Joshua 1:8 KJV
“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.”
For many years, when I read the scripture above, it seemed as though when I meditated on the word for night and day I would become prosperous. That is what happens when you read the Bible in a hurry.
But as I matured in the word of God, I got to learn that the Bible didn't say we would be prosperous just like that, but it said we will make our ways prosperous; "for then thou shall make thy way prosperous...". It is not possible to have good success when your way is not a prosperous one, because the secret of a man's prosperity is in his ways.
By ways here, I am referring to your perception of life, the way you take life, the way you approach life and things in general. I am talking about your lifestyle and your relationship with God and man. These are things that make a man succeed or fail in life.
When you become acquainted with the word of God, and when your heart and spirit begin to become one with the word through reading and meditation, it will begin to influence your lifestyle and your general approach to life. It is at this point that you begin to have good success.
There are however many who have read the word for several years and had no form of success whatsoever.
The problem is not the fact that the word is ineffective, it is in the ineffective way they read and approached the word of God. For the word of God to positively affect your ways the following must happen:
i. Don't just read the word but mutter it back to yourself: There are scriptures you must say back to yourself over and over again till they settle in your spirit. That is what it means by the scripture not departing from your mouth.
ii. Think the word and commit it to memory: David it was who said, "thy word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against you"; Psalm 119:11. Whatever will make you sin against God has affected your way terribly.
It happens by committing the word to memory, it happens by constantly musing and reminiscing over and about the word of God.
When you do these two, you will automatically find yourself observing the word of God in your daily practice and then your way will become prosperous.
Receive grace for good success through your ways and lifestyle in Jesus Name.
Assignment/Prayer
i. Deliberately and intentionally engage the word of God from today; thinking and committing it to your memory.
ii. Ask God for grace to make it a consistent practice in your life.
Nugget
When you become acquainted with the word of God, through reading and meditation, it will begin to influence your lifestyle.
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