"Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go."
Joshua 1:7
God desires for all His followers to be successful in the workplace, in family, in relationships and in life. But true success can only be found in allowing Jesus Christ to win battles for you. Success garnered in any other way will fall short.
The world today will want you to believe that you are the master of your own success. And while our personal diligence and hard work do play a role in becoming better, success by our own strength is not possible.
Success goes beyond garnering achievements, wealth and influence. Today, we see so many rich and influential people still dissatisfied with what works they have accomplished. Mark 8:36 teaches, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?" Success is not found in garnering treasures of this world.
It is rather found in the person of Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can overcome the world (John 16:33). He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). A wrongly framed perspective of success can draw us out from the ultimate prize that is Jesus Christ.
So does that mean that Jesus doesn't want Christians to have a lot of money, get nice things and build influence? Absolutely not! In fact, God has every intention to give Christians wealth, influence and opportunity. God wants believers to be prosperous and blessed with worldly success, and He has made a way for us to achieve just that.
How can believers build worldly success without it stealing our hearts from God? Jesus said it best in Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Success should never be viewed as an equal benefit that matches God's presence, but rather a secondary outcome that results from God's presence and leading in our lives.
God wants us to be successful, but He wants that earthly success to be an effect of being successful first in seeking His lordship and righteousness in our lives. When we put our full faith and trust in God and His abilities and allow Him to work miracles and success in our work, marriages, parenting, friendships, ministry and so on, He works according to His power and might.
Jesus came to earth to make success a reality for us -- spiritual success in the sense that we be justified and freed from the consequence of sin, and worldly success in that we enjoy all of God's creations in a way that does not desolate the soul or spirit.
