Here’s a word from the Harvard Business
Review on this very question of why so many go from success to failure. This is
from an article titled “Why Leaders Don’t Learn From Success,” appearing in the
April 2011 edition and written by Francesca Gino and Gary P. Pisano.
Here are their three main reasons.
1. Fundamental attribution errors, meaning we attribute our success mainly to ourselves and forget that a whole lot more than “me” got me to the top.
2. An overconfidence bias, meaning when we have too much confidence in ourselves, we come to believe we don’t need to change anything.
3. The “failure to ask Why syndrome,” which is basically a refusal to investigate the true causes of good performance. [Found on www.hbr.org]
And there is only one way for God to deal with us when we let success quote “go to our heads.” He will allow us to crash and burn. He must allow us to experience a true fall from grace.
That’s what II Samuel eleven is all about. Let me see if I can show this to you and see if there aren’t some lessons for us here.
1. Your outward success may make you proud if you forget Who is the true source of your success. King David was a great administrator. He had a genuine concern for others. He had a great degree of wisdom. He had learned to trust the LORD when he had been pursued by King Saul day after day for years. And David had those around him who trusted him. They loved him.
At one point, three of David’s best men crossed the enemy line into Philistine territory just to get him a drink of water. That shows you the love David’s men had for him. David had it all “going for him.”
Please don’t fall for the idea that you created your own success. Yes, your plans, your efforts, your diligence, your persistence, and your buying up the opportunities in front of you have certainly increased your success. But what do you have that you didn’t receive?
Here’s a word from II Samuel 8:6 “And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.” And again in verse fourteen. 8:14 “…And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.” I Corinthians 4:7 “…and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” In another place Paul adds this. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Now, as evidence of David’s tendency to pride, consider this. According to the Biblical Archeology Reader [2, p. 76 – found on www.daraymi.blogstpot.com], during six centuries of Ammonite rule, only once were the walls breached and that was by the Israeli army under King David’s captain Joab.”
So, yes, it’s certainly possible that David’s tremendous military success led to a spirit of pride.
1. Your outward success may make you proud if you forget Who is the true source of your success. But I believe there was a much more powerful spirit that affected King David and led to his climbing down the ladder to failure.
2. Outward success may make you extremely vulnerable to greater temptations; especially to a spirit of discontent.
Here’s what we read in II Samuel eleven and verse two. II Samuel 11:2 “And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.”
Some Bible commentators say that this verse is the turning point in David’s life. And it may be. But, even though David no longer will be successful as he once was I believe there is a whole lot more to David’s life and, in spite of a horrible sin, God isn’t finished with David yet. This, in itself should be a great encouragement to each one of us; that even though we make a huge mess of things, God always writes the last chapter. But yes, you can easily see a spirit of discontent.
Here are their three main reasons.
1. Fundamental attribution errors, meaning we attribute our success mainly to ourselves and forget that a whole lot more than “me” got me to the top.
2. An overconfidence bias, meaning when we have too much confidence in ourselves, we come to believe we don’t need to change anything.
3. The “failure to ask Why syndrome,” which is basically a refusal to investigate the true causes of good performance. [Found on www.hbr.org]
And there is only one way for God to deal with us when we let success quote “go to our heads.” He will allow us to crash and burn. He must allow us to experience a true fall from grace.
That’s what II Samuel eleven is all about. Let me see if I can show this to you and see if there aren’t some lessons for us here.
1. Your outward success may make you proud if you forget Who is the true source of your success. King David was a great administrator. He had a genuine concern for others. He had a great degree of wisdom. He had learned to trust the LORD when he had been pursued by King Saul day after day for years. And David had those around him who trusted him. They loved him.
At one point, three of David’s best men crossed the enemy line into Philistine territory just to get him a drink of water. That shows you the love David’s men had for him. David had it all “going for him.”
Please don’t fall for the idea that you created your own success. Yes, your plans, your efforts, your diligence, your persistence, and your buying up the opportunities in front of you have certainly increased your success. But what do you have that you didn’t receive?
Here’s a word from II Samuel 8:6 “And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.” And again in verse fourteen. 8:14 “…And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.” I Corinthians 4:7 “…and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” In another place Paul adds this. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Now, as evidence of David’s tendency to pride, consider this. According to the Biblical Archeology Reader [2, p. 76 – found on www.daraymi.blogstpot.com], during six centuries of Ammonite rule, only once were the walls breached and that was by the Israeli army under King David’s captain Joab.”
So, yes, it’s certainly possible that David’s tremendous military success led to a spirit of pride.
1. Your outward success may make you proud if you forget Who is the true source of your success. But I believe there was a much more powerful spirit that affected King David and led to his climbing down the ladder to failure.
2. Outward success may make you extremely vulnerable to greater temptations; especially to a spirit of discontent.
Here’s what we read in II Samuel eleven and verse two. II Samuel 11:2 “And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.”
Some Bible commentators say that this verse is the turning point in David’s life. And it may be. But, even though David no longer will be successful as he once was I believe there is a whole lot more to David’s life and, in spite of a horrible sin, God isn’t finished with David yet. This, in itself should be a great encouragement to each one of us; that even though we make a huge mess of things, God always writes the last chapter. But yes, you can easily see a spirit of discontent.