…“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls… Jeremiah 6:16, NLT)
None of us will doubt that God who made the universe is a God of great plans and purposes. At the very core of God’s purpose is man, so much so that the rest of creation wonders what is in man that God is so mindful of him (Psalm 8:4). Man is so much the focal point of God’s agenda that He made man just a little lower than Himself (Psalm 8:5, NLT).
To Adam and his seeds, God gave so much dominion that not even the Almighty will do anything on earth without the instrumentality of men. Although He created all things, God has continued to be satisfied with Heaven as His throne and the earth He has irrevocably given to the sons of men (Psalm 115:16, Romans 11:29). What happens here on earth is largely governed by the will of man and not necessarily the sovereignty of God, but how much of the earth responds to us and how much we continue to dwell in dominion is largely a function of how much we are able to engage the divine principles by which the Almighty governs the universe.
But as men journeyed toward the east and out of Eden (Genesis 11:1-2), there appeared also to have been a journey into independence of God and the subsequent waning of those things men knew by the which they dwelt and lived in dominion. With man moving farther away from God and the original place He had planted him, he also moved away from true knowledge and the wisdom by which he must continue to be in dominion. Truly, man had fallen short of the God kind of glory (Romans 3:23). History is nevertheless dotted with men and women who through inspiration and revelations intentionally or inadvertently stumbled across the pillars of the earth, by which the Almighty has held the whole of creation in place throughout all ages.
We are admonished to follow the examples of these men who through faith and patience inherited the promise (Hebrews 6:12). What is apparent from this scripture is that although most men failed, there were nevertheless a few who succeeded in spite of the increasingly difficult terrain ocassioned by increasing ungodliness. What was it that those who succeeded knew and that separated them from those who made shipwrecks of their faith and destinies? What were the ancient landmarks that the fathers kept faith with irrespective of circumstances? What were the paths they held so tenaciously to? What was it that they knew that they were not ready to let go even at the peril of their own lives? While men of weak dispositions will continue to celebrate and stand in awe of the miraculous acts of God, men of great insights and wisdom seek more to know the ways of God, for in His ways, His works are guaranteed. Life itself, is an aggregation of processes and true success can never be the product of a magic wand. What comes without a well-defined process has not the capacity to stand the test of time. It is the difference between growing up and jumping up. Although both produces increases in height, one is sustained and the other is not. Whatever abhors processes suffers sudden regression.
Leading us into one of the secrets of true success, Jesus said to Martha, only one thing is needful (Luke 10:42). We live in a world of great exertion, where men will do all and everything except that which is truly needful. So, it is common to see men rising up early and sitting up till late only to eat the bread of sorrow (Psalm 127:2) Sitting at the foot of the master and learning His ways rather than hurriedly jumping out into empty performance is key to success in this kingdom. Jesus would not ordain the twelve and load them with power until they had first being with him (Mark 3:14). A novice who is entrusted with so much is a time bomb waiting to happen. Instructions and direction must preceed performance. The man who spends time with God in the secret place learns all the secrets that there is to true and enduring riches. The irony of life is that what we vigorously pursue in the arm of flesh often runs away from us (Proverbs 13:11), but the man who is consumed with the pursuit of God, attracts the attention of his generation. Jesus we are told would leave the house a great while before dawn into a solitary place where he enjoyed solitary communion with the Father, and the result? – all men seek for thee (Mark 1:35-37). That’s right. All men will always look for those whose primary business is looking for God. Jesus in his beatitudes mince no words when he said, “seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His right ways of doing things and all else will be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33; Luke 10:42).
The lesson here is that we can seek the one right thing and possess all, but we can exert all our energy pursuing the whole world and catch nothing. Energy not expended in tandem with divine purpose is like the labour of fools that wearies them (Ecclesiastes 10:15), but wisdom is important to direct (Ecclesiastes 10:10).
Many a man have been held in captivity by wrong belief systems known in the scriptures as strongholds. Strongholds are not necessarily strong and vicious satanic powers as many think they are. On the contrary, they are subtle lies of the devil that men have come to believe as truth and by which Satan maintains his evil grip on their lives. No man under the influence such strongholds succeeds until those strongholds are pulled down (2 Corinthians 10:4; Philippians 4:8). Our lives are built through knowledge, and what house we erect is a function of the building blocks we have used. This is while exposing ourselves to the truth of God’s word is extremely important. True liberty comes the moment truth illuminates our hearts. We are only as free as the quantum of truth we know and live by (John 8:32). The primary mission of the devil is to keep men out of the truth and perpetually in darkness. Only the light of Christ can fetch men out of darkness (John1:4, 9; Matthew 4:13-16). Maintaining a winning or victorious mindset is critical to our all-round success in life.
One other key that may quickly release us to a successful life is the depth of our understanding of true stewardship. Nothing in our possession is truly ours. We have only been privileged to hold them in trust. Knowing that all that God has given us remains His own and to be used as He directs is one truth that many, even within church circles, still wrestle with. Perhaps more than anything else, the ownership mentality has continued to rob men of lasting success. Not many of us are satisfied with just being stewards; we wants to show that we own it. The easiest way to maintain and preserve all that God has given is to continue to see God as the owner and ourselves as stewards. And if stewards, then, it is required of us that we be found faithful (I Corinthians 4:2). The man or woman who enjoys the fullest of divine grace must first and foremost learn the secret of never withholding anything from God, no matter how dear. There is nothing God will withhold from the man who will withhold nothing from God. Abraham and Solomon are set forth in scripture as examples of men who mastered this secret and to whom God showed uncommon generosity (Genesis 22:12-18, 1 Kings 3:4-5). All over scriptures, we are enjoined to demonstrate generosity towards God and men as a show of our deep appreciation to God for all that He has given us (2 Corinthians 8:7-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-12; Luke 6:38). The Bible is replete with the records of the rewards for obedience and the consequences of disobedience to such admonitions.
One other secret by which our fathers excelled was by paying close attention to diligence and excellence. Both Joseph and David were rapidly advanced in life on account of their diligence (Genesis 39:2-6, 20-23, 1 Samuel 16:17-18, 1 Samuel 17:48-50, I Samuel 18:14-16). God instituted work and anyone who works diligently and is aided by the grace of God succeeds (Daniel 6:3; Proverbs 22:29). Indeed, we are told in the scriptures that He who will not work should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10-13). Jesus himself testified saying, “the father worked hitherto and I work” (John 5:17).
We all need people. Men are vital to our successes in life and building a network of godly influences is a crucial necessity to living a full life. Every David needs a Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:14-17, 42); every Esther a Hegai (Esther 2:15-18); every Ruth a Naomi (Ruth 3:1-5), and every Paul, a Barnabas (Acts 11:25-26, Acts 13:1-4). God will always require the partnership of men to birth His purposes in our lives. Irrespective of the plan of God for our lives, we can be limited if we fail to pay attention to, and value the men and women God has placed in ours lives to oil our destinies. Lot, we are told was heavily blessed for as long as he walked with Abraham (Genesis 13:1,5). All that the devil needed to do in order to turn his fortunes in misery was to lure him into separating from Abraham.
The lesson we must learn is that no destiny runs in isolation. Destinies are made or marred on account of our associations. When God graciously connects us with the right kind of associations, it behooves on us to treasure and nurture such associations, for in their blossoming, our lives blossom too.
As we go through this month, let us seek out the ancient paths (Jeremiah 6:16) and landmarks (Proverbs 22:28) by which our fathers secured victories over the vicissitudes of life.
