“What habit or skill would you say has most helped you be so successful?” the reporter asked me. This one question, more than all the others combined, caused uncertainty to wash over me. This hesitation did not come as a result of not knowing what my answer was; it came because more than anything I wanted to state my answer succinctly and clearly. If anyone read this article, this was the one thing I hoped I God would give me the words for and that the reader would remember.
One of the greatest Old Testament kings was King Uzziah. Why was he one of the greatest? The Bible tells us this:
“He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success,” 2 Chronicles 26:4-5.
Uzziah’s success came not from his own wisdom, skill, or strength, God gave it to him because he was righteous. King Uzziah defeated some of Judah’s long-time enemies. He improved and expanded the city of Jerusalem so that it was better than it had been before. He brought Judah into a period of inconceivable prosperity.
Yet, right in the middle of all this good news, God says, “”He was greatly helped until he became powerful,” (verse 15). Why?
I think it’s because he forgot who and what was giving him success. So many great things happened while he was king that he forgot what was fueling his fire. He was beginning to think that he was the reason. Success has ruined many men and women. “Pride goes before destruction,” Proverbs 16:18.
The reality is that success is not something you achieve; it’s something you receive from God. Every good thing you have done or
achieved should be credited to God. Yes, you do your part, you train, you practice, you prepare, and you must remember that any success you meet is a gift from Him to you. You’re the ball and He’s the pitcher, or you’re the piano and He’s the pianist. The ball or the piano don’t deserve the credit because without the pitcher or the pianist they do nothing at all.
For my mother/daughter beach retreats one of the examples I use to illustrate this point is a baseball glove. Without a hand, the glove is worthless. Yet, if you’re going to catch a ball, it’s great to have a glove and that’s where we come in.
There are two results of thinking we are the reason for our success. When we forget and start to think we are really something instead of remembering who really is something to marvel at, God stops empowering you.
God says, “I am the Lord. That is My name, and My glory will I not give to another,” Isaiah 42:8.
The other result is almost the opposite. When we think we deserve the success we stop being effective for God to use because when we are looking at our abilities we’ll think, “I can’t do that.” This thinking easily might cause you to miss what He wants you to do because you have forgotten He is the reason. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 says, “Faithful is the one who calls you. He also will do it.”