What if I told you that success, not failure, is what you were created to possess? What if the very DNA that you carry has success written and encoded within it? Well, I have good news for you – it’s true! If you were able to read my blog post, “How to Reprogram Your Mind for Success,” you learned that the Bible gives some key principles for how you can renew your mind for success. I want to continue utilizing some basic truths from the Bible to show how success was part of your DNA when God created you. Let’s discuss why success is a guarantee that you already possess.
The Masterpiece
When you open up the Bible for the first time and start reading from the beginning, you are introduced to the story of creation. The story starts with these words,
“In the beginning, God created…”
Genesis 1:1
Everything else that we read in the story follows this simple but profound statement. It goes on to describe how the Earth and all of its life forms were brought into being by the one we refer to as God. One could think of many words to describe God. As a matter of fact, a quick internet search would reveal nearly 1,000 different names and titles used in the Bible to describe Him. What I find most peculiar is the fact that the very first introduction we get of God is this – The Creator.
After this grand introduction and powerful demonstration of creativity, something significant happened. On the 6th day of creation, after the greatest Artist of all nearly finished His project, He decided it was time to reveal his masterpiece. God then said these words,
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
Genesis 1:26
Creator
Why is this so significant you might ask? Let me explain further. When God decided to make man, He wanted this particular creation to have certain characteristics. He wanted to make man to function like Himself, saying “after our likeness”. So the question now is, what is God like? The very first introduction of God will tell you one very important attribute…He is creative. He made mankind, which includes you, to function like He does. This means that you were born to be a creator of something. Creativity is in your DNA because you came from the originator of all creativity.
One may argue that we are creators in that we reproduce offspring to ensure humanity’s continued existence. It is true that we have a duty of reproducing, however, this same functionality can be found in the life forms that were created before God made man. God did not make everything after His image and likeness, only man, so reproduction cannot be the primary function that makes us like God. Also, there is a difference between procreating , which means to beget or bring forth, and creating, which means to bring something new into existence. It is my belief, and the Bible supports this as well, that each person was already in existence (created) before being “brought forth” through procreation. Therefore, we are not necessarily functioning as creators by simply reproducing offspring.
So it begs the question, have you begun functioning in your God given role as a creator? We are born with the inclination to learn, develop, and ultimately create something great that impacts the world for good. The world and its systems has a way of suppressing, stifling, and sometimes killing this built-in desire to create. If this has happened to you, know that you have not lost the ability to create if you’ve lost the desire. The key now is to activate it by returning to your child-like ways of asking questions, analyzing, and not always accepting the status quo. Creating means bringing change, which isn’t always comfortable. Be confident in this, because you were born to be a disrupter, and don’t stop until you have accomplished what’s lying dormant inside of you. Creativity is vastly important to claiming the success guarantee you possess.
“God created the whole universe in six days and rested one day. Most people haven’t created anything all week and rest for two.“
Grant Cardone
Very Good
God not only introduced himself as Creator, but also demonstrated complete and total success at that which He set out to accomplish. He was so fulfilled in that which He set out to do that He said these words when everything was completed,
” Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good.”
Genesis 1:31
This is a key to how we should feel once we have succeeded in a goal that we have set. Are you able to truly say this about the work that you are doing? You know you’ve finished the task when you can say “very good” about your work. Remember, we are following God’s standard for everything we do, since it was his original plan for us to function like Him. Thus, you should strive for excellence in all that you do. Excellence is a stipulation for claiming the success guarantee you possess.
It is important to note that God did not ask anyone’s opinion of the work that He had done. The story could have read that He asked one of the angels if they thought His finished project was successful or not. He didn’t have to ask an opinion because only He knew what “very good” looked like. Not necessarily because He was God, but rather because He started with an idea in His mind of what the finished project should look like. In other words, I believe God set a goal for forming all of creation, and had a picture in his mind of how the finished product would look. Once completed, He was able to say it was very good, because it looked exactly as He pictured it.
We should all follow the same example when following the purpose, dream, or goal that we have in our heart. How many times have you changed your creation because someone didn’t think it was very good? Let today be the last time you change your work based on another’s opinion. To be clear, I definitely encourage wise counsel and I also value teamwork if a project requires it. What should not happen, however, is a complete shift in your work, business, or creation that totally misrepresents who you are and your God-given vision in the name of conformity. The world has enough conformists, what we need is more creators who will stand by their work and say, “that’s very good.”
“To be one’s self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity.”
Irving Wallace
Guaranteed Success
You now understand the fact that you are God’s masterpiece who is made in His image and destined to function as a creator like Him. The story just gets better from there, however. Not only are you supposed to function like Him but God has essentially guaranteed your success in the area you were made to function in. Let’s look at what the Bible says about this.
“Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food…”
Genesis 2:8-9
So, let me explain the setup here. These are principles showing us how God Himself has guaranteed our success upon arrival. First, God plants a garden Himself when He could’ve told the man to do it. This would have definitely taken some hard work and effort on the part of the man He created. He planted it in a particular place, called Eden, and put the man there. The principle here is that the garden was located in a specific location. If the man had gone anywhere else besides the place God prepared, he would have wasted a lot of time and energy planting his own garden so that he could eat. If you want to guarantee your success, let God put you in the “garden” He planted for you. You will eat a lot better and save yourself a lot of time in the process.
How will you know when you are in the garden God planted specifically for you? Let’s look at the next part of the story. God then goes a bit further than just planting a garden. Next, He causes all kinds of trees to grow, both pleasant to the eyes and good for food. In the Bible, trees are often symbolic of people. The principle here is this – You have found the right garden when other people experience growth while in your presence. The creativity and gifts that lie within you will always benefit those around you when used properly. Notice that it was only after the man was in his proper place that God caused this tremendous growth to happen around him. The man’s job was to get in the garden, God’s job was to make it grow. That’s a pretty sweet deal in my opinion.
Not only did the trees grow when the man got in position, but the story says that the trees were both pleasant to the eyes and good for food. The principle here is that your garden will always bring you much pleasure and fulfillment. One might ask, however, what was the man’s job in the midst of all of this growth? It was very simple according to God,
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
Genesis 2:15
God’s requirement of the man was to put in the work. You can have all of the gifts, talents, and abilities as anyone, but you won’t be successful without putting in the work.
When you function as a creator in the place that you are destined to be by God, others will grow, you will be highly productive, and the level of personal fulfillment will be unmatched. You will also eat well, which is also symbolic of prosperity. In other words, you will continually experience the success guarantee that you already possess.
Final Thoughts
As you have now seen, success is not something that was supposed to be difficult for us. Each and every individual has gifts, talents, and creativity on the inside of them that was meant to benefit someone else. I believe there are specific people that each of us were destined to impact while here on earth. Oftentimes, we believe the lies that tell us we can’t do something. Sometimes, we have wrong, or selfish, motives when utilizing our creativity, which will also limit your ability to succeed. Many, however, have just been in the wrong garden, or place, and are struggling to do things that were already prepared by God for them. When you find your garden and allow your creativity to be unleashed, you will find everything you have desired, and you too will look at it and say, “it is very good.”
If you would like me to pray for you, feel free to submit your request here, and share with someone you know by following me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Let’s start your journey to becoming more.
