P R A I S E F O R

OUTRAGEOUS VISION

Unlock the purpose of your life with this new book by my friend Joseph Foster. Joseph encourages us to find our true identity in God’s identity . . . His purpose for our life. Outrageous Vision is a challenging and encouraging book for anyone who wants to live a more passionate, Christ-honoring life.

Ron Edmondson

Emmanuel Baptist Church

Leadership & Church Planting Expert

Most people tend to live in survival mode, but Joseph Foster challenges and equips us to move far beyond that and to embrace our God-assigned identity and God-given power. Outrageous Vision will empower you to lead a more successful life and a thriving ministry. May it inspire you and your generation to go for God’s absolute best!

Brandon Cox

Grace Hills Church

Editor of Pastors.com

Joseph is a man with incredible vision for his life and generation. In his book, Outrageous Vision, Joseph gives us a glimpse into what makes that vision so strong. This book will inspire, motivate, and give you great insight into living a life on purpose and for a purpose. Find your own outrageous God vision.

Jonathan Pearson

Co-founder, Millennialleader.com

When I think of Vision, I think of Joseph. His freshman literary project, Outrageous Vision, is a roadmap for millennial leaders everywhere. His use of an ancient scriptural foundation blended with practical leadership concepts will make this book relevant in the marketplace for years to come.

Julius Baker

Pastor, The Rock Church of Detroit

It’s amazing to see the commitment of a relentless heart to ensure the development and furtherance of vision. I believe every reader who will embrace the synergy of this material with an invested mind will revolutionize the perspective of their future. The operative word in this pilgrimage must be “investment.” One of the critical keys to maximizing and mobilizing the vehicle that God has inspired in you is to invest in the visual distance and scope of your message. How far can it be seen (languages, venues, and frequency) and how wide (broad) are the concepts? Your vision must be able to speak to every man—one man at a time. This will allow every man to benefit and to interpret. The marriage of this uniqueness will move us from average optical awareness to “Outrageous Vision.”

James Lemuel Spence, Apostle

WE CHURCH, Durham, NC

Author of Groomed for Destiny

OUTRAGEOUS VISION

©2013, Joseph M. Foster, Raleigh, North Carolina

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International

Copyright Conventions

Printed in the United States of America

This book may not be reproduced in whole or part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without the permission from the author.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the following:

GW—Scripture taken from GOD’S WORD. GOD’S WORD is a copyrighted work of God’s Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission.

Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.

KJV—King James Version. Authorized King James Version.

THE MESSAGE—Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

NASB—Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission.

NKJV—Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980,

1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

1 What is Purpose?

2 Finding Your True Identity

3 The Power of Focus

4 Five Don’ts of Leadership and Vision

5 Five Things Every Dreamer Should Know

6 Stop Doing What You Hate

7 Lost in Life

8 What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!

9 It Cannot Be Measured

10 Develop Your Plan!

11 The Outrageous Visionary

12 Gaining Balance

13 Final Thoughts

About The Author

INTRODUCTION

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah 1:4–5, NKJV

In the first chapter of Jeremiah, God revealed to the young prophet that before he was developed in his mother’s womb, He knew him! Before he was crafted and shaped in the womb of his mother, God had already prepared the journey and course that would lead him to destiny. There was no room for debating with God the course of action that his life would take. There were no images or consulting agents who could provide deeper insight as to who he would become and where his journeys might lead him. Even in his approach to declare the prophecies of God to the people of God, there was reluctance to speak the words that he had been given by God because he knew that even he was included in the destiny of his people.

His tears on behalf of the people before God did not alter this destiny and there was no emotional acceptance of his tears by God. Throughout his prophetic declarations, he met rejection by the same people whom he was assigned to give comfort, but he continued. He had to continue. He had an assignment. It had to come to fruition and completion.

This scripture came alive to me at thirteen years old, when I preached my first message one Sunday evening in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I discovered that I was not only a child of God, but I was “called” to take a journey that had been pre-mapped by God! It was a calling because it was not something that I sought, expected, or dreamed.

These kinds of declarations always sound austere and mystical. In many ways, those descriptions of my “calling” fit because I have no other descriptive words or phrases to apply to the event. It is sometimes difficult to explain how destiny is revealed and how a change in direction can alter the course of your life forever. Regardless of how it appears to others, what was unclear to me earlier is very clear to me now.

It was many years later that I would fully discover that my own journey would be full of heartaches, headaches, defeats, and victories. Yet, it would contain everything needed to completely develop the apostolic and prophetic gifts in my life and bring me to a level of spiritual, mental, and physical maturity of which I had neither dreamed nor considered.

The Jeremiah text became a point of reference for my life and ministry, as I began to live unalterably through the process. Every time I read it, the word “knew” would seemingly and emphatically scream out to me! There seemed to be a hidden message in it that begged to be revealed.

As I, with scrutiny, analyzed the text, I searched for an appropriate definition for the word “knew.” In English, the word “knew” means to be cognizant or aware, as of some fact, a circumstance, or an occurrence; or have information about someone or something. When God says He knew Jeremiah, He was completely aware of everything that would occur in his life. He was completely aware of every situation (good or bad) that was going to occur in the life of Jeremiah before his creation.

When God released us into the earth realm, He had foreknowledge of every wrong turn that we will make. Before you are released to fulfill your assignment, God knows every good, bad, and ugly decision that you are going to make on the way to the completion of your journey.

When Jonah got the “call” to go to Nineveh, there was no doubt in the Mind of God that he would go. There may have been doubt, indecision, and even adverse response and actions that he would keep his date with destiny, but it was not in the Mind or Plan of God. Neither his misdirection, alternative travel, nor eventual swallowed-up condition in a great fish changed his ultimate destination and assignment.

Not only does God know what’s going to happen, but He promises us in Romans 8:28 (another scripture that stuck out to me that day) that He will cause us to receive some “benefit” from every situation in our lives.

All things work together for the good of them who love God and are called according to his purpose.

This means that everything is working together to bring you to a level of holistic maturity so that your life can give glory to God and you will be able to fulfill your purpose. There are things and situations in motion and, with some fluidity, are being positioned to effect changes and directions in your life. You may be unable to recognize the congruence of these events or the time or the changing of your life seasons, but it is occurring and there is not much that you can do about them. In fact, there is nothing that you can do about them.

This is not to suggest that we are all robots, automatons, or puppets with no capability of influencing what happens or that we are out here, alone, in a vast universe, merely waiting for and entertaining things that will surely take place regardless. Yet, there must be the understanding and appreciation that God is cognizant of every situation, circumstance, and issue in your life and He has plans to use it to move you into destiny.

Regardless of what God knew about what Jeremiah was going to do with and in his life, God had sanctified him to be a prophetic voice to the nation of Israel during some despairing times. The fact that this was the plan showed how much God cared about His creation and how much He valued what He put in him. Even with apparent setbacks and difficulties that we face in life, God still wants us to know that we have special assignments to complete.

Jeremiah discovered that he was no ordinary person, but that he had been marked from the foundation of the world to do something great in God. This revelation did not promptly occur as a direct result of a birth announcement. There was no sign placed over his birth location that identified him as a prophet in residence. Neither his birth environment or hereditary circumstances hinted the magnitude of his service to God. As a practical matter, personal worth is realized over time and is often subject to “blurred vision” or low personal expectations of ourselves. It often takes someone from the “outside” to see what God has put on the inside of us.

No matter where you are in life, God has marked you for purpose—whether you have natural instabilities or physical hang-ups. You are a vessel of purpose! Allow God to show you that your purpose is greater than your pain!

1

WHAT IS

PURPOSE?

What is purpose? What is destiny? These two words are interconnected yet distinctive when considered in context. “Purpose,” defined in its simplest form, is “the reason one exists.” It is a pre-determined end or desired result. “Destiny” is the route you are compelled to take in fulfilling your purpose. You can go through life never being able to distinguish between these two life-impacting words, their meanings, or applications. It is a travesty for a person to live and never discover his true purpose before crossing into death. The person will have lived a meaningless rather than meaningful life. It could be typical of what the Bible said about Methuselah:

Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died (Genesis 5:25–27, NKJV).

All that was said of him was that he had children and died. There was nothing about his accomplishments, his successes, or failures. He had children and he died.

How, then, do we identify true life purpose? What are the indicators that may clarify where your life is taking you?

Proverbs 20:24 suggests:

A man’s steps are directed by the Lord, how then can anyone understand his own way?

In King Solomon’s attempt to reveal the keys to understanding purpose, he linked it to finding out what God was doing in you. It, further, suggests that when a man is preoccupied with his own ways, in deference to the direction that God is leading him, he does so at great risk. You never want to find yourself in contention with the Plan of God for your life. You need to know that it is never a matter of what is convenient and pleasing in your sight. With an anointing from God, you are at His Call and not at your discretion or whim.

Neither does it make any difference what others say to command or direct your future because it is all in the Hands of God. It is essential that a believer grasp this aspect of Divine Intervention early in his life.

BOTH PURPOSE AND DESTINY

COME FROM THE CREATOR

AND DIRECT OR OF LIFE, WITHOUT

CONSULTATION WITH YOU.

Both purpose and destiny come from the Creator and Director of Life, without consultation with you. If God developed your life’s plan and ordered your steps, why would you not seek Him first, regarding the course and direction? Needless to say, this kind of diligent seeking depends on the relationship that you have with God. This is not merely an intellectual exercise. This is in every way acknowledging Him so that He will direct your path in the fulfillment of your destiny with and in Him.

It is a certainty that people who make major life decisions without consulting God end up incurring unnecessary hardships, extremely painful experiences, and life-impacting heartaches. God already has a divine blueprint for our lives. If we connect with Him and follow His plan for our lives, we will live a fulfilling life with fewer troubles. You won’t be minus troubles, but they will be fewer and not destructive.

The development of a personal relationship with God is a very important key to finding and understanding your blueprint. God wants us to seek Him with all of our heart for guidance and direction. Proverbs 3:5-6 reads:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track (Proverbs 3:5-6, THE MESSAGE).

When we allow God to give us directions, life is less complicated. If God is leading me, distractions don’t cause me to make corrupted or disruptive detours. My determination is that if He is leading me, my obligation and blessings will come from following Him. Even the encounter of roadblocks and adversaries to where I am going cannot replace or distort the view of where He is leading me.

One of the major reasons why we don’t consult God is because we do not trust Him. We do not trust God because we do not really know God. The tendency is for believers to have a surface or superficial relationship with God. We trust Him to have saved our lives from sin and to be “the God of my Sunday Morning Good Feeling,” but we decline to trust Him to be God, Who knows enough to reveal to you His plan for our lives.

To trust God means to rely on His integrity, strength, ability, and surety. This is best developed through life experiences that teach us how to rely on Him. Every time you go through something, it becomes a building block or stepping stone to the next level of glory.

EVERY TIME YOU GO THROUGH

SOMETHING, IT BECOMES A BUILDING

BLOCK OR STEPPING STONE TO THE

NEXT LEVEL OF GLORY.

Trusting in God results from spending time with Him. In the natural, you are more likely to trust a person with whom you communicate daily than a person with whom you have infrequent dealings or conversations. That’s because you will have had history with the person. You know his integrity, as well as understand his limitations and strengths. Similarly, you can miss God because you do not know, recognize, and realize what He can and is doing with and in your life.

When you look at the story of the three Hebrew boys in the book of Daniel, it is clear that they did not lack confidence in God. It was precisely that confidence that caused them to have faith in God. It was clear that they had developed the attitude that no matter what they faced, God was more than able to bring them out. Though believing faith is the very foundation of salvation, faith in God remains one of the greatest struggles of a believer. It requires more than a demand on the psyche; it requires a spiritual solvency that must be repeatedly summoned to respond to frequent and multiple challenges—sometimes all at the same time.

To trust God also means to have faith in God, regardless. The fact that you cannot see change in your favor coming does not mean that you can ignore the promise of change that God made to you. Too many things that we do are subjected to immediate manifestation standards rather than the assurance that God’s blessings are always given according to His timing. In the case of the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace, it would have been great if they could have avoided ever being put in that place of torment, but they were. It was not because of anything that they did; in fact, it was because of what they didn’t. Death became the immediate manifestation of their condemnation by the king. Their faith in God caused them to decline looking at their circumstance as a cancellation of God’s Promise in favor of acknowledging His Presence with them, even in the midst of flames. Even if God didn’t deliver them, they knew that He could.

TO TRUST GOD ALSO MEANS

TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD, REGARDLESS.

The required or needed amount of faith varies by individuals and circumstances and there is always the process of maturing in your faith. God is the same and there is no varying in Him. There is, however, growth in your faith, if you pursue and nurture it. To this end, there must be a beginning point or level. Jesus told His disciples that they should have faith at least the size of a mustard seed. He was not demanding that the disciples exhibit and exercise only “mustard seed” equivalent faith. To the contrary, the point that He made was that though the mustard seed is small in the beginning, it grows. In the same way, your faith has a starting point and should be allowed to progress beyond that point to something much bigger in you. Relationship with God builds faith and confidence in Him.

A people who know their God shall be strong and shall do exploits. Let’s achieve greatness in life, by learning how to trust in God and follow his directions.

We live in an age where “independence” has become the watchword. In a dog-eat-dog world, we are constantly in quest for survival and success. It is as if there is a constant adversarial atmosphere that surrounds what we do. In a way, this may be true because there is an adversary who, by deception and connivance, has us in his sights. We go through life constantly asking ourselves the same questions and looking for answers from within. One of the most common questions today is “Why do bad things happen to good people?” We will never find the desired answer to this question until we realize that there is only one Person who is equipped to answer every question.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23a, KJV).

God has strategically planned everything that happens in your life. He is the Master Strategist who places things in our paths that are purposed to direct us to Him. God wants His children to be completely dependent on Him. God’s children understand that complete dependence means that they cannot be independent of Him. That has not deterred us, however, from trying to figure out everything on our own and making every effort to retain an independent status.

•  What major crisis in your life could have been avoided, if you had only consulted God?

•  What dysfunctional business connection would have been successful, if you had followed the leading of God’s Voice?

He is waiting for you to seek Him for direction and embrace the directions that He gives.

You don’t have to figure things out on your own. God is waiting to be the Director of your life. He wants to be your Business Consultant and your “Life Coach.” In fact, to say that God “desires” to be all of these things might be a misnomer because He is all of those things. Your acknowledgment of His being those things is what activates the process and produces the results. God has the master plan for your life. Allow Him to lead and guide you to the destiny that He has prepared for you.

I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for (Jeremiah 29:11, THE MESSAGE).

God has an expected end designed for you—not to (watch this) abandon you, but to give you a promising future. All you have to do is seek and follow His direction.

In order to obtain God’s direction, you must position yourself to hear His voice. God is not a “hard taskmaster” but a “gentleman.” He never imposes Himself on you but waits patiently for you to seek His Mind for your life.

In Jeremiah 29:11-13, God assured believers that His plan was to prosper us and give us hope for a promising future. He wants us and the key is to seek Him with our whole heart.

Many times, we seek the Mind of God, but we restrict Him in completely directing us. We seek Him in areas that we want His assistance and close our ears to areas that we don’t want to follow His lead. That’s the tragedy of having selective moments of trusting God and demonstrating genuine faith.

Coming to God wholeheartedly means coming without a personal agenda and to seek His agenda. The independent person comes to God with a made-up mind.

Question: Why would you consult God for direction when you have no intentions of following them?

We come with our entire quest mapped out and expect Him to approve our agendas and make everything come to pass. We believe that God is our “personal genie,” who is kept by us in a virtual bottle and that He is supposed to give us whatever we wish whenever we choose to remove the cork from the bottle. You need to dispose of that kind of thinking now!

God’s “real people” have desire and inclination to understand His plan for their lives and are willing to follow His instructions. These are the people whom God makes successful. They are the people who are serious about understanding the Mind, Will, and Plan that God has for them. These are the people who have outrageous vision of where God is taking them and high expectations for the blessings that will follow.

GOD’S “REAL PEOPLE” HAVE DESIRE

AND INCLINATION TO UNDERSTAND HIS

PLAN FOR THEIR LIVES AND ARE WILLING

TO FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCT IONS.

Take time to evaluate your relationship with God. Are you seeking Him with a hidden or suppressed agenda, or do you seek Him wholeheartedly to know and understand His perfect Will for your life? This is probably a disturbing question, which you are invited to answer. The question is designed to do just that—disturb you. It’s not a “feel-good” query. It is a soul-searching question, which requires personal examination of your genuineness and sincerity in saying that you trust God.

The newest Christian singing sensation, James Fortune, tells the story of his maturing in trusting God in an interview that he had regarding his success in the Gospel Music world. Both he and his wife had been furloughed from their jobs because of downsizing with their companies and the compensation that he was receiving from serving as Minister of Music at a Texas church was insufficient to support his family.

Subsequently, they lost their automobiles and they went through a home foreclosure. They resorted to living in small motel rooms until all of their savings were gone. He sat down and penned the words to “I Trust Him,” which by the Grace of God found its way into the hands of the right people. He didn’t know and couldn’t explain the connection but he realized that what he needed at that time, family and friends could not provide. He had to trust in the Only One, Who could provide for his needs. Trusting God to provide worked and the rest is history. He had an outrageous vision of being delivered, restored, and blessed. No one else could see it and some probably still don’t believe this narrative; that’s because in the natural it seems so outrageous.

There is a major difference in seeking God for His agenda for your life and embracing the agenda He has given you. Many people pray and ask God to direct them but they fail to fully embrace God’s Plan for them. How do you know where you are going, if you do not consult God, who is directing your paths?

Look at what the Apostle Paul said to the Christian Church at Rome about fully placing their lives in God’s hand:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering (Romans 12:1, THE MESSAGE).

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you (Romans 12:1-2, THE MESSAGE).

Have you ever purchased an entertainment center and tried to put it together without following the written directions that came with it? I’m talking about you’re trying to look at the finished product and using that image as your guide without following the directions. What happens is that the individual gets to what seems to be the end of the project only to find that he has not correctly assembled it. Sometimes, he will find leftover pieces of the unit on the floor with no place to attach them. All of this was from looking at a finished project and trying to back into the assembly. Why did it happen?

It was because you decided to bypass the directions or blueprint that was provided by the manufacturer of the product. This unwillingness to follow directions caused a simple project to become a headache and sometimes heartbreak, because of a “know-it-all attitude” and the lack of confidence in the manufacturer.

Doesn’t that sound like life? We go through many trials and disappointments, because we have a glimpse of where we are going, but no sense of direction on how to get there. We refuse to seek God’s face because we think we already have what it takes to fulfill our purpose.

Take a look at your life. What situations could have been prevented or avoided by embracing the route and path that God has for your life? Embracing God’s plan is just as important as knowing His plan for your life. Knowledge is only power when you fully understand it and know how to apply it.

We must step back and purpose in our minds to completely embrace the Will and Mind of God for our lives. Give yourself and yield yourself to become who God has designed and empowered you to be. God’s purpose for your life will never be fulfilled until you fully acknowledge, understand, and embrace the perfect Will of God for your life.

2

FINDING YOUR

TRUE IDENTITY

In order to become, you must first allow God to destroy who you think that you are. Before God can show you who you are, He must destroy who you have made yourself to become. This is not a play on words; this is the reality of how we live our lives without possessing the intimacy that we need with God.

Many people face an identity crisis, especially after giving their lives to Christ. This happens when a person finds out that they were created for a certain purpose, but they have gone through life doing something very different from and non-contributory to what they were designed to do.

JACOB WOULD HAVE BEEN KNOWN AS

A MODERN DAY “CON MAN”—

A PERSON THAT WOULD ATTEMPT TO

TRICK YOU OUT OF ANYTHING.

Let’s look at the father of the children of Israel, Jacob, whose name translated in English is “Supplanter.” Webster’s International Dictionary defines a “supplanter” as “one who forcefully takes the place of another.” Jacob would have been known as a modern day “con man”—a person that would attempt to trick you out of anything. My grandmother described him as a person who would “steal your dreams if you stayed asleep long enough.” He was, in my humble opinion, a professional thief and con man, who made his way through life taking advantage of other people.

There is an interesting passage in Genesis 27 that addresses the issue of his identity. It is a perfect example of the extent to which people will go to appear to be who they are not. It also shows how unlikely connivance and purposeful deceit can completely alter or misdirect your journey toward destiny.

Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. She also gave the savory food and the bread, which she had made, to her son Jacob. Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me” (Genesis 27:15-19, NASB).

The passage sets in motion a series of events that eventually evolved into a long period of personal struggles and intra-family discord. Jacob’s mother helped to deceive her own husband in the misplacement of a birthright of one of her own sons. It is true that Jacob and his brother, Esau, were twins and struggled, even in their own birth, but the preferential connivance of Rebecca for Jacob caused the assumption of an identity for Jacob that was not his own.

Jacob became by deception what he was not by birth and this posed problems for him in relationships going forward. It was true then and it is true now that if you can’t be who you are, you surely cannot be who you are not.

This is the predicament that many of us face in contemporary times. We have allowed others to create an identity for us or we have, out of envy, jealousy, or infatuation, mimicked the identity of others under the false presumption of being better than what God intended for us.

IF YOU CAN’T BE WHO YOU ARE,

YOU SUR ELY CANNOT BE WHO YOU ARE NOT.

Things and styles have become the benchmarks that determine who we are. Our desire is that the world speaks of us at least as much as it references the “Joneses.” We use automobiles to manifest who we are. We use the characteristic and flagrant “name-dropping” so that people will know the crowd, group, or class with which we have alleged association. It may be no more than a casual acquaintance but it is believed by us to be as it appears.

There is an enormous preoccupation with titles and visible positions. No one wants to be merely part of the group, playing his role and making his contribution to the larger goal. The desire now is to be head of something and have at least two people over whom we have authority and some power.

Jacob’s identity problem caused him to be in adversarial relationship with his kindred and acquaintances. Later, he was forced to challenge the real self and it came at a point where he had become comfortable with being who he was not.

That can happen. It happens all of the time. There is someone waiting in the wings to challenge you because of whom you have represented yourself to be.

When I speak of false identity, I am not referring to committing a criminal act. I am referring to having a debilitating mindset that has us unable to recognize our real identity—who we really are.

“Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matthew 16:13, KJV).

3

THE POWER

OF FOCUS

Any person with vision must find himself living in a place of focus if you want to see the vision come together. Focus comes directly from developing a plan for your life. What are your goals?

What you focus on births into your future, so when you focus on the negative you produce the negative, i.e., focusing on what you hate about your relationship to the point that you consistently produce a negative relationship.

When we shift our focus into things that are more positive, we begin to see positive results in our lives. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:8:

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8, THE MESSAGE).

We have to set our focus on the good so that our lives will be filled with good things.

Question: How do we focus on anything positive when we are surrounded by things that are so negative?

It’s not an easy task and it must not be taken lightly. The answer lies in the task of “retraining your brain.” Our actions are inspired by our thoughts. If we can change the way we think, we can begin to change the actions that we elect to take. What we hear is going to determine what we think, and what we think is what on which we are going to focus.

Everything that God gives is given so that we can apply it to our everyday lives. We take this scripture and read it from a spiritual perspective, but faith goes beyond the spiritual part of our lives. If you are going to be successful in anything, you must not only have faith in God, but you must develop faith in yourself. You must begin to believe that you have what it takes to become who you want to become.

SO FAITH COMES FROM HEARING,

AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF CHRIST

(ROMANS 10: 17, NASB) .

It is generally applicable and you don’t need to waste time trying to find some kind of austere application for this truth. If you want a successful relationship, you must have faith in that relationship. If you receive promotion, you must have the faith that you will be able to keep the position that you have attained. There should be no fear of walking in failure. It shouldn’t happen!

There is an accompanying thought process that must fit in here: Faith is belief! What you hear will determine in what you have the power to believe. If you consistently hear or engage in negative conversations about your marriage, you will ultimately lose faith in that spouse and the relationship. If you constantly hear people tell you what you cannot do, you will begin to lose faith in your vision and your dreams and become committed to failure.

The Word of God is truth. In order to stay focused, you must hear the right word and the right word only comes from the right voices. What you hear is going to determine what you will accomplish, but who you hear can control or at least impact your future.

How will you hear without a preacher and how can he preach unless he is sent? That’s the question asked in Scripture. The only way we are going to survive is that we restore faith and trust in our preachers. The preacher is the person that has been assigned to deliver the Good News.

The “pastor” is not the only preacher. They do speak into our spiritual lives, and we cannot dismiss the role that they should play. We can, however, have a life that is without balance, if we are only hearing one type of voice. So now, I must hear another voice because no one person has everything that I need. I must hear a Suze Orman or Dave Ramsey speak into my financial life. I need a Tony Robbins or Brian Tracey to talk to me about my success in life. Your faith is strengthened by hearing the right voices and having the right mentors in areas of your life.

Question: Who’s mentoring you?”

When you look at the lives of the people who speak into your life, are they living the life you want to live? One of the most profound statements made by Dr. Mike Murdock, renown motivational and inspirational preacher and writer, is:

Volkswagen mentorship cannot give you a Bentley future.

The voice that you hear not only determines the life that you will believe, but it will determine the life that you live.

Small voices produce small futures. To whom are you listening and what are they saying to you?

GREAT MINDS DISCUSS IDEAS;

AVERAGE MINDS DISCUSS EVENTS;

SMALL MINDS DISCUSS PEOPLE.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

Changing your thoughts begins by changing the voices you hear. If you want to be organized or put more order in your life, you must find people who specialize in time management and follow the instructions they give. If you will intently listen to someone who is optimistic by nature, you will readily see how your focus shifts. This is not to say that all optimists are legitimate or that their optimism bears merely a resemblance to the natural. You have to use your instincts or discernment and be more than a casual observer of external behaviors or you may be fooled by the prevalence of fraudulent masks.

Looking at your life with an optimistic attitude will allow you to focus on the positive. You have to learn how to celebrate life’s ups and downs and treat them as opportunities for greatness. See some good in everything that happens in your life. As the Apostle Paul admonishes us, “Think on these things”—the good, the positive, and the true.

There is also the matter of changing your paradigm, as a prerequisite to redefining mentorship. A paradigm is a worldview. It is your broad but finite perception of what’s happening around or to you. Dr. Cindy Trimm says:

A crisis is heaven’s indication that God is getting ready to prosper and empower you.

Going through difficult financial trials and focusing on the negatives will always bring depression and discontent. If, on the other hand, you focus on the positive and celebrate the fact that you have a job, you can become content with gratitude. If you focus on the positive, you produce the positive—a place of gratitude and content.

I CAN FIND HOPE IN THE DARKEST

OF DAYS AND FOCUS ON THE BRIGHTEST.

I DO NOT JUD GE THE UNIVERSE.

DALAI LAMA

If you focus more on the bright days, you will not have or take time to judge what’s wrong in the universe. The problem is that we find discouragement in our dark days and look for others to join us in pity parties. Don’t look for the pity party; look for the principles.

Apply it to your personal life. If you lift your mind above the clouds, you will live above the clouds. Pilots sometimes elect to lift their planes to a higher altitude when they encounter a storm. They cannot stop the storms but they can minimize the impact of its fierceness as it continues on the journey.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS TO FOCUS OUR

CONSCIOUS MIND ON THINGS WE DESIRE

AND NOT ON THINGS WE FEAR.

BRIAN TRACEY

When you focus on the better things in life, you will find yourself making history. Focusing on the good causes you to become unstoppable.

Your attitude determines your altitude!

Having the right attitude will allow you to pursue producing the impossible.

Most importantly, focus on Jesus! What is God’s mission for your life? If you focus on Jesus and fulfill His Will in your life, you will find contentment and fulfillment.

Focus on the goodness of God and remember from where He has brought you. Meditating and reflecting on where God has brought you will provide sufficient cause to appreciate your journey with God.

4

FIVE DON’TS

OF LEADERSHIP

AND VISION

There are some things that are essential to establishing and maintaining leadership predicated on vision. They are not difficult to either acquire or comprehend, but they are fundamental to success in living.

1.   Don’t allow what has been to prevent what can be. As creatures of habit, we often find ourselves trying to stick with what has worked in the past. Many visionary leaders become stuck trying to relive past successes. The challenge with this mindset is that we become only as good as our greatest performance and we never accomplish anything greater. Don’t allow yourself to get entangled in the power of yesterday. Embrace a greater victory today. Do not be deterred by the fact that it is hard to relinquish unfavorable memories. Stagnation must be averted at all cost. It is not to act as though the events never occurred; it is more to make sure that they don’t become a tiresome burden that won’t allow you to gracefully move forward.

2.  Don’t let the principles of your own leadership keep you from reaching people for God. As leaders, we forget that the world does not revolve only around our belief system. We can easily become overwhelmingly engulfed in arrogance and a personal theology that “it’s my way or it’s wrong.” This can destroy the organization that you are trying to lead and summarily retard or destroy your ability to reach others.

3.  Don’t use people to build your vision; instead, use your vision to build people. There is a major difference in being a leader and being a ruler. It begins in the way you view the people who partner with you in your organization. As a leader, you must want more for people than you want from people. Develop a culture of service within yourself. Live life to empower people and not control them.

4.  Don’t discount the small things. Learn to celebrate each victory as if it is the last. The obsession with major accomplishments only serves to marginalize strategic, continuous, and personal improvements, progress, and growth. Small wins are just as important as big wins. Don’t merely celebrate your personal breakthroughs, but partake in the celebration of your individual victories as well as those of the people you lead. You should get joy seeing the success in and of others rather than merely languishing in your own.

5.  Don’t lose your passion for striving toward excellence. Passion is the fuel that keeps you going, even when interest runs out. When days are rough, your passion will give you the push you need. You cannot imagine the times when you will need that added push toward success and positive accomplishments until and unless you lose it. It is not something that you can automatically possess or capture; it has to come from within. When it’s there, you will know it; and when it’s not, it will show all over and through everything that you attempt to do. When we lose our passion, we become like cars that run out of gas—on the side of the highway of success, stuck between exits.

5

FIVE THINGS

EVERY DREAMER

SHOULD KNOW

1.  You are the life of your dream; if you stop dreaming, everything else stops. The success of your dream is determined by the amount of time and energy you decide to put into bringing that dream to fruition. Dreams can come, and if left without nourishment, they will leave you. Have you ever had a dream that you could only vaguely remember? It was because you passively dreamed it—like watching an entertaining movie on the television, but not taking anything from it when it’s over. Don’t depend on your team to do everything. You work your dream!

2.  Your success is determined by what you are willing to ignore. Are you willing to ignore people and situations that come to distract you from your agenda? One of the biggest hindrances of vision is small situations designed only to distract you. They can come out of nowhere and when you are vulnerable to not expecting them. They can be silent killers of your drive, intentions, hopes, and plans. When a person becomes distracted by small things, the bigger picture becomes blurred. You can lose your sense of direction and devalue the purpose that you have undertaken to achieve.

3.  Don’t allow people to label you or your dream. When people label you, they do it, whether intentionally or not intentionally, to limit what you can accomplish. That occurs when you begin to accommodate the limitation by making it part of your being. You can become what someone else labels you. You may have been born on the other side of the tracks, but that does not mean that you have to identify yourself as a product of that geography the rest of your life. You’ve got to be able to perceptively examine the motives of folk who try to label you. Discern the jealousy, envy, and prejudice that may be part of their efforts. Even if they didn’t see harm in calling you names or degrading your personality or roots, the effect of it can be the same, if you buy into it.

4.  Don’t compromise your vision for someone else’s. Never let someone else define your dream. It should be uniquely you. Success only follows authentic dreamers. You have no idea what the motivating factors are behind the dreams of others. It is tempting to wish for the success of others and to, in a real way, imitate their efforts, both good and bad. You can become so infatuated with the lifestyle of folk around you that you become obsessed with trying to live what are, in fact, their dreams. This can easily cause you to put your dreams on hold; you might even dismiss your dream as inferior to theirs and begin to emulate the actions of people that you don’t really know. If you can’t be who you are, you most certainly cannot be who you are not.

5.  “All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them” (Walt Disney). If you never pursue your dream, there is a guarantee that you will never see it. The idea that things are just going to happen is ridiculous, particularly if you are not deliberate about your future. It is true that things will happen, but things have a cause and an effect. You have the power to decide what will be the cause and what effects take place. People kill their dreams because they don’t have the courage to step out in the effort to actualize them or bring them to any kind of semblance of reality. You wait for the bus; you don’t wait on a dream. Your life cannot become an incidental event. You have to run until you see the manifestation of what you have been blessed, endowed, and anointed to dream.

6

STOP DOING

WHAT YOU HATE

One of the greatest misconceptions about purpose today is that God creates us to do things we don’t enjoy doing. People go through life trying to pursue things that they were never designed to pursue, because they feel like this is “the call of God for their lives.” They will take up residence in cities and towns that they absolutely despise. They will work dead-end jobs—all in the name of “fulfilling God’s Plan.”

Do we serve a God that is so selfish that He would make us go through life depressed and discouraged because we hate what we do? Is He such a task master that He wants us to forget our dreams and do something that’s completely out of character? If you say “Yes,” to either of these questions, then I must disagree with you.

When God created us, He strategically gave us a personal infrastructure that had everything we needed to accomplish purpose in life. As a matter of fact, 2 Peter 1:3 says:

God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and for godliness. This power was given to us through knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and integrity (GW).

This means that everything that we need to live happy and holy has already been given to us. There was no lack in the giving or in the receiving. All we have to do is to tap into the resources hidden within us and we will know how to live a fulfilling life. For some reason, we readily embrace the holy and forget about being happy.

One of our greatest resources is passion. Passion drives our existence. It is defined as “an intense, overwhelming feeling or conviction.” It is a strong devotion to some activity, object, or concept. A passion awakens the deep interest or desire in us.

ONE OF OUR GREATEST RESOURCES IS PASSION.

PASSION DRIVES OUR EXISTENCE.

The self-help author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins describes passion as the “genesis (beginning) of genius.” It is the foundation of every great idea, person, and movement. Passion is both the womb of our creativity and the birthing place of purpose. Discovering it unlocks the secrets of our purpose and guides us through the journey of living a fulfilled life.

•  Do you feel stuck doing something you hate doing? Think of the frustration at your stagnation.

•  Can you see yourself ever making a worthwhile forward movement?

•  Are the words “success” and “accomplishment” actively included in your standard vocabulary?

How much will you get done, when you hate doing what you do? The answer is as sure as the sun comes up in the east: not much! There’s no way to have a sense of accomplishment when you despise what you’re doing. In addition, anyone who suggests that you are doing well at what you hate easily can become your enemy. It will happen by association and it will be hard to feel comfortable when they come around you because they openly foster what you despise. How many ways can you say to them: “Keep your compliments, I don’t want to be here”?

THERE’S NO WAY TO HAVE A

SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT WHEN YOU

DESPISE WHAT YOU’RE DOING.

Of course, much of the enthusiasm for encouragement may be derived from the “mask” that you have been wearing in the attempt to disguise your real feelings. You put it on around others and take it off as soon as you can find a place of safety or out of public view. We can become very good at masking our real feelings. It’s as if we conveniently become schizophrenic or as those with split personalities, in order to survive.

7

LOST IN LIFE

At some point in our lives, everyone will begin the journey to discovering their purposes. Unfortunately, many people begin this journey in the wrong place using the wrong strategies. They start looking from the “outside in,” rather than looking from the “inside out.”

First, it is almost impossible to begin the journey by following a course someone else laid out for you. This is not dismissing mentorships or wise counseling. In addition, this is not to say that there are not people who have set the stage for your being who you will be. There have always been patriarchs for causes and people. Abraham set the stage for Isaac and Isaac did the same for Jacob. Thus, we cannot ignore the principle of predecessors and succession. These are real.

IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BEGIN

THE JOURNEY BY FOLLOWING A COUR SE

SOMEONE ELSE LAID OUT FOR YOU.

Recently, I had an extensive discussion with some friends about “purpose” and “destiny.” These are two words that are flagrantly and often erroneously tossed around, sometimes in strange contexts. In the course of the discussion, a rhetorical question was asked: “How did we get here?” Several of us were suffering from unfulfilled lives and we wondered what caused us to find ourselves on this journey.

One of the common factors that we discovered that evening was the fact that we allowed other people to define our journey. This was such a harsh reality. We discovered and surmised that we had wasted years of our lives living for the pleasure of someone other than ourselves. Now we were stalled by time, trying to get back on the right track. Are you living your life on purpose, or are you following a purpose someone else gave to you?

ARE YOU LIVING YOUR LIFE ON PUR POSE,

OR ARE YOU FOLLOWING A PURPOSE

SOMEONE ELSE GAVE TO YOU?

Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the pop band “All Time Lead,” Alex Gaskarth said something that really sticks out in my mind today.

Life’s greatest tragedy is not that it will someday end, but that most only live to follow directions and sometimes we end up totally lost.

This quote blows my mind every time I read it. Alex Gaskarth was really saying that we may have become completely lost in life because we have followed the direction or plans of others, trying to make others happy, at the expense of our own desires. The only way to find your way is by looking deep inside yourself and pursuing what makes you happy.

•  How do you discover the real you?

•  What hinders you from living a fulfilled life?

8

WHAT YOU

DON’T KNOW

CAN HURT YOU!

There is a popular slogan that still rings in my mind: “Knowledge is power!” This motto suggests that the more you know, the more you accomplish. If knowledge is power, ignorance is barrenness.

One of the greatest enemies of success in life is ignorance. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ignorance as “the lack of knowledge, education, or awareness.” It is the state of being uninformed and left in the dark about something. Looking at this definition:

•  What in life has left you in the dark?

•  What would your life look like if you had a complete understanding of the gifts and talents you already possess?

•  Who could you become if you completely understood your potential?

According to Hosea 4:6, our lives are ruined because of what we don’t know. We have become victims of failure, destruction, and decline because we lack knowledge. Let me prove it to you. A person who doesn’t understand the principle of budgeting goes through life recklessly spending money. They are always broke and never have enough money to make it to the end of the month. Sometimes, they find it impossible to last to the end of the day. They are destroyed for the lack of knowledge. As a consequence, you are not hurt by what you know; you are destroyed by what you don’t know.

Ignorance is the seed of unfruitfulness in our lives, relationships, churches, families, business and the world. In order to be fruitful, we must take time to educate ourselves.

•  What would your broken relationship look like if you took the time to understand your significant other?

•  Pastor: How fast would your church grow if you had a better understanding of the people in your community and what they expect to get out of the worship experience?

•  Could we change the world if we had a clear understanding of our purpose?

YOU ARE NOT HURT BY WHAT YOU KNOW;

YOU ARE DESTROYED BY WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW.

It has been my endeavor to teach my ministry workers how to embrace the power they individually possess. The power to live is life fulfilled! Embracing your power is not just about accomplishing great things; it’s about understanding your true self. When you understand who you are and what you possess, you have the power to accomplish anything and ultimately change your world!

9

IT CANNOT BE

MEASURED

You were not created to think inside the proverbial box; you were designed to create new boxes from which others will think. What you are about to accomplish cannot be measured. There is no measuring system that can predict your next accomplishment.

People will try to label you so that they can limit you. You cannot allow yourself to be arbitrarily labeled. Your vision is connected to the Creative Mind of God. The Bible says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form or void. As God spoke in Creation, things began to happen—changing form, and becoming.

You have been given the power to speak vision; watch it manifest. Realize that life and death are in the power of your tongue. If you speak life over your vision, it will manifest. If you speak death over your vision, it will never come to pass.

WE HAVE TO WATCH OUR WORDS

BECAUSE WE WILL HAVE WHAT WE SAY.

In psychology, there is a term called “negative self-talk.” We are more inclined to speak negatively over our lives and visions than to speak positively. We have to watch our words because we will have what we say.

What are you saying about your future? What reality are you trying to manifest in life?

When God created us, we received a deposit of Creative life. Creative life is in our living as God’s Creation. Creator life is the ability to innovate and create. When God said “Let us make man in our image,” He designed us so that we could live life doing what He did.

Let me give you an example: God created the sun and the moon to bring light into the earth realm; Thomas Edison was given the vision to create what we know as the light bulb. He was able to reach into the innovative mind of God and produce something that had never been done before.

We were designed in the image of God so that we could walk in the true power of God—Creativity! Vision!

God is God of innovation! He is consistently designing new things. Can you believe that the Apple Corporation designed the IPhone on its own? No, someone was able to tap into the creative mind of God and produce something that would revolutionize the world.

•  What dream(s) are you carrying?

•  What vision do you have?

•  What is going to be your contribution to this world?

Innovation has many faces. The word, in its purest form, is the introduction of a new idea. That means that it can move through every genre of life. You may have a new way to cook carrot cake, while someone else has developed a new way to solve a simple math problem. Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook, one of the fastest growing social media empires of our day. Not only has it revolutionized global communication, but it has also set world records by producing the two youngest billionaires in the United States.

There is something inside of you that will change the course of this world. That is your purpose!

THERE IS SOMETHING INSIDE OF YOU

THAT WILL CHANGE THE COURSE OF THIS

WORLD. THAT IS YOUR PUR POSE!

We are creative beings designed to show forth the glory of God through our creations.

Let’s take a close look at Ephesians 3:20:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20, NIV).

When we tap into the mind of God, we are able to see something that is far beyond our imagination or exposure—something that cannot be imagined in the minds of man. In 1982, nobody talked about social media or downloading “apps.” Its innovation was far beyond what we could have imagined.

10

DEVELOP

YOUR PLAN!

One major revelation I received one day was: God’s plan for my life is so much greater than my greatest desire. This revelation was not only for me but it had universal applications. Not only did God have a plan for my life, but there were divine expectations, as well. He expected our businesses to trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

God expects your relationships to be fulfilling and enjoyable. He expects your church to reach record numbers of souls for His Kingdom. As I am writing this book, He expects me to reach the New York Times “Best Sellers List” as a first time author. This is not just a desire; it is His expectation for my life.

Just like God expects us to live holy, He also expects us to live a successful and fulfilled life. Why does God have such great expectations for us? It’s because His Power is working in us. We have a deposit in us from Him that gives us the ability to produce the extraordinary. We were never created to live in the mediocrity. We were designed to live in greatness.

WE HAVE A DEPOSIT IN US FROM GOD

THAT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO PRODUC E

THE EXTRAORD INARY.

Greatness will not be attained overnight. Greatness and success are planned benchmarks in your life. It does not just happen. Success looks for the person who is prepared to handle it and runs from the person who is not ready to handle it.

People go through life never accomplishing anything because they refuse to step back and make things happen. God can do anything. This does not mean that we don’t need to develop a plan for our own lives.

God is a God of preparation. He designed an entire world before putting man in the Garden of Eden. He prepared things for a world that had not yet fully envisioned its worth and value in its own mind.

11

THE

OUTRAGEOUS

VISIONARY

An outrageous visionary is normally recognized by others as “an influential person.” The moniker probably fits because this kind of person is known for his ability to turn nothing into something. Vision allows them to look at something that’s broken down and see great potential. Not only do they see potential, but they are able to develop a clear strategy for success.

Outrageous visionaries are magnets for new and fresh ideas. He is not stuck in traditional thinking and activities that have no redeeming values.

As an outrageous visionary, you will always encounter a host of opportunities.

DON’T ALLOW MANY GOOD OPPORTUNITIES TO

DIVERT YOUR ATTENTION FROM THE ONE

OPPORTU NITY THAT HAS THE GREATEST POTENTIAL.

ANDY STANLEY

Unlock the power of focus. The lack of focus will eventually destroy your vision. When vision is fuzzy, people will not follow.

What you should remember:

1.  Recognize that you have the power. Power is the ability to make the right choice.

2.  “No” is still an option . . . you are not obligated to say yes to every opportunity.

3.  Don’t waste your time chasing the wrong opportunities.

It is incumbent upon any visionary to avoid intimidation by fear. One of the greatest enemies of vision is fear. Fear, not the lack of good ideas, “keeps a person standing on the sideline” (Andy Stanley).

The fear of moving forward may be eradicated by taking several steps. The first step is the most difficult to take. Vision is initiated by taking calculable first steps. Dreams die because the dreamer is afraid of taking this first step of deciding to pursue it.

Don’t allow fear to overpower your faith. Your dreams must be more powerful than your fears. Faith and fear are incompatible. They cannot exist in the same mental or physical context.

OUTRAGEOUS VISIONARIES

KNOW THAT THEY HAVE TO SEE BEYOND THE

UNKNOWN AND PUR SUE THE POSSIBILITIES

THAT ARE SET BEFORE THEM.

Courage is the weapon that is needed in order to fight fear. Courage is essential to the success of your dream. It takes courage to accomplish vision. This means to have the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulties. It is having the mental stability needed to complete your assigned task.

Outrageous Visionaries are courageous people. They know that they have to see beyond the unknown and pursue the possibilities that are set before them. They are not ordinary; they are soldiers.

From a historical perspective, what would the world be like without the courage of great men and women who have prevailed in the attacks against them? There are numerous examples of men and women who stepped out of their comfort zones, faced their fears, and accomplished something courageous that would ultimately change their worlds.

I’m reminded of the historic encounter of the infamous “Little Rock Nine,” during the Civil Rights Movement in 1957. Just a few years after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the segregation of public schools, nine courageous students walked into Little Rock High School, a previously all Caucasian school, and became the first African Americans to attend an integrated school. From what was reported by the media, this was no easy task. These young people risked their lives to accomplish the dream of receiving a better education and ultimately a racially united society.

What we now take for granted and as socially and politically acceptable began with a single act of courage. In the face of personal violence, there was the perseverance of someone who decided to do something that had never been done before. They are counted among the countless people whose visions are not just for their fulfillment only.

The second tool needed to defeat fear is confidence. It may be defined as the quality or state of being certain about an issue. It is indisputable that you must become absolutely certain that what you are pursuing is going to manifest itself positively. There is not much room for ambivalence when it comes to engaging the manifestations of your vision. Walking with a sense of certitude means having a conviction that your plans will result in success.

WALKING WITH A SENSE OF CERTITUDE

MEANS HAVING A CONVICT ION THAT YOUR

PLANS WILL RESULT IN SUCCESS.

It is extremely important to place your confidence in the right places, people, and/or things. First, acknowledge confidence in God (Philippians 1:6). Be confident in His Power that is working in you. Realize that He is the source of your vision and the Master Strategist for your attaining it. What you do is not out of your own strength. It’s easy to draw that conclusion but that conclusion is always erroneous. You have to become confident in the power that God has given you, but you cannot ignore the “source” of that power. When Paul declares, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me,” the emphasis was always on “through Christ” and not on the “me.”

Second, you have to believe that you have received a higher calling from your Creator. You must believe that He has given you the power to become. You were not created to just live life; you have a divine assignment to change your world. It, then, is not your dream; it’s your purpose. Be confident that you were created to do it.

Finally, believe in yourself. If no one else appears to be supportive or acknowledge your abilities, talents, or skills, you are responsible for the maintenance of self-confidence. This is extremely important in almost every aspect. Yet, so many people struggle to find it.

Sadly, this can be a vicious circle. Without self-confidence, you can find it difficult, if not impossible, to become successful. Anything will appear to be untenable without self-confidence. Help from others will be lacking as well because no one wants to be asked to believe in something in which you don’t believe. The army private needs to believe that the general believes that the troops can win the war. The customer in the restaurant needs to believe that the chef is confident about the recipe in meal preparation. A congregation needs to believe that the preacher has confidence in what he is preaching and about whom he is preaching. Without believing in your own ability to be successful, you will never see good success.

12

GAINING

BALANCE

There is a quotation that follows me whenever I get to those times when I exude with “holiness.” It says, in effect: “You don’t want to be so heavenly minded that you aren’t any earthly good.”

The lesson from the quotation is that we have to be careful not to lose sight on our being human. The Bible says that we are “born in sin” and “shaped in iniquity.” That does not provide us with a rationale for engaging in willful sin. At the same time, you don’t want to be so earthly minded that you are no heavenly good. Continuing in either of these extremes can become detrimental to not only success but in life.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A

FULFILLED LIFE, YOU ARE GOING TO

HAVE TO FIND “BALANCE.”

If you are going to have a fulfilled life, you are going to have to find “balance.” This means that many aspects of your life need to be considered when envisioning your future. You can’t have tunnel vision or be too dismissive of things that are primary components of who you are and where you are going. While there are some priorities in life, they have to be considered in perspective and context. You have to avoid “majoring in minor things,” and vice versa. That’s a clear indication of “imbalance.”

You should measure life by more than material things. People measure success by what they wear or what they can afford to eat. There is more to success than that and the value placed on reaching it should be greater than what you can smell, see, or drive. You’ve got to seek out the intangibles.

To that extent, consider the following areas that I believe indicate successful goals:

1. The Spiritual

This means developing and maturing the inner man. It is best described as the intersection of the soul—and mind. If you don’t get your thinking together, you will certainly falter on the path to success.

You will have to grasp the power that comes from true worship and the Source of worship matters. You cannot allow the obsession of attaining cause you to misplace your worship of God. Because of His blessings on your life, He deserves your praise and worship.

The kinds of success that you achieve are based upon what you have seen and aspire to become. Inspiration is fine but you need aspiration—seeing yourself where others have already arrived. It’s not envy or jealousy. Rather it is the earnest desire and expectation to be all that God would have you to become—no more and no less.

This is best reached by widening your exposure to things and people who are successful. There is no need to confine your relationships to people who are doing no better than you are doing. If they are in the ditch and cannot remove themselves, there is no basis for you to join them in the ditch in order to maintain friendship or kinship. You need to first avoid becoming trapped in the same ditch and then expose yourself to some other folk who don’t have the “ditch mentality.” Syncing your spirit with your mind gives the kind of discernment that you need to avoid this pitfall and pitiable people.

2. The Physical

Keep your body in good health. The Bible speaks to the matter of having your physical body or health in line with spiritual wellbeing. What is the value of having grand dreams and outrageous vision, when you are physically incapable of bringing anything to fruition? Just as you would not want “to gain the whole world and lose [your] soul,” you don’t want to be filled with vision and incapable of reaching any plateau of success. If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you.

In addition, a Spirit-filled believer conforms to principles and practices that manifest what they need to be successful. They can and will not make a promise that lacks in principle. This means you don’t expect miracles for stuff for which you didn’t work (Pastor Andy Thompson).

3. The Relationships

Handling relationships is inevitable because we all have to deal with people. They come in all “sizes”—family, friends, co-workers, adversaries, etc.

Friendships are valuable and you must never minimize the importance of having (and being in) them. Though we can debate the definition of “friend,” most of us recognize them when we see or experience them. God referred to Moses as His “friend.” By the same token, three of the strongest critics of Job’s dilemma were called “friends.” With those kinds of friends, who needs enemies?

FRIENDSHIPS ARE VALUABLE AND

YOU MUST NEVER MINIMIZE THE IMPORT ANCE

OF HAVING (AND BEING IN) THEM.

Relationships with family can sometimes become strained. Even with the closest of blood connection, it’s not unthinkable that you might wish to not claim relationship. Family relationships can sometimes become the most difficult to maintain, though they are most easy to establish. It is those closest to you who may find it difficult to see you light of your vision for greatness.

There are business/work relationships that can influence your direction toward becoming who you desire to be. Whether you are positioned as a consumer, employee, employer, entrepreneur, or investor, business relationships can foster or falter your success. Working with a team is not as easy as it looks on paper. Fairness ought to be the basis of these kinds of relationships, but greed, conspiracy, and connivance can also become evident. Choices will have to be made to determine courses of actions that will result in blessings or curses from God. It matters how you treat people in business relationships and any other relationships.

Upward mobility is important but not at any cost. There must be some moral integrity somewhere in the playbook. There has to be some limit as to what you will do to get promoted, get a raise, or keep your position. Was it worth the risk for David to have the husband of a woman killed to camouflage his indiscretions with her? Was it worth the risk for Saul to seek out a fortune-teller rather than rely on the Promise of God? Was it really worth the money for Judas to betray Jesus? Is what you are thinking worth breeching the relationship that you have with God?

4. The Financial

Personal finances and the method by which personal assets are attained should never be discounted. It is an important piece of the life puzzle and must not be taken lightly. The love of money is the root of evil; however, there is nothing wrong with the acquisition of wealth for the righteous. There is mammon that is righteous, and the righteous use it for the Kingdom. No good thing does God withhold from the righteous and whatever he does shall prosper.

The same principle and promise applies to a career for those under the anointing of God. The purpose for which you are called may not be the career that you are currently following. That career may only be facilitative of where God is taking you for Kingdom purposes. Your job may well be a stop along the way to where God is taking you. More than that, your occupation may be part of the process of refining you for service to God.

You have to be careful not to see what you are doing as a failure because you don’t have the corporate perks or get the recognition for the contributions that you make to the company. The mistakes that you make on the job should make you better and not bitter. The supervision that you receive should not always be considered personal intimidation. It may be the thing that you need to improve your skills and perfect your talents and abilities.

The tendency is often to quickly jump to something else because one job didn’t work out or provide promotion quickly enough. On the other hand, there are times when you can stay around the “mountain” too long. Frustrations and anxieties can make you miss the shifting of God that is in your favor.

•  Is this the right job for me?

•  Should I move on and look for something else?

•  How do I know that this is where God has placed me rather than something that makes me feel comfortable?

These are questions that are asked by those who have allowed the fire to become almost extinguished on their visions and dreams. They have allowed people and situations to almost put out the burning fire of hope and dash their dreams into ashes. It must not be allowed to happen! It is only when you have stepped out on what appears to be nothing that you can lay claim to walking in victory. You don’t need to spend time guessing about whether you heard the “Voice of God.” If it is His Voice, it will be manifested in results. Even when “the enemy comes in like a flood,” the banner of God will still be raised to the point that you will know that it must be God. It’s not about the job! It’s about the Promises of God.

IT IS ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE STEPPED OUT

ON WHAT APPEARS TO BE NOTHING THAT YOU

CAN LAY CLAIM TO WALKING IN VICTORY.

His Word declares that the righteous will not be forsaken and His seed will not be relegated to begging for bread. He is God and He is your Father. He takes care of His Own. Israel lived in houses that they didn’t build and ate from vines of fruit that they didn’t grow, but there was a destination and a destiny ahead of them. It could only be reached by their trusting in the promised provision of God. Finally, you have to have a plan—not just any plan—but one that is under the direction of God. The verse from the book of Proverbs makes it clear that in all our ways we should acknowledge God and, with that acknowledgment, He will direct our paths. What more could be asked than to have every step in righteousness and truth ordered by God?

There is no glory that comes to God by your failure. His Glory is derived by your being at the head and not the tail; a lender and not a borrower.

The prophets warned Israel of the bondage that would come but they also proclaimed to them that God would deliver them out of all of those bonds. The enemies who took advantage of Israel’s captivity had to pay the price of death when Israel’s time of release had come. God cannot renege on His promise to you. It is not in His Nature to lie. Thus, His Word can never return unfulfilled.

13

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are a few words of encouragement that I need to leave with you. We all need to be encouraged and sometimes we have to encourage ourselves. I suggest that you take these few morsels of partial revelation and commit a few of them to memory or at least retain a few of them as important principles by which you will live.

“You can be strong in some areas and weak in other areas. That can pose problems because each of these areas influences the other. They are connected, linked, and part of the process. If you want to be successful, you must consider all of the areas.”

“If you focus only on ‘the stuff,’ you won’t get the stuff.”

“A cup that’s filled is never jealous of a pitcher that’s filled. A pitcher that’s filled is never jealous of a pool that’s filled because each knows its capacity.”

“With all of the many expectations that you have, what preparations are you making in this season?”

“The knowledge that we are created in the image of God should give us a sense of dignity—a larger sense of self-worth!”

“People who come into your life will treat or mistreat you based upon the standards that you set for yourself.”

“If you want peace, then sow peace and not offenses into your life. You shall reap what is sown. Sow good seed in this season. Don’t continually look at the seed that is sown, wishing to pluck it up; look at the larger picture of the harvest which is yet to come.”

“Don’t be reactionary; be proactive. Some of the stuff you are doing right now is history, you are about to switch seasons.”

“You have to have vision for your life. If God is going to take you to the Prime Minister’s seat, you have to believe that you have the stuff to sit there.”

“You need to have people in your life who can see the vision before they see the rain.”

“What you see is small because of where you are positioned in your viewing. It’s like the writing that you see in the side mirror of an automobile. It says that the vehicles behind you are closer than they appear. Your distance from reaching your destiny can be deceiving and destiny may be closer than it seems.”

“Learn how to shout over little things until your big thing comes.”

“A little cloud is a sign that what God has promised is on the way.”

“Every seed has potential to yield great things, because, in the bag, all of the seeds are surrounded by potential.”

“Because you are surrounded by potential doesn’t mean that you will release potential.”

“When God is ready to elevate you,

•  He separates you,

•  He hides you,

•  He throws dirt on you.”

“The only thing that accelerates growth and change are storms. The storm turns the seed upside down.”

“God will allow the storm to come to let you know with what you are working.”

You are about to manifest something that only God can put together!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joseph Michael Foster, commonly known as J. Michael, is a ministerial and business visionary, kingdom strategist, millennial trailblazer, and prophetic voice to this generation. As a highly sought after millennial speaker, Pastor Foster continues to travel globally empowering kingdom assemblies and evangelizing the world for Christ. His vision is to see people saved, healed, set free, discipled, equipped and empowered for ministry service for God and His kingdom!

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 What is Purpose?

2 Finding Your True Identity

3 The Power of Focus

4 Five Don’ts of Leadership and Vision

5 Five Things Every Dreamer Should Know

6 Stop Doing What You Hate

7 Lost in Life

8 What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!

9 It Cannot Be Measured

10 Develop Your Plan!

11 The Outrageous Visionary

12 Gaining Balance

13 Final Thoughts

About The Author