For many years the children of Israel had been on a Journey to the Promised Land after over 40years of sojourn in Egypt. As they were approaching the promise land, God in Deut. 8 began to warn them in advance about the dangers and trap of success. It’s vital to note that just as the church has warned and taught people about the dangers of failure and poverty, we need to also begin to warn people about the danger of success.
A lot of believers spend time developing themselves and working towards becoming successful but only few realise that there are dangers associated with success. Becoming successful is one thing, but maintaining the success is another.
A lot of believers and ministers have attained great levels of success in different areas of life and ministry but unfortunately their gifts have taken them to height where their character cannot keep them. I have said repeatedly on different platforms that no one should bother to rise if they plan to fall because the greater your height the greater your fall.
But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David King over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold. 2 Samuel 5: 17
The above verse reveals that for every new level, there are new devils and this further goes to reveal that when success comes, enemies increase due to envy, jealousy, satanic attacks etc and dangers increase due to lack of personal understanding of how to handle the new level. I have seen, heard and experienced with amazement how many have been prematurely disqualified or compromised due to the trap of success.
TEN DANGERS TO WATCH
When the danger of success has trapped an individual, some viruses begin to work and manifest and one has to watch out or end up being consumed.
- DON’T FORGET WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM
It has always been said that a river that forgets its source will dry up. When people become victims of the dangers of success, they seem to forget where they are coming from. A wise person should realise that it does not cost God anything to take one back to where one is coming from. I have seen people come to God; visionless, jobless, spouseless, childless, shoeless, moneyless etc and then God changes their story and they start misbehaving.
I have seen ministers start out well only to become successful and become something else. I have seen people fast and pray for years to get married only to marry and start abusing and dishonouring their spouse. Don’t forget where you are coming from so as not to be a victim.
- DON’T BEGIN TO TRUST IN YOUR STATUS AND SUBSTANCE
Paul in his letter to Timothy expressed the need to warn people about this danger of success. Believers are meant to live by faith in God and not faith in other things.
“I will beat you up and take you to the hospital at any cost”. This was a statement from a Minister of God who became a victim of this virus. God does not empower people financially so that they can go about beating people up and hospitalising them; that definitely is money without a mission and prosperity without a purpose.
- DON’T DESPISE THOSE THAT ARE BELOW YOU
I have been privileged to have access to relate and have access to different levels of people and ministers in my short time on earth and have been amazed at the way some people have treated and continue to treat their staff, subordinates and assistants. No man is an island and no one can succeed in isolation, no matter the level of success you have attained in life, only a fool will deny the input of others in the achievement of that success.
- I have seen ministers who insist their ministers, assistant and staff must kneel down to talk to them.
- I have seen ministers who insist their ministers, assistant and staff must remove their shoes before coming into their office.
- I have seen a General Overseer who has written many books and yet has a policy that no other Pastor under him should ever write a book while still working with him.
The list is endless. Examine yourself and don’t despise people below you because you can’t determine their destiny.
- DON’T BECOME PROUD AND ARROGANT
You can’t become too great for God to handle or outgrow the need for humility because of your success. Solomon still honoured and humbled himself before his mother even though he was a successful King. Have you listened to the way some of us ministers talk with arrogance and carnal boasting. I tremble now even as I write this because this is a danger we all as believers must watch out for because it makes one an enemy of God.
If God is your enemy or your obstacle, no deliverance minister can set you free. Remember Herod (Acts 12:20-24), remember Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:28-36).
- DON’T NEGLECT WHAT YOU DID TO OBTAIN AND ATTAIN YOUR SUCCESS
Another danger of success is that when people have obtained a level of success, they start neglecting what they did to obtain it. It is one thing to obtain a level or something, it is another thing to maintain it. Obtaining success is one thing but to maintain the level of success is another. Fasting, prayer, holiness, diligent word study, humility, focus, love etc are all vital to many on their path to success, but once they become successful, they start neglecting these vital landmarks. We have some ministers today preaching against prayer, fasting etc and claiming to have new revelation. May God help us!
- DON’T REDUCE YOUR ZEAL AND COMMITMENT
I have noticed a trend in some believers’ life, in my 19 yrs in ministry. I have unfortunately realised that some people are zealous and committed until endorsed or ordained or appointed into an area of ministry and then they just seem to plateau and become satisfied. Becoming “successful” to a level where you are leading others is not a license to become less zealous and committed because a leader is meant to be an eternal model for followers.
To expire before your time and not make it to the end is not a good thing for anyone.
- DON’T BECOME UNTEACHABLE
I have seen believers and ministers who started well and did great things for the kingdom. They became successful and added “satanic medals” to their resume.
- Running church like a personal / family business without accountability.
- Sleeping with church members and becoming shamelessly immoral. A major minister in the country not only sleeps around with women but takes nude pictures with them as a souvenir.
- Operating in occultism and fraternising with Satanists. How can you do God’s work with the devil’s power?
- Embracing a gay lifestyle and molesting young boys, while enticing and settling them with church money.
The list is endless, but you ask: Why are these things happening? The answer is simple. They have become victims of the danger of success, too big to learn, listen or be corrected. It’s amazing that many have become unteachable and listen to no one because they are a god unto themselves.
- DON’T OVERESTIMATE YOUR IMPORTANCE
Nobody is indispensable in the kingdom and to get to a level where you begin to overestimate yourself and think God, church or people cannot do without you is to become a victim of the virus of the danger of success. Few years ago, I got a call from one of my Evangelists. “Pastor we just had a meeting with _,_,_ etc and they have decided that we should all leave church at the same time. I decided to tell you because I can’t forget how good you have been to me. Please Pastor call them so as to convince them to stay. These people are powerful and if they leave, it will affect the ministry”. When he finished speaking, I just laughed and told him, “Except God did not call me or I have done anything evil will people’s absence affect my ministry. They can all go and God will still be with me to glorify Himself”. They left but God stayed and their absence became a catalyst for growth and I am still standing strong. When people start overestimating themselves, the virus is at work.
- DON’T SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE WRONG PEOPLE
When you are still struggling, you can know those who love you for you, but when you become successful it becomes more difficult to discern true friends. Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. Another danger of success is that you are surrounded by “Yes men”, “sycophants”, “parasites”, “unfriendly friends” etc. One of the greatest key to maintain success is surrounding yourself with the right people, so you need wisdom to discern people around you to avoid this danger.
- DON’T LOSE YOUR FOCUS AND BALANCE
The final danger of success is that when people become “successful”, they start losing focus and going into extremes due to imbalance. I know people who became too busy as responsibilities increase and time is a constraint but we have to be careful.
- When people can’t see you or have access to you anymore because you are big.
- When people have to book appointment 6 months to 1 year in advance to see you
- When people can’t get you on phone after countless calls and text and you don’t have the structure to return calls or reply texts.
- When people have to wait for hours to see you even though they have an appointment because you have a policy of not seeing people immediately
- When people have to pay to see you and pay for you to pray for them all in the name of prophetic offering etc.
The list of extremes is endless but we need to take heed.
Not too long ago I had a time out with some of my accountability friends as we often do and as we began to examine the different bad news of moral failures and errors coming from the body of Christ, especially among our fathers and senior ministers. We began to wonder because all these people started well but becoming successful now seems to be a hindrance for them to finish strong. We made a commitment to take heed; stay focused and help one another. People of God, Men of God, there is danger in success and we all must avoid these dangers so as to finish well and finish strong.
May the Lord help us and keep us – Selah.
To Your Success
Olumide Emmanuel