Title: The Good Success
Text: Josh. 1:8, Ps. 1:1-6
[Jos 1:8] This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
[Psa 1:1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
[Psa 1:2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
[Psa 1:3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Introduction
- My prayer is that you will be successful in the year 2018 in the name of Jesus Christ
- May you be fulfilled in this new year in the name of Jesus Christ
- Whoever has God, has eternal success. Whoever does not have God, has eternal failure.
- The most important success we can have in life is to have a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. That is the ultimate success.
- Eccl. 12: 13-14
- [Ecc 12:13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the wholeduty of man.
- [Ecc 12:14] For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it beevil.
- There is success with God and success in the secular world. If one must choose, please choose having success with God.
- It is better to be successful with God than to be successful in the world.
- Remember Lazarus and the rich man.
- However, it is also possible to have both, provided our priorities are set that success with God trumps success in the secular world.
Main Topic
Spiritual Success vs. Secular Success
1. Spiritual Success
- It is determined by the standards of heaven
- It is measured by holiness and closeness to God
- Guided by the Word, Prayer, and the Holy Spirit
- It is rewarded eternally by our Heavenly Father
- Paul, Peter, Philip, Stephen, are just a few that have demonstrated spiritual success
To be successful spiritually, you must have the following:
- You must have a relationship with Jesus Christ. You must accept Him as your Lord and Savior. – [Joh 3:3] Jesus answered and said unto him,Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
- You must be baptized in the Holy Spirit, as the Holy Spirit will be your guide – [Act 1:5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence…. [Act 1:8] But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
- You must study the Bible – Josh. 1:8, 2 Tim. 2:15
- [Jos 1:8] This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
- [2Ti 2:15] Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
- You must create significant time to pray – 1 Thes. 5:17, John 16:24, Matt. 7:7-8
- [1Th 5:17] Pray without ceasing.
- [Joh 16:24] Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
- [Mat 7:7] Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [Mat 7:8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
- Add fasting to your prayers
- Have fellowship with other believers
- [Eph 5:11] And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
- [Heb 10:25] Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
- The blessed man in Psalm 1 knows who to fellowship with
2. Secular Success
- [Psa 1:3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; andwhatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
- After spiritual success, whatsoever you do shall prosper.
- Because it is grounded in your relationship with God.
- The blessed man puts God first before anything else
2a. Keys to secular success
- You must be determined to be successful
- You must be ready to face opposition
- You must be convinced that you can be successful
- You must be ready to work hard, as success does not come easily or automatically
- You must be ready to learn at all times
- You must not accept failure, but see it as a lesson and learn from your mistakes
- It must not be at the expense of your spiritual success
3. What are your success areas for 2018 – Hab. 2:2-3
[Hab 2:2] And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. [Hab 2:3] For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
- If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.
- You will always hit a target you did not set.
- You must set a target for your life and plan to hit the target in order to not be a failure.
- At least 5 areas where you need to set a target:
- Faith, Family, Finance, Health, Knowledge
- Faith – in what area of your faith walk would you like see an improvement?
- Study the word more
- Pray more
- Fasting
- Get more involved in the ministry work, etc. Whatever it is, write it down as your target (goal) for the year
- Family – what is your vision for your family for the year?
- Spend more time with your spouse and children
- Take a family vacation
- Plan for college
- Whatever it is, write it down as your target for the year
- Finance
- Debt free or pay down debt
- Save X amount of money by end of the year
- Open a retirement account
- Open an investment account
- Whatever it is, write it down as your financial target for the year
- Health
- Eat healthier food
- Exercise
- Lose weight
- Gain weight
- Whatever it is, write it down as your health goal for the year
- Knowledge
- Formal education
- Read books (how many books this year?)
- Your goals must be SMART
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time bound
- 7 steps to achieve your goals:
- Write down the steps you will take to achieve the goal.
- If you are not sure what steps to take, ask someone that has done it or is doing it.
- Write down the date (realistically) you believe you can achieve the goal
- If it will take more than one year, write down the part you must achieve this year
- Add your steps to your weekly petitional prayer requests
- Do what the step says – faith without works is dead.
- Be disciplined and determined to achieve your goal. Without discipline and determination, it will fail.
- At the end of each month, look back and ask yourself 3 questions:
-
- What have I achieved this month?
- Am I on track to achieve my goals within the timeframe?
- What is my next step?
- For example, if I plan to be debt free in 10 months and I owe $10,000
- Divide $10,000 into 10 months
- At the minimum, I must pay $1000 a month plus interest to pay off the debt
- Divide the $1000 into 4 weeks – at the minimum $250 per week.
- If I’m making $100/week, my goal is not realistic
- If I’m making $1000/week, my goal is achievable. I can cut some unnecessary expenses to be able to pay off the loan.
Conclusion
- Success does not come overnight
- You must plan to succeed. Without planning, it can be an automatic failure.
- Your spiritual life must be well grounded in the Word of God, prayer, fasting, and fellowship.
- You must set your secular life goals
- Setting goals allows you to be focused
- Avoid distractions
- Know exactly where you are going