The Secret to Success

The Secret to Success

Dorothea Shields

July 5, 2025

We all have an idea of what success is. To some, success is defined by a certain amount of money; to others, it involves education, vocation, aesthetics, vacations, social status, and more. Still others narrow it down to the intangible aspects of life, such as family and community.

For many years, my idea of success was being famous. I wanted to be well-known for being great at something, for being liked and admired. I desired to be in the spotlight.

Through the years, the Lord revealed the profound (and sad) reason behind my intense desire. I was searching for validation and identity in others' admiration of me. God's lovingkindness and mercy taught me that my true value and worth were found in knowing and being known by Him.

God's lovingkindness guided me to this truth in multiple ways. One way He led me was through His word, another was through circumstances and hard times, and finally through especially anointed ministers who pulled out deep-seated lies that were keeping me in bondage.

Gradually, over time, my idea of success changed! Rather than being about me seeking validation through popularity and vocation, it became about pleasing God from a place of full surrender.

Once you realize who and whose you are, you become grounded and anchored to the truth that no matter what happens to you, you are still God's beloved and nothing can take that from you.

When we stop striving for acceptance and receive our Father's unmerited and unwavering love and acceptance, we become bold and confident in all our endeavors. And who knows what those endeavors are or will be?

The interesting thing about living your life from the place of absolute security of identity is that it empowers you to do anything God asks you to do.

Our Father has given each of us gifts and callings. He designed us for specific callings and passions for causes and values, but sometimes He will strategically assign you to something seemingly outside the realm of your understanding or passion.

I've had the Lord assign me to areas of ministry that made no sense to me. Like, at all! One of those seasons lasted for eight years. I didn't like it or understand it, and I resisted and resented it for many of those years. Yet it was God's will that I struggle and suffer with the assignment because that assignment was key to my spiritual development and maturity.

Giving me an assignment that, to me, was obscure and irrelevant to my gifting and passion brought me to a place of full surrender to God's will. I finally realized and surrendered to the truth that my will and my idea of what my life should be like were irrelevant compared to God's pleasure in me.

I finally asked myself some questions, “Is my life successful if God is not pleased with it?” “If it pleases God to give me this assignment, should I resist or embrace it?” “Do I or does God define whether or not my life is successful?”

When I came to the place of caring more about pleasing God with my life than pleasing myself or others with MY idea of what was pleasing to God, everything changed. I began working on that assignment with all of my heart and doing it as unto the Lord.

It was the process of surrender that brought me to what I believe is the true definition of success.

I was at a fundraiser, and the man sitting to my right was a new acquaintance. As new acquaintances do, we were attempting to get to know each other. He asked, "What is your definition of success?"

My answer stunned him into momentary silence. What came out of my mouth was not premeditated, for I hadn't realized the drastic change that had taken place in the foundation of my belief system! (You know, what comes out of your mouth without premeditated thought is what you really believe.)

What I said was this: "Success is doing God's will and pleasing Him with your obedience."

I've come to believe that what is most important in life is pleasing God. He bought me with the precious blood of Jesus, and I am not my own. If I pursue my will and desires with the idea that I will please God with my offering, yet never consult Him or listen to His wise counsel, I've deceived myself. It's arrogant to decide what you will do for God and never be willing to hear what God wants you to do, especially if it's contrary to your idea of how you should serve Him. That type of attitude is making yourself the king of your life rather than Him.

Often, we want to present our plans to God and say, "Hey, genie in a bottle, here are my plans, bless them!" But what God desires is for us to surrender those great ideas and pursue His will, His leading, and His development of our character.

You see, if you're seeking God's kingdom first and genuinely want to do His will, He will give you dreams, hopes, and desires that align with His will. The caveat to that is He will fulfill those hopes and dreams in His time and in His way. The pathway and process He leads you through will not be what you expected.

He knows the way you need to go better than you do! Because He loves us and because you are His, He is committed to your success. What is success? His definition or yours?

His definition of success means: coming to the place of complete and absolute surrender to Him, regardless of what it looks like, even if it seems like you have detoured or killed your dream.

He is the eternal God of life and is THE Master of resurrection. Let's commit to laying down our dreams and expectations at His feet, even if it seems like doing so is putting the nail in the coffin of our most precious dreams.

My friend, the thing God wants most from you is your heart and obedience. He, not you, is the Master of your destiny, but you must willingly give control and navigation to Him.

Have you been given assignments that don't make sense? Do you feel that God gave you a dream to take it away? Are you experiencing a delay and detour? Do you think that the circumstances of your life are actively keeping you from your idea of success? Have you laid the dream at His feet, even if it means letting the dream die?

I don't know what God will do with your surrender, but I do know that He fulfills them in His way and in His own time. His path for you will include difficulty, testing, and even suffering. But all those things develop, grow, and mature you into the person who can walk successfully in the fulfillment of your dreams. He is committed to our success even more than we are, but He also knows us better than we know ourselves.

Because He loves us and is committed to us, His unique path for us will not be more than our character and maturity can handle. He will not see us destroyed (but pursuing 'God's will' without God's leading will most certainly bring destruction).

The secret to success? It’s surrender.

I hope this is helpful! I know that sometimes God's truth and God's ways are hard, but His ways are always motivated by love. I've learned the best lessons in the fire and the wilderness.