Five Steps To Success

by Jason A. Aguilar

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way. God delights in the process we have to go through in order to be successful. People need to stop trying to hit quick solutions with the "lottery mentality." People today despise and discard the process, when God delights in it. God is pleased in your process and not just your destination. Do you know why? God gets glory out of the process. He is glorified not just where you end up but He's glorified in what you've learned along the way. If you are ever going to be successful, you will have to learn and accept that there are steps involved in getting there.

The mission work here in Long Island New York had steps. The first year was a honeymoon period where the pastor could do nothing wrong. The second year was a discouraging period where the pastor could do nothing right. The third year someone had to go. A conflict period set in. This month, October 2007, we celebrate the fourth year of our mission work here in New York. God has now set us up for success. It is time for a period of growth. We are already seeing the signs of this wave of blessing in route and headed for the east coast.

Jesus was clear in Luke 14 when He said that if you want to build something great you should expect opposition. He said count the "cost." Considering the "cost" is more than dollars. The price is your time, preparation, and the adversity you must overcome. Jesus, by the process of elimination, is choosing His disciples. A true disciple understands and accepts the "price" that must be paid to follow Jesus.

Now it is time to "Step It Up." The first step to success is "Planning." Success is intentional. Nothing changes by accident; you have to work a plan for the plan to work. And this is where some Christians have a problem; we are taught to pray but not to work a plan. You need a strategic, well-thought-out plan that will help you get ready for each level of growth. Remember this, with new levels comes new devils!

Step two is "Positioning." If you study successful people, you may notice they don't just work hard in a focused way, they position themselves. Are you lined up for success? One of the things I have learned as a parent is the importance of aiming our children at something. Psalms 127:4 says, "Children are like arrows in the hand of a mighty man." Arrows are only affective if they are aimed at something.

"Partnering" is the next step up. Good partners complete, not compete. This is best learned in a marriage. Most marriages fail because one partner tries to make the other like them. We thank God for the wonderful partners He has given us in this project to establish the east coast for the Kingdom. You, who have partnered with us, have completed our ministry here. It is our partners who have made the vision possible.

Step four is "Planting." Planting is always an act of faith. Whether you are planting a garden, trying to have to have a child, starting a business or planting a church, you have to believe that what you are planting is going to be productive.

The final step is "Patience." Always remember that your job is to plant the seed and to cultivate it but only God gives the increase. The harvest will come at harvest time and no sooner. The fruit God gives will be the fruit God chooses, especially for you.

Isaiah 55:10-11
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.