How to Succeed as a Christian
1 Chronicles 28:9-10
Know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”
1 Kings 2:2-3
“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn”
No one wants to be a failure. Everyone should have a desire to succeed in life. But the focus and desire of the child of God should not be to seek success according to the world’s standard but by God’s standard. God’s word tells us how to succeed as a Christian. Let me share with you four steps to success.
I. Know God personally
A. 1 Chronicles 28:9 “Know the God of your father…”
B. “know” - have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him
C. It is one thing to know about God; it is another to know Him. Most people in our society don’t know God personally.
D. To be a Christian you must “know God” and that does not mean just knowing about God. We are saved is not by knowing about Jesus, but knowing Jesus as our personal Savior.
E. One contemporary translation of Philippians 3:8-10 reads, “Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life…”
F. Knowing God is the most exhilarating experience a man or woman can ever be graciously invited to enjoy! His very nature defies adequate description and yet, through his indwelling Spirit, he has flooded our hearts with his love and majestic beauty (Rom 5:5). The sheer force of his presence calms our fears and assures us draw near in holy, humble adoration – Greg Herrick, Knowing God and Prayer
G. John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
H. Do you know Him or do you just know about Him?
II. Know His Word
A. Thy Word have I hid in my heart
B. 1 Kings 2:3 “And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses.”
C. A. “Bible instruction alone will not result in instant solutions to problems. No matter how reliable the teaching or how gifted the teacher, the declaration of truth does not provide the removal of difficulties. Think of the Scriptures as an absolutely accurate map. A map tells you how to get to a certain destination. But just looking at a map won’t automatically transport you to Arizona or England or Peru. Getting to those places means you have to make the effort…pay the cost…take the time for travel…stay at it until you arrive. In a word, persevere. So it is in the Christian life. God’s map is reliable and available. It is also clear and direct. But there is no hocus-pocus in its pages that automatically sends its reader by way of a magic carpet. Please don’t misunderstand. I love God’s Word! I am more convinced than ever in my life that its trustworthy truths are of inestimable value. But although the Bible may be a trustworthy book, it is certainly no magic potion that you rub on yourself three times a day to chase the devil away. Nor is it something you take internally with a pious promise to God, hoping that the next morning you will suddenly know and experience all its truths. There is no such “instant maturity” available on this earth. God does not offer a formula that produces fully mature Christians overnight. Christian growth comes through hard-core, gutsy perseverance (a forgotten word!) of applying what you hear and obeying it…and thereby learning how to handle those inevitable problems.” - Perseverance, Condensed from Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back by Charles Swindoll, 1980
D. Psalms 119:9 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
E. Not good enough to just hear the Word; but stick to the Word.
F. 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
III. Know how to pray
A. 1 Chronicles 28:9 “…If you seek Him, He will be found by you…”“
B. There are those who would seek fame, others would seek fortune, some would seek pleasure. To succeed as a Christian seek the Lord Seek the Lord with all your heart. Seek Him; Seek His will; Seek His face; Seek His power; Seek His pleasure; Seek His grace!
C. Psalms 105:4 “Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!”
D. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”
E. “Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.”- Corrie ten Boom
F. “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” - John Bunyan
G. Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”
H. A "Quiet Time" is a time each day that you get alone with God to read His Word, pray, and seek the Lord. Some people call it "Devotions." Many Christians can testify that a daily quiet time is the most important factor in developing a relationship with the Lord and living victoriously. Why is it so important? 2 Chronicles 12:14 tells us that King Rehoboam "did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord." Seeking the Lord on a daily basis can prevent us from doing evil. --Kent Crockett
IV. Know how to stand by your convictions
A. 1 Chronicles 28:10 “Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”
B. 1 Kings 2:2 “…be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.”
C. When the world tempts you to bend and bow; or entices you to surrender to its pleasures; when it begs for you to compromise just a little, prove yourself a man or woman of God and stand firm on your convictions.
D. Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin. For he considered reproach for the sake of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward.”
E. Joshua 1:6-7 “Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.”
F. When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
So don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
For you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems
to a fain and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure, turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit. – copied
G. Hebrews 10:36 “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise”
