In the Bible there are written many promises made to those who enter into a covenant relationship with God, and these promises are not given to us as rewards for good behavior, but rather because God is good and takes great delight in giving good gifts to His children. There is nothing we may do to deserve any of the good promises God has made to us, because they are made not because we are good, but because The Lord is good. In addition to the promises given, there are instructions on how they must be facilitated, because it always takes cooperation between the human agent and the Divine for success to become a reality in our lives. Furthermore the promises of success thus given are conditional, meaning that there are certain stipulated steps which must be put in place, before the promises can be materialized. Let’s read:
Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law”…. “turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
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.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Because this promise is heavily loaded, it is therefore necessary for us to understand first what is the Bible definition of “Good success” because what the world defines as being successful, is often described in the word as a miserable failure. For instance, this past week a prominent candidate for the presidency released his earnings, and to many he is seen as the epitome of good success, because with the secular world, money, fame, fortune, and higher education are all manifestations of one being very successful, hence the reason why many may look to such individuals as those who should be emulated.
But with the Christian, being successful must inevitably result in being saved in God’s kingdom, or else our lives would not be worth the living. And although there are many undeniable instances in the Bible, where certain individuals who played by the rules, became very rich and famous, yet these elements are not what finally decided whether or not they were successful, because as was stated before, true success must of necessity include a saving relationship with The Lord Jesus Christ.
Hence the reason why we will find many instances in the Bible where individuals were martyred for their faith in God, but were deemed extremely successful in life by the heavenly standards, whilst other characters were very wealthy, and yet their lives were not estimated as being a success, because that one singular element of a vital connection with God was missing. This is the reason why in the scriptures we will find many paradoxes on the issue of success and prosperity, for there are those who were rich in this world’s good, yet were poor, and there were those who were very poor by worldly standards yet were extremely rich. Thus we must be very, very careful when defining what true success is. Let’s read:
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Psalm 73:2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain”…
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
8 They are corrupt, and”… “they speak loftily.
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
However, there are some important issues we should be aware of when trying to understand God’s promises of success and prosperity, for many Christians erroneously conclude that the blessings of God in this area come with no adverse conditions, and because of this many of us
often become dismayed at what we see as unwarranted difficulty and hardship in the fulfillment of His promises. We should therefore settle this matter once and for all in our hearts, that prosperity and good success as given by God, often includes major disappointments, obstacles, and hurdles, which will severely challenge our faith in His power to deliver on what He has promised.
Furthermore, it has been observed on several occasions that playing by the rules is never an absolute guarantee that everything will then go smoothly without a hitch, for there are other nocturnal forces of evil that are hell-bent on forestalling God’s promises to us, and though these unseen, and human agents do not have the power within themselves to overturn one iota of God’s word, yet they will certainly mount an orchestrated and determined challenge, to cause us to buckle under temptation, and thus yield to feelings of despair and discouragement. This fact is critically important for us to understand, so that we may not succumb to doubt and murmuring against God, when it may occur. Let’s read:
Genesis 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed
the saying.
These dreams were not figments of Joseph’s imagination, neither did they occur because he had eaten split peas late at night, but were rather the direct interpositions of God, revealing to him the fact that there was a bright future ahead of him, complete with fame and fortune of no ordinary character, in addition to a position of great authority. However, as sacred history reveals to us, the road to Joseph’s future success would be marked with severe trial and manifold temptations which would try to threaten both his faith and his sanity, and these daunting challenges would come after he had played by the rules.
The reason for this is that whenever it is revealed that God is going to bless his people and make us a great success, the old devil goes to work, and sets a series of challenges in motion, if by any means he could cause us to forget about God and turn our backs on His promises. This he has done time and time again, and in some instances, with great success. It is unrealistic then for us to think that good success will come our way without a hitch, because as stated before, every step of advance
made by the Christian in any line will be subject to the ire of the dragon, who will work both through supernatural and human agencies to try to overthrow our faith in God.
This sobering fact we must always as a rule bring into the equation, so that we may not harbor any unrealistic ideas of how success is accomplished, and thereby become very discouraged and disheartened, when things did not go the way we had planned or expected. In the case of Joseph, his road to success would be marked with a series of impediments, ranging from being sold by his own family into slavery, to attempted rape by his own master’s wife, and then to cap it all off, several years in jail, all because he chose to play by the rules. Yet in and through all the vicissitudes of his life, the Bible tells us that God was with Joseph, and thus we may know for certain, that in the fullness of time, every promise made to him by God, will be fulfilled to the letter in their due season. Let’s read:
Genesis 37:13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again”…
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
Genesis 39:7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
9 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
10 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
16 And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home.
17 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
18 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.
19 And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Psalm 105:17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.
20 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
23 Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 And he increased his people greatly; and made them
stronger than their enemies.
(Excerpts from Early writings pp 266) I saw that Satan bade his angels lay their snares especially for those who were looking for Christ’s second appearing and keeping all the commandments of God. Satan told his angels that the churches were asleep. “But,” he said, “the sect of Sabbath-keepers we hate. Be very vigilant then. Cause disturbance and confusion if possible. Battle every inch of ground. Crowd every attraction around them, and they will be surely ours. I saw that Satan carries out his plans well. He is constantly putting suggestions into the minds of God’s people. He leads some in one way and some in another, always taking advantage of evil traits”… exciting and stirring up their natural besetments.
The same thing took place after God had promised to bless the Hebrews with a land flowing with milk and honey. At this time the children of Israel were playing by the rules, and as far as God was concerned, they were actually doing that which was right and pleasing in His sight. And so, true to his form, the devil goes to work again, to try if by any means he could present manifold temptations to cause them to stumble, and thus forestall in some measure, God’s promises of good success and prosperity to His people.
We should observe in this next instance that the very same temptation of sexual immorality was used as that which was brought to Joseph, because there are only three categories of temptations the devil can choose from, and whatsoever may be our issue that we are tempted with, we may know for certain that it is just an old temptation in recycled form. However, unlike Joseph, this time he had a measure of success, and although many were thus thrown off course on account of their sins, yet again, the promises of God were fulfilled to His people in the fullness of time, because as stated before, God’s word will be fulfilled one way or another, even if there be distractions and challenges along the way. Let’s read:
Numbers 22:2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they
were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor”… “saying”…
6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed
16 And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
19 God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him,
and the shout of a king is among them.
23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob”…
Now brethren, in lieu of the challenges that will certainly be mounted by the enemy to overthrow our faith in the promises of God, there are certain preemptive points we must of necessity take into consideration, in order for us to avoid falling into the snares of discouragement, doubt, and murmuring, which have the potential to derail our faith and resilience in God.
Point # 1: Continue to play by all the rules of engagement that are written as preconditions to the fulfillment of God’s promises of success, for these must be followed diligently, without turning to the right hand or the left. It is of critical importance for us to maintain this first step, for a deliberate departure from the path of rectitude can trigger adverse and unnecessary hardships along the way.
Exodus 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place
which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not”.. “for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
Joshua 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.
Point # 2: Maintain an unwavering faith in God that trusts Him even when we cannot trace Him. Sometimes it may seem as if the road to success is shrouded in much darkness and uncertainty, but in and through all of the ups and downs, God is silently working out His own good purposes, and we will reap in due season if we faint not.
Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Point # 3: Avoid the temptation to doubt and murmur, for these have the ability to obscure the providences of God, and if left to run their natural course, could actually cause us to interpret blessings as curses and vice versa. Whenever the spirit of complaining is indulged over a period of time, God is seen to be an enemy instead of a Friend, Father, and Redeemer, and whatsoever good He may do for us will often come across as an omen of evil. Doubt and murmuring are the diabolical enemies of faith and trust, and if we suffer with these two maladies, we should now ask God to forgive us, and to grant us a ready and believing mind that dwells in the positive, instead of negative territory. Let’s read:
Numbers 14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and
honey.
9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones”….
1st Corinthians 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured”
11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Let us therefore zip up our boots and cultivate a cheerful spirit, in the good times and bad, because all things work together for the good of those who love God. All things may not necessarily be good in and of themselves, but when lumped together as an indivisible whole, it will be seen that God has led us in the very best paths to success and prosperity. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to continue hoping and trusting in God for the future, because He knows and does only what is best for His people. Let’s read:
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word.
God bless!