Stop Lying to Yourself
Let’s get one thing straight: success with God isn’t a free handout, and no one is coming to drag you out of the pit you’ve been wallowing in. I learned this the hard way. A few years ago, I was stuck in a cycle of self-pity and spiritual laziness. I prayed half-heartedly, hoping God would magically fix my mess, all while bingeing Netflix and dodging responsibilities. I even convinced myself that “waiting on God” was holy, but the truth? I was avoiding action because it was hard, and I was scared to fail. The turning point came when I stumbled across James 2:26: “Faith without works is dead.” That verse hit me like a freight train. My faith wasn’t alive; it was on life support, barely breathing.
Here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear: God owes you nothing. You’ve been spoon-fed a lie that faith alone will bring you success. It won’t. Faith is the spark, but action is the fuel. Eckhart Tolle puts it bluntly: “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” That hit me when I realized I was sabotaging myself with excuses—blaming circumstances, other people, even God. If you want to see change, stop hiding behind your comfort zone and start showing up, every single day, even when it’s inconvenient. Passion is a fleeting emotion; discipline is the backbone of transformation.
This article will strip away the sugarcoating and force you to confront the uncomfortable truth: success with God demands action, discipline, and sacrifice. You’ll learn why excuses are your greatest enemy, how to identify the toxic habits and beliefs holding you back, and the role spiritual awakening plays in true success. We’ll draw from the Bible’s raw wisdom, Tolle’s focus on living fully in the present, and Anthony de Mello’s tough-love insights on unmasking your ego. If you’re ready to stop lying to yourself, this is the wake-up call you’ve been avoiding. Buckle up, because it’s time to face the hard truth: success is yours if you’re willing to fight for it.
Face Your Inner Darkness: No Excuses, No Hiding
Stop avoiding your weaknesses. You know what they are—the habits that keep you stuck, the sins you pretend aren’t that bad, the pride that whispers, “You’re fine just the way you are.” You’re not. These flaws are chains, dragging you further from the life God intended for you. For years, I wore a mask of confidence, convincing everyone I had it together, while secretly wrestling with insecurity and a deep fear of failure. I avoided confronting my flaws because it was easier to blame the world for my struggles. But here’s the brutal truth: your weaknesses don’t disappear because you ignore them. They grow.
Eckhart Tolle puts it plainly: “You cannot become good by trying to be good. You must find the good that is already within you.” You’re not going to brute-force your way into becoming a better person by pretending you don’t have baggage. You have to face it. Open the closet, pull out every skeleton, and deal with it. For me, that meant sitting in the silence I used to avoid, acknowledging the envy, the bitterness, and the self-doubt that had become my companions. That’s when I understood what Anthony de Mello meant when he said, “Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” The moment you stop running and truly see yourself, you’ve already won half the battle.
The Bible doesn’t mince words on this either: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9). But confession isn’t just about saying, “God, I messed up.” It’s about dragging those sins into the light and renouncing them for good. It’s about admitting that your pride isn’t strength; it’s poison. Your insecurities aren’t harmless; they’re holding you hostage. Acknowledge these truths. Then, and only then, can God begin to heal you.
The process won’t be comfortable. Growth never is. You’ll feel the weight of every choice you’ve made and every habit you’ve refused to break. You might lose relationships when you choose to live authentically. Sacrifices will be required. But here’s the good news: every chain you break frees you to walk closer with God. The alternative? You stay in your darkness, stuck in a loop of denial, wondering why life feels stagnant.
If you’re serious about confronting your inner darkness, start today. Journals like this self-reflection guide can help you track your progress. Books like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle or Awareness by Anthony de Mello provide deeper insights into breaking through self-deception. But remember, tools are only as effective as the effort you put into using them. The choice is yours: face your flaws or let them rule you. God is ready to meet you on the battlefield of your soul—are you ready to fight?
The Discipline of Action: Stop Waiting, Start Working
Discipline isn’t glamorous. It’s not something you post on social media with a fancy hashtag. It’s the grind no one sees—the prayers whispered in the early hours, the scripture read when you’re too tired to focus, the acts of service that no one thanks you for. Discipline isn’t about feeling motivated; it’s about showing up no matter how you feel. I learned this lesson the hard way when my life spiraled out of control. I was chasing passion, that fleeting burst of energy that feels good for a moment but never lasts. When the excitement wore off, I quit. Whether it was starting a new habit, committing to a cause, or even sticking to my prayer routine, I relied on emotions. And emotions are liars.
The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat this reality. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, it produces a harvest of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11). Discipline is painful, and it’s supposed to be. Growth requires discomfort. When I finally stopped waiting to “feel like it” and committed to daily prayer, scripture, and service, everything changed. Prayer became less about what I wanted and more about aligning myself with God’s will. Scripture stopped being a dusty book on my nightstand and became my battle manual for life’s chaos. Serving others—even when inconvenient—taught me that my time isn’t mine; it’s God’s.
Here’s the hard truth: passion fades. You’ll wake up one day and not feel like doing the work. That’s when discipline steps in. Discipline doesn’t care about your excuses or how tired you are. It shows up. Every. Single. Day. Eckhart Tolle’s teachings on presence resonate here: “You may find yourself saying, ‘I should be further along by now.’ But you’re exactly where you need to be. Keep working.” Stop waiting for the perfect moment to start. The perfect moment is now.
Anthony de Mello cuts even deeper: “The mark of awakened people is their constant and tireless practice.” Success with God is no different. Prayer isn’t optional. Reading the Bible isn’t a suggestion. Serving others isn’t something you do when it’s convenient. These are your non-negotiables. Don’t let a single day pass without doing the work. Waiting for motivation is just procrastination in disguise. Get up, move, and trust that God will meet you where your effort begins.
If you’re serious about building discipline, you need tools to keep you accountable. A simple daily planner like this one on Amazon can help you track your habits. Books like Atomic Habits by James Clear offer practical strategies for building consistency. But tools won’t save you if you’re not willing to do the work. Remember this: discipline builds unshakable character. Passion won’t carry you through the storms of life, but discipline will. So stop waiting. Start moving. God honors effort, not excuses.
Sacrifice: The Price of True Success with God
You can’t have it all. Stop believing the lie that you can cling to your comfort zone, keep toxic habits, and still live a life aligned with God. True success with God demands sacrifice, plain and simple. I learned this when I faced a harsh truth: the life I wanted was incompatible with the life I was living. My ego convinced me I could keep my unhealthy habits—scrolling on social media for hours, indulging in gossip, and clinging to relationships that pulled me away from God—and still somehow grow spiritually. I was wrong. Growth requires pruning, and pruning hurts.
Anthony de Mello’s insight cuts to the core: “Spirituality is about unmasking. It is about seeing the falseness in what we once believed was real.” The comfort zone you’re clinging to? It’s a mask, a false sense of security that keeps you stuck. For me, letting go of toxic relationships was the hardest part. Some of those people weren’t bad, but they weren’t helping me grow closer to God either. I had to ask myself, “Am I willing to let go of what’s good to pursue what’s best?” Sacrifice is the price of true success, and it’s non-negotiable.
Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat this reality. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily” (Luke 9:23). Let that sink in—daily. Sacrifice isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a lifestyle. Every day, you’re going to have to let go of something—your ego, your convenience, your excuses. You’ll give up late-night Netflix to wake up early and pray. You’ll cut back on distractions to dive into scripture. And yes, you’ll walk away from people, habits, and situations that don’t serve God’s purpose for your life. That’s the price.
Eckhart Tolle offers this perspective: “You lose something, but gain everything. What dies is the false self, and what remains is the true self.” The truth is, the sacrifice feels painful in the moment, but it’s freeing. When I started saying no to distractions and yes to God’s purpose, I didn’t just feel lighter—I was lighter. The weight of trying to hold onto everything faded, and I finally experienced the peace God promises. But that peace only comes after the pain of letting go.
If you’re ready to pay the price for true success, tools like The Life Application Study Bible can guide you through scripture’s hard truths. Journals like this one on Amazon can help you track the areas of your life you need to surrender. But don’t stop there. Make this your prayer: “God, show me what I need to let go of today, and give me the strength to do it.” Remember, you can’t grow without sacrifice, and you can’t have it all. Success with God requires one thing above all else—your willingness to lay it all down.
Spiritual Awakening: Shifting from Wanting to Being
Here’s a hard truth: most people spend their lives chasing success, but the chase is the problem. You think if you can just achieve that goal, get that promotion, or fix that relationship, you’ll finally feel fulfilled. Spoiler alert: you won’t. I know because I’ve been there. I spent years chasing external markers of success—bigger paychecks, public recognition, more followers on social media—and guess what? None of it made me happy. It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom, drowning in anxiety and burnout, that I realized I was chasing the wrong things. Success isn’t external. True freedom lies in aligning your life with God’s will, not your own desires.
Eckhart Tolle nails it: “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” That realization changed everything for me. I stopped obsessing over the future and started focusing on the present. I began asking myself daily: Am I living according to God’s principles right now? Not tomorrow, not when life gets easier, but now. When I made the shift from wanting to being—from chasing to embodying—I found peace. The kind of peace that can’t be shaken by circumstances.
Jesus laid it out clearly: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33). Notice the order—seek God first. Not success, not comfort, not recognition. When your life revolves around God’s will, everything else falls into place. It’s not about abandoning ambition; it’s about re-centering it. Success in God’s eyes isn’t measured by what you achieve but by who you become. Are you embodying faith, integrity, and love? Are you living out the fruits of the Spirit in the small, everyday moments?
Anthony de Mello’s insight drives this home: “You are not lacking anything. You are only asleep to what you already have.” Stop striving. Start waking up to the abundance of grace, love, and purpose God has already placed within you. The problem isn’t that you’re not successful; it’s that you’re chasing the wrong definition of success. Shift your focus from wanting more to being more. Success isn’t about what you do; it’s about who you are when no one is watching.
If you’re ready to make this shift, start today. Tools like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle or The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg are excellent resources to guide you. A daily devotional like this one on Amazon can keep you rooted in God’s word. But the work is on you. Stop chasing. Start embodying. When you align your life with God’s principles, success isn’t something you pursue—it’s a natural byproduct of living in His will.
The Choice Is Yours: Stop Waiting, Start Living
You’ve waited long enough. No more waiting for a “sign” from God, no more waiting for the perfect moment. The sign is already here: it’s your life, exactly as it is right now. Every excuse you’ve clung to, every reason you’ve given for why you haven’t acted, is just that—an excuse. You’ve convinced yourself that success with God is a distant dream, but the truth is, it’s a decision. A decision to get up, take responsibility, and start living the way God intended—now, not tomorrow.
You want success with God? Then stop waiting for motivation, for some spiritual epiphany to suddenly give you the energy to do the hard work. Real success demands action, relentless discipline, and sacrifice. Discipline over passion. Effort over excuses. The Bible doesn’t say, “Wait until you feel inspired, and then serve others.” It says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily” (Luke 9:23). That means every day, without fail. God doesn’t bless laziness. He blesses faith, He blesses effort, and He rewards obedience—no matter how uncomfortable it gets.
The hard truth is this: God won’t work miracles on your behalf if you’re unwilling to do the work. Eckhart Tolle says, “The present moment is all you have.” So, stop wasting it. Don’t waste another minute chasing the wrong things or waiting for circumstances to magically line up. You want God’s blessing? Then prove it. Take action. Address your weaknesses. Sacrifice your comfort. Live the way God has called you to, and watch how He moves in your life. The choice is yours. What are you going to do with it?
Stay well until next time
At your service,
Mani
