What's the Difference?

As a spiritual leader, there's one question I'm often asked: "What's the key to success?" Though this question can’t be narrowed down to a single answer, there is definitely one principle that everyone must know if they plan to succeed. One of the key differences between successful people and unsuccessful people is the art of listening.

Against the Law
The Bible is the ultimate leadership book, but it is distinct from all other leadership books, in that, it holds timeless truths that when violated, bring catastrophic penalties and setbacks. The Bible does not contain suggestions or opinions, but, instead, commandments, statutes, precepts and Laws. The Laws of the Bible are not equivalent to violating the speed limit. If you violate the statutes of the Scripture you won’t be able to show up in court and plead “not guilty” because you didn’t see the speed limit sign. Yes, grace may afford us the opportunity to pay the fine (repentance), but you won’t be able to just throw the moral violation slip in the glove box and hope the government forgets what you did. This is where the listening test is applied.

Open Your Ears
The word “hear” and its variations are mentioned 1248 times in the Bible. When God speaks, He doesn’t arbitrarily throw His words out to the wind. More often than not, He admonishes man to hear what He is saying. One of the most noted examples is in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord.” He didn’t just make the declaration in case they wanted to ponder it. God was saying, “You must hear what I am about to say.” It’s not enough to have God’s Word at our fingertips. Nor is it enough to read it daily. If we own a Bible and read it but do not hear and apply its precepts, it will have no affect on our earthly life and certainly not our eternal destination.

The High Cost

For 120 years, Noah preached the same message. There were no long dissertations, scientific formulas, mathematical computations or complicated riddles that he used to get the message out. Noah simply told his generation that a flood was coming and if they would use his escape venue, everything would be fine. In modern vernacular his message was clear: “Hey folks, you have never seen rain like you are going to see. Repent, and get in this boat.” Pretty simple instructions. The result: No one listened. Everyone died.

What’s the Difference?
As I said in the beginning, there are many things that play into the success of a person; but it starts with listening. Here are a few tips that many successful people I know live by:  

• First, make sure your life is completely submitted to God. Don’t use God as your fix-it-all when everything is falling apart, but refuse to obey when it hits too close to home. 
• Second, make sure you have a pastor. No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you need at least one person that you trust completely that can give encouragement AND correction. And you need to listen to them.  
• Third, surround yourself with peers who care enough for you to be honest with you in important situations. 
• Fourth, read consistently. Don’t waste your time reading random material. Make your first resource the Word of God and after that make sure the books and material that you read come highly recommended by credible people who have been where you are headed. 

There is a difference between gathering opinions and information, and following credible and proven counsel and principles. One of the stark differences between successful and unsuccessful people is the willingness to listen. 

Hearing wise and Godly instruction will save you much disappointment and build a wall of defense against destructive stubbornness. If you want to be successful, be teachable. Don’t waste the powerful ability of your ears to hear. 

by Bishop J. Todd Nichols