Are you a WINNER???

  

Bible Passages:

v      Philippians 3:14

¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

v      Philippians 1:10

¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ

Introduction

While most people believe that the pursuit of success is a modern day obsession, nothing could be further from the truth. Down through the ages, ambitious men and women have pursued lofty goals and aspirations with the hope of achieving financial and physical comforts. Even in the Bible, we can see verses and passages that teach us how to be successful. Do you want to be successful? Another word for success is winning. Are you a winner? Do you have the qualities of a winner?

Qualities of a WINNER:

1. FOCUSED.

-    One of the biggest challenges in achieving our goal is being able to stay focused. To be focused, our wants should be very clear to us. We should have a clear picture of what we want to achieve. Like in winning, it should be clear in our mindset that we want to win for us to be able to win. Then staying focused on our goal—winning, is very important. There may be very much noise around us but these noises or distractions should not be entertained. Staying focused is a key to winning.

2. SELF-CONTROL.

-    Self-control is saying “no” to ungodliness (behaviour that does not please God) and worldly passions (allowing things to be so important to you that they contribute to sinful behaviour). The Bible indicates that everyone is to be self-controlled. When we choose to have the Holy Spirit live inside of us, God helps us to maintain self-control. Self-control is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Ask God to help you remember to ask for help when you are tempted to lose self-control.

3. SELF-DISCIPLINE.

-    You will never achieve any modicum of success without being self disciplined—John Shackleton. Self-discipline is need for us to be successful. Just like staying focused on our goals, self- discipline should also be included in the package. What should be done now, should be done—one implication of having self-discipline. Successful people are willing to get up earlier, stay up later, work harder and never stop. They will outpace their competition every time. Why? Because self-discipline isn’t a once in a while thing—it is a process. We need to work it out through frequent practice and consistency.

4. PERSEVERANCE.

-    Perseverance is commitment, hard work, patience, and endurance. Perseverance is being able to bear difficulties calmly and without complaint. Perseverance is trying again and again. Perseverance in needed for us to win. “Winners never quit, and quitters never win!”

5. PASSIONATE.

-    Loving what you do is essential to a successful life. The need for passion depends entirely on your personal values. Loving what you do can help us have focus on our goals.

6. GOD-DEPENDENT.

-    Trust in the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. Trusting God is the most important ingredient to success. Many books would teach us to trust ourselves, trust our abilities, trust your guts, your instincts, etc. But the Bible clearly says that we should not put our trust on man, much more ourselves. Only trusting God will lead us to a successful life. Being dependent on God simply expresses that we can do nothing without God. Thus, God would reveal his power through us.

A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents,

works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.
-Larry Bird-