A blueprint for success… that is what has made my life one frustrating experience after another.

I gave my life to the Lord in November 1963 in complete and full submission, little knowing that the path I was beginning to walk down would begin to challenge everything I had grown to believe and trust in for 19 years. My blueprint for success was about to become a blueprint for “overcoming” success.

There is a very negative side to being a strong, independent person; the side that no one really sees.  What the world sees is a man or woman of success who takes on life’s challenges as if they were nothing more than opportunities to prove just how strong they really are. If it looked like something that couldn’t be done, it was the very thing I took head on. If it looked like it could be done, I wasn’t interested. It was only the challenge that required me to do something I had no training for that got me excited. The reward was not in the end result but in the personal satisfaction of showing the world that what they thought I couldn’t do — I did.

The only problem was that it always led to unsatisfying results.

Failure to reach the top only meant finding an alternate route. But every time I completed a challenge and climbed to the top of the hill there was nothing there but momentary, fleeting happiness. And it was always followed by tumbling back down and beginning the search for another hill to climb: from high school to college to the navy, from Viet Nam to Top Gun, from flight testing to business and from ministry to family. It didn’t matter; the result was always the same until I began to ask some very honest questions of the person in the mirror.

Can my spirit ever be in control in the face of the desires of my flesh?

Is there a plan, a blueprint for overcoming my flesh?

How can my spirit overcome my brain, and take control once and for all? 

Have you ever asked yourself any of those questions? I am asking a lot more frequently these days.  For me it’s been a real struggle for the past 46 years. A real tug-of-war between my spirit and my flesh, and the more I have sought the Lord the more difficult it’s become. But then I guess I’m in good company; Paul struggled with that battle all his life (Rom 7:15-20).

The Lord has been working with me on this issue for a long time and most recently He took me back to an old familiar place; the sixth chapter of Matthew. I’ve been here many times for many different reasons and have always found the answer to be the same in all cases; trust. But this time there was a challenge thrown down in front of me. Look at 6:24 – and let’s use the Living Translation this time:

Matt 6:24 “You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around. TLB

I know, you are asking the same question I did; what does that have to do with it? 

The point came home after some soul searching. It’s all about who comes first. That part was easy to get hold of. God has to come before me in the equation and as long as I am trying to remain in control that isn’t going to happen — I got that. But that still left me with the problem of how to overcome “the problem.” How am “I” supposed to do that? Paul couldn’t and I’m nowhere near fitting into his sandals.

But with the challenge of verse 24, the Lord also gave me the answer in verses 25-34; don’t worry, “you” can’t!

While He was talking about “riches” in verse 24 He was also referring to whatever it is that your flesh is seeking that is more important than your relationship with Him. What is your flesh worrying about that is taking your focus off of Him? For me it has been the challenge of success in whatever I am doing; including His ministry. And along with that pursuit of success goes the worry about pending failure. It became a vicious circle that I have not been able to break out of; my fleshly desires and concerns over my spiritual needs; even in pursuit of Him.

But it’s funny how He gets through to me. While I was busy arguing the “things” He talked about in verses 25-32 — food and clothing —– didn’t make sense, He just asked me to substitute the issue I was dealing with. So where did that leave me (us)? Well, it took me some time to get it through my thick head but when I did it all made sense.

It boils down to which master are we serving; Jesus or yourself? Verse 24 makes it clear that we can’t serve both. In my struggle to achieve — even in His ministry — I often found myself serving my flesh; I wanted to succeed. He doesn’t want us taking the lead and battling on our own. It’s a battle we can’t win and will only result in worry about how we are going to accomplish the task at hand. The key in His description of all the “things” we worry about in verses 25-32 is that, at the end of the day, they just separate us from Him and His power. The very power we have within us to get the job done.

How are we to win the battle of the flesh and the spirit? Strangely — not to worry about it. The more we worry and struggle the more we inhibit The Spirit’s power in our life. And to that end it all comes down to verses 33-34:

Matt 6:33-34 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 

Let me put it in perspective. The more I wanted to succeed in what God has called me to do the harder I tried; just as I had always done in every other endeavor in my life. The results were always the same — finish the task/challenge and the empty feeling would always be there. Or, more often than not, I would get frustrated in dealing with all the issues surrounding the task/challenge. The problem — I was doing it all in my own power. Why? Because that was the only way I knew how to get things done that someone asked me to do … Ok, I’ve got it, now move over and let me get it done! 

But that is not how God works with those that love Him. For Him it’s all about building a relationship built on “love” and “trust.” How often I have forgotten that He never asks me to do anything that He is not prepared to equip me to do and see it through to the end. And He never asks me to do something that He expects me to accomplish in my own strength and power. For as I noted earlier, when I do rely on myself the results are far less than expected. And while I’m cleansing my soul here, there is one more piece of the puzzle that is critical.

Why do I continually seek earthly rewards when I know that they negate my heavenly rewards?

For me the answer is … it has always been about gratifying the flesh and not serving The Spirit. And there are two problems with that: 1) The only reward you are going to get is what you receive here on earth, and 2) its just one more obstacle placed between you and the Lord. Giving place to the power of the flesh will overrule and override the power of The Spirit. Remember, the Holy Spirit “is” a gentleman and He will never force Himself upon us. And that’s why worrying is such a devastating thing.

When we are acting in our own power we are always worrying if we will get it right or succeed. When we are operating in the power of The Spirit we not only have His power in operation but we can add to that His wisdom, His grace and His peace. None of which are we tapping into when we strike out on our own.

It has taken me so many years to get my arms around this truth. And like Paul, now that I have it I know it will be a struggle to keep it front and center in my thinking. Our flesh is a powerful force and presents a battle for us that we “cannot” win. Our only hope is in the power of The Spirit.

As Matthew 6 tells us, we can’t serve both ourselves and Jesus. We are going to wind up loving one and hating the other. To choose to serve Him and relinquish our right to self choice — die to self — is a hard one to make. But at the end of the day it is the only choice to make. And that may very well entail the loss of today’s rewards. But think about it. Trusting in Him brings with it a peace that we can never attain ourselves.

So now I’ve got it wired; right? Not hardly. But what I do have is yet another piece of the puzzle to help me keep things in balance. God made me the way I am and the strength and drive He has given me are for a purpose. They didn’t go away or dissolve the moment I asked Him to be the Lord of my life. It’s just that I need to focus on and trust in when, where and how He wants to use them. And the task/challenge at hand becomes a whole lot easier and far more successful when I don’t worry about who gets the credit/reward.

Are you struggling with who’s in control? Are you worried about things in your life that no matter how hard you try to control them, they always seem to control you? As a result is your life full of worry and frustration? Perhaps it’s time to set your own agenda aside and focus on His plan for your life. He made you, gifted you and equipped you — but who you serve is up to you.

Maybe, like me, you need to start using His Blueprint For Overcoming Success.