We are all born for greatness & success

In my book If you want to you can, I state upfront what I belief with all my heart. “We are born to be creators, explorers, leaders, thinkers, and to touch the lives of others. We are born to be somebody, to leave our mark and to change the world. We were born to exceed the limits placed on us by others and to live a life of success and to have a spirit of excellence. We were born to be extra-ordinary and to live beyond our circumstances, rather than be defined by them. You are not born to be defeated. Your life is about creating something real. Your life is about being spontaneous and free. Your life is supposed to be bold and outstanding.”

We are all created to have a life of success and a spirit of excellence. When we lose sight of who we are and what our vision is, we start drifting away from our destiny. We were created for this destiny and can live our destiny in all its greatness if we are not deterred by worldly setbacks.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”- Jeremiah 1:5

God thought of you before you were born, and he had a plan for you before you were in the womb. God knew who he wanted the accountants, the business men, the writers, the actors, the engineers, the teachers, the chefs, the pathologists, the home-makers, and the mechanics to be. Regardless of what you do, what your title is, what your salary is, we were all created to have an impact in the world and leave a mark on our generation.

On the one hand we know that God has a plan and a divine destiny for our lives. On the other side, Satan and the worldly system try to convince us otherwise. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:17 that Satan brings opposition, troubles, trials and tribulations in the hope of driving us away from God.

We often talk ourselves out of God’s best and give up on our vision. We allow doubts, fears, and discouraging things people have said to limit us and convince us to settle for less then what we deserve.

People believe that they don’t deserve great things and that they haven’t been put on this earth for a specific purpose.

The richest place in the world isn’t the oil fields of Iraq, or the diamond fields of South Africa. The richest place in this world is the cemetery. Therein lay so many dreams that never became fulfilled, so many poems that were never written, so many songs that were never sang, so many businesses that were never started, paintings that were never painted. Because people were too scared to follow their dreams and to discover the seeds of greatness within themselves.

The great Renaissance artist. Michelangelo was once asked how he created sculptures like David. He explained that he simply imagined the statue already inside the block of rough marble, then chipped away the excess to reveal what had always been there. The marvellous statue, already created and eternally present, was waiting to be revealed. So is the great person already inside of you waiting to be revealed.

Everyone carries the seeds of greatness. “Great” people have simply removed a lot of the things that stand in the way of them being their best selves. Unfortunately, our inherent gifts are often hidden by layers of masks and roles we have assumed. Sometimes these roles are thrust upon us, and sometimes we eagerly assume roles because they seem useful. These roles can become “rocks” burying our true selves.

With no vision you will get stuck. Many people have lost their passion because they do not have anything that reminds them of what they are dreaming about. You always need to have something that reminds you of your dream. Think about it, visualise it, believe you can make it happen. Expect great things to happen in your life. We often face our greatest opposition when we are closest to our dreams coming true. This is when most people give up, but this is when we need to push through and expect great things.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” To live your life by the principle gives you a sense tremendous perspective and peace.

Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob, and his story is found in Genesis 37–50. As a young boy Joseph knew God’s heart and had unwavering faith in God.

Joseph was the favourite son, and because of this, his brothers were extremely envious and plotted against him. Their plan was to kill him in the wilderness where no one could see them. Reuben, the eldest brother, objects to this outright murder, so instead, the brothers sell Joseph as a slave. Afterwards they deceive their father into thinking his favourite son had been slain by wild beasts (Genesis 37:18-35).

Joseph is sold to a high-ranking Egyptian named Potiphar, and eventually becomes the supervisor of Potiphar’s household. In Genesis 39 we read of how Joseph excelled at his duties and became one of Potiphar’s most trusted servants, he was later put in charge of his household. Potiphar could see that whatever Joseph did, God looked favourably on him and he prospered in all that he did.

However, Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Joseph, and when her advances are rebuffed, she falsely accuses him of attempted rape. Joseph, although innocent in the matter, is cast into prison (Genesis 39:7-20). In jail, Joseph interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners. Both interpretations prove to be true, and one of the men is later released from jail and restored to his position as the king’s cupbearer.

Although Joseph asked the cupbearer to put in a good word for him with Potiphar, nothing happened for two years. Despite this disappointment Joseph still trusted in God and had unwavering faith that everything will work out for the good.

Two years later, the king himself had some troubling dreams, and the cupbearer remembers Joseph’s gift of interpretation. The king calls for Joseph and relates his dreams. Joseph predicts seven years of bountiful harvests followed by seven years of severe famine in Egypt.

He advises the king to begin storing grain in preparation for the coming drought. For his wisdom, Joseph is made a ruler in Egypt, second only to the king. Even though Joseph wanted to be released immediately, God did it in His timing, two years later. God’s timing is always the perfect time.

When the famine strikes, even Canaan is affected, and Jacob sends ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain (Genesis 42:1-3). While there, they meet their long-lost brother, whom they do not recognise.

Joseph’s brothers bow down to him, fulfilling the earlier prophecy. Joseph then reveals his identity to his brothers and forgives their wrongdoing. Jacob and his family move to Egypt to be with Joseph.

Jacob’s descendants stay in Egypt for 400 years, until the time of Moses. When Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt, he takes the remains of Joseph with him, as Joseph had requested (Genesis 50:24-25).

Joseph could have forgot about his dreams. His circumstances looked grim for years, but het choose to keep believing and to trust God. Today, we read Joseph’s story and we can clearly see that his life made sense. All those years as a slave and even as a prisoner, prepared him for his final position as second in command of Egypt, saving not only the Egyptians, but his own family too.

I want to encourage you to rediscover and treasure your big dream. To trust God to show you the way to fulfil your destiny. It may take years like with Joseph or even Moses, but you will get there if you keep believing. Stay faithful to your beliefs, values and goals even when the circumstances are not favourable. Do what you must do and do it well. Always give your best. Like Joseph whose spirit of excellence shone through long before his dreams became a reality.