Success means to achieve your aim, turn out as expected or achieve your goals. Success is impossible without clear intentions and specific goals. Attempting to succeed without having specific goals is like playing soccer without a goal post. Scoring a goal will be difficult and one never experiences the exhilaration and fulfillment that comes from achieving a definite target. The key word that defines success is fulfillment.

God created and designed us and He has the ultimate definition of success for our lives. Therefore, discovering and achieving God’s goals for your life is the ultimate. The Bible makes it clear that we will all account for our lives on earth (Luke 12: 16-21). Have goals within the context of God’s goals for your life. God has a purpose, a plan and a reason for creating you (Romans 8:28-29). Know that your destiny was defined before your life started (Jeremiah 1:4-5, Hebrews 4: 1-3) just as Christ is described as the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). He did not start existing 2000 years ago. We enter our rest when we bring ourselves into alignment with God’s purpose for our lives (Hebrews 4: 1 – 3).

For us, as Christians, Jesus Christ is our ultimate model of success. He found alignment with His purpose for coming to this world. He spent 33 short years on earth, yet the world will never be the same. We need to ask God “Why am I on earth?”

Find out what your purpose is. Your purpose will always involve adding value to other people’s lives. Marriage, money or careers will not bring lasting fulfillment. Redemption (being born again) is the foundation for the fulfillment of God’s intention in our lives. God is calling us to partner with Him to fulfill His plans . . . .

Another important success secret is vision. Vision can be described as a dream or a mental picture of a preferable future. To be the best God has designed you to be, you must engage your imagination. Every person has the ability to turn their thoughts into pictures in their mind. Dreams take you beyond the limits of human ability and physical constraints. Ephesians 3:20 clearly states, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Unfortunately, many people focus on the “asking” part of that verse and forget about “thinking” part, even though God places both on the same level.

Great works are products of deep thoughts (Psalms 92:5). In Genesis 15:5, God taught Abraham how to get a new vision about his descendants by bringing him out of his tent and asking him to count the stars. In Genesis 37: 5-9, Joseph had a dream and he did not let his brothers’ antagonism stop him from continuing to dream. Eventually, his dreams came to pass. Thoughts are very powerful and you attract the equivalent of your most dominant thoughts into your life. Without a dream or vision, a person is sunk. Dreaming makes it easy for God to bless you because He can then work with the pictures in your mind. You must have a God-given dream!