The greatest determinant of success

CALL TO PRAYER

Date: 09/05/2022

By: Owusu Clifford S. 

Title – The greatest determinant of success

1^st Kings 3:3 – And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

Some time ago, as I was reading the Bible the Holy Spirit drew my attention to something very peculiar. One question kept lingering in my mind and it was; what is the greatest determinant of success for the child of God? So many things began to come to mind. Is it prayer, fasting, or giving? Is it going to church or attending the gathering of the saints?

All these things are important undoubtedly, and they are in one way or the other related to the main determinant of success. The greatest determinant of success is to walk in the ways of God, obeying His statutes and following His commands. Throughout the book of Kings, anytime a king arises and was successful, the Bible will emphasise that He walked in the ways of David, the servant of God.

Moreover, not to confuse us, the Bible laid out the ways of David as obeying the commands and statutes of God. On the other hand, when a king arises and does not follow the ways of God, the outcome of his reign always ends in disaster. Thus, nothing beats obedience to God’s commands and demands. When Joshua took over from Moses, God made Joshua aware that the only way he can make his way prosperous is by keeping the book of the Law and observing to do all that is written in it (Joshua 1:8).

God, being a wise and all-knowing God did not leave this important determinant in the Old Testament because He knew humans would say it is an Old Testament phenomenon. Hence, in John 15:1-8, Jesus spoke about the importance of abiding. The branch that does not abide will be cut off and the branch that abides will be prosperous and bear much fruit.

Beloved, today I want to draw our attention to the fact that nothing beats obedience to the ways and commands of God. All the other things that the believer does are good, but if they are outside true obedience to the ways and commands of God, it will not yield any good fruit. Let us bear in mind that no element of success will manifest in our lives if we do not obey the ways of God despite the fact that we are saved. Success has a determinant, and that is to walk in the ways and commands of God. May the eyes of our understanding be enlightened.

Prayer:

Let us thank God for His word and the answers to our prayers. Let us also pray that we will be able to follow the ways of God and abide in Him till His glory is revealed in our lives.