A perfect example of the success principle is found in the story of Joseph. In Genesis 45:5-11, he explains to his brothers, now humbled before him in his position as second to Pharaoh in Egypt, that God had sent him before them to preserve life, and that they were not to be grieved or angry that they had sold him.
What? He's got to be kidding...sold into slavery, slandered, imprisoned...What in the world does he mean?
The key to understanding the story of Joseph is found in back in Genesis 39...
v.2 'And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man.'
v.3 'Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
v.4,5 'So Joseph found favor in his [master's] sight, and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge. And it came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord's blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.
v.21-23 'But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. And the chief jailer committed to Joseph's charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper.'
...and in Genesis 41...
v.38-41 Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?" So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
God's Kind of Success
There are [at least] 5 points in the story of Joseph that are essential to understanding success as God sees it...and since I John 1:7 says that we should walk in the light as He is in the light, we need to see things His way.
1. If God wants you to do something, you will prosper in it in spite of anything that anyone can do to stop it and in spite of any circumstances. Joseph said that God had sent him to Egypt to preserve life, and it didn't matter what happened, he was going to succeed. He held fast to the vision God had given him, and did not waver in the face of the most devastating circumstances.
2. Joseph obviously worked diligently and sought the wisdom of God, or God would not have prospered Him. He did not have a 'poor-old-me' attitude, or an 'I'm just a slave; I used to be the the son of a rich man, but now my life is over' attitude.
Deuteronomy 28:8,12, and Psalm 1:3 say that God blesses all that we do, not all that we don't do, nor all our complaining about how unfair things are. This boy definitely had reason to complain, but you can infer from the story that he stood tall, squared his shoulders, and did whatever he had to do to the very best of his ability. It also seems probable that he did not harbor ill will against his brothers...remembered wrongs will absolutely stop the power of God in your life. [Mark 11:25,26]
3. Notice that Joseph was not the only one to prosper here. His master, the chief jailer, Pharaoh, all the people of Egypt, and his family prospered! God was in it forthem all! If you are successful by the blessing of God, everyone around you will be blessed, including those you work for! It is absolutely God's agenda that people be blessed: 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.' And since you are His child, it should be your agenda, too.
An aside here: this is one of the ways you know you're in God's perfect will for you...people will be blessed through you!
4. He was always in the right place at the right time, even if it did not seem so at the time. Obviously, it didn't seem as though God was in control when his brothers sold him, but remember...they wanted to kill him! Slavery with a possibility for redemption is a lot better than dead!
Then, just as things started going his way and he began to prosper under his first employer, he ended up in jail...and innocent at that! But if he hadn't gone to jail and correctly foretold the fates of Pharaoh's two servants, he never would have come to the attention of Pharaoh! All of Egypt would have starved right along with Jacob and his whole family, even though Joseph would have had some success had he stayed with his first master! Learn to trust God, that He is working all things out for good. [Romans 8:28]
5. He was there to carry out God's covenant with Abraham...God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants, and God knew that the famine was coming! This is key...He already knows what the future holds, and will always be faithful to His covenant word!
For You, Too...
If you are Christ's, you have a covenant with God Almighty, Who will do anything it takes to uphold His end of the bargain! Now you uphold your end: trust in Him and believe what He has already said in His word about you.
Remember, it is impossible to please him without faith! [Hebrews 11:6]
