Three Keys to Success

Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.”

We have all seen Christians who seem to be thriving and increasing in their lives. They have struggles like the rest of us, but they always come through with a smile and a testimony. On the other hand, we have seen those who seem to struggle at every turn. They may be in church one week and out for two months. They seem to be living under their circumstances instead of living victoriously over them. Is there something we as Christians can do to experience greater victory in our lives?

According to Joshua 1:8, our success as followers of God is directly related to our time spent in His Word. The above passage says having good success in this life is preceded by meditating on God’s Word day and night. It goes on to say that, as you meditate on it day and night, the result is the ability to ‘observe and do all that is written in it.”

Let’s look at the three steps to Godly success from Joshua 1:8.

1) Meditate

Did you become what you think about continually? Proverbs 23:7a says, “As a man thinks in His heart, so is he.” Your thoughts are the map to your destiny. God created you that way. So, when God spoke to Joshua and told Him to meditate on His Word, He was showing Joshua the pathway to a successful destiny. The Hebrew meaning of the word meditation is to murmur, mutter, speak, or whisper. One of the most powerful keys to living in power is to continually meditate on God’s Word.

2) Observe

Luke 11:34-35 says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.” Notice, Jesus said, ‘The eye is the lamp of the body.” Many have been deceived into thinking that the entertainment they watch doesn’t affect them. But that is not the way God created you. What you look at continually will develop into a desire. If you keep a triple layer fudge cake on your kitchen counter continually in your sight, you will develop a desire to eat that cake.

3) Do

According to the book of James, they who are only hearers of the Word and not also doers are blinded. It is not enough to be continually learning about God’s Word, yet never doing what it says. God told Joshua one of the keys to his success was obedience. You and I must determine that God’s ways are always right.

At first glance, the dedication required for the reward of this promise seems impossible

How can anyone meditate on God’s Word day and night and still do all that is required to live in this natural world? But I have learned to always agree with God’s Word and let it change the way I live, instead of trying to change God’s Word to make it fit the way I am already living.

You and I must know that God never asks us to do anything that we are incapable of doing. If He asks us to do something, He will certainly show us how to walk it out in our lives. Life is made up of seconds, minutes and hours. Take daily chunks of your life and meditate on God’s Word, and watch it change your life and chart your destiny.