Today we continue our series entitled, “Pursuing Grace-Based Success!”
Here are our foundational scriptures:
(Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV)
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.
10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.
(1 Corinthians 1:30,31 NLT)
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
(2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV)
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
For the last few days we have also been looking at this verse:
(3 John 2, AMP)
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.”
We have been looking at a passage in Ecclesiastes 5 for over a week now. King Solomon shared wisdom about life, success, and purpose in this passage. He mentioned twice that we should “accept our lot in life.” Your lot in life is basically your divine purpose. I have taught you many times that your success (or prosperity) is connected to your purpose. This morning we will briefly discuss the lives of four people. We will look at how their prosperity was connected to their purpose. But we will also see how success (from God) does not come without opposition (from satan).
1. David.
David’s prosperity (success) was connected to his purpose.
After King Saul’s disobedience, the Lord said to the prophet Samuel, “Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king” (1 Samuel 16:1). While this was going on David was out in the field, tending to his father’s sheep, minding his own business. What did David do to earn the promotion from shepherd boy to King of Israel? Nothing. It came to him entirely by God’s unearned grace and unmerited favor. David’s prosperity in life was connected to his purpose from God. David found success when he accepted the assignment and all the challenges that came along with it.
David’s prosperity (success) did not come without opposition.
David was a teenager the day he was summoned from the field to be anointed by the prophet to become the next King of Israel. A few days later, he found himself face-to-face with a giant. The giant had a sword and a shield. All David had was a slingshot and a stone. But David had the favor of God on his life and the purpose of God before him. After killing the giant, David became a national hero. However, the honeymoon quickly ended, and soon King Saul repeatedly tried to have David killed. David spent about 13 years on the run before taking over the throne after Saul’s death. David’s life changed when the prophet visited his house, but David had to endure many years of challenges before he was able to walk in the fulness of his divine assignment. The size of his purpose (his assignment) attracted major opposition. The Good News is that God did not just give David the grace to be King; He also gave David the grace to overcome all the opposition he faced along the way. God will do the same for you! God has given you a purpose, He gave you the grace for the purpose, and He also gave you the grace to face all the “hell” you will have to go through in order to fulfill it!
2. Joseph.
Joseph’s prosperity (success) was connected to his purpose.
When Joseph was 17 years old, the Lord gave him a dream. The Bible says, “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more” (Genesis 37:5). This dream became the defining factor of Joseph’s life. It came with its share of challenges, but it led to Joseph’s success/prosperity. Joseph embraced the dream, and it was this dream that kept him hopeful during the pit, Potiphar, and prison phases of his life. In the end, the dream came to pass, and he was promoted from prisoner to Prime Minister overnight. What did Joseph do to earn or deserve the dream God gave him? Nothing. It came to him completely by grace, and his part was to accept it and then pursue it by faith.
Joseph’s prosperity (success) did not come without opposition.
Joseph was just 17 years old when the Lord gave him the dream. Joseph foolishly shared his dream with his brothers and his parents. Once he did, his life went haywire. His brothers hated him because of the dream (side note: some people will despise you simply because of the call of God on your life).
Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him, and they almost did. Ultimately, they threw him in a pit and sold him off as a slave. After prospering as a slave in Potiphar’s house, his boss’ wife lied on him, and he wound up in prison. After prospering as a prisoner, he got the opportunity to stand before the King. The Lord gave him favor, and he was promoted from prisoner to Prime Minister in a moment. He walked into the room as a slave and prisoner. Joesph walked out of the room as second-in-command of Egypt. Years later, Joseph stood before his brothers. They kneeled under his power. It was at this moment that Joseph realized his dream had come to pass. God’s promise was fulfilled, but it took over 20 years, and he had to face lots of opposition and experience tremendous pain.
When it was all said and done, Joseph looked back and said, “The Lord took what the devil meant for evil and turned it around for my good.” God can do the same for you! But you must be willing to endure the opposition connected to your assignment. You will never be a success without the spirit of an overcomer!
3. Jeremiah.
Jeremiah’s prosperity (success) was connected to his purpose.
When Jeremiah was a young man, the Lord said to him, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Initially Jeremiah did not see himself up to the task. Over time, he grew into his assignment, and Jeremiah became one of the most influential prophets in the Bible. What did Jeremiah do to earn or deserve the assignment? Nothing. It came to him by grace before he was even born.
Jeremiah’s prosperity (success) did not come without opposition.
God clearly called Jeremiah to prophesy to the nation of Israel. However, his message was not well received, especially by the religious leaders. At one point, a Chief priest had Jeremiah beaten and imprisoned. Another time he was surrounded by priests and prophets, who called for Jeremiah’s death. God saw him through it, and later in life, Jeremiah faced a very influential prophet, Hananiah.
Hananiah came up against Jeremiah so strongly that the Lord gave Jeremiah a word for Hananiah. Under the unction of God, Jeremiah said, “The Lord says, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die.” Seven months later, Hananiah was dead. What’s my point? It is twofold. First, Jeremiah faced lots of opposition as he attempted to do what God told him to do. He was in the center of God’s will, and he still faced opposition. Second, the Lord protected Jeremiah and gave him the grace to overcome every attack. God will do the same for you!
4. Paul.
Paul’s prosperity (success) was connected to his purpose.
The Apostle Paul was the church’s #1 enemy, and he wound up becoming its leader. How? By grace. Why? Because it was his divine assignment. Paul said, “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15,16).
God knew all the mistakes Paul would make, and He called him to be an Apostle anyway. What did Paul do to earn or deserve the assignment? Nothing. You could make the argument that Paul worked against God. But in the end, the assignment came by grace, and Paul accepted the call by faith. Paul’s success and prosperity in life were connected to his divine purpose.
Paul’s prosperity (success) did not come without opposition.
Paul is one of my favorites, and I have shared lots of teachings about his life. The opposition Paul faced is well documented, but so are his victories. Paul was ostracized, beaten with sticks, flogged five times with a cat of 9 tails, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and bitten by snakes. Through it all, he was the most influential person in the first-century church, and he wrote half the New Testament.
For Paul to do what he was called to do, he had to embrace God’s grace to overcome tremendous opposition. The same God who gave Paul the grace to preach and write, gave him the grace to endure and overcome. God will do the same for you.
5. You.
You also have a divine purpose.
David said the following, and it applies to all of us: “Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day” (Psalm 139:16). Paul said the following, and it also applies to all of us: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). You are not a mistake. You were born for God’s divine purpose, and your success/prosperity in life is connected to that purpose.
Your purpose will attract opposition.
I would love to tell you that once you find your purpose in life, everything will be easy. But if I told you that, I would be lying. God never promised you a perpetual picnic. The truth is, the greater the assignment God has given you, the greater the attack the devil will bring against you. You can almost measure the size of your assignment by the size of the opposition you are facing. But take it as a good thing. The devil is not stupid. He only attacks those worth attacking. If you are being attacked strongly, it is an indication that God wants to use you in an amazing way! Embrace the grace to do it!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
I know my prosperity is connected to my purpose. I realize now that many of the challenges I faced before coming to You were also connected to my purpose. The devil was attempting to stop me or even kill me before I ever got started.
Thank You, Father, for protecting me even before I ever acknowledged You. You kept me for my purpose. I now know that the devil’s poison cannot stop my purpose.
When I face major opposition, I am not moved or discouraged. Actually, I get encouraged, because I know that satan only attacks those worth attacking. If satan is spending lots of time on me, then it is obvious that Your purpose for my life is great.
I enter every day excited! You have given me the grace to fulfill my purpose and that very same grace is the power I need to overcome every attack.
I am an OVERCOMER! Therefore I have the grace to COME OVER everything satan brings before me. If it does not look like I am winning, then the battle is obviously not over!
Victory is waiting for me on the other side of the opposition. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
