We would all agree life can be difficult. Pressures of daily living sometimes overwhelm us, relationships can disappoint us and our own expectations may go unmet. How do we reconcile our experiences with the idea that God wants us to be successful? Consider the evidence confirming that He desires us to succeed.

A Plan and a Purpose

God has a plan for our lives. There is a general purpose revealed in Scripture that applies to all believers as well as a specific design for each individual. (Ephesians 2:10)

His Presence

God does not ask us to work out our own success; He sent the Holy Spirit to answer our questions and to guide us in our decision-making process. (John 16:13)

Special Gifts

The Lord has provided each of us with spiritual gifts selected to fit with what He wants us to do in life. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11) Our part is to learn what our gifts are and to use them as God directs.

24-Hour Communication

God, who has given us the privilege of prayer, has much to tell us. He invites – and urges – us to stay in touch with Him and talk things over. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

God has given each of us inborn desires to achieve the purpose He has in mind. He plans to fulfill those desires by transforming us into Christ’s image. Regardless of our difficulties, we are to believe the evidence that He wants us to succeed, and we should respond in obedience. Real success occurs when we act more and more like Jesus.

Take the next step:
Choosing to be content
Take a lesson: Finding contentment
The path to peace

  There are a lot more ways you can use your story to help people discover Jesus. My Story is an incredible video-based program that walks you through the process of creating your unique story. Order your copy today!

There was an emptiness in my heart that could not be filled.

I grew up knowing God but had no real connection to Him. Growing up was different for me than most other children because I never knew my earthly father. My family always did the very best they could for me, but they could never fill the emptiness I felt in my heart.

I led a good life and strived for perfection in everything. I thought by trying to do everything perfectly, there would never be a reason for anyone to pass unfavorable judgment on me. On the outside it looked like I had everything, but on the inside I was bitter and empty.

When I met my father for the first time it filled the void in my heart but it also created a new longing.

In 1997, God gave me the one thing I had always desired: I met my dad for the first time. Meeting him not only filled the void I felt in my heart, but it also caused me to seek a personal relationship with Jesus. I had never really paid a lot of attention to God before other than to get down on my knees with a wish list.

Through an advertisement in the newspaper, I learned about and started attending a ladies’ church group. One day while reading my Bible, I recognized I owed everything to God and prayed to receive Jesus into my life. After this I didn’t immediately feel like a changed person, so I thought I had done something wrong.

A banner advertising a website caught my attention and began a surprising series of events.

In January 2001, I noticed the “Power to Change” banners on some of the churches around our neighborhood and I connected with Power to Change online.

When I logged on to their Christian chat line, the chat hostess engaged me in a conversation. We talked about my spiritual life and I told her I wasn’t sure that I was even a Christian because I hadn’t been going to church. The hostess responded by walking me through the process of how to receive Christ, which I indicated I had already done.

So she began sharing with me how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s when I came to realize that even though I had accepted Jesus into my life, I was still living the life of a defeated Christian. I prayed to give control of my life to God. I believe the Lord made a divine appointment that night on the chat session and the very goodness of God is what led me there.

The next week, I returned to the chat room. Amazingly, I learned that the hostess and I lived in the same town! She referred me to a local church where I got involved in the ALPHA discipleship program.

Since then my life has been completely transformed. I am now truly at peace with God.

That is not to say nothing ever goes wrong, but now I draw on the power of the Holy Spirit. There is now purpose in everything I do. God has been so good and I am thankful for the incredible work He has done in my heart.

Now, today, I’m back in the Christian Women Today chat room, but this time, I’m serving as a volunteer hostess. I get to encourage women like I once was—searching the Internet for spiritual answers.

A verse that is particularly meaningful for me is: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Is this the life for me?

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised. Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

Take the next step:

Join the conversation with the following discussion questions:

Some of us will be wildly successful in life. Some will make a lot of money while others will struggle. Success means something different to each of us. Sometimes it’s about money. Sometimes it’s about finding something you’re passionate about. We look for new opportunities to succeed. Where does that drive to succeed come from? Like Bailee, even through challenges it’s possible to be humbled by success.

Take the next step:

Discovering what matters most
Making the most of a business opportunity
We all have cravings. Do you crave success?

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it?

Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day. You could be dreaming of a successful career. Maybe you wish you could be an actor like Bailee. We dream but there are also things in the past we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Are you ready to choose a different path?

Jesus came, and died, and rose again to wipe the slate clean. He was scourged, tormented, and finally nailed on the cross for humankind’s sins – this was all part of God’s plan to bring you and I back into relationship with him. God wants to be a part of your life … in fact, not just a part of your life, but wants you to live in full fellowship with Him. Is this the life for you?

God loves you and created you to know Him personally. He longs for you to have the kind of full life you were always meant to have. So why do people not experience this kind of life? People are lost and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love. Because of our sins, we justly deserve judgement. But God provided his Son, Jesus Christ, as the only provision for our sin. He died in our place, then he rose from the dead.

We must individually trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally, receive forgiveness for our sins, and experience His love: “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12)

We trust God through faith. You can trust Christ right now by faith through prayer! (Prayer is just talking with God.) God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?

Putting God first in our lives means putting ourselves out there. The possibility of rejection is always present. Sharing our faith takes work. It takes reliance on God to overcome those challenges. Through challenging moments, Bailee simply talks to her best friend – God. We should all do the same.

Bailee confidently assures others that if you have God in your life, if you just look to your Heavenly Father – despite struggles and hard times – He is always watching over you. The knowledge that God is watching over us should have an impact on our lives daily. God is watching when we take the step to share our faith with others. He will bring us through whatever challenges we need to overcome after taking that step. Look at the wonder of who God is. Reach for Him and go forward willing to share your faith.

Take the next step:

Make an impact on stranger’s life. Share your faith.
Finding the right words to share our faith can be hard. God will give you the words.
Use your story to share the message of Christ.

What does worship mean to you? Here is an online Bible study to guide you.

The second aspect of Paul’s definition of who we are in Christ is: we are the ones who worship by the Spirit of God.  To worship means to show reverence, honor and intense love, as well as to perform acts of service, toward an object or being.  Although others may worship celebrities, sports heroes or less tangible idols like money, success or power, as believers we worship the living God.

Not only is who we worship critical, but also how we worship. We worship by the Spirit of God.  Therefore our worship flows not from our humanity, but from God who dwells within us.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “[A] time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23, 24, NIV).

No longer are we trapped in the mold of the Old Testament days where the High Priest approached God on our behalf with the blood of animals. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, His Spirit lives within us, allowing us to enter into the very presence of God.  Our acts of worship are not external rituals that draw attention to us, but rather they are acts of surrender and service with our whole heart, body, mind and spirit, made possibly through the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).

Thank you, Holy God, for making a way for me to worship you in spirit and in truth. Amen.

Questions: What does worshipping in spirit and in truth look like in your life? How have you been challenged to make sure your worship is not merely an external ritual?