Success Defined!

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. JOSHUA 1:8 AMP

The world has a definition of success, and the results of that definition is always visible. The Word  of God also has a definition of success and its results also are visible and tangible. How does God define success and prosperity:

1. My mouth must never lack the right words from the right source. It all starts from the contents of the inner man. I can only speak what has been deposited inside of me. If all I have is junk, my lips will only produce junk. If I have spent time investing on the right contents- the Word of God- then when I speak, lives are blessed because I am speaking Life himself.

2. Reading and meditating on the Word of God is fundamental to the journey to success and prosperity. God's Word contains directives, recipes and ways to please God and live a life of impact. When you read and meditate, you become aware of the amazing God you have come to know.

3. You must take a step further into obedience. Knowing God's will is a waste of effort if you are not going to obey what he commands. Spending time reading about God will not guarantee you success if you are not quick to obey what the same God commands. Obedience also must be on God's terms, not ours. We do not decide what to obey or how to obey, we simply obey as directed. It is hard, especially when you do not understand the why and the how of the commands, but then, God never has to first make sense for you to obey; obedience will later help make sense of what God has commanded.

4. All the above lead to success as defined by God. The world emphasizes the outward, the physical and the visible; God works first on the inner man, exposes  his Word to that inner man, deals with all pride and self sufficiency, and then the man is empowered to make impact for God.

What is my own focus; success as defined by the Word of God or the world of men? Both have different priorities and different destinations. Choose well, choose life; his time of favour is here.