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The Good Success

Posted on 08 Jan 2018, Pastor: Tolu Makinde

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:
1. 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.
2. Write down the date (realistically) you believe you can achieve the goal
3. If it will take more than one year, write down the part you must achieve this year
4. Add your steps to your weekly petitional prayer requests
5. Do what the step says – faith without works is dead.
6. Be disciplined and determined to achieve your goal. Without discipline and determination, it will fail.
7. 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

Sermon

The Good Success