In this interregnum there is your job, health, relationships, finances, dreams and goals which recognisably are temporal but remain the points of testing for each of us, and God’s principles as in Titus 2:11-13 will underlay and drive them!
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11-13
Yet His word does point us to the fact that we can and should be successful in each of these realms if we understand that success has only one meaning—knowing and doing God’s will in each of those dimensions for your life.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8
Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:17-18
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2
So where do we start? Have you found out and are living what is His will concerning your:
- Dreams and goals subsumed in identity and purpose (Gen. 1:27-28; Psalm 139:15-17 (NLT); Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT); Ephesians 2:1,2 (NLT); Colossians 3:6 (NLT) If these things be so, your dreams and goals are bounded in His predetermined purpose, which you will do well to find out, so you don’t run in vain!
- Relationships
- God—Mark 12:28-32; Luke 10:25-38
- Spousal—Genesis 2:21-25; Malachi 2:13-16 (TLB); Matthew 5:31,32; Matthew 19:2-10; Ephesians 5:21-33; Psalm 112:1,2 (TPT)
- Authority—Government, civil, religious)—2 Timothy 3:1-5; Jude 6-11 (what was the way of Cain? (Gen. 4:1-12)
- Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-3—Government
- 1 Timothy 5:1, 2, 17-19—Religious
- Ephesians 6:5-9; 1 Timothy 6:1-6—Workplace
- Parents /Children
- Health
- Finances
So in this temporal realm, God wants us to succeed for the right reasons, and He gives all the grace to do it without stress or compromise with the world (Matt. 6:31-33) but only on the platform of dependence on Him and full obedience to His authority. Selah.
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
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