2 Kings 20:13
“ And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.”
Hezekiah had seen great accomplishments in his life. He had rebuilt the military so that they were able to stand against the King of Assyria. He was used to bring one of the greatest revivals in history to Judah. He had rebuilt the treasures of the kingdom and experienced God’s healing hand. His success will be talked about forever. Yet, his success bred some classic mistakes that successful people often make. There were four mistakes he made that every successful person will have to guard against.
First, he became self-confident instead of trusting in God. You see in the earlier years of his life that he trusted God for every move. When the King of Assyria came against him, he trusted God; however, in the latter years of his life he became confident in his own power when he showed the King of Babylon’s servants the kingdom. You must always remember that you need God. Your past success doesn’t guarantee future success. You still need God after great success as much as you needed Him when you had no success.
Second, he became prideful instead of staying humble. Hezekiah was so proud of the riches of his kingdom. He wanted everyone to see what he had. What he forgot was that God gave it to him. When you have experienced success, you will have to guard against pride. It can become easy to take the credit for everything you have accomplished. It is easy to take the credit when everyone is patting you on the back, but you must remember that pride is the first step towards destruction. You must be careful to always give credit to God for everything you’ve accomplished.
Third, he became a legacy builder instead of building God’s kingdom. Hezekiah become more concerned with what others would think of him after he died than he was with the name of God. It can become easy to try and build your legacy the older you get. Nobody wants to be forgotten, but you must always keep in mind that you are to build the kingdom of God. You must not make everything about you. Legacy builders will start hurting those who helped them succeed if they start getting in the way of their legacy. You must not worry about your legacy and leave that up to God. Continue to serve those whom God has allowed you to lead, and God will take care of your legacy.
Fourth, he became a selfish man who was not concerned with how his actions affected future generations. When Hezekiah heard that God was going to withhold judgment during his lifetime he said, “…Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?” (2 Kings 20:19) Don’t let success cause you to forget that there is someone who must come after you. Don’t be so selfish that your whole concern is with what you get, with no regard for how it adversely affects future generations.
You will have to guard against these four actions the older and more successful you get. Always keep yourself in proper perspective. Stay focused on what you still need to accomplish and these actions can be more easily avoided.