However we define it, we all want to have success in everything we do, whether be it in the business and financial, family, spiritual, emotional or physical arenas of our life. "Success" is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "the accomplishment of an aim; a favorable outcome; the attainment of wealth, fame or position."

The desire for success is hardwired into us, and the Bible, our "life success manual," promises us that we can be successful by following certain guidelines. For instance, in the very well-known first chapter of the Book of Joshua, God Himself says, "Be strong and very courageous ... Be careful to obey ... do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night ... do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Josh. 1:6-8; see also Ps.1:2, 3).

According to our Creator Himself, we can be successful and prosperous (and that means a lot more than just money; it is talking about all areas of our life) by reading the Word, trusting it (that's faith), and obeying what it says. Jesus is the Living Word—He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and He is the embodiment of godly wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30).

If we find wisdom and take it into our hearts and lives, according to Proverbs 3:13-16, we will find long life, riches and honor—"Does not Wisdom call out?" asks Proverbs 8. "I, Wisdom, dwell together with prudence. I possess knowledge and discretion ... counsel and sound judgment ... understanding and power. I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me find Me. With Me are riches and honor, enduring wealth and prosperity."

That sounds like "success" in anybody's language. But God's promises always come with conditions—He will do His part, but we have to do our part. For instance, we have to balance prosperity with integrity, and above all else, give the glory to God and not take it to ourselves.

"Do Not Forget the Lord your God"

It is all too easy to pray to the Lord for success, and then when we have achieved it, to forget about Him and only remember our part. It is very modern for us to think we have "pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps," when in fact it is only by putting on the "shoes of the gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15) that we gain any success that is worth having.

Back in the Book of Deuteronomy, one of history's most successful leaders, Moses, is well aware of the dangers of unbridled and unsanctified success. He knows that by following God's success principles, the Israelites will become rich and prosperous. But he also knows only too well their propensity to forget God and become proud and "stiff-necked."

Moses reminds them of how God led them 40 years in the wilderness to humble and test them but then goes on, "Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God ... when your silver and gold increase, and all you have is multiplied.

"You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.' But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth ..." (Deut. 8:11, 13, 17, 18).

The wise King David says in Psalm 29:2, "Give to the Lord the glory due His name," and in Psalm 115:1, "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory." David understood only too well from first-hand experience the dangers of rebellion and sin, and was very careful to give all the credit for his prodigious success to where it rightfully belonged—to God!

God gives each of us unique talents and skills, and expects us to use them to the best of our ability. But He also wants us to remember where our talents and skills come from, and to give Him the glory.

Remembering and Forgetting

As human beings, we instinctively dislike failure and reach out for success, but we should always keep foremost in our mind that success without God is perilous. If we become proud and forget where our success came from, we are only a very short step from the traps of greed and lust.

The beloved apostle John, with the wisdom born of age and experience, and having been taught by Jesus Himself, warns us very clearly: "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and of boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:15, 16).

For us as Kingdom business professionals, there is a dynamic tension between remembering and forgetting—remembering that God is the one who gives us any success we have, and forgetting our own past failures, disappointments and missed opportunities.

Paul says, "This one thing I do—forgetting what is behind and straining forward toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13, 14). For Paul, success is "straining toward the goal"—but part of that success is knowing what to forget, and what to remember.

We should forget our past failures (Ps. 25:7) but remember all the benefits that come from "straining forward" for godly success (Ps. 103:2). Isaiah prayed that God would "forget" his sins (Is. 64:9), while Nehemiah prayed that God would "remember" him with favor (Neh. 13:31).

So for us, there is always a dynamic tension between forgetting and remembering. We should forget what is behind, like the Apostle Paul (Phil. 3:13), and we should remember the Lord our God, "... For it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth" (Deut. 8:18).

If we choose to forget God, then it's best to forget about success too—success in our own strength is no success at all. To God be the glory, great things He has done.