Handling Success Wisely

I was taking stock of the year 2023, and the Lord just dropped the topic for today in my Spirit. I was surprised because I thought I was done with “Believers Business Class” posts for the year.

Well, I have come to know that if the Lord wants something and is standing with a “bombastic side eye” looking at you, it is wise for you to drop whatever you are doing and get into work mode.

So I went into my inner chamber- The Loo, to commune and find out the heart of the Lord concerning the topic he gave me.

Only geniuses will understand the sacredness of The Loo and the dividends that follow when it comes to idea generation. Anyway, that being said, I dug deep to understand the heart of the Father and waited to be taught.

Let’s dive right into the crux of the matter.

Amos 6:1 says: Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

There is a tendency to become complacent when you have hit your targets back to back and have consistently achieved all your business goals.

There is a certain kind of arrogance, carefree attitude or bloated confidence that might creep in as you find yourself hitting all your revenue milestones without stress.

You tend to forget that the success you have experienced or are experiencing should serve as momentum for the next level which God has for you, and not fuel for your ego, or an avenue to “paint the town red” or “measure up with the Joneses”, who I think have left Nigeria for Canada.

Here is what the bible says about people who have not learnt how to handle success properly, who get drunk on their laurels and who have not mastered delayed gratification in Ecclesiastes 10:16-17 (NLT).

It says: What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning.

Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.

The Message Translation puts it this way: Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup, And whose princes party all night.

Lucky the land whose king is mature, Where the princes behave themselves And don't drink themselves silly.

According to King James, Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

The tendency to become complacent when success comes has destroyed many great men. In 2 Samuel 11: 1-2, you find King David falling for this trap.

In verse 1, the Bible says: In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

It was his staying back at home, instead of being at the war front that led him to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life - committing adultery and then killing the husband of the woman whom he slept with because she got pregnant for him.

Samson is another example of a man who became carefree when he became successful.

He did not cultivate the discipline required to maintain and sustain the level of success he had attained. He put his confidence in his abilities alone.

One of the things that happened to him was that they gorged out his eyes (Judges 16:21). That is, he no longer could champion the vision. You lose focus when you get carried away by the success that was meant to spur you to greater things.

Another thing that happened was that his insistence on making decisions based on the previous data he had, led to his downfall.

Pride, complacency and over-confidence will keep you from learning. You will feel like Samson, that you can shake yourself as before and throw all the soldiers down in one breath (Judges 16:20).

As you begin to succeed, one thing you should watch is your close circle. It must be thin. Only roll with people going where you are going.

Withdraw yourself from anyone who shows any sign of competition and envy. It is very dangerous and unhealthy to hang around with such people (Judges 16:16-19).

Keep your eyes on the goal and let your achievements spur you to launch out for more. Do not relax and let complacency creep in.

Merry Christmas and thank you for always reading my articles. See you in 2024.

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