REF NO: 015
Psalm 37:7, NLT: "Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes."
HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL THIS YEAR
Here in this phrase, David tells his audience not to show any concern or worry about those who use dubious means to prosper and get rich in no time.
He encouraged his readers to instead wait on the Almighty for true prosperity and success. This new season, never look at those who have prospered and those who are prospering ahead of you. Life is not a race and you are not in a competition with anyone.
This year you don't need to get worried over those who will get married, travel or get mouth-watering job offers ahead of you. You don't have to care about those who will buy and ride the luxury cars ahead of you.
Of course, there would be those who will take the shortcut to get promoted, receive lucrative deals or business offers ahead of you. Some people took the shortcut last year by offering their bodies, giving bribes and taking bribes to get what they want from men and companies etc.
This year there would be mass exodus of young folks who would go on the same shortcut train as the previous years to get deals done for them faster ahead of you. This year there would be young ladies which would yield to sexual advances or agree to walk through the legs of managers and those who can help them get a lucrative job offer or admission into the schools, universities and colleges of their preference.
Of course, there would be young ladies who would dress seductively like the Queen of the coast now branded as slay queens which would enter offices, anywhere and at any length using what they have to snatch jobs, big men and properties ahead of you.
We will also have young couples, graduates and national service personnel this year. Among them, there would be those who would agree or consent to offer their bodies or give bribes to get what they desperately want ahead of you.
You see the thing? Some will use the same means to try to get married or have a child. There would be half-baked Christians who would say, "I am ageing, my age mates are getting married but no man is coming my way, this year I would use any means to get a man to marry me or get me pregnant. I don't mind if he's a married man or not. Who cares even if he's twice the age of my father and who cares what he does?"
Such feeling or mentality like the person above is born out of stupidity, frustration, depression and lack of faith and trust in the Almighty to act for them. Their God had neglected them, their hot Holy Ghost fire prayers and ambitions are not answered so they have resorted to taking matters into their own hands and deciding their fate.
Irrespective of developed skills, natural talents, physical capabilities, or intellectual genius, all expended effort that excludes the Lord will be rendered futile and fruitless.
Unless the LORD builds a house, They who build it labor in vain; Unless the LORD guards a city, The watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)
There is one vital principle that is all-embracing. It is that all our undertakings require a total dependence upon God, for without the Lord being in charge, all efforts will be frustrated and all activities will be rendered unsuccessful:
What can you do on your own without God? And if God cannot do, who would? If your God has now become a small god and powerless, then what power do you have on your own to get it to happen finally by yourself?
You don't believe in supreme God and supreme ruler of heaven and earth--the all-powerful and gracious Lord to grant you that breakthrough, miracle and favour that you need but you believe satan can get them done for you faster when you visit the shrines and Mallams?
Do you believe in cult temples and secret societies than the Lord God of heaven because you felt you are waiting forever or far too long? Well, I'm sorry to tell you that if the Almighty God cannot help you then nobody can. Good things in life cannot come from shrines, cults and witch doctors.
James 1:17, CSB: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
Probably God has not yet given you your dream marriage but He has given you are a job and a place to sleep. Probably you have married but don't have a job and you may have something good while expecting another good. Emotions and sinful thinking can trick us into turning away from God. It's important to cling to the truth, which is that every good thing in our lives is a gift from God.
Amid our trials, we are tempted to change our opinion of the trustworthiness of our God.
We start to make lists of all the things we think we are missing in our lives, of all of the things we have lost. If God truly cares and is the one who gave us the other good things we are currently enjoying, wouldn't we have those things we lack?
This attitude leads to even more temptation. We begin to look elsewhere for the good things we think we're missing. "If God won't provide them," we think, "we'll have to go and get them for ourselves." We attempt to take control. We struggle to find our satisfaction.
All the good and perfect things designed for man's peace, progress, promotion and prosperity can only come from God and nowhere else. No man, shrine or cult can offer you anything good in life. They can but only fake it. They can only duplicate the good things that come from above (God) by producing fake and counterfeit in exchange for your original destiny and life.
James is encouraging believers in Christ to tell themselves the truth: God gave you every single good thing in your life. He is the source of all the good you have and all the good you crave. God does not change when our circumstances change. He doesn't go from being a good God to a bad God when our trials began.
He is still the source of all the good in our lives; He never changes.
In Psalm 75:6-7, David also tells us that only the God of heaven demotes or promote a person. Sleeping with somebody or paying bribes to get promoted, is not it? You may get but you faked it.
Fake things are only imitations and not durable.
In the opening passage, David was heard advising his audience never to lose heart but to wait on God no matter what and at all cost. Why do we need to do that? David might have shared it with his son Solomon, so in Proverbs 10:22 he communicated this thought with us:
Proverbs 10:22, NLT: "The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it."
A dear friend of God, do not be enticed with the temporal advances the world tempts us within our search and quest for greener pastures and success in life. Do not stoop so low or be motivated by the devil's so-called goody-goodies. This is just a setup to trap your destiny. You are smarter than this. The devil cannot offer you anything good and peaceful.
Of course, those who would be quick to get rich or achieve success would tell you that every crayon is a crayon. It doesn't matter how you did it or what you did to get what you want. All that matters is you got money, marriage, job, property, children, riches and fame.
Of course yes, you may be right.
Every painting is painted but our Scripture tells us that when it comes to prosperity, success, blessings, promotion or anything ever good in life to be desired or crave for can only come from the eternal creator... The Almighty God is the only source and consult.
The only solid grounds for a complete and joyful life is through Christ. Any other ground is sinking sand.
Scripture is not naïve about our corrupt world; good people are not always financially successful (John 16:33; Philippians 4:11–13), and evil people often become wealthy (Psalm 37:7; 73:3).
Godliness put into practice through wisdom, gives a person a better likelihood of long-lasting triumph. The contrast expressed in this verse is not a guarantee of prosperity, but a comparison between wealth gained righteously as opposed to that obtained by deception.
In short, wealth obtained morally is more secure than riches gained through sin. Immoral dealings put a person at risk of revenge, legal trouble, or other problems (Proverbs 10:2, 9). Further, at least some of the pleasure of wealth is countered by a person's conscience.
This verse also reminds us to appreciate success influenced by God's intervention.
In Deuteronomy 8, the Lord reminded the people of Israel that He had freed them from Egypt and led them into the Promised Land, "a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs…a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing" (Deuteronomy 8:7–9).
He urged the people not to forget Him and warned: "Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth'" (Deuteronomy 8:17).
What does it mean to remain faithful in hard times? It means continuing to acknowledge that God is the source of what is good in our lives, and what will be good in the future. When we try to follow the examples of people who tries to play foul to get what they want we will fall into frustration and destruction.
To be successful this year you have to continue to pray and wait for the Lord to bring your expectations to the past. Yes, that is what His Holy Word tells us. We should rely on him for our success and breakthroughs no matter how long and impossible the development could turn out to be.
We are not to get caught by how other people use dubious means to run ahead of us. God will soon cut off the expectations of those who use the unlawful means to get what they tag as a successful life. Atlas, your expectations will never be cut off. In His time He makes all things beautiful. This is not your time but His time.
Do not let the world and your conscience suggest to you that you are ageing so you must use falsehood, deception or wrongful means to get what you want. God is faithful and He will reward those who continue to repose their faith and confidence in Him.
I pray for you that this year shall be your year of greater expectations as you continue to pray, hope and wait on God. Shalom Aleichem!
