Quran's Formula for Success
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Other verses specify that striving includes being charitable and not stingy (3:130, 59:9). We learn that believing is the precursor to receiving fruits from any work we do—work in His cause, or work toward our worldly pursuits. Belief is in fact the most frequently associated word with success!
Of course we know we won’t succeed without hard work and determination, and scripture confirms.
3:200 O you who believe, you shall be steadfast, you shall persevere, you shall be united, you shall observe God, that you may succeed.
Supporting each other in our faith walk and our endeavors benefits us as a community, united to reach our dreams. Now, what are the obstacles to your success? In one word, ungodliness. In more words, it’s disbelief, transgression, wickedness.
6:21 and 10:17 Who is more evil than one who lies about GOD, or rejects His revelations? The transgressors never succeed.
Other losers called out specifically in the Quran are those who fabricate prohibitions in God’s holy name.
16:116 You shall not utter lies with your own tongues stating: "This is lawful, and this is unlawful," to fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD. Surely, those who fabricate lies and attribute them to GOD will never succeed.
Sounds awfully familiar to an Afghan like myself, I’ll tell you that! And the Taliban continue to be resisted by American and international forces, unrelentingly. This is because those who reject, who hear God’s revelations and brush them off only have temporary success, if at all.
Finally, no discussion of success is complete without God’s definition of the topic.
87:14 Successful indeed is the one who redeems his soul.
91:9-10 Successful is the one who redeems it. Failing is the one who neglects it.
As the Everlasting One, God sees things on a time scale much longer than our measly century or so. On the scale of
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eternity, all this earthly stuff is small potatoes. We might not each become world-renowned fill-in-the-blanks, and we certainly will each experience set backs (2:286) through this test that is life. But that’s really not what it’s about, is it?
I wish each and everyone reached by this message spiritual success, God willing.
God bless you.
Delilah
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The thunder praises the glory of God (13:13)
Lightning is the most underrated weather hazard. It makes every single thunderstorm a potential killer, whether the storm produces one single bolt or ten bolts. In the United States, lightning routinely kills more people each year than tornadoes and hurricanes combined. Tornadoes, hail and wind gusts get the most attention, but only lightning can strike outside the storm itself. Lightning is the first thunderstorm hazard to arrive and the last to leave.
[13:13] The thunder praises His glory, and so do the angels, out of reverence for Him. He sends the lightning bolts, which strike in accordance with His will. Yet, they argue about GOD, though His power is awesome.
[2:19] Another example: a rainstorm from the sky in which there is darkness, thunder, and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears, to evade death. GOD is fully aware of the disbelievers.
[2:20] The lightning almost snatches away their eyesight. When it lights for them, they move forward, and when it turns dark, they stand still. If GOD wills, He can take away their hearing and their eyesight. GOD is Omnipotent.
A bolt of lightning can force an enormous amount of electricity through our body. A 120 volts of electric shock in our home can cause severe injury. Compare that to the 15 million volts from a lightning bolt!Lightning is one of the most capricious and unpredictable characteristics of a thunderstorm. Because of this, no one can guarantee an absolute protection from lightning!
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[13:12] He is the One who shows you the lightning as a source of fear, as well as hope, and He initiates the loaded clouds.
Although the overall odds of being struck by lightning in the United States are estimated at one in 615,000, the likelihood increases depending on where you are during the storm.“Half the casualties of lightning occur during activities in open fields, such as soccer and baseball,” warns Conrad Lautenbacher, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“Parents and coaches have to know: If you hear thunder, get your children inside a substantial building.A vehicle with a metal roof and sides is a good second choice.”
[67:17] Have you guaranteed that the One in heaven will not send upon you a violent storm? Will you then appreciate the value of My warning?
[6:73] He is the One who created the heavens and the earth, truthfully. Whenever He says, “Be,” it is. His word is the absolute truth. All sovereignty belongs to Him the day the horn is blown. Knower of all secrets and declarations, He is the Most Wise, the Cognizant.
Cloud-to-ground lightning bolts are the most familiar and most dangerous. Most cloud-to-ground lightning strikes come from the negatively charged bottom of the cloud to the positively charged ground below. Often, cloud-to-ground lightning bolts strike the highest object, like the top of a building or the highest limb on a tree. The lightning strikes can cause fire and property damage. If a human being is the highest object in the lightning bolt’s path, the strike can cause severe injury or death. Although cloud-to-ground lightning is the most dangerous, it is also the most understood because it leaves so much evidence behind. Most cloud-to-ground lightning strikes bring negative energy down to the ground, but some strikes deliver positive charge to the ground. Positive strikes are less common and emerge from the higher regions of the thundercloud. Some meteorologists believe that positive lightning strikes indicate storms that are more likely to spin out tornadoes.
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