I went to see my twin brother’s new movie (Denzel Washington), The Book of Eli this weekend. I was totally surprised to find a film that is deep and full of inspiration yet, dressed up in action movie clothing. Here’s the trailer for your viewing pleasure;

As the trailer suggests, it’s about a guy named Eli traveling west with a very special book in a post apocalyptic world. He encounters tons of bad guys and one main baddie played by (one of my most favorite actors) Gary Oldman who desperately wants Eli’s book. Baddies get beat-up, stuff blows up, and overall, it’s a great movie if you haven’t seen it yet.

That’s the general plot, I won’t spoil anything for you in this post that is major to it so read on with a sigh of relief.

With a message that’ll shake the core of your spirit and action that’ll make your brain ooze through your ears, the movie serves up 4 keys that will help you on your road to success.

God Never Said It Would Be Easy

Who Said Success Was Easy?

Throughout the film, Eli is faced with serious opposition both external (tons of baddies) and internal (judgment calls and moral decisions).

It’s important to note that being successful at anything isn’t easy, even if God promised it to you. You will face opposition, temptation, and the comfort of an easier path. However, stay encouraged, if God promised you something (a multi-million dollar business, to impact the world, to cure a disease, whatever it may be) He’ll give you the tools to make it happen.

Even though, Eli’s path was over-run with bad guys, he had the tools to take care of them all. And boy oh boy did he take care of them!

Walk by Faith and Not by Sight

Walk by Faith Not Sight

Faith is a big part of this movie because Eli knows he’s supposed to go west with an important book, but he doesn’t know exactly why. It takes a lot of faith to walk toward success without knowing what you’ll find when you get there even if the path you’re walking is a dangerous one.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb.11:1)

The substance of things hoped refers to making the decision to believe in something and the evidence of things not seen is believing it with all your heart. This is what it takes to be successful in any area of your life.

You have to know with all your heart that God is going to prosper your business even though you’re in debt. You have to lean on that hope and keep walking towards that reality.

Favor Comes from the Most Unlikely People

Favor Comes from Unexpected People

In the movie, Eli is accompanied by a young girl, played by Mila Kunis, who becomes his only ally. She doesn’t start out that way but eventually the two set out together to take the book out west.

On your road to success you will receive favor from the most unlikely people. People who were once your enemies, people who discouraged you, or people you never met before. God’s favor upon you will raise someone from somewhere to help you reach your destiny. It all boils down to if you’ll recognize it when it comes.

What’s Your Weapon?

What's Your Weapon of Choice?

Gary Oldman’s character (main baddie) growled at his henchmen, “It’s not just a book, it’s a weapon!”

For those times when the odds seem stacked against you and you’ve got baddies surrounding you, what will be your weapon of choice? For me, nothing is as powerful as the Word of God. It can strike back at the enemy closing in on any area of your life. It’s sharp enough to cut deep within your reality and flexible enough that you can hide it in your heart.

On your road to success you’ll have to determine your ultimate weapon. Trust me, the road will be littered with plenty of opportunities to use it.

So remember, the road to success isn’t easy, you’ve got to walk by faith and not by sight, recognize favor and maximize it when it comes, and finally, choose the weapon that can go down the darkest paths with you. Which one of these principles do you relate to the most? Where are you on your path to success? Share your thoughts below.

Update 1/22/2010: My good friend, Naomi Trower wrote a similar post except she tackled Eli from a social media perspective. I highly recommend reading her article, “3 Details The Book of Eli Can Teach You About Social Media”

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