 Amen. So I want to go straight into the Word of God. I just share a couple things, something that God's been helping me to understand more clearly, something that I've been putting to practice in my life and continue to work on. And so a title of my message today, or just a small talk, would be Two Keys for Success or Two Keys for Successful Life. How many you want to be successful? Okay, about half of you? That's okay. Maybe this side wants to be successful. How many of you guys want to be successful in life? All right, that's awesome. And so success is very, it's very broad term and success is, it's defined differently for everybody. For somebody, success might mean own a big business. For another person, success might be having a good career, good paying job. For another person, success might be a stay-home mom. For another person, success might be having a big ministry. For another person, success would be having a great home group. Success is really just living to the full potential of what God has for you. That's all what success really is. To not miss anything that God has prepared for you. To take full on what God has prepared in store for you. So when you die, when you, when you're laying in a grave, that you don't take with you all the talents and gifts, all the things that God had for you and you've never tapped into them, you never developed them, you never worked them out in your life. Okay, so this is what success is. And I want us, I want us to look into the Word of God and take from the Word of God, look into the principles from the Word of God. What will help us to be successful in our life? What will help us to achieve the purpose of God and the calling of God in our lives? Do you want to learn this morning church? Okay, so if you open with me to Matthew chapter 7 and we'll read from verse 24, Matthew chapter 7 verse 24. It says this, therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken them to a wise man who built his house on a rock and the rain descendant floods came and the winds blew and beat on the house and it did not fall. Say it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them, he will, he will be like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. The rain's descendant, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on the house and it fell. Say it fell and the great was its fall. And I want us to read the second scripture just to read the foundation for our talk today, Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. And I know these pictures are very famous and you probably know them and memorize them. If you went to Sunday school, it's probably one of the first verses that you memorize in Sunday school. Can you give me a little bit more on the mic? And it says this, the book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it, say meditate. You shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do, say to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. Say good success. So today we're going to talk on the subject, two keys to success, two keys to a successful life. From the scriptures that we read, we see two things clearly, that in order for us to be successful in life, in order for us to have success in our lives, in order for us to be wise, as we read from the first scripture, we must hear God's word. In order for us to live a life of success, your success will depend on your knowledge of God's word. Your success will depend what you feed yourself with. Your success in your life and your success as a Christian, and not as a Christian, but as a human being will depend on your knowledge and your ability to hear and listen to the word of God. Word of God is a manual to our life. See, when you bought an iPhone, when you bought any product, any tool, every time you buy something it comes with a manual and a manual is an instruction of how to properly use the device and to utilize it to its full potential. For example, one time, I was using a drill, one of those power drills and the manual clearly says that you're supposed to use it, you put a drill bit and you drill on it and drill things to it and do all kinds of things. The drill bit wasn't meant to use as a hammer, but sometimes for you, those of you that work in constructions, you know what I mean, sometimes when you do things and you do things with it and the hammer is not around, so what you do is you just turn the thing around and you smack with it, right? And so one time, when I was doing that, I turned the drill around and I hit it and the nail, I mean the nail was kind of in the board was pretty stiff and so what happened, the nail went through the back of the back of the drill and the drill was ruined, okay? So if I would have carefully read the manual or had some common sense, I would understand and I clearly know that using a drill as a hammer is not a good idea and 200 dollars were wasted that could have been put to a better use. How many times in our life we do things in our lives, we use our life in a such, in a particular manner, in a way that end up, that we end up broken at the end. Thank God that we have a God that repairs things, that we don't have to toss it away. Thank God that we have a God that he can salvage any situation and make it better than even was before, but why go through a break up? Why go through a heartache? Why go through brokenness? Why go through things that leave us shattered? We waste time, we waste money, we waste resources, we lose relationships because we don't know what we were created for. We don't know how to live our life or we don't know how to use our life and utilize our life properly. I remember another time also very stupid decision and we were doing roofing and those of you that roofing you know what I'm talking about you have those air guns right? And so sometimes when you hit it and the nail doesn't go all the way through instead of you know kind of taking hammer and just you know one hit and done you know what you do a lot of times you flip the gun around it has the the the butt of the of the gun is this metal and you go you know hit it and usually it works well except this time my, unexidentally my hand wasn't a trigger and so when I hit it the nail on it missed me by like a millimeter you know it could have been the nail could have been in my eye and I actually heard and had friends and know the stories were when they did people did these things they actually got severely injured simply misusing it not knowing well no I knew I'm lying but using a device for the purposes that it wasn't meant for you for it to be used you must commit to reading God's word you must commit to reading it consistently systematically you must spend time with God's word every single day you must allow his word to come inside of you his word is life itself spending time with God's word is spending time with God himself because Jesus is the word of God every time you spend time in his word you spend time with Jesus you figure out more about yourself you figure out of who you are made to be how you are made to function what is God's opinion about your marriage what is God's opinion about your business about your career what is God's opinion about your ministry what is God's opinion about the situation you're going through and therefore you are able to react properly you're able to to to um to align yourself according to the word of God and you will have good success amen bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing of the word of God it's also says that without faith it is impossible to please God our faith is a contact point is a channel that we receive through God but faith cannot come without the hearing faith cannot come without you feeding your spirit that's why so many Christians are spiritually bankrupt spiritually broke when they pray they don't receive the answers when they ask God they don't hear back and they get into religion and routine and they have the form but without the power when the word of God is not part of you not part of your mind not part of your conscious and subconscious not part of your of your heart and not part of your being you will not have faith when you don't have faith you will have very difficult time receiving from God bible says you can't even please God and it's important for us to have a good relationship with God and be in good standing with God amen you have to understand from the scripture that we read in Joshua he said yes you have to meditate on a day and night you have to I have to understand and know one thing clearly your mind cannot be neutral your mind is like a vacuum it has a vacuum it will always attract one thing or the other it will not be able to stay empty you either fill your mind with God's word you either fill your mind of the instructions of God for your life or Satan will automatically push his thoughts fill your mind with his thoughts and his thoughts are thoughts of fear thoughts of anxiety thoughts of all kinds of like I'm not good enough I will not make it I failed look at where I came from where you know I can't amount to anything who do you think you are when we don't fill ourselves with God's word Satan does satan is not like God God is a gentleman he respects free will and he says here is my word here is my instruction read it learn it meditate and apply it in your life satan on the other hand he comes and he forces Bible says he shoots those fiery darts fiery arrows into our lives he forces his agenda his thoughts toward us his idea about us and trust me it's not good so therefore you have to fill you have to take time out of every day of your life to feed yourself feed yourself with spiritual books feed yourself with podcasts feed yourself with the word of God get into it figure out what God thinks about you about your situation amen church above all else God honors faith the most because faith faith is like what faith says to God is like I trust you you are my provider you are my source faith just that have faith like little children and you know I knew the scripture and quoted the scripture even preached in that scripture but when you have your own child you kind of begin to understand and see things from a different perspective and so as a child the child completely trusts the parent they completely they're completely giving are giving themselves to the parent sometimes when you try and hey come to me you know if you stretch out the hand they just simply fall into your arms trusting that you will catch you will catch them and so this is what faith is it's it's it's falling to God's arms falling into his into his embrace falling into his will understanding that he is good he has the best in mind for you and he has best intentions for you and faith says God I trust you you are my father you will supply all that I need commit to reading God's word commit to systematically continuously to meditate in God's word that's the first key this is the first point is the first key is you have to feed yourself you have to fill your mind with God's word amen but that's not all there's a second part to and this is for very long time when every time I quote it and read Joshua 1 8 I always kind of focus on the part meditating in God's word meditating God's word study God's word and you will be successful I always kind of I don't know why until like two weeks ago three weeks ago it kind of the scripture came alive to me again but this second part is that do according to it meditation is a first step meditation sets you up but if you never take that knowledge and apply it if you never take that what you read what you learn and begin to walk according to it begin to do according to it you only have gone halfway that's why a lot of a lot of times even in my own life sometimes I'm like you know I'm reading God's word you know I'm spending time I've developed a habit every morning to read God's word and you know why certain things are not are not happening in my life why why certain things I you know I'm not you know I I know the scriptures but why they're not happening in my life because there also is a second side to that coin you have to begin to act on God's word you have to begin to work according to God's word you have to begin to work out what God puts in and this is where if if Satan will if Satan failed to stop you from reading God's word he tries his best to stop you from acting on it through different means I'll show you in a parable of an apparel that Jesus shared about three three men a master was leaving to another country he given to one five talents to another three talents and to one he's given one talent according Bible says according to what they were able to handle and so first two they received it they received instruction from the master and they went out and worked it out they worked on it they invested it they worked on it and therefore when he came back and asked of them they had something to show for and he entrusted them to be rulers of the cities he entrusted them with more but one of them received an instruction he knew what was required of him he knew what he was supposed to do but he went and buried it and came and said here is yours what you gave me and the master called him wicked and lazy what I see from the scripture is that all of them heard the word of God heard of them heard instruction two decided to apply it brought profit and were promoted one decided to just come to church just hear it just listen to it go back and live their own life and was condemned and never succeeded in life never was promoted and behind it was wickedness and laziness a lot of times if satan is not able to stop you from hearing God's word if you're able to overcome that barrier he tries to send all his schemes all his tricks wickedness laziness passivity a lot of times when you encounter those things those feelings oh man I don't feel like doing this oh I don't feel like reading God's word behind it is the wicked spirit is the evil spirit behind it is demonic thoughts that produced feelings within you to stop you from succeeding in your life God wants you to succeed God wants you to move forward God has already prepared he paid a price for it he already has it in your bank account he wants you to activate he wants to receive it he wants you to to be the best you can be in your life he already put into you he doesn't want it to be wasted you only have so much time in your life to to to work all of these things out because in eternity you won't need all of these things you're gonna have you're gonna be in perfect place in need of nothing but a lot of times what satan does through laziness through complacency through his wicked schemes he stops us he makes us bury our talent and we never succeed in our life you have to act on God's word turn to your neighbor say act on God's word turn to your other neighbor say act on God's word you know a lot of time for for a long time in my life I've you know I've been praying and asking God God please help me to hear your voice God please help me to hear your voice God I want to hear your voice and then I realized that God speaks all the time the problem is that I don't act on it all the time so I actually stopped praying and asking God to hear his voice I actually start asking him God give me the grace to heed your voice not just hear it let me act on it because the success is hidden not only in hearing but in acting on God's word knowledge is something you get to know so when you read but wisdom is how to apply the knowledge and so when we read this parable God says that a person that acts on God's word is a wise man is a wise person why is he wise because he takes the knowledge and he applies it here let me put it in this way knowledge is knowing how to use the gun wisdom is knowing when to use it okay you can know that God is your healer you can know that God is the one that forgives you all of your sin you can know that God is your provider you can know that you are blessed with all the heavenly blessings but if you're not gonna act on God's word and begin to work it out you will never see those things materializing your in your life God says you will be blessed as you go in and as you go out but if you don't go in and don't go out how is the blessing of God gonna come manifest in your life God says that he's gonna bless every work of your hand but if your hands don't work how is he gonna bless it God says that me in my house in justices me my house will will serve the Lord but if you don't pray for your house if you don't share faith with your house if you don't bring them to church how are they going to be saved God says that in these stripes we are healed that we have fullness and health in our body but if we go and begin to if we don't drink water if we don't sleep enough if we don't exercise if we don't eat properly and then we wonder why we don't have health in our life when God clearly given instructions how to use our body properly is anybody receiving anything tonight somebody said that knowledge without application is like a book that was never read you know we have this we have this saying you know well at least a thought that's all that matters well I try pulling that trick on my wife once you know she said I haven't been seeing flowers at my work for some time and I said well I thought about it doesn't work thoughts is the first process is the first step but you gotta go to the store you know and you gotta go take good one you know don't be cheap you gotta go buy it and and send it and so that your thoughts are materialized and people can see it in same manner with God in same manner God has good thoughts towards you God has great plans for you you have to take his thoughts make it yours and you have to begin to act it out on it you have to begin to apply it in your life you have to begin to act on God's word turn to your neighbor say act on his word um a personal story that's kind of always stuck to me it it it shocked me and it's just it's one of the things that I will never forget to the day I die there was um there was a man there's a guy in my home group many many years ago and and so every time he was a firecracker he was one of those guys kind of like evangelist and you know he was one of the very social people always inviting people his passion and fire for God and you know even though I was his leader and some deep inside I was like you know I wish I could kind of have that outgoing personality and this kind of pretty fiery kind of character that I could you know kind of being like him and then and here's another thing every time without a fail every time some kind of preacher prophet comes to our church and they always prophesy to him you're gonna be you're gonna be this great man I see this you know there's an angelic anoint you know in your life you know you're gonna turn nations to God and blah blah and then without a fail no prophecies for me and so it's like every single time and times when I do would receive a prophecy it's kind of like they go prophesy to have the whole church and then they like see me there on the keyboard for like two hours playing for them and they're like you know I feel bad for the guy let me go tell him something and so it's kind of like how I felt and so sometimes you know I was like God I mean I don't know what you're trying to do or you know I if you want me to be his servant and and serve him and you know you're gonna make him I'll do it God you know I have no problem with that at all you know my heart I was like he already came into terms and peace with it but this story is not as fine as funny as it sounds because it has a very tragic ending you know while he was receiving all these prophecies and all these words from God and he was hearing from God and and everything you know everything seemed like wow his future is bright his future is great so many things great things spoken over over his life but he had a problem of obeying the instruction and following through and acting on it you know his life through series of mistakes and misfortunes and series of of things that he disobeyed were things that God really put on my heart said hey don't go to this place that's you're not ready to do that and he's like you know but you know God you know sent me to to to evangelize for my family and I'm gonna go and I was like listen this is not a time for you need to get shown on God and God will take care of your family for now just just just hold off he went he just he he disobeyed he went and and kind of he slicked back slowly but surely you know step after step after step and got back into drugs got back into bad lifestyle back into where he was and at the end two years ago it was three years ago now I went to his funeral and he died because of overdose now all of these great things that were spoken of his life all all of these great prophecies all this great future that God had in store for him what happened to them this is what I was asking I was like God I mean I was still matured in my face still trying to figure things out I was like God what happened were there's were those men and women of God were they were they false prophets were they were they you know were they uh not hearing from God what are these just more emotional hype what was it until I come across the scripture in Timothy where where apostle Paul says to his to his disciples to to to him and he says fight according to the prophecies that you were given you have to work it out you have to work it out God has great destiny for you for sure whether you receive the prophecy or didn't the most true prophecy is the word of God whether somebody spoke over you that you have a great destiny or not you have a great destiny God has great things in store for you but you have to work it out you know if some of you maybe kind of feel the same way you know you're sitting here in this place and sometimes you know you hear this amazing an awesome story is you know the people that receive it word of prophecies the people that receive great things you know what the life I was spoken sometimes you might you might be like I was sitting back there and saying wondering God I mean do you have anything for me you know am I supposed to be somebody am I supposed to achieve anything you know I realized through this example even though it's a terrible example a terrible experience I've lived through but I realized one thing God speaks over your life God always speaks he always has good thoughts towards you he always speaks great things over you work it out work it out act upon it if you received God's word that God's gonna bless you financially that you're gonna have a great business you're gonna have a great career work it out start a business well what if I fail start another one on average I read it I don't know how true the stat is but on average they say you know a millionaire in their lifetime goes bankrupt five times but they don't give up they work it out they work it out they work at it they work out what God put in the destiny the gift the talent that God give them I want to ask you this morning what are you working on today why are you working out maybe you're sick in your body but God says you are healed work it out maybe you are in poverty laying from paycheck to paycheck you have this great dream to be you know independent financially what are you doing to work it out what are you feeding yourself with and how are you acting on it maybe God put a dream in your life to be in a ministry or doing great thing to be to be a great man and woman of woman of God what are you doing are you spending time in prayer with God are you digging in his word are you feeding with your past yourself with podcasts what are you doing to work to work it out what God has worked inside of you what God has put in and inside of you I want us to to to get the sense of urgency to to understand that we don't have all the time in the world our time is limited our time is the value of most valuable resources begin to work out today today what God has put it on the side of you and I tell you one thing the moment you're going to begin to work out even the smallest thing that you got maybe you want to have big things but right now you have small things the moment you're going to begin to work out small things God's going to give you bigger ones the talents that people were faithful with three five and then two talents when they were faithful with those small talents God gave then that the master put them over the cities rulers over the cities you work out small what you have in you maybe you were entrusted with the home group and you only have one or two people work it out work it out be faithful in it work it out let God use you to impact those small people that not small people but those small group that you are influencing God will God will give you more maybe you are working a minimum wage a job right now work it out come back to work and come to work on time leave on time put your 100% in it be an asset to your work be a benefit a benefit to your work God will give you promotion you're not working for money working for God work out what God has put in you so many people so many Christians get stuck at the stage I have a promise well Israel got a promise they were supposed to conquer so much more territory and they conquered they had this promise of God yet they settled for very little and because they settled for little now all these countries that surround in them which they were supposed to possess as a land are their worst enemies and they constantly leave you you turn on the news almost every week you hear some kind of stabbing here shooting there bomb bomb exploded there because people failed Israelites failed to work out what God had worked in them say work it out one just two more minutes practical steps really practical step have an action plan the three kinds of people those that make things happen those things that watch things happen and those that have no idea what just happened what kind of person are you what kind of person are you number one when God speaks to you write it down have a journal whether it's on your app whether it's on whether it's on your notes whether it's in your book whether it's in your Bible whatever it might be the words that were spoken over you prophecies or maybe you read you read the word of God and felt deep in your spirit they touched you write it down write it down write your goals down write things down what God speaks to you number two share it with somebody now you don't have to you have to be careful who you share it with because we know the story of Joseph he shared with people that didn't quite support his dream and his vision okay find somebody that that this that has the same vision that has that has the same burning desire that has a that's striving for something a lot of times people make a mistake is they they get this they get this inspiration they get this desire they get this earning fire in them and they go share with people they don't want nothing with life they gave up they gave in they collapsed and they don't want to move forward and so they're bitter with life because maybe they've been they had so many setbacks in life so because they give up because they give in they're gonna try to convince you to give up they're gonna try to convince you not to move forward find people that share your vision find people that share your passion find people that want to move forward share with them okay number three keep accountable whether it's with your leader with your pastor whether it's with the person that you shared keep accountable how far what are you doing with your goals how far are you've gotten through that what are you what are you doing to stir up that gift that talent within you are you moving forward there's many blessing there's many scriptures and I'm not gonna go into because the time has already gone where when the Bible says when you act on his word you will be blessed I want you to understand I want you to to see what it says here then you will make your way prosperous and you will find good success not maybe not if not depending what kind of character you got depending if you got these weaknesses or these strains not depending if you came from if you were born on the right side of the tracks God's word is has no prejudice against no one whether you were born rich or poor whether you're black or white whether you have things or you don't have God gives you a guarantee you will find good success let's put our hands together for Jesus Christ