Success, Motivation, and the Bible

Many motivational speakers and authors quote the following by Napoleon Hill from his best selling book, Think and Grow Rich.

"Whatever the mind of man can believe, it can achieve."

I have sat through sales motivation conferences with Omar Pereu and listened to audio books, podcasts, and read books by well known authors like Tony Robbins and Napoleon Hill among others in the motivational and success realm. But I always found something lacking and their words seemed empty although they seemed to work for most people. I always hit a wall where my value system as a Christian and the values the speaker/writer seemed to be speaking toward would clash. It seems that even if they refer to a "higher power" in their teachings, they ultimately cut out God and overtly deny any power He might have in our lives leaving only the power we have or can muster in our own being.

So this last month I stumbled across a book in a 2nd hand store called Success, Motivation and the Scriptures by William Cook. I wouldn't say the author has it all figured out but he makes some very compelling points. One thing I appreciate is the authors emphasis on the necessity of a relationship with God and he points to many verses in the Bible as support for his claims. I was immensely amused this morning to find that Napoleon Hill's quote above is merely a paraphrase of Mark 9:23 where Jesus is giving hope to the father of a demon possessed child just prior to casting out the demon.

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Mark 9:23 NKJV

If I ever thought there was any wisdom in anything man had to say, I would only have to compare the two quotes here and know that no wisdom has been given to man except through God. Moreover, in Hill's quote, he completely cuts out God or any idea that power could come from outside of you. Jesus speaks with authority from God and then in nearly the same breath casts out a demon!

May we be more like the father who cried out "Lord, I  believe, help my unbelief!" Mark 9:24 or as my husband prays frequently "Lord, help me to want, to want more of You" because the Holy Spirit will even help us in the areas where we lack the drive to move in the right direction. We are not meant to live this life and achieve all things in our own strength and self-motivation. Our lives are meant to glorify God (Proverbs 3:6).

So in my simple way of boiling things down, I was excited by the simplicity of the fact that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, new under the sun and there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed if we persistently seek Him. My salvation; my physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial security, even my psychological well-being can be found in a growing relationship with God.