Author: John Hagee
Publisher: Charisma House, 2004
Genre: Non-Fiction, Theological
Page Count: 241
Publisher: Charisma House, 2004
Genre: Non-Fiction, Theological
Page Count: 241
Overview: This book first explains what is and is not considered success in the author’s eyes. He does not consider money, power, fame, or a host of other things to be equaled to
success. Success is being a servant for Jesus Christ.
Then, the author gives Seven Secrets to Success:
The Power of Your MindHow successful we are is often all in our attitude. Have you ever heard someone say, your
attitude is showing? Your attitude is the first thing people see in you, even before you say a word. Your attitude can make people like you, or it can make people detest the sight of you. It can make you be a popular boss with willing-to-listen employees, or it can make you be a hated boss with employees who only listen because they’ll get a paycheck.
Perseverance
I have often heard it said that Baptists are great starters, but not so great finishers. The difference between the person who achieved something great and the one who didn’t is that the one attempted just one more time to accomplish what appeared unaccomplishable to the other person. Even if you are not a fast worker at getting a job done, but that you do get it done is what truly matters. How many times have we been told slow and steady wins the race?
True Self Esteem
Matthew 19:19b “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” I had never noticed this particular verse meaning what John Hagee showed in this book. He said we should love ourselves, and love others the same as ourselves. So many people do not like themselves, but according to this verse, we should love ourselves. We should love ourselves because God
created us and God doesn’t create junk. No matter what has happened in your life, if you are saved, you are worth something because you have Christ living in you.
Self Mastery
How many marriages have broken up, or suffered through hard times because one or both individuals couldn’t master self? How much heartache has been caused simply because people could not control themselves and therefore they hurt or killed others? How many abortions have happened due to a lack of self-control? How much pain and suffering could we avoid if we were just able to control ourselves?!
Communication
“Communication is to love what blood is to the body. When communication stops flowing,
you’re dead.” Just because you are talking does not mean you are communicating. Talking and communicating are two totally different things. Communication takes hard work, but the benefits reaped are totally worth the work needed to achieve good communication. Communicating is when there is a sender and a receiver, and the message is clear. Talking is just the moving of your mouth with noise coming out and it doesn’t matter if anyone is listening or not. The most important communication we can be involved in is when God speaks to us. Are we listening to what He is saying? Do we even care what He wants to say to us, or do we have our minds made up of what we want for ourselves?
The Power of Continuous Prayer
It is not suggested that we pray; we are demanded to pray. Matthew 6:5 says “When you
pray…” which assumes you will pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing.”
I have often heard the following saying regarding prayer: Little prayer, little power; Much prayer, much power; No prayer, no power.
Prosperity: Unleashing God's Abundance
According to the author, if you give to God, He will give back to you. Although, I agree
with this to a point, I believe the spirit of your giving is very important. If you give your
offering because you expect a blessing, you will likely not get it. However, if you give out of a content heart because the Lord wants you, as a child of God, to give, then God is likely to give back to you. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38
Positives: This book had a lot of good ideas about how to be successful in today’s world, whether saved or not. As Christians, success in the world is okay, but our ultimate goal should be Heavenly success. We should be continually looking to the sky for there is our reward. Joshua 1:8 says “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Negatives: The author spoke of building his church as the most important aspect of having a church. His church is very focused on attendance and will do anything need be to have a great attendance. Another idea in this book that I didn’t like was when the author said that we should listen to our conscience. The Bible says just the opposite in Jeremiah (17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Other Books by this Author: “Beginning of the End”; “What Every Man Wants in a
Woman”;“The Battle For Jerusalem”; “In Defense of Israel”; “Life Lessons to Live
by”;“From Daniel to Doomsday”; “Day of Deception”; “God’s Two Minute Warning”;
Knowing the Secrets of God”
Final Words: You can not possess what you will not pursue. The path of least resistance is the path that we sometimes take so we don’t run into obstacles along the way, but we also miss the opportunities afforded us along that path. The author says that “failure is the path of least persistence.” Sometimes we just have to decide to continue on because we don’t always want to.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
success. Success is being a servant for Jesus Christ.
Then, the author gives Seven Secrets to Success:
The Power of Your MindHow successful we are is often all in our attitude. Have you ever heard someone say, your
attitude is showing? Your attitude is the first thing people see in you, even before you say a word. Your attitude can make people like you, or it can make people detest the sight of you. It can make you be a popular boss with willing-to-listen employees, or it can make you be a hated boss with employees who only listen because they’ll get a paycheck.
Perseverance
I have often heard it said that Baptists are great starters, but not so great finishers. The difference between the person who achieved something great and the one who didn’t is that the one attempted just one more time to accomplish what appeared unaccomplishable to the other person. Even if you are not a fast worker at getting a job done, but that you do get it done is what truly matters. How many times have we been told slow and steady wins the race?
True Self Esteem
Matthew 19:19b “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” I had never noticed this particular verse meaning what John Hagee showed in this book. He said we should love ourselves, and love others the same as ourselves. So many people do not like themselves, but according to this verse, we should love ourselves. We should love ourselves because God
created us and God doesn’t create junk. No matter what has happened in your life, if you are saved, you are worth something because you have Christ living in you.
Self Mastery
How many marriages have broken up, or suffered through hard times because one or both individuals couldn’t master self? How much heartache has been caused simply because people could not control themselves and therefore they hurt or killed others? How many abortions have happened due to a lack of self-control? How much pain and suffering could we avoid if we were just able to control ourselves?!
Communication
“Communication is to love what blood is to the body. When communication stops flowing,
you’re dead.” Just because you are talking does not mean you are communicating. Talking and communicating are two totally different things. Communication takes hard work, but the benefits reaped are totally worth the work needed to achieve good communication. Communicating is when there is a sender and a receiver, and the message is clear. Talking is just the moving of your mouth with noise coming out and it doesn’t matter if anyone is listening or not. The most important communication we can be involved in is when God speaks to us. Are we listening to what He is saying? Do we even care what He wants to say to us, or do we have our minds made up of what we want for ourselves?
The Power of Continuous Prayer
It is not suggested that we pray; we are demanded to pray. Matthew 6:5 says “When you
pray…” which assumes you will pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing.”
I have often heard the following saying regarding prayer: Little prayer, little power; Much prayer, much power; No prayer, no power.
Prosperity: Unleashing God's Abundance
According to the author, if you give to God, He will give back to you. Although, I agree
with this to a point, I believe the spirit of your giving is very important. If you give your
offering because you expect a blessing, you will likely not get it. However, if you give out of a content heart because the Lord wants you, as a child of God, to give, then God is likely to give back to you. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38
Positives: This book had a lot of good ideas about how to be successful in today’s world, whether saved or not. As Christians, success in the world is okay, but our ultimate goal should be Heavenly success. We should be continually looking to the sky for there is our reward. Joshua 1:8 says “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Negatives: The author spoke of building his church as the most important aspect of having a church. His church is very focused on attendance and will do anything need be to have a great attendance. Another idea in this book that I didn’t like was when the author said that we should listen to our conscience. The Bible says just the opposite in Jeremiah (17:9) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Other Books by this Author: “Beginning of the End”; “What Every Man Wants in a
Woman”;“The Battle For Jerusalem”; “In Defense of Israel”; “Life Lessons to Live
by”;“From Daniel to Doomsday”; “Day of Deception”; “God’s Two Minute Warning”;
Knowing the Secrets of God”
Final Words: You can not possess what you will not pursue. The path of least resistance is the path that we sometimes take so we don’t run into obstacles along the way, but we also miss the opportunities afforded us along that path. The author says that “failure is the path of least persistence.” Sometimes we just have to decide to continue on because we don’t always want to.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27