This is a stunning article that will speak to your soul, from a woman who has searched the depths of her own soul and then managed to get it on to paper, in words.  I think your own soul will be touched if you read this paper.

The Strong Watchman

Success Vs. Failure

Written by Dori Eddolls

When you believe you are a failure and will never succeed or should never succeed because of past failure, you are paralyzed.

Common things that people worry about when thinking of success:

1. My old life, which I used to be, the things I have done will come out.

2. People will judge me on past sin.

3. What if I make a mistake? Then people will really judge me.

THE TRUTH is... while we were yet sinners, God's enemies, Christ died for us! Being born again makes all things new and past sin has become the testimony of Christ's life within us. They are simply what we have been saved from.

In reality we all judge each other already. The question then MUST become will we be pleasers of man or a pleaser of God?

I would like to take a moment here and weigh the two options.

If I am a pleaser of man, what good will come from it?

If I am a pleaser of man, will I be satisfied?

Will man ever say to me well done?

Will man ever heal my broken soul?

Will man ever be able to offer eternal life?

Will man give me peace?

Will man be God?

If I am a pleaser of God, what good will come from it?

If I am a pleaser of God, will I be satisfied?

Will God ever say to me well done?

Will God ever heal my broken soul?

Will God ever be able to offer eternal life?

Will God give me peace?

Will God be God?

Choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house WE WILL serve the LORD!!!

Realize this, whatever people say it is probably true. We are after all sinners and our hearts are deceitful beyond all things and beyond cure, who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

The blood of the Lamb has forgiven past sin. Either His blood is enough, or we are liars. For I have been crucified with Christ, and yet I live!! And live we must.

No more just surviving, no more believing lies, we must no longer be paralyzed, this is no longer an option.

Success is only a word. When the Father of love says, well done good and faithful servant, then I will know that I have reached "success".

Whatever the cost!! Even it means standing up with shaking body and quivering voice. Even if it means others won't fully understand and mock, even it means criticism and judgment, based on past sin. Believing the lord, believing the calling on our lives. WHY?????

BECAUSE HE HAS PLANS TO PROSPER US, PLANS OF HOPE AND A FUTURE!!!!!

Jesus reigns and rules in my life. I am no longer satisfied by anything else. I will no longer say to my maker, why have you made me thus. I will only say use me.

This is my calling. Thank you Jesus.

In life the very thing that we crave is also the very thing that we fear.

When given the opportunity to shine for Jesus, there is an immediate FREAK OUT that the Light of Christ is shinning through us. People in general love to see the Lord at work thru others. However, when He shines thru another fellow believer, say one that you know, the tendency is to become jealous and angry, that is where criticism comes from.

How come they get...? How come I didn't..? Well you know they have this issue or they DID thus or so...

Somehow this makes us feel better about our personal LACK of accomplishment. We cling to our position of judgment, and hold ourselves in bondage and then say things like, " well, this is just where God has me".

Do we not believe His word when He says He is doing a new thing!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Seeing how easy it is to fall into this trap, can we not give grace to those who we know? To those we "say" we love?? Why are we not over joyed when it is someone close to us? Do we not realize that we are privileged to see them and know them as God knows them?

Lets flip it around for a moment.

What if you are genuinely happy for the person, would they believe you? Having been witness to friendships being broken over such things, I am sad to say they do not always believe you.

This very thing being all the more reason to be pleasers of God!

God wants the body to work as the body. We must (live) find our positions and work in that position for the GLORY of God.

He is coming soon! Will He find us in the calling that He has called us to? Or will He find us complacent, distracted, not working; all because we are the knee and we want to be the nose. Complaining because He made us this way and we want to be something else?? Really?? Is that what we want? His wrath will be unleashed on those who defy His order. Either we are part of the body or we are not.

Therefore, whatever you do, do it whole-heartedly before the Lord. As my beautiful sister once said, even if it is sweeping the floor;)

Praise God from whom all blessing flow! Remember, EVERY good and perfect gift comes from God. We have been gifted with much. Do you see it? Do you believe it? Then walk ye therefore in it!