What is the key to success? Steve Jobs said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Steve Jobs was convinced that a person’s “work is going to fill a large part of (their) life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
Elon Musk believed, “When something is important enough you do it even though the odds are not in your favor.”
Forbes magazine published an online article on October 30, 2018 by Jordan Daykin. Mr. Daykin supported the claim that passion in your mission is the key to success.
Biography.com verifies that Alexander Graham Bell was recorded as having said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”
The website “Success Consciousness” archived a Remez Sasson blog post that listed different things like a clear goal, patience, persistence, and faith in yourself as part of keys to success.
However, these thoughts do not fully line up with scripture. I believe part of the problem is the definition of our terms. The business insider online magazine found that the average Joe believes that success is seen as great wealth, powerful influence, and fame. Yet, those who fit that description do not define success in that way. Billionaire Richard Branson would tell you that success is summed up with “how happy you are.” Famous basketball coach John Wooden gave a TED talk in 2001. Coach Wooden had 620 victories and 10 national titles as a college basketball coach. He defined success as the peace of mind you have in knowing you did the best you are capable of doing. Warren Buffet once told a room of shareholders at their annual meeting, “I measure success by how many people love me.”
Did you know that the Bible only uses the word “success” one time in all 66 books, 1,189 chapters, and 31,102 verses? Joshua 1:8 provides the only time “success” is mentioned in all of scripture. With a culture that seems so driven to be successful, it is definitely curious that the Lord only refers to success one time in scripture…and this reference has nothing to do with money, earthly power, or fame.
Samson knew what the key to his success was, yet he failed. Jonah knew what the key to his success was and yet he failed at first as well! David, a man after God’s own heart, knew what the key to his success was, yet he failed at times as well!! You and I may know in our hearts what the key to a successful life is, but if it is not true in our own lives we will fail – for knowing it and practicing it are two different things!
Take a moment and look up Joshua 1 in your Bible. In the context of this passage of scripture, Moses is dead. Joshua is suddenly thrown into a place of leadership. How will he lead this massive, unpredictable, and griping group of people? How will he keep his own life right? How will he know that he is making right decisions? How will he handle the stress and pressure? Does he succeed or fail?
Turn over to Joshua 24:29, 31. Folks, we, too, are called upon to lead our own lives, our families, and in our ministry. Will we succeed or fail? The key, according to Joshua 1:8, is what we are rehearsing (our meditations). Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Someone has once said - “whatever we think about most of the time is what we are really living for” and “…under temptation, our body will do what our mind has already thought about doing.”
If we were to take a quick survey among believers today, we would most likely find that an overwhelming number of believers would desire to have a successful Christian life. We desire to deepen our relationship with Jesus. We desire to have victory over temptation. We desire to take steps of faith that God commands in His Word. Yet, the word “desire” indicates it has not been a reality in our own life.
What are we missing in our Christian lives that is holding many of us back from the successful Christian living that God intended for all His children to enjoy? Where does real success begin? Joshua 1:8.
Christians will not memorize the Bible, or think about the Bible, or simply read the Bible — until it is believed that the Bible has the power to change lives! The Bible will not be embraced as commanded until it is believed to be the inspired Word of God.
Romans 1:16; Hebrews 4:12; Prov. 30:5-6
As the church, are we more often interested in entertainment, activities, and social settings for our worship services or are we more interested in preaching centers? Are we merely producing busier lifestyles through the church or are we producing godly disciples of Jesus Christ?
The USA is now referred to as a post-Christian culture. The influence of the Word of God is seen less and less among the church (which means there is less influence of the Word of God on the unsaved through the church)… and this has impacted the nation!
Hosea 4:6b - “seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
Matt. 22:29 - “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”
Jer. 8:9 - “lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?”
Isaiah 8:20 - “if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
The people of God need to return to the authority of the Word of God in our churches, in our homes, in our workplaces, and in our personal lives.
The Authority of Scripture:
The author of scripture is God Himself. II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21
God cannot lie.
Numbers 23:19 - “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?”
Hebrews 6:18 - “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.”
The Testimony of the human writers used:
Psalm 119:128 - “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.”
Psalm 119:142 - “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.”
Psalm 119:151 - “Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.”
Psalm 119:160 - “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”
John 17:17 - “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
It is established that God’s Word is true. We probably didn’t have to spend all this time proving that point, because most of you would probably agree to that statement. However, if God’s word is true – why don’t we believe it? Why don’t we practice it?
Our media, our commercials, and the script to popular novels are not the standard of truth. Drunkenness is not a good time. Your gender is not determined by you. Heaven is not the destiny of “good people.” These are lies from Satan!
The idea that possessions make you happy is not truth!
The philosophy that you do not need God or His Holy Spirit to live your daily life (let alone your eternal life) is not truth.
Embracing the thought that “God understands” my sinful choices some how makes it okay — is not truth.
If someone were to call you on the phone and say, “Your house is on fire! Get everyone out immediately!!” What would be your response? You would probably get yourself and your family out of the house as quickly as possible. If you just sat there, thanked the caller for their concern, and hung up, the caller would probably think you didn’t believe them. But what if you did believe what they said to be true, and yet you still don’t leave your house? You might even get burned a little before you get the notion to leave! Sound crazy, right?
This is exactly what some of us are doing with God’s Word. We say God’s Word is true. We even tell other people that it is true. However, when it comes to believing that God will not hear our prayers because of our unconfessed sin (as Ps. 66:18 tells us), we actually still remain in sin (lying, covetousness, immorality, idolatry, disobedient to parents, and unthankful hearts…to name a just a few examples). We will actually cast aside a powerful, fruitful prayer life and embrace unconfessed sin. The attraction and satisfaction of the sin is just too great to turn away. Too many of the church today have not experienced the attraction and satisfaction of relationship with Jesus Christ. Too many of the church today do not understand the joy of sacrifice, service, and commitment to Jesus. So the church does not slip away – the church chooses to run away from their first love, Jesus. This is lack of relationship with Jesus and lack of knowledge of His Word.
When God’s Word commands us to tithe (Mal. 3:8-10) and not hold back the first fruits which belong to Him (Prov. 3:9-10), we would rather hold onto our money and steal from God than to obey Him. This is lack of relationship with Jesus and lack of knowledge of His Word.
God’s Word tells us in passage after passage that we are to become more like Him every day (Rom. 12:1-2; I Tim. 4:12; I Pet. 1:15-16; II Pet. 3:18). Yet, the church is too often calling immodesty simply “cute,” gossip mere “conversation,” and anger and bitterness is “justified” or “who could blame you.” When we do this we are rebels. We are disobeying God.
We are robbing ourselves of a peace and joy that passes all understanding.
It is almost as though we don’t believe God will do what He says if we disobey Him! This is lack of relationship with Jesus and lack of knowledge of His Word. How can we meditate on the Word day and night when we do not even know the Word with any level of growing depth?
The #1 key element to success is rooted in the Word of God and looks like vibrant relationship with Him.