It’s a natural desire to want to succeed in what you do. Who wants to fail at what he does? Show me somebody who does and I will show you a person who needs some help. There is absolutely nothing commendable or holy about being disinterested in succeeding.
The desire to succeed in life is one of the great motivators in our world. People move from one job to another, they jockey for position, they continue their education for the competitive edge, they cheat and do illegal things to increase their chances for success, etc.
A post on achieving success God’s way suggests that other ways exist for achieving success. And that is definitely true. For just about anything you want to succeed in, there are subject matter experts who can show and tell you how to do that.
Also, a post on achieving success God’s way suggests that God has a plan for achieving success. That in turn suggests that He is not anti-success. That is true as well.
Biblical Instructions for Achieving Success God’s Way
After Moses died, God tapped Joshua to be the new leader of His people. The interesting thing is that not only did God choose Joshua to be the leader but also He gave Joshua a plan for achieving success:
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” (Joshua 1:8, NASB).
The point is that it’s not true that if God has called you to do something or He has confirmed what you are doing–whatever that is–that you are going to succeed no matter what you do or don’t do. That kind of errant thinking is the reason it’s possible for someone to be smack dab in the middle of God’s will for his or her life and still not succeed.
God called Joshua to be the leader but He also gave Joshua a plan for achieving success.
Interestingly, the same thing God told Joshua to do to make his way prosperous is what the psalmist tells us to do in Psalm 1 in order to prosper—meditate on the Word of God day and night and walk uprightly:
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night…. And in whatsoever he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:1-3, NASB).
Let us focus on that word whatsoever in Psalm 1. I want to make it clear that when I talk about achieving success God’s way, I am not only talking about success in the work of the ministry. If you faithfully apply verses 1-3 from Psalm 1, whatsoever you do will prosper. That includes starting a business, parenting, in your daily occupation–whatever.
We conclude then that God is not against His children prospering in this world. He has a plan for achieving success. If we implement His plan, He promises a favorable outcome.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.