King David, the warrior-poet of ancient Israel, once gazed at the night sky and asked, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:3–4).

A recent survey by The Reputation Institute surveyed more than 27,000 people from the G-8 countries, to arrive at a reputation ranking for 50 countries around the globe. The result? “Canada has the best reputation, for the third year in a row” (Barron’s, August 19, 2013).

Your Bible tells us that Satan is the “god” of this present world (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is called the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

Eight hundred years ago, in St. Albans, England, King John’s restless and dissatisfied Norman barons entered into a series of negotiations with the king’s representatives. The talks dragged on for two years. On June 15, 1215, in a famous meadow named Runnymede, the king’s representatives and the barons assented to a “Great Charter”—a formal royal grant stamped with the king’s Great Seal of approval.

Do you want to make something of your life? Do you want to be a success? Success in life does not happen by accident. Success is the result of time-tested principles. Here is an example: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). In other words, all knowledge starts with the solid foundation of a fear of God. Foundations are an important part of a successful life.