Life Plan Devotion #123 [Success]

Hi, Everyone.
I hope you had a good weekend. It's Monday--time to get going! First, though, let's complete Joshua 1:8.

Life Plan Devotion #123 [Success]

Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (NKJV).

     What a wonderful Kingdom principle it is that when we line ourselves up with the Word of God, which is doing our part, God is faithful to do His part!
     Last time, we looked at the first of the two "God's part" clauses in the Joshua 1:8 promise, that if we immerse ourselves in God's Word, meditate on and obey it, God will covenant with us so that we will make our way prosperous.
     Today, let's look at the second "God's part" clause of Joshua 1:8, "...and then you will have good success" (NKJV). Let me remind you that this verse is the only verse in the early English version of the Bible which contains the word "success."
     When you compare this second "God's part" clause to the first "God's part" clause, you see a familiar phrase, "then you will," which we know means "at that time you will..." The use of the conjunction "and," linking the two "God's part" clauses, assures us that not only will God see to it that we "make [our] way prosperous," but He will also see to it that we "have good success."
     Let's look at the original Hebrew, for "have good success." The Hebrew word for "have" is hâyâh (haw-yaw’), which means "to exist, i.e. to be or become, come to pass (always emphatic): beacon, altogether be (become, accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), + follow, happen, have." Look at that list. To which word or phrase are you drawn? Circle it, for there is a reason you are drawn to it.
     The Hebrew word for "good" is râtsâh (raw-tsaw’), which means "to be pleased with, satisfied, acceptable, delight, enjoy, favourable, desire, (good) pleasure (own self, voluntary), will, as...(what) would." Do you see that you determine what is "good success" for your situation, and because you are in covenant relationship with God, He agrees with you?
     We have so many believers praying and merely asking God to help them pay their bills month by month. If they are in covenant relationship with God, that's exactly what He does for them. What will you believe God to do for you, for your family? Will you be content to accept that "good success" for you is merely food, clothing, and shelter? That's not a bad thing; it's "acceptable." Do you want to live an "acceptable" life, though, nothing more? Think about that. As lovingly as I can, I tell you that it is up to you, my dear brother/sister in Christ.
     The Hebrew word for "success" is sâkal (saw-kal’), which means "to be, make, act cir****pect and hence intelligent:--consider, expert, instruct, prosper, (deal) prudent (-ly), (give) skill (-ful), have good success, teach, (have, make to) understand (-ing), wisdom, (be, behave self, consider, make) wise (-ly), guide wittingly."
     So often we think of "success" as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Consider that "success" may be the "rainbow," the road on which you have chosen to travel. Line yourself up with the Word of God, and He promises to equip you for the journey. He'll help you have the intelligence, the wisdom and understanding, the guidance to make wise decisions and equip you with the skills to bring about what you decide is "good" and the "success" that you determine to make happen.
     If you do your part, God will do His part, and "...you will be wise and successful in everything" (NCV).

What this has to do with weight loss: What is "good success" for you, on your weight-loss journey? Is it the goal weight at the end or the day-by-day getting there? Focus on living daily by God's Word, and you will find that your weight-loss journey is positively affected. God will do His part, as you do yours.

Confession:
Because I line myself up with the Word of God, He covenants with me to assist me on the journey which I decide is "good success" for me and my family.

Blessings,
Mary

Good Morning Mary,
This reminds me of a sermon I heard recently about a verse in Psalm 37. 

³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
       dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

 ⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
       and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
       trust in him and he will do this:

 ⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
       the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

It does not guarantee that I will get what I want from the Lord, as if He were Santa Clause.  I believe it teaches me that as I align myself to His will, my heart's desire will become His desire for me, and I will be blessed while living in His ways.

I hope that makes sense. 

Thanks,
trish

Hi, Trish.
I quoted Ps. 37:4, when I posted a reply to a friend last night. :)  The Word helps us "delight" ourselves in the Lord. The Hebrew word for "delight" (for Ps. 37:4) means "to be soft, pliable, moldable." When I read that, I was blown away! That's all we have to do to delight in Him and be a delight to Him. Anyone who sees God as Santa Claus isn't delighting in Him but merely trying to see what he/she can get out of Him. As always, it's the intent of one's heart that is the key.
Thank you for reading and replying. Have a great day.
Blessings,
Mary :)