Christian

I was just tagged by Eve and thought I would respond about how I define success and how I approach that goal.

I realize that my view of success isn’t the same as most of you reading this, but maybe it will put it into perspective a little better once you read my post.

For me, success isn’t about money, cars, fame, etc. For me, success comes when I am 60 years old and look back on my life and see the joy that I had, and that I passed on to my children. To see them growing and knowing the full diety of Christ and recognizing his authority in their life as a good thing. That is how I define success.

In order for me to achieve that goal I look at a few different things.

1. Money

As you know, money make the world go ’round. Without it, I have to keep working 40/hrs a week. So in terms of money, my goal is 1 million dollars. With $1 mil. I can “retire” and spend more time at home with my family doing what I love to do instead of what I am required to do.

2. Focus

I tend to really get focused on one thing and when that happens everything else falls by the wayside. I am trying to stay focused on what is really important to me, my relationship with Jesus Christ and my family, even while I am doing everything I can to earn money online.

3. Motivation

I have never been easily motivated. All during school my teachers said, “He doesn’t apply himself,” which is unfortunately very true. In that light I have been trying to stay as motivated as possible without getting over extended. Taking on too many projects is on of my downfalls because as I take on a new project, my motivation to complete the previous projects drops to nothin’.

4. Perspective

For me, keeping the above three items in perspective is what makes me successful, and in turn defines success for me. Putting God first, my family second, and everything else third. That is true success.

What you’ll find with true success is that it brings true joy and happiness. If your “success” makes you want more and more, then you haven’t yet found real and lasting success.

I’ll be tagging Andrew to follow up with his views of success and how he defines and achieves success.

ROAD RULES FOR THE REAL WORLD
How to make great decisions
Brandon Hopkins
1-13-02
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Everyone must make decisions everyday…if your parents make $30,000 or $300,000 a year, you must make decisions everyday.

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

One last thought: Everyone has CHOICES, but not everyone chooses to allow God to guide their CHOICES. The choice to do so, will influence all your future CHOICES.

Whether you score perfect on the SAT or you only get points for spelling your name right, you must make daily decisions, and the…

QUALITY of your life will be determined by the wisdom or foolishness of those DECESIONS.

“…a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind…They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.�? James 1:7-8

You’re all at the age right now that the decisions you make, are going to affect the rest of your life.

I’m reminded of a girl we’ll call “Tina�?. Tina was going through life just like most of you are right now. She was on fire for God, and leading a small group.

Then she had an opportunity in her life where she met a young man. She knew this guy’s reputation as well as everyone else did. He was never faithful to the girls he dated, but he was very convincing and sweet-talking. He started paying more and more attention to her every day, and Tina liked it.

Before she knew it, she was dating him, and spending a lot of alone time with him every day. When asked about her reasons for dating him she said “I’m going to witness to him, and bring him to Christ.�?

Don’t get me wrong; this is very noble, and also completely UNscriptural.

Bad company corrupts good morals. 1 Corinthians 15:33

Tina’s boyfriend was bad company, and he ended up corrupting her good morals.

She brought him to church a few times, then she slowly stopped coming, stepping down from her small group, then not coming at all.

Tina graduated, and then decided to move in to her boyfriend’s apartment.

After they started living together, they started having sex, and then Tina got pregnant.

At this point, Tina had made a lot of bad decisions, and it only gets worse.

Tina had one more major decision to make, keep the baby, or abort it.

Well, I saw Tina driving the other night, and I hadn’t seen her in years, no baby in the back seat, and her same boyfriend next to her. Tina made a decision to abort her child, and stay with her boyfriend, and continue to live in sin.

This didn’t all happen at once, Tina gradually made decision to get to the place she is at today. She knew the truth, and she turned her back to it.

Fortunately for us, God does not do that. He does not turn his back on us. As soon as Tina is ready to repent, God will be their waiting to take her back.

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

In the Real World indecision makes you…
• STRESSFUL – worried
• FEARFUL – What if I make the wrong decision?
• VULNERABLE
• DECEITFUL

“The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make.�? Colossians 3:15

Follow God, and he’ll guide you to peace

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for everything.

If you are different at school than you are here, you need to decide what you stand for.

Do you stand for cussing? Secular music? Alcohol? Drugs?

What do you stand for?

It’s too late to decide you don’t stand for alcohol, when your already at a party.

ADMIT YOUR NEED for help, wisdom, and guidance.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.�? Proverbs 14:12

You may think you know what’s right, but you may be on that path leading to death.

How do you know your not? Ask your CHRISTIAN friends what they think about what you’re doing. Ask your parents. Ask Greg, ask me, and ask someone grounded in the Bible what he or she thinks about what you stand for.

“Get all the advice you can, and be wise the rest of your life.�? Proverbs 28:26

If you don’t ask for advice because you think you know already, you’re prideful.

Pride will destroy relationships, and then your life.

Pride is described by Webster as: Conceited, Cockiness, having a Big Head, Overconfidence.

The opposite of pride is Humility.

If you walk in here, sit in your chair, then start talking or not paying attention, looking around, thinking about other things, trying to impress other people, you are being prideful.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.�? Proverbs 11:2

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

BELIEVE GOD WANTS to help you in your decision-making.

God wants to help make EVERY decision.

READ JAMES 1:5-6

God wants to help you make EVERY decision. If you don’t believe that, you misunderstand God’s character.

Don’t place your limited thinking on the unlimited God.

I don’t know if anyone here watched a show that was on TV a couple weeks ago, but it was called Domino Day 2001, did anyone see it?

If you didn’t, what they would do is set up anywhere from 1,000 dominos, to 50,000 dominos, then knock them all down. These people were serious about setting up dominos; they made pictures, and had rulers that calculated how far apart the domino must be, down the millimeter.

If there were one domino out of place, that creator would know where is goes, because each one was marked. The same goes for God, he knows where you have a hole in your life, and he knows exactly what is supposed to be filling that empty space.

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

CHECK OUT GOD’S standard for living

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.�? Psalm 119:105

“Your Word�? could be substituted for “The Bible�?. The Bible guides you, and lights the way.

This next part is the absolute favorite part of the lesson for me.

I named it the Decision Test.

With these 5 points, you can make every decision in your life, and make it a good decision.

1. The ideal test: is this decision in harmony with God’s word?
2. The integrity test: would I want everyone to know about this decision?
3. The improvement test: will it make me a better person?
4. The independence test: could it become addicting?
5. The influence test: will it harm anyone else?

DECIDE AT LOGICAL times and move on with living life to its fullest.

Making decisions on what you feel is irrational and dangerous.

Almost all suicide occurs when people are having a bad day, or something tragic happens to them. Only 15% of suicide comes when people are being treated. That means 85% of suicide comes at times that people aren’t fully expecting it.

My grandmother always told me, never make a decision at night. The reason for this is, more people are more emotional at night. You don’t think through it, and your tired, and more likely to make a decision based on emotion rather than thought.

“It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows.�? Proverbs 20:25

The Bible here is talking about guilt, “later to consider his vows�? meaning after you’ve made a bad decision, you’ll know it.

Whether this decision is to put yourself in a sexual situation, committing suicide, or just going to a party, you will regret it later.

DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY, IMPACT THE FUTURE

Make good decisions now, and have a good future later.