Success - God's Way

By Mary Loudermilk

Most people would readily admit that they desire to be successful and prosperous in life. Some will attain their aspiration while others will not. What separates the average from the achiever?

The wise person plans for success by setting goals and then working to achieve those goals. This may be through education, special training, self-discipline and other means. Each one's definition of what success means to them will differ and the steps to reaching their personal goals will also differ. Whatever the objective, it is achieved through diligence and effort.

As a child of God, we desire to be successful and prosperous in our walk with Him. Like success in everyday life, spiritual goals are reached when we plan and pursue them. We focus on things that will draw us closer to our objective. In our pursuit, we will face obstacles. Spiritual growth does not come without persistence and effort.

Joshua 1:8 says, "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."

If we look at the various phrases within this verse of Scripture, we can discover steps to spiritual blessing and prosperity. They come from immersing ourselves in the Word of God.
We internalize the Word and allow it to flow from us. It becomes part of our daily speech.
We continually, day and night, meditate on the Word. We ponder its meaning, mull over it, and even mutter it softly as we think on it.
We obey the Word. We guard and protect its truths and keep them in our heart.

James 1 explains it this way: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." The passage goes on to talk about a person who looks in a mirror, sees his image, and then forgets what he looks like as soon as he walks away. When we are hearers of the Word only, we quickly forget what kind of person we really are as soon as the sermon is finished. We deceive ourselves and remain unchanged. 

The person who acts upon what he hears finds blessings and prospers in the Lord. "But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:25). 

It is only when the Word becomes part of our very being that we prosper and find success in God.