survival,
success or significance?
By Tony Miller
For centuries the
Church has moved forward, not on the shoulders of "superstars," but rather
through those who have borne the scars of conflict and adversity and refused to
quit. Break free from old cycles and break through to your destiny.
The greatest challenge for many people who are seeking to affect change in their
generation is breaking free from the “Survival Syndrome.” They spend their lives
trapped in the same cycle that the children of Israel experienced in the
wilderness. Because of their fear, they refused to enter the land of promise.
Intimidated by the giants, they were left to wander, circling the same territory
over and over.
It is these same cycles of defeat and discouragement that keep men and women,
who God has destined for greatness, paralyzed and unfruitful. They find
themselves always at the same point, fighting the same battles, covering the
same territory. It is time to breakout.
Information is your avenue to transformation. The old adage, “junk in, junk
out,” is true. The information you feed into your spirit will determine the
destination of your life. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of
it flow the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23 NAS).
I have no problem hanging out with people that do not have anything. I have been
with people who did not have the nicest clothes or the highest level of
education. They did not drive the best cars, live in upscale neighborhoods or
have offices in ivory towers. They worked normal jobs, raised a family and faced
the same situations of life that everyone else encountered. Yet, they were
alive, alert and expectant.
What I do have a problem with is being with people who do not want to be
anything. These people will drain your energy and creativity, rob you of your
motivation and paralyze your effectiveness. Their prison is not made of metal –
it is made of “mental.” In other words, they have wrong information, causing
what I call “stinking thinking” that limits their impact.
A good friend once told me that most of our society is living in one of three
stages of life – survival, success or significance – with the majority locked up
in the first stage. Indeed, most of the world’s population spends its energy and
time in the first stage trying to survive. Living from paycheck to paycheck,
from crisis to crisis, their life is cyclical. They are caught in a web of
Satan’s deception believing “that’s just how life is.”
 This group of believers
are the ones who shout over the abundant life that Jesus came to bring them on
Sunday, yet are depleted of spiritual vitality by Friday. Is it any wonder why
we are not affecting the world and changing the course of history? Jesus never
intended for us to live our lives as a victims or in a cycle of survival. Listen
to the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah: “I know the plans I have for you
declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future
and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NAS).
We must believe God’s opinion of our lives and our potential. We must stop
living by everybody else’s opinions and experiences. We must start believing His
report. The information we need to break free from that cycle is revealed by the
Holy Spirit. He will be our teacher. He will walk us into freedom.
Once we experience a breakthrough in our thinking and lifestyle we can move into
the second stage – success. This is where we have recognized that the plans the
Lord has for our lives are good and can produce fruit that is pleasing and
gratifying. Through obedience to God’s Word and patterns, we can begin to enjoy
the “good of the land.” We will find that the favor of the Lord brings promotion
and honor. Yet, success is never a satisfying commodity. Even after obtaining
the things that are the marks of success in most people’s eyes, there remains
emptiness.
I have met men who have reached the pinnacle of success in their jobs and moved
to the head of the line among their peers. They have worked hard, planned well,
gotten out of debt, and put their children through college. At a time when you
would think they would feel a sense of joy over their success in life, they go
through a crisis and want to leave their family, friends and surroundings. Why?
Because success was never meant to be a satisfier. Success is only a motivator,
a journey to a greater end. We were created to be successful, but that is not
the end.
Sadly, for many the message of becoming successful is the end. When we make
success the ultimate goal, then confusion, frustration and the cycles of
emptiness begin to reappear. We were designed for significance. We were created
to make a difference. Our lives were uniquely designed to fill a place that only
we can fill. No one can do the job like you, no one else can take your place.
Each of us are important to God’s plan and purposes.
In order for us to reach for the highest level of living, we must understand
what significance is and what significance is not. Many times we confuse
significance with prominence. Because someone is visible, given distinguished
recognition or location, we believe they are more important than we are and
should be esteemed. Yet, God is never impressed with our title, position or
talent. His eyes are drawn to people who function according to design.
“For even as the body is one and {yet} has many members, and all the members of
the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ...But now God
has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1
Corinthians 12:12,18 NAS). When we were placed in the Body of Christ, we were
fashioned for fruitfulness and function. Though I may not be visible
(prominent), I am still necessary and important (significant).
When I was growing up I had a friend whose mother was in a car accident. During
the accident she suffered several lacerations, one of which cut off part of her
nose. It was not a pleasant situation, and for many months it caused her to
retreat in seclusion and embarrassment. She had a college education, a great job
and respect among her peers, but she was paralyzed with fear after her
unfortunate accident and dismembering.
After months of depression, one day she realized, “I am still a person of value.
Nothing has been taken from me that is necessary or important for me to fulfill
my dreams.” She got up the next morning, returned to work, and has enjoyed a
very successful career ever since then. Your nose may be prominent on your body,
but it is not essential to live or accomplish goals in life. However, you do
have vital organs, such as your liver and spleen, that no one ever recognizes.
Yet, without their function you would die.
In the Body of Christ today I am moved by what I see and hear. There is more
emphasis put on prominence and visibility than on function and necessity. Some
people believe that if it is not on Christian television or in someone’s
magazine, then it is not fruitful or necessary. I challenge that thinking.
For centuries the Church has moved forward, not on the shoulders of
“superstars,” but rather through those who have borne the scars of conflict and
adversity and refused to quit. They are God’s unknown soldiers – they understand
that what God has placed in their hands to do, no one else could do. They are
willing to work, enduring difficult situations and even harsh persecution
without even a moment of recognition or position. They knew that the world may
never know their names, but the cause for which they were laboring had important
consequences, so they were faithful.
The Holy Spirit is challenging Christians in this hour to realize we cannot live
for ourselves. We must realize that we were designed for significance. That
means we cannot settle for relief from the survival cycle only, nor can we be
content to just succeed. We must be determined to declare, “My life will make a
difference!”
Much of the religious world has become intoxicated with popularity and being
“politically correct.” This is an arrogance that has overcome many preachers who
think, “If I am well known and bringing in large offerings, then I am
important.” Sadly, much of what is being done today in the American Church makes
money and a lot of noise, but little difference in the neighborhoods and cities
in which we reside.
Our significance will only be understood when we find our identity in Christ. We
never really understand who we are or why we were created apart from Jesus
Christ. The Apostle Paul declared the truth of the ages to the philosophical
group of “high thinkers” living around Mars Hill, that it is: “in Him we
live...move...and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
The Son of God Himself was not commissioned into the ministry without revealing
His identity and being given affirmation. “And after being baptized, Jesus went
up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw
the Spirit of God descending as a dove, {and} coming upon Him, and behold, a
voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17 NAS).
What had Jesus done up until that point in ministry? No blind eyes had been
opened, no dead person had been raised. Yet, God declared, “I am well pleased.”
We must realize that we were designed by a Master Creator. His plans for us are
more than just to exist – to take up space on the earth or take up space under
the earth when we die. You were designed for significance. The purpose for your
life involves you being an instrument in His hands to strategically impact our
world.
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