisonous emotions within, our bodies are affected and manifest these symptoms. When we lack spiritually, we attempt to satisfy our bodies and fill our souls with whatever -23-
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GO DLY S U CCESS illegitimate physical or emotional substance or addiction we can to satisfy that void. When our spiritual needs are met, everything else in life takes on true meaning. In other words, when the spirit of a person is satisfied, the soul and body will be fulfilled. This is what the Bible means when it states that we are to prosper internally.
People were born with God-shaped vacuums on the inside. People were born with God-shaped vacuums on the inside, “holes” brought about by the sin and depravity of a fallen world (see Rom. 5:12). Much of life is spent trying to fill this void. However, this emptiness or cavity can only be filled by God Himself. No person, achievement, or possession can accomplish that task. You may think that all sounds well and good, but may wonder how to fill this alleged “hole” with God. It’s a bit more complicated than placing the missing “God-piece” into the puzzle of your heart. You have to ensure that God is “plugged into” your life. The Bible calls this “plugging in” being born again or inviting Jesus into your heart. You may recall the well-known biblical account of a man named Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night. The following clearly depicts the concept of the new-birth experience: There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” -24-
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Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:1-6). In this passage, Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God or to have eternal life. Thinking with his natural understanding, Nicodemus immediately considered the impossibility of a grown man reentering his mother’s womb. What Nicodemus failed to understand was that Jesus was not referring to his physical body, but rather his spirit being. In essence, Jesus told Nicodemus that his spirit was dead and, as such, needed to be resurrected—a term He coined born again. The Bible is clear that all of us have sinned (see Rom. 3:23) and that the consequences of that sin is spiritual death (see Rom. 6:23). This puts all of us in the same spiritual condition as Nicodemus. Although our bodies are alive, our spirits are most certainly dead—that is, until they’re made alive again through a personal relationship with Jesus.
Being born again is the prerequisite for internal prosperity. Being born again is the prerequisite for internal prosperity and is a spiritual experience. But exactly how is it accomplished? Remember, our goal is to accomplish or achieve. God provides us with this answer in the same place where we discover the composition of people and their spiritual condition prior to rebirth— namely, the Bible. -25-
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GO DLY S U CCESS The Bible teaches that God has always existed (see Rev. 22:13) and that He will continue to exist forever (see Rev. 1:8). This may seem difficult to fathom. Many have used the fact that not all Scripture can be grasped mentally as the basis for their arguments concerning the trustworthiness of the Bible. Ironically, it is this exact same argument that can be used as the basis for its validation—the God of the Bible surpasses the intellect of His creation. The fact that God is more complicated and complex than people’s finite reasoning only serves to show that He’s the only One capable of all intelligent design.
Two Trees So again, this all-intelligent, omnipresent Being who has always existed fashioned people and placed them on Earth. (Notice, I said that God created people; we didn’t evolve from apes or blobs.) The Bible tells us that amidst the lush environment of the Garden of Eden, teeming with beautiful vegetation and wildlife, were two distinct trees—the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Gen. 2:9). The Lord gave Adam and Eve the following directive: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:16b-17). This seems like it should have been a simple instruction to follow. After all, they were allowed to eat freely from every tree in the Garden except one. It’s not as if they didn’t have sufficient food from the fruit of all the other trees or as if God were some sort of cosmic kill-joy who tried to spoil their fun. He placed the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in the Garden for a reason; He needed a mechanism for humanity’s will and choice to be exercised. Choice is that -26-
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intangible part of us that separates us from the animal kingdom and makes humankind unique. God did not create a race of robots who would mechanically and routinely obey Him. No, He created people for voluntary fellowship with Him (see 1 Cor. 1:9). Imagine what it would be like if our central processor told us it was fellowship time and our hard-drive dictated how long we spent with Him. Adam and Eve, like the rest of us, were created for spontaneous, pleasurable, freewill-based communion with their Creator. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve chose to exercise their will (like all humanity) for evil—partaking of the forbidden tree (see Rom. 3:23). Sin entered the world (see Rom. 5:12), and forever after, the human race became stained with a natural propensity toward wrongdoing (see Isa. 53:6) and has suffered with the problem and consequences of sin until today (see Rom. 7:5). In his book, Maximized Manhood, Dr. Ed Cole makes a great comparison between humanity today and cannibals. He says, in effect, that to think that because we are technologically more advanced today than in the time of Adam and Eve, and are thereby better people, would be about as absurd as thinking that because you gave a cannibal a knife and fork, he’d be a better person.1 Thankfully, this all-powerful, all-intelligent God foreknew that we would be powerless in our own ability to shun evil and made provision for the “sin factor” of humanity. He enabled us to return to the same “pre-sin” state of Adam and Eve prior to their fall. Provision came in the form of God Himself, who came to the Earth as one of His own creation. When He entered our time/space continuum as a human being, He experienced what we experience. He knew what it was like to be hot, cold, ridiculed, rejected, and, ultimately, to die. This “fully God, fully man,” whom we have come to know as Jesus, willingly laid His life down for us, allowing the people He’d created to nail Him to a tree. Thankfully, the grave could not keep its hold over Him and was forced to surrender its grip. He rose on the third day and -27-
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GO DLY S U CCESS returned to His throne in Heaven. When we wholly embrace this truth and ask this same Jesus to come and dwell in our hearts, we become born again at that moment. Jesus fills that God-shaped void within each of us. Only then will we experience internal wellness or prosperity. Interestingly, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life represent the same two “trees” or choices that confront us today. The former symbolizes religion, while the latter depicts relationship. Knowledge of good and evil (religion) is the human attempt to gain right standing with God by human methods. It’s humanity’s way of bypassing God’s provision (the death and subsequent resurrection of His Son) in a futile attempt to save themselves, work their way into Heaven, or hope that their good actions outweigh their bad so that God will accept them. It’s no wonder that God forbade Adam and Eve to eat the fruit, warning that it would kill them (see Gen. 2:17). Religion sucks the life out of you in its feeble attempt to make you think you gain right standing with God. It not only drives you to meet an expected quota of daily good works, but also bashes you on the head when you don’t. It imposes a set of rules and regulations on you that doesn’t give you the power to overcome evil or to achieve good. Religion makes you look as though you’ve been sucking on lemons all day. On the other hand, relationship, like the tree it’s named for, gives life. And only after you’ve embraced God’s provision for your sins and tasted of the tree of life can you feel truly alive. The source of life inhabits you, gives you abundant life (see John 10:10b) and is likened to fountains of living water gushing from within (see John 7:38; Rev. 21:6b).
Internal prosperity, therefore, dictates external success. -28-
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Essential Business A Matter of the Heart
Internal prosperity, therefore, dictates external success. As this newfound internal life erupts, it begins to permeate your external environment. It is then that you can “prosper in all things… just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2). This book was written with the heartfelt intention that its readers would become successful and prosperous. By now, you can hopefully see that there’s more to prosperity than sheer monetary gain. God’s intent is for us to experience success in every facet of our lives—spiritually, emotionally, physically, socially, and financially. In comparison to eternity, our earthly existence is but a meager drop in the ocean of time. From an early age, we have been taught the art of self-preservation. Part and parcel of this involves securing our futures, at least financially. Pension plans, 401(k)s, stocks, bonds, and savings accounts all ensure a future financial “nest egg.” Although there is nothing wrong with that, sadly, there are fewer folks who’ve actually taken the time to invest in their ultimate future—namely, eternity. The Bible states: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-20 NIV). You can make an immediate deposit into a heavenly bank account, one that ensures the security of your soul. After all, what does it profit people if they gain the whole world and loose their souls? (See Mathew 16:26.) When you reach out and partake of the tree of life, you will become born again, enter into a relationship with your Creator, and experience true prosperity in every aspect of life. God’s -29-
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GO DLY S U CCESS provision for your salvation came through the completed work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. You will not only receive abundant life, but also will secure your future—eternity spent in a place called Heaven. Now that’s essential business!
Personal Notes:
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