Images of Success

I came across this quote from Napoleon Hill today:

Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind's eye, and you will be drawn toward it.

He's saying to keep an image of who you want to be, your success, in front of yourself, and eventually you will attain it.

I was trying to figure out if this is applicable in the life of a Christian. Is it Godly to imagine for me to imagine the "spiritual giant" that I want to be? Won't that lead to spiritual pride? After all, I am imagining all the characteristics that I admire most. As I see myself at least partially attaining them, won't I take pride in that? I suppose the answer is not if I keep a realistic view of my sinful nature, and God's grace.

But I wonder... in the Bible, isn't it Christ's image that we are supposed to keep before us? Spiritual growth is growth in Christ-likeness. (1 Peter 1:15-16)When we get to heaven our sanctification will be finished because we will be like Him. (1 John 3:2)

So maybe, for my spiritual "success" at least, I need to be holding an image of Christ "long enough and steadily enough in my mind's eye." Keeping in mind always that His power is enough to do the job of my sanctification, and that it will not come without effort, struggle, and sacrifice (to pull in some other Napoleon Hill and Scriptural ideas).

Not that this is any big surprise or discovery. It's just coming at the concept from a different angle. Trying to think through the spiritual implications of a worldly idea.