What You Believe Is What You Get
Success demands that you believe you will achieve it. If you don’t believe you can do it - whatever “IT’ is - you’re doomed to fail. History is replete with examples where people’s unbelief resulted in failure. Big time failure.
Let me give you just one example from one of my favorite stories in the Bible that you have probably read or heard about yourself.
The Israeli people had been living in bondage for over 400 years in Egypt. They were forced to live in a foreign land. They were forced to work at hard labor. They were forced to do without even the basic comforts of home. They were forced to do without those things that you and I would take for granted.
The Land of NOT ENOUGH.
Egypt signified the land of not enough. For 400 years, they had just enough to get by every day. Every day was a carbon copy of the day before. But deep down, they knew there had to be more to life. Like them, maybe you’re just getting by. Maybe you’ve been getting by for so long that you no longer think it can ever get any better.
The Land of MORE THAN ENOUGH.
But the Israelis prayed to their God for what we all want. They were sick and tired of living in the land of just enough. Like you, they wanted a better life. In due time, God did what He always does. He answered their prayers. In fact, although they didn’t know it at the time, the long wait for their prayers to be answered was worth it. God promised to give them a choice piece of real estate. God promised them safe passage to, and possession of, the “Promised Land.” In the Promised Land, they would never lack for anything again. In fact, God described it as the land flowing with milk and honey. The Promised Land truly represented the land of more than enough.
I suppose all of us have a reluctance to believe. We say we want evidence, but even when we get evidence, we remain skeptical. That was the case with the Israelis, and it is also the case with us. Think about it. God himself told them they could have the land! Yet they took it upon themselves to put a question mark where God had placed an exclamation point.
They had been living in bondage for 400 years. They were living hopeless lives of quiet desperation. They had accepted their lot in life. They didn’t question. They just did the same thing they were told to do day after day. Sameness was their security. They didn’t realize they were capable of much, much more.
Not surprising, taking over the “Promised Land” sounded too good to be true. So the Israelis asked their leader, Moses, to send 12 of their own folks to go spy on the inhabitants of the “Promised Land” to make sure they could really take it over.
Well, sure enough, 10 of the 12 spies returned from the Promised Land with a negative report. They were consumed with the fear of unbelief. They didn’t measure up to the inhabitants of the land. They considered themselves mere grasshoppers compared to the “giants” that occupied the land. Their fear was all-consuming. Their fear was contagious. It spread to everyone in the camp. Because of their unbelief, God told them would never possess the “Promised Land.”
But wait a minute. What about the other two spies? What did they think about occupying the “Promised Land?” Not surprisingly, they were ready to invade the land and take it over. Why? Did these two men have a better plan? Were they more intelligent than the other 10 spies?
No.
In a word, they simply believed. They had an unshakable belief that they could take the “Promised Land.” But they were in the minority so the majority prevailed. The entire camp made a bad choice and turned their backs on the chance of a lifetime. Because of their unbelief, they forfeited the opportunity to live in the land of milk and honey given to them by God himself.
The Land of JUST ENOUGH.
So what were the consequences of not taking over the “Promised Land”? God did not allow them to enter the “Promised Land.” Instead, they were relegated to wandering in the wilderness. Day after day they wandered in the desert. Sure, God took care of them. He provided them daily ‘manna.’ They had just enough to survive that day. The next day, they got more of the same to survive. They wandered for 40 years. For 40 years, the desert represented the land of just enough.
God’s plan was for them to leave the land of not enough and go directly to the land of more than enough. God never intended for them to wander for 40 years in the land of just enough. God’s desire was for them is the same desire He has for you and me - to live in the land of more than enough - the “Promised Land.”
But they didn’t believe.
Don’t make the same mistake yourself.
You graduated from high school. Maybe college. You got your first job where you probably made just enough for you and your family to get by. But you want a better life for you and your family. So you wander around from job to job certain your next job will pay you enough to get you to the land of more than enough. But perhaps, like the Israelis, you’re just going around in circles. You will continue to wander in the desert of your life for 40 years. Then retire broke.
Or you can decide to believe you can do it - whatever “IT” is - and proceed directly from the land of JUST ENOUGH to the land of MORE THAN ENOUGH.
It’s your choice.
What you believe is what you get.
Lee Salinas is a full time real estate investor in San Antonio, TX. After losing his mid management job in June 2002, Lee decided to become a real estate investor. In three years, he has purchased over 140 properties and authored a business plan for real estate investors. The real estate business plan is available at his website - http://www.realestatebizplan.com.
