Three Essential Foundational Keys to Success and Victory

INTRODUCTION

In our world today, success is on everyone’s mind and most people’s priority list. Whether in the work place, in the family, in marriage, in raising kids, in ministry, or in any other aspect of life, we all want to succeed and be victorious in anything we do. While the world looks on the outside to define success, 3 John 2 reminds us that God’s measure of success is spiritual, physical, and material. In other words, God wants us to be successful and victorious spiritually, physically, and materially. While there may be lots of success books out there that outline what you have to do to be successful in a particular career or venture, the Word of God actually outlines for us the essential keys to success and victory in any area of life; be it career, marriage, family, ministry, or any other arena of life.

In my own experience, I have found that the Word of God is sure and true. I have also found that the ways of God are sure and true. By sure and true, I mean that the Word of God and His ways are not only true but are unchangeable. This then means that any principle you glean from the Word of God is sure to give you the same result in any arena.

There are three essential keys I have learned in my own life that produce success and victory in any area of life. Those three keys are:

1. Waiting on the Lord patiently and trustingly.

2. Depending totally and completely on the Lord.

3. Walking in perfect obedience unto the Lord.

In discussing each key, we will learn how each key develops godly character within us. We will also see the benefits of applying each of these keys in every area of our lives. I pray that as you read, you will begin to apply these keys in your life and give God a chance to help you be a success and live victoriously.

PART I

WAITING ON THE LORD PATIENTLY AND TRUSTINGLY

The prophet Isaiah writes, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound]. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted; [but] those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired." (Isaiah 40:28-31 AMP) [emphasis mine].

CHAPTER 1

THE IMPORTANCE OF WAITING ON GOD

In our world today, most people are not willing to spend a lot of time waiting for anything. We are used to technological gadgets that make the wait time for most things very minimal. For example, we have drive-through restaurants, we do our banking via drive-through windows, we microwave most food items, and we have ATM machines that enable us to get cash quickly without even stepping out of the car. I’m sure you get the picture. In this atmosphere, waiting for anything therefore requires purposefulness and some effort on our part.

The Word of God, on the other hand, teaches us that waiting on the Lord is an essential kingdom quality if we are to succeed in anything worthy and live victoriously. To glean the importance of waiting on the Lord, let us examine the lives of some of the individuals who accomplished great things for God here on earth to see whether they waited on the Lord or whether they achieved via a drive-through breakthrough.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did not begin His ministry until He was about thirty years old. In Luke 3:23 we are told, Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age. Before starting His ministry, He had to wait until He was baptized by John the Baptist, fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness undergoing rigorous testing, and finally underwent the ultimate test when the devil tried to divert Him from His purpose and ministry on earth. The first time we hear about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after His birth and dedication at the temple was when He came to Jerusalem with His parents at the age of twelve. In Luke, we read the following: And when they had done everything according to the Law of the Lord, they went back into galilee, to their own town, Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him. Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year to the Passover Feast. And when He was twelve years [old], they went up, as was their custom. And when the Feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this. But, supposing Him to be in the caravan they traveled on a day’s journey; and [then] they sought Him [diligently, looking up and down for Him] among their kinsfolk and acquaintances. And when they failed to find Him, they went back to Jerusalem, looking for Him [up and down] all the way. After three days they found Him [came upon Him] in the [court of the] temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His intelligence and understanding and His replies (Luke 2:39-47 AMP).

That His parents took Him to Jerusalem at the age of twelve was not unusual because, Jewish law required that males attend the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles and at the age of twelve a Jewish boy starts to observe the requirements of the Law. After the Feast of Passover ended, we are again told in Luke 2:51-52, Then He went down with them [His parents] and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them [His parents]... And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. The next time we hear about our Lord Jesus Christ is at the time of His Baptism when He was being separated to start His ministry at the age of thirty. But between the age of twelve and thirty, we are told that He grew in wisdom and stature before God and men. I believe that what the Bible is referring to here is that He was being prepared and matured by God for His ministry and the ultimate purpose for His coming (the salvation of mankind and all of God’s creation). We can see that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had to wait on the Lord for the appointed time to begin His ministry here on earth. We are told in Luke 3:21-22, When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’

As stated earlier, after His baptism, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness where He underwent rigorous testing before undergoing the ultimate test of commitment and faithfulness to His calling. Again, scripture tells us in Luke 4:1-12, "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’" The devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory, for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only You shall serve.’ Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over You, To keep You, and In their hands they shall bear You up, Lest You dash your foot against a stone.’" And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘It has been said, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ We can see from this scripture that the rigorous tests he experienced were essential to test His commitment and faithfulness to His calling. However, before this time of testing, He had to wait on the Lord for eighteen years to be prepared to handle any test as He marched towards the start of His ministry. Right after passing the ultimate test of commitment and faithfulness, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ began His ministry on earth which ended at the cross. Luke 4:13-14 makes this point clearly, Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region, and He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. It is important to see from the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that He did not do any teaching or perform any miracles until God prepared Him and took Him through the rigorous tests that prepared Him for ministry. His ministry is still impacting people all over the world, thousands of years after His death. The example He left us teaches us that waiting on God is very essential to success and victory. His example also teaches that we must undergo preparation, training, and tests before we can succeed at our calling in any arena or impact our generation for God. The training and tests refer to the things we go through or experience as we wait on God to start whatever God has called us to do in any arena. Finally, the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teaches us that we will never fail if we learn to wait on God."

Joseph

Joseph is a Jewish man who became the Prime minister of the then super power of the world, Egypt. To understand how Joseph ended up in Egypt, we have to understand Joseph’s position in his family. Joseph was one of the sons of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel by God. In Genesis 35:9-10, we are told, Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padam Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.’ So He called his name Israel. Joseph was loved by his father and hated by his brothers as seen from the account in Genesis 37:3-4 where we are told, Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

To complicate matters, Joseph had a dream and told his brothers about the dream which intensified their hatred for him. In Genesis 37:5, we are told, Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even the more. Despite their hatred for him, Joseph proceeded to share the dream with his brothers. In verse 6-7 Joseph said to them, Please hear this dream which I have dreamed; there we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. His brothers’ reaction was intensified hatred toward Joseph as seen in verse 8 where we are told, So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. It was obvious to them from the dream that Joseph may be called to be in a position of authority for after he shared his dream, they said to him in verse 8, Shall You indeed reign over us? Or shall You indeed have dominion over us? The lesson here is that when God places a call on our lives or speaks to us regarding our future, it is probably not wise to share it with other people unless we are led by the Lord to do so. Their reaction may put us in a state of confusion, discouragement, or even danger. In Joseph’s case, we are told further in Genesis 37:9-11, Then he [Joseph] dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.’ So he told it to his father and his brothers, and his father rebuked him and said to him. ‘What is this dream that You have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before You?’ And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Due to the resulting envy in their hearts, Joseph’s brothers hatched a plan to get rid of Joseph when they got the opportunity. In Genesis 37:12-36, we read the account of how Joseph’s brothers sold him to some Midianite and Ishmaelite traders on their way to Egypt. When the traders got to Egypt, we are told in verse 36 that, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. So, we see that in the case of Joseph, the result of sharing his calling prematurely led to his brothers selling him as a slave. Indeed it is unwise to prematurely share your vision, calling, or things God is putting in your heart. Despite the fact that Joseph was sold into slavery, the good news was and still is that God was and still is in control.

Egypt was the very place that God put Joseph in the position of authority to preserve his covenant people through whom the Messiah would come for our salvation. As the account of Joseph’s life develops, we see that he did not immediately take on a position of authority as soon as he was sold to Potiphar. In fact, on the contrary, Joseph went through a series of events/tests that God used to prepare and train him for the position God already prepared for him. First, Joseph was in Potiphar’s household as a servant. We are told in Genesis 39:1-5, Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, Captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field. We can see that in the position of a servant or minister to Potiphar, the LORD was with Joseph and Joseph recognized this fact as seen from his attitude and behavior. Joseph was faithful to God as demonstrated by the fact that he stayed faithful in that position. He was not complaining and murmuring about his plight and the fact that he was in Egypt serving Potiphar. Joseph performed his duties with such faithfulness that Potiphar put him in charge of everything in his household. Genesis 39:6 makes it clear that, [Potiphar] left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread he ate.

Humanly speaking, you would think that Joseph would then continue to rise in position until he came to that position of authority that God already prepared for him. But his point of separation had not yet come, for God was not yet done training and preparing Joseph. The second test came from Potiphar’s wife. The last sentence of Genesis 39:6 tells us that, Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. Genesis 39:7-20 continues, And it came to pass that after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, Lie with me. But he refused and said to his master’s wife, Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into