1st Corinthians 3:18, “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.”
I don't care who you are, no man or woman will ever truly become successful
without making PLEASING GOD your consuming priority in life. The
wisdom of the world is foolishness with God.
I'm not going to share with you some secular thoughts of wisdom by Earl Nightingale (1921-1989), and these are interesting principles. There is much truth to these principles. Sadly, Napolean Hill, Norman Vincent Peale, Earl Nightingale, and numerous other revered psychologists and higher thinkers of the 20th century left out one very important thing... GOD! Their philosophies piggyback on the Scriptures when it's convenient, but at the heart of their teachings and so-called “secrets” to life, they are utter failures who didn't make PLEASING GOD their most important goal in life. These men speak about money, success and prosperity; but they themselves are fools, capitalizing on this world's covetousness for carnal success.
Secular wisdom centers around the concept that a man is what he thinks about all day. We become what we think about. People with goals succeed, because they know where they're going. Success is not the result of making money, but money is the result of success. Those who are successful in the world know that writing down goals is important. No one wants to be a failure, mediocre, suffering a life filled with worry, fear and frustration. We reap what we sow. If you fill your mind with negative thoughts, then you'll get negative results. If you sow negative thoughts, then your life will be filled with negative things.
Prosperity is always founded upon the law of mutual exchange. Any person who contributes to prosperity must prosper in turn himself. Sometimes prosperity won't come from the people you serve. But it must come to you from someplace, because that's the law. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Your success will always be in direct proportion to your service. You don't receive heat from a stove and then add wood. No, you becoming successful first, then the prosperity comes.
You can only earn money after you're successful. No man can get rich himself unless he enriches others. The prisons and the streets where the lonely walk are filled with people who tried to make new laws just for themselves. We may avoid the laws of man for awhile, but there are greater laws that cannot be broken. God's laws! You get back what you give out. There are no exceptions to the law of mutual exchange. If you believe you can enrich yourself by diluting others, you can end only by diluting yourself. It may take time, but it will happen.
These are all ideas taught by Earl Nightingale. There is much truth to some of these statements. Some are misguided and leave out faith in God. The Gospel is not mentioned. Nothing in this life matters if a person dies in their sins and goes to Hell for all eternity. I've never heard anyone from the famous power-of-positive-thinking crowd preach the Gospel.
First published in 1937, Think and Grow Rich is the result of two decades of research conducted by Napoleon Hill (1883-1970). Andrew Carnegie (the steel tycoon who was then the richest man on earth) gave Hill the assignment of organizing a Philosophy of Personal Achievement. Hill, who was a poor journalist, armed with just an introductory letter from Carnegie, set out to interview over five hundred successful people including Alexander Graham Bell, Charles M. Schwab, Thomas Edison, George Eastman, Henry Ford, William Wrigley Jr. and John D. Rockefeller. Hill then revealed the wisdom of his research in the form of the thirteen steps to success (in Think and Grow Rich) and the seventeen principles of success (in courses and lectures he conducted). Yet, not one word is mentioned about PLEASING GOD.
What about pleasing God? You're a total loser
if you have all the money, pleasures and wealth in this world, but have not
Jesus Christ. Ye must be born again (John 3:5-7). What does it profit a man
if he gain the whole world, yet lose his own soul? Beware of secular
self-help books then center around the human brain, but leave off faith in
God. Nightingale and other like-minded writers always refer to God as a
higher power in one's life. Why not just say God?
Look at the following list of secular books authored by Napolean Hill.
Carefully notice the enticing words that appeal to the sinner's greed,
selfishness and Godlessness...
1919-1920 The Golden Rule Magazine Napoleon Hill edited and published
1928 Law of Success (Ralston Society, Publishers)
1930 The Magic Ladder to Success
1937 Think and Grow Rich
1939 How to Sell Your Way Through Life
1953 How to Raise Your Own Salary
1960 Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
1970 You Can Work Your Own Miracles
Success! More money! Your own miracles! These motivational writers are the Benny Hinn's of the business world. No mention is made of winning souls to Christ. No mention is made of living for others in Jesus' name. No, they only teach that to get you must give. The Bible teaches to give to those who cannot afford to return it, and not expect any return.
In 2012 people are still falling for the same gimmicks of Satan. Anything that promises health, wealth and prosperity is sure to become a best-seller. People are covetous and only make greedy people richer. I'm not an eloquent writer, and my thoughts aren't always very organized when I type; but I love God and know he that feareth God will come forth of them all (Ecclesiastes 7:18).
You know, as I listen to these yardbirds boast of guaranteed success if you THINK POSITIVELY, I am reminded of the Scripture...
Ecclesiastes 9:11, “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”
Napolean Hill, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller and Earl Nightingale all speak as though life will go on forever. They guarantee a positive outcome if you invest a positive income. They arrogantly promise a happy and productive life of peace, wealth and contentment if you think positive, set goals and avoid anything negative. The Bible says as you just read in Ecclesiastes 9:11 that “time and chance happeneth to them all.”
It's hard to think positive when your 6-years-old son is playing hide-n-seek from his little sister and they find his lifeless body in a junked microwave the next day. It was an older model and the door locked from the inside. The manufacturer never imagined that a small child would crawl inside and close the door. The boy died. Can you imagine how those parents feel? Many people have heavy burdens and sorrows, and they don't need the power-of-positive-thinking. Let's just pretend it didn't happen, right? Let's focus on happy things, right? No way! Those parents have every right to grieve for the rest of their life. What they need is the HOPE of the Scriptures. The HOPE that only comes from knowing that Jesus Christ died, was buried and AROSE FROM THE DEAD! Amen and amen!
The following Scriptures are a million times more encouraging to me then some stupid mental books written by Napolean Hill, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, Earl Nightingale and hundreds of other Modernists...
Romans 8:32-34, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
What precious Scriptures! God Who gave up His only begotten Son is going to also give us all things as His children in eternity. We don't deserve any of it, but God loves us and has promised a brighter future in Christ Jesus (John 16:33).
None of them includes the Lord in their future plans as the Bible commands. James 4:15, “For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
The Bible says a wise man wins souls (Proverbs 11:30). All the worldly motivational speakers know that pursuing money is wrong, so they say to seek success and then money will come. It's just a backdoor approach to the same health, wealth and prosperity garbage taught by Charismatics worldwide today in the churches.
Revelation 4:11 says that all things (that includes man) were created to PLEASE GOD. Are you pleasing to God? Do your thoughts please God? (Proverbs 24:12) Are your feet beautiful to God from carrying the Gospel to lost sinners? (Romans 10:15) Do your goals please God? Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” I wouldn't give you a dime for any book, teacher, author, college, sermon, speech, philosophy or group that doesn't glorify God by including the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His inspired Words in the Bible (John 6:63; 17:17). Keep your secular garbage, I'm going to please God day-by-day and moment-to-moment. Enoch had this testimony the Bible says, that HE PLEASED GOD!
James 3:13, “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”
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Key to
success or failure.
We become what we think about.
A man is what he thinks about all day long.
The opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity.
People with goals succeed, because they know where they're going.
No man is a true success who fails to make pleasing God his most important
goal!
