INTRODUCTION
The 3 Essentials
A
s children we all dreamed of happy, successful lives. We saw ourselves as policemen, athletes, pilots, presidents, princesses, teachers, and more. We never thought of being sick, poor, addicted, or depressed. It was not until years later that we even knew of financial pressures, layoffs, bankruptcy, and sickness. No child dreams of a poverty-stricken, defeated life, but many people end up there. We get stuck in the battles of life and never find victory. Everyone wants to experience success in life, but many just do not know how. In marriage, in business, in family, in relationships, and in health, no person starts out on the journey with a desire to fail or to feel mediocrity at its best. Yet so many are struggling today, walking through life feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Maybe as you hold this book in your hand, you are feeling this way, too. You know there is more inside you waiting to be discovered, that deep in your heart there resides greatness and the ability to carve a significant mark on this world. But maybe, too, you’re not quite sure how to unleash those dreams into reality. I’m so glad you’ve picked up this book.
The truth is, as a Christian, you
do
have everything it takes on the inside of you to make every desire of your heart come true. You were created in the likeness and the image of God, and every aspect in your life can reflect the abundance and creativity of our amazing Lord. And no matter who you are, where you’ve come from, or what season of life you might be in right now, one thing is certain: God has more for your life and wants to bless you in a supernatural way. However, so often our human nature weighs us down and pulls us away from operating in the power of our spiritual nature. We begin to live our lives in the tempo and flow of the world around us, and instead of rising above every circumstance, we find ourselves pessimistic, focused only on our immediate realities, and stagnant in all realms of life.
These three attitudes are the exact opposite of what we need to experience God’s best for our lives. Pessimism steals our faith in God’s Word. Being focused solely on our current realities robs us of our ability to create a strong vision of our future and a hope that we will see God’s blessings come to pass. As a result, stagnancy invades our lives and we fall into a deep rut of mediocrity and feelings of dissatisfaction. Life doesn’t have to be this way! It’s certainly not what God desires for each and every one of us.
I want to help you understand how to operate in and position your life for the God kind of success and prosperity. Let’s turn our pessimism into faith, our short-term focus into vibrant, long-term vision and our stagnancy into an acute ability to change and renew our lives. These are what I call “the 3”: Faith, Vision, and Renewal.
After thirty years of pastoring over ten thousand people each week, as well as teaching all over the world, I am convinced now more than ever that success in life and our ability to change are based on three essential biblical truths. At every age and in every circumstance, these three factors hold the key to experiencing success. From the person who is just beginning their relationship with God to the Christian who has been walking strong for decades, these three are vital for continual spiritual growth. For the one who is struggling with addictions, the one healing from a broken marriage, or the one confused about their destiny, these three will guide them all to clarity and victory. And for the one building a prosperous business, the one seeking to enlarge their life with a fresh perspective, or the one pressing in to a deeper relationship with God, these three will springboard them forward to the next level in life.
Faith, Vision, and Renewal. They are not new ideas, but you will learn new ways to use them in the following chapters. Everything starts with faith; faith in God is the beginning of a relationship for eternity with Him. Faith causes us to see good things in the future and because of this we develop vision of success and prosperity in life. New vision causes us to realize that we must change and renewal begins to happen as we are motivated to move toward our vision. As you grow in your ability to appropriate Faith, Vision, and Renewal you will accomplish your goals and develop even greater dreams for life that you never dared to dream before.
No one thing can solve every issue in life. We have heard the sermons and seen the books of
the
secret,
the
answer,
the
key, and
the
miracle drug, but the fact is it takes more than one thing to deal with the problems and challenges we face every day. On the other hand, we don’t want a list of twenty things that become so convoluted and confusing that we are lost in the system. Faith, Vision, and Renewal are all you need. I think you will see as you apply these three to your life that good things start to happen. Everything won’t change in a moment; it took years to get where you are now. However, everything can change. With the right tools, we can see remarkable things happen. It is possible to overcome the problems, change the negatives, and develop a new life that is happy and fulfilling. To do this you need three things: Faith, Vision, and Renewal.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God, and this is simply because the only way any one of us can approach Him and begin a relationship with Him is through faith. We will receive nothing from God unless it is by faith in Him and in His Word. And until we are able to exchange all our doubts and fears for a life operated by faith, we will never get started on the road to a great life filled with true prosperity. As we study together about what faith is (and what faith is not), you will learn how to grow your faith to mountain-moving proportions. You will walk with faith and be able to utilize it as a powerful force to bring about the dreams God has placed in your heart.
The second essential for a successful life is vision. Proverbs 29:18 reads, “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” and we can clearly see this truth manifested today all throughout the world. So many are stuck in their negative circumstances, boxed in by their limited thinking, and they believe there is no way out. They have shrunk their visions down to a mentality of survival instead of one filled with hope and conquest. The reciprocal of this proverb is also true: where there is clear and strong vision, the people prosper. When there is a vision of conquest, the people will conquer. Where there is a vision of adventure, the people will live daring and exciting lives. You can make your life be anything you want it to be, and it begins with vision. This book contains tremendous and effective tools to help you clearly define what your vision is today, as well as how to change it (if need be) to ensure you experience all God has to offer.
Finally, the third nonnegotiable essential for success is renewal. A person engaged in the process of renewal is one who has the desire and the ability to change. God is a God of renewal and is ever looking for new ways to bless and prosper our lives, but if we cannot learn to adapt to His plans, His twists and turns, and His ways of doing things, then we cannot receive His gifts. How many times have we said, “This is just the way I am” or “I’ve always done it this way” or “My family has always dealt with this issue”? We condemn ourselves to be the same and to have the inability to make the changes needed for the life we truly desire.
You
can
change
any
area of life you are dissatisfied with! You can have the successful marriage, the happy and fulfilled teenage kids (that’s right, you read that correctly), the prosperous business, and the emotional and physical health you desire. It may take some renewal—and a bit of time—but the results are so worth it. The third section of this book is all about how to become new, how to think in a new way, and as a result, how to act in a new way. If you will apply these truths to your life, I guarantee that you will begin to experience more joy and peace in your life than ever before.
In addition, at the end of each section I have included a manual to allow you the opportunity to immediately put these principles into practice. I want to offer you the practical steps to discover the fullness of life you desire.
Faith. Vision. Renewal.
If you will embrace these three vital truths, you will enjoy success, prosperity, and the overflowing, abundant life Jesus has for you to experience. “The 3” are not far off or impossible pipe dreams. We all can begin to walk in God’s perfect will for our lives. “The 3” have worked in my life for over three decades, and I have seen them transform the lives of countless individuals in my church and people around the world. They will work for you, too. You can possess faith that moves mountains, a vision for success in life, and yes, even
you
can change!
Let’s not settle for mediocrity. Let’s not live in circumstances below God’s expectation and design for our lives. Let’s go for God’s very best and learn to live a destiny filled with joy, adventure, deep satisfaction, and supernatural power. This book will show you how.