REDEFINE SUCCESS IN GOD'S WAY
16 July 2023
Pastor Lawrence
Lamentations 3:21-24
21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”
His faithfulness is great. Compassion of God towards me. Is how good He is even though I have fail.
Romans 3:10 "As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;"
There is none righteous, all have sin.
Jesus came He gave His life for me.
I believe in Him, I received the full forgiveness of all my sin.
He loves me, He heals me, He blessed me, He provides for me and He strengthens me.
Every good things in my life is only because of Him at the cross.
Lamentations 3:24
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”
Portion => a promise, blessings, Tribe of Levi (appointed to serve Him)
The rest of 11 tribes have portion of Land
Lord is my portion => Everything He has, is mine
Father says to prodigal son's brother, Luke 15:31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours."
Pastor's Prince video
Word in season
Whatever I am going through now, God knows about me. God gave me personal attention.
Matthew 10:30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
intimate. Details concern, this is love. He cares for what I am going through.
We are learning to walk in unconditional love. Human's love is conditional love.
God's love for me is unconditional.
Luke 12:32 "Fear not little flock" => people not walking with God
Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"
Matthew 6:28-30
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [a]arrayed like one of these.
30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
My Father cares for this temporal grass, how much more will He cares for me.
Compares Solomon with grass. Greater of the grass, greater then Solomon. How much more God cares for me?
God cares for me more then the grass.
We are in the world of lack, don' spend time in the world, social media.
Spend time with Word of God
Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Fear comes by hearing and hearing the word of man.
Job 3:25a "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me,"
Only place I can find faith => Bible, Word of God
Fear cause bad things to happen.
Fear no part in Child go God's life
John 6:20 KJV "But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid."
How can I not be afraid? By listening to God's word
depress, anxious, worn, fear, only way out of that => Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
Hear my way out of worry and stress
Romans 10:14
"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
Find a preacher that is Gospel centered, Jesus centered and grace centered.
Faith springs eternity. health springs speedily
Find fear no more.
Isaish 41:12a NIV
"Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them."
Fear darkness, not curse them but on the light
Listen to God's word
God of love, seeing God of who He is
Solomon => Richest man (not into love of money)
1 Kings 3:5
"At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”"
1 King 3:9-10
9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
"The speech pleased the Lord" => God is please with people who ask Him for wisdom
Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
I have a Blessed family, I have successful relationship, people don't talk behind my back
Enjoy life, important to know who God is, not who I am
The God who loves me, finding Him, I find myself
1 John 4:17
"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world."
James 1:5
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
people don't ask because they think they have
James 1:6
"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."
Ask God for wisdom, God will definitely give it to me. God will give it with no doubt.
James 3:17 God's wisdom (wisdom from above, wisdom that give success in every area of my life)
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."
Pure, peace, gentle. Wisdom personifies woman with 2 hands
Proverbs 3:16
"Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor."
Right hand (hand of prominence) => (Priority) Health, peace, wholeness, longevity
Left hand => Riches and honor
Proverbs 3:17
"Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace."
Wisdom gives me (1) length of days, health, (2) riches, (3) honor, esteem , (4) pleasantness, pleasure, (5) peace, shalom
It comes by embrace wisdom
Proverbs 4:7-8
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her.
Embrace wisdom. Both hands behind me supporting me.
I go for wisdom of God
1 Kings 3:11-14
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice,
12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
God gave Solomon
Revelation => Pray for wisdom. Go for God's wisdom
With wisdom, comes riches and honor
Right had comes in requirement => 1 Kings 3:14 "So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
Solomon began well, he prospered, wealthiest man in history (1st nrillionaire in history)
He didn't live long life. He deviated from God's commandment word, the heart of Solomon worshipping idol.
1 Kings 3:9 "Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
"Understanding heart" => hearing (Shama) heart
1 Kings 11:4
"For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David."
1 Corinthians 1:30
"But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—"
Wisdom is a person, Jesus Christ
"of him" => of God's doing, I am in Christ Jesus
Declare => Christ is made unto me wisdom, Christ is my wisdom
Wisdom is not something in my head/ heart.
Wisdom is a person, you turn away from the person, you turn away from wisdom.
1 Kings 4:29-32
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.
30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five.
Psalm 89 Ethan from Ezrahite
1 Chronicles 25:1 "Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals. And the number of the skilled men performing their service was:"
Wisdom is manifold, diversify in many areas
I will prosper in relationship with spouse, children and everyone around me
God give me wisdom, is not just to make money
1 Timothy 6:10b NLT
"And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows."
I don't have the ambition to be rich (1 area => money)
God wants to give me riches and honor includes money
Proverbs have 31 chapters, study the correspond days. Find wisdom to find the particular day.
Words that speaks to me, words that lights up => The word's of God's direction, God's wisdom
Receive by meditate it
Everyday I can find wisdom in the particular day
Another way to receive wisdom
Meditating God's word
Take what speaks to me and memorise and meditate on it
Many rivers of wisdom:
Chakam for wisdom (Main)
Sakal
Understanding heart for judgement (good judgement)
1 Kings 3:16-28 Solomon’s Wise Judgment
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.
17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.
18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.
19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
God gave wisdom to people who are humbles, nor proud. It takes humble people to ask God for wisdom
Everyday I need wisdom of God to supply me the understanding knowledge and the know how
Ask God for wisdom
God have wisdom for success in that area
1 Kings 3:9-10
1 King 3:15
"Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants."
After he received wisdom, first thing he did => Seek the Lord, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord
Matthew 2 Wise man seek baby Jesus
Seek Lord for wisdom
Value the presence of my Lord Jesus . Cherish Jesus
Picture of Jesus => Arc
Gold => deity
Wood => humanity
Exodus 13:12 "Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."
Mercy seat => heart of holiness is mercy, found directly in the centre (holy of Holy). Speaks of His finished work.
Exodus 25:22
"And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel."
Seek wisdom, seek the Lord's presence
Signs of wisdom
(1) Always focus on Jesus/ talk about Jesus. Always go to Jesus with every need. Seek Lord's presence
(2) Even more humble
1 Kings 4:1-6 what happen to people who value wisdom
1 So King Solomon was king over all Israel.
2 And these werehis officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest;
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;
4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests;
5 Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend;
6 Ahishar, over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.
Administration, nothing is without significant in the word of God
(1) Value the value of Jesus
(2) Became humble
1 Kings 4:30-31
30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
Solomon wisdom excels all the wise in the East and Egypt (Type of the world)
A position of grace over me
leaders correct/warn => direction from God
Proverbs 14:29
"He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly."
Don't be haste, take my time
Isaiah 28:16b
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily.
Take my time to consult people (who love me) who God sent me (eg: spouse)
Ask them to pray about it
Intuition => God speaks to me
Amos 3:3
"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"
Proverbs 28:22
"A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon him."
Haste to be rich, poverty will come
God don't want me to be haste. Take my time
Romans 10:14 Hearing through voice of preachers
God speaks to me clearly from preacher and confirm from the inside (intuition)
To confirm => God's people with Holy Spirit
Need specific direction, make sure I hear God for it
Recorder => to remind
Sign receive God's wisdom => Surround myself with advisers, recorders, priests
1 Kings 4:1-6
Solomon never go for war
Golden era for Israel
Time of peace, have army, outward peace
1 Chronicles 12:22
"For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God."
Proverbs 13:18
"Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who regards a rebuke will be honored."
Proverbs 27:5
"Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed."
Love someone, saw them wrong, correct them. Eg: This is not the path to do it.
Proverbs 13:11b "But he who gathers by labor will increase."
Ask someone who can be neutral and ask God for me
Listen to the wisdom of God in them
Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
Psalm 1:3
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Walk with the word of God. Rhema word in my Spirit
Meditate on God's word day and night
Wisdom from God
Joseph was slave in Egypt
Genesis 40:14 "But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house."
Genesis 40:23 "Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him."
God never forget me
Genesis 41:1a "Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream"
Genesis 41:4a "And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows."
Genesis 41:7a "And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads"
Genesis 41:32-33
32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
Dream from God, will happen twice
The ability to interpret dream (only for those walk with God), have to be God's man
Genesis 39:7-8a
7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house,
Walking with God and not sinning
Proverbs 6:32
"Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul."
Soul => Realm of mind/lust
freshly lust => stupid! don't watch.
God give man to Daniel and prepare King Nebuchadnezzar what is coming
Genesis 41:33-35
33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years.
35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities
"select a discerning" => Wise
Prayer of Solomon, 1 Kings 3:9
bin => phronimos
Chakam =>Sunetos (adjective)
Sunetos => 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."
"meditate" => hagah
Branches of God's wisdom Joshua 1:8 "prosper" => tsalch=>euodoo
Results of Joseph 1:8b => good success=>Sakal , Suniemi (verb)
3 John 1:2
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
"prosper" => euodoo
As my soul prosper
Ezra 6:14
"So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the [a]command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia"
Genesis 41:37-40
37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
God wisdom will propel me to promotion
Impact of influence for God, influence to many people
Genesis 41:33
“Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt."
able to put 2 and 2 to conclude
Put 2 things together come out to the right mother
Meditate God's word day and night, will give me prosper
devil bombarded me, meditate God's word day and night
Take a verse to meditate on. I need to mediate God's word day and night
wake up middle of the night, meditate God's word
He will tsalach every area of my life
Soul prosper, I am in health
I will prosper all the way
Prosper is a journey, while I am journeying to the end, I am prosper all the way
Trust Holy Spirit to bring me there, He will tsalach my way
Everyday ask God for wisdom
I see my lack, so I ask God for wisdom everyday
Surround myself with like-minded people
Focus on God's word and start meditating it
Help my concentration => Key to success in my life
Judge 14:6
And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
"came" => tsalach
1 Samuel 16:13
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
"came" => tsalach
Acts 4:23-24
23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
Acts 4:33
And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
Thank you Jesus! Amen!