Everyone dreams of success. It is their goal, or destination, in life.

Some see success as making a lot of money, living comfortably, and retiring easy.

Others dream of becoming proficient in their field, making money,

and having folks look up to them as important and wise.

Still others see success as the accumulation of material thins-without debt.

Owning your own house, driving an expensive car,

being able to walk into the store and buy anything you want. That's success.

Then there are those who equate success with having a happy family:

a loving wife or husband and obedient children.

To others success is long life, free from disease and heartache.

Everyone has a dream of success.

The Bible says that if you "delight yourself in the Lord He will give you the desires of your heart"

(Psalm 37:4). That's a marvelous promise. The problem, it seems, is that it seldom happens.

I mean, if it did it seems many would be healthy, wealthy and wise-for that's what we desire, isn't it?

Why then, aren't we successful-if that's the desire of our heart?

Could it be that we have a wrong idea of what success is?

It is possible we haven't listened to God's conditions for success?

The first condition listed-indeed, the only condition listed-is to "delight yourself in the Lord."

In other words, put God first. Jesus said the same thing when He told His disciples that if they would

"seek first God's kingdom and God's righteousness," everything else necessary for life

would be given them as well. (Matt. 6:33).

Our problem is not that we don't have goals. Our problem is having wrong goals.

It is like two people who got off accidentally at Tampa before reaching their destination of Melbourne, in USA.

Those two women were from Italy and spoke no English. This was their first trip to USA, to visit their relatives who were waiting for them at the Melbourne airport. They boarded in Rome for the long flight to the States, then changed planes in New York for the flight south to Melbourne. Since they could not understand English they did not realize the domestic flight made a stop in Tampa before flying on to Melbourne. When the plane landed in Tampa and they looked out the window and saw palm trees waving in the Florida sun, they assumed they had reached their destination. They joined the crowd getting off in Tampa and hurried off the plane looking for their loved ones who had promised to meet them at the airport.

What they failed to realize was that they were 120 miles short of their goal. They had gotten off in Tampa thinking their dream of a lifetime was at last fulfilled, only to discover they were lost in a huge airport with no loved ones to meet them.

The flight attendants finally found them, wandering dazed through the strange terminal. Someone who spoke Italian convinced them explaining that they were not where they were supposed to be. Only then did the women rush back on the plane, eager to go on to their final destination.

Most of us are like that. For some reason-maybe it's because we don't understand God's language in the Bible-we get off at the wrong destination. We equate money, security, and prestige with success. We don't understand that true success is found in having our spiritual needs met. Few of us ever arrive at that ultimate success because we are too busy rushing through the airport of material success.

What are the things that cause you to get off in Tampa when your real need is to go to Melbourne?

There could be a lot of reasons. Maybe you don't understand the language. What you need is an interpreter. Someone to come along and explain God's directions.

Or maybe someone gave you bad directions. There are a lot of folks wandering around who seem to delight in misleading people these days. That's one of the reasons I am writing this letter to you- to help you find your way, to encourage you to get on the right plane-the one which will take you to real success.

Perhaps, you have been blinded by the sight of palm trees. All your life you've lived in the mountains and just the sight of what it seems like success is so good you've decided to stop at the first watering hole, rather than going on to discover God's best.

Maybe in your eagerness to find success, you've listened to someone who's offered you an easy way, and you have settled for some false religion.

Maybe you followed the crowd. After all, there are more people getting off in Tampa than Melbourne, so why not go where everyone else seems to be going.

Or perhaps you're just afraid. You've heard all sorts of stories about people who followed God, who put their trust in Him. You don't want to become a fanatic, so you'll just spend your life in the Tampa Airport, riding the escalators and looking out the windows at the waving palm trees.

Sound silly? Sound familiar?

Maybe it would help if I introduced you to some folks who didn't allow worldly success to blind them from finding God's goal of success. This kind of a success is a lasting success that no one can take away from them. They are-

Roger Staubach-FootBall Superstar

Steve Barkowski Quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons,

Janet Lynn-Olympic Ice skating Champion,

Charles W. Colson-Former Counsel to the President of USA,

Wallace Johnson- Co-Founder of Holiday Inns,

Edward L. Johnson-a leader in the Savings & Loan Industry.

Arthur S. DeMoss-Insurance Company Founder & Executive.

Julius (Dr. J.") Erving-NBA Basketball Star,

and many more like them.

These are people who didn't get off the plane at the wrong stop. Did you notice what they had in common? All realized they were failures without God-even though all were quite successful by this world's standards. They all had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a profound respect for the Bible as the Word of God.

You ask, " But how does this apply to me?"

I've mentioned about their lives for one reason- to let you know that you, too, can find power for living. I've just begun to share with you how you can reach the right destination....how you can change your life and reach the goal of real success-a goal which God wants you to reach, also.

So you have gotten off the plane at the wrong stop- or maybe taken the wrong flight altogether-then be encouraged, there is hope! The desires of your heart can be met. You can find power for living.

Establish a right relationship with God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior & Lord. Commit yourself to obey His Word for your day to day life. You are on the way to reach your goal. Why not begin anew today? Now ? Be encouraged.