Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

One of life’s most prized moments is success.   There’s cost involved when one is seeking success.  There’s a cost behind every challenge; some are quite expensive, when others are inexpensive.

One will never know the cost in the challenge until they engage.  This goes hand in hand with taking a leap of faith.

Challenges reflects change, when one is willing to take on challenges, they basically are ready for change.   I’ve heard the phrase said many times “going against the grain.”  When treading new ground for the purpose of making changes for the betterment of the community, you may not have a lot of cheerleaders.  Some may be ready for change while others may not.   Others may have more of a negative impact on your challenge/challenges.   This is considered the grain, to overcome the grains, negative impact, and nonsupport we must press forward towards our destination and that’s success.

Paul the Apostle mentions in Philippians 3:13v., 14v., that he did not allow the negative impacts, going against the grain nor nonsupport to be a factor in canceling his will power to press.   In fact, he also said that he would press in the direction of success.  When we make our various starts in life’s endeavors always press in the direction of success.   This entails asking questions, seeking out positive information in leu of true facts pros and cons.  This places you in the press mode with regard to your challenges.

When you have reached the end of your project building and you are ready to present it, seeing the struggles, the hard work, the sleepless nights, and the enormous effort you put forth in retrieving and compiling information gives your self-esteem a humanistic lift and a great sense of pride in a good way.

These are rewards that can never be taken from you, it will always be in a place where you can share it or pass it on to those that’s following in your footsteps.

Success is and always will be a product of pressing forward and pressing through the many obstacles of life.

We must look at obstacles from a positive aspect, through obstacles we learn, we are empowered, we become educated.

According to James 1:2v. the purpose of obstacles is to create perseverance, and upon the completion of perseverance you will always find success.

Stewart Ham is the pastor of New Growth Ministries Unlimited in Aurora.