DR. PHILLIP BRASSFIELD

God wants His people to grow! The concept of growing in the ways and the will of the Lord is all over Scripture. God equates success with growth!

When God thinks about His people, He generally thinks in agricultural terms. He calls Israel a grapevine, a fig tree, and an olive tree. Scripture describes the righteous as a tree planted by channels of water. Jesus said the Kingdom is like a sower who went forth to sow. The Word of God is called the incorruptible seed. The Apostle Paul calls Jesus the seed to whom the promise was made. Jesus calls Himself a seed that must be planted through death. He also says in John 15, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

The Way God Thinks About Success

When God thinks of success, He thinks of growth and fruitfulness. He seldom thinks in terms of opportunity; He thinks in terms of development. His process is simple: plant a seed (faith), water the seed, pull the weeds (service), grow a crop, harvest the fruit (reward), and then repeat!

God’s idea of success is simple: sow, harvest, and repeat. When God thinks of action and success, He normally thinks in terms of a process—a process called fruitfulness. It begins with a seed that must be sown and leads to a harvest. It begins with sacrifice and ends with multiplication. God doesn’t just think about you having success; He thinks about you being a success!

The first man created, Adam, and the family commissioned to repopulate the earth after the flood heard God say the same thing, “Be fruitful and multiply.” In God’s mind, your life is more like a seed to be planted than a door to be opened.

I have a word for you, and honestly, it transcends any particular time of the year or season. The word is a phrase: Let go and grow!

Psalms 1:1-3 gives us an amazing biblical picture of God’s perspective on all of this:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

Let Me Coach You

This Psalms passage is a great coaching passage. It really provides a simple guideline for success for the believer. I’m a coach, so I like verses that give us guidance, letting us know both what not to do and what to do. Let me share some ideas from this passage that might help you find your way this year.

What Is the “Counsel of the Ungodly?”

It refers to the plans, opinions, and purposes of the wicked (godless). This phrase speaks of associations and influences. We tend to move toward the people and things that inspire us.

The coaching takeaway? Watch your influences and your associations. Ideas are contagious.

To use a relationship metaphor, I used to tell our children when they were old enough to date: “Be careful who you date, because you can’t help who you fall in love with.”

What Does “Stands in the Path of Sinners” Mean?

It speaks of the patterns and practices of sinners. Being friends with sinners is different from living in their patterns and practices, walking in their way of life. Jesus was a friend to sinners, but Scripture is clear – we must not walk like the Gentiles, who walk in the futility of their minds with a darkened understanding, which alienates them from the life of God (Ephesians 4:17-18).

To “Sit in the Seat of the Scornful” Speaks of Attitudes.

Your attitude determines about 90% of your success in life. Attitudes are contagious; they will rub off on you. Your attitude makes you either attractive or repulsive to the people around you.

Together, these three things will largely determine your success this year—or any year, for that matter. Your influences, your patterns and practices, and your attitudes will determine your destiny.

The writer of this passage, after telling us what not to do, gives us clear and amazing advice on what we should do: SEEK GOD! He’s the source of everything! Seek Him in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. Study His Word. Meditate on God and the things of God, and get ready to grow!

The first step in growing in your walk with Him is decreasing your focus on yourself.

COACHING SUGGESTION #1: Keys to Spiritual Growth

Beware of the deception of pride and self-reliance. Seek to be less self-conscious, and become more God-aware.

Pride is content to either lift you up through self-confidence or tear you down with low self-esteem, as long as you remain the central focus of your attention.

Being simply a part of the vine—being obedient to sow a seed—reduces my sense of significance and importance in the process. It is a humbling realization. Pride is the death of growth.

To grow in the Lord, you must agree that without His life force working in you, you can accomplish nothing! Period!

COACHING SUGGESTION #2: You Must Let Go of the Past

A new word for a new season begins with getting over the stuff you went through in the last season. To get a hold of this, you have to let go of that!

Stop thinking about what you’re not, who you aren’t, and what you wish you had—and start determining to grow into the person God wants you to be.

Too often, we keep a close count of our hurts and failures, while dismissing or disregarding our wins and moments of success. It’s human nature, I suppose, but to really thrive in a growing season, you have to, as the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:13:

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”

Paul clearly says he hasn’t arrived, but he advises us to forget the past.

“Let go of it!” “Get over it!” “Make peace with it!”

Reach forward to what lies ahead! You simply cannot grow until you make this very strategic decision!

So, let me make it plain and simple…

Let GO and GROW!

Determine to do these three things in this new season of your life:

• Grow in your faith.

• Grow in your commitment.

• Grow in your giving.

When you do these three things, fruit is on the way! This season of your life can be your best season ever! It’s not up to chance—it’s up to you!

God has already made up His mind!