God’s Program for Success
Joshua 1:6-8
Introduction: Success is a promise. Success is conditional. God has outlined the conditions for success.
I. Strength – Be Strong
A. (Ephesians 6:10) "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
B. An oak is not felled at one stroke
C. (2 Samuel 22:33) "God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect."
D. (Psalms 62:7) "In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God."
E. (Psalms 73:26) "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."
F. (Psalms 84:5-7) "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. {6} Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. {7} They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God."
G. (Isaiah 40:31) "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
II. Courage – and of a Good Courage
A. (Psalms 31:24) "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD."
B. (Psalms 27:14) "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
C. (2 Samuel 10:12) "Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good."
D. The editor of Parade magazine, Walter Anderson, has written a book called Courage Is a Three Letter Word. His message is clear and simple. Real courage means saying "yes" to life instead of backing down when we face adversity. He says that courage is acting with fear, not without it. Furthermore, in a recent interview in the Grand Rapids Press, he said, "Of all the successful people I’ve known and written about in the book, it’s not just that they’ve learned to live with anxiety or to cope with anxiety, they’ve learned to live better because of anxiety." Then he described a public figure he felt had shown great character and courage because he had said "yes" to life after being humiliated and embarrassed before the entire country.
E. No one could say that George Smith didn’t have courage. A daring jet test pilot in the 1950’s, back when the sound barrier was first being broken, he could face anything -- until he had to bail out of a jet going 805 miles per hour (Guideposts 1958). Though he survived, he was afraid of ever flying again. Then, during his hospital stay, a nurse gave him an antidote to fear. He took her words to heart: "Courage," she said, "is knowing the worst -- and discovering that, in God’s world, the very worst can’t really hurt you."
III. Obedience – observe to do all
A. (Deuteronomy 11:26-28) "Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; {27} A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: {28} And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known."
B. (John 14:15) "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
C. The Master’s will, for this I pray, Whatever it may be!
I do not want to miss Your best; Reveal it, Lord, to me.
My own desires may lead me wrong, I must consult my God;
His counsel will be justified, When all the way I’ve trod.
O soul of mine, delight in Him! His Word discern, obey!
The plan you seek to know will then unfold from day to day.
We do not live our lives alone: If I am in God’s will,
The lives of others will be helped, His purpose to fulfill!
My all, O Lord, I give to You, My body, mind and soul;
May all the days that lie ahead, be under Your control.
IV. Consistency – turn not from it
A. (Proverbs 4:27) "Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."
B. E. Stanley Jones in The Way to Power and Poise states it graphically, "If you don’t make up your mind, then your unmade mind will unmake you. Here is the place where there must be no dallying. For any dallying will be the Trojan horse that will get on the inside and open the gates to the enemy. God can do anything for the man who has made up his mind; he can do little or nothing for the double-minded."
C. (James 1:5-8) "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. {6} But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. {7} For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. {8} A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."
V. Dedication – this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth
A. Harold Sherman quite awhile ago, wrote a book entitled How To Turn Failure Into Success. In it he gives a "Code of Persistence." If you give up too easily, write this down and read it daily. 1. I will never give up so long as I know I am right. 2. I will believe that all things will work out for me if I hang on until the end. 3. I will be courageous and undismayed in the face of odds. 4. I will not permit anyone to intimidate me or deter me from my goals. 5. I will fight to overcome all physical handicaps and setbacks. 6. I will try again and again and yet again to accomplish what I desire. 7. I will take new faith and resolution from the knowledge that all successful men and women had to fight defeat and adversity. 8. I will never surrender to discouragement or despair no matter what seeming obstacles may confront me.
B. (Galatians 6:9) "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
C. To succeed in life you need not only initiative, but also finishiative.
VII. Devotion – meditate therein day and night
A. Have you ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? According to an interesting article in the Detroit Free Press, a pigeon walks the way it does so it can see where it’s going. Because it can’t adjust its focus as it moves, the pigeon actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. This is the way it walks: head forward, stop; head back, stop. Don’t laugh -- that’s how it goes! ....In our spiritual walk with the Lord we have the same problem as the pigeon. We have a hard time seeing while we’re moving. We also need to stop between steps -- to refocus on where we are in relation to the World and the will of God. That’s not to say we have to stop and pray and meditate about every little decision in life. But certainly our walk with the Lord needs to have built into it a pattern of "stops," which enable us to see more clearly before moving on.
B. (Psalms 1:1-2) "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. {2} But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
C. (Psalms 19:7-8) "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. {8} The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."
D. I would like a job as tutor, teacher and advisor to your family. I will never take a vacation. I will never be out of humor. I don’t drink or smoke. I won’t borrow your clothes or raid your refrigerator. I will be up in the morning as early as anyone in the household and will stay up as late as anyone wishes. I will help solve any problems your children might have. I will give you the satisfaction of knowing that no question your children ask will go unanswered. For that matter, I will answer any of your own questions on subjects that range from "How we got here?" to "Where are we headed?" I will help settle bets and differences of opinion. I will give you information that will help you with your job, your family and all of your other interests. In short, I will give you the knowledge that will insure the continued success of your family. I am your Bible.
