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Being successful in all we do

One of my favourite Bible passages of all time comes from the first three verses of the book of Psalms. Over the years this section has blessed and encouraged me many times.

Psalms 1:1-3 says, "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper."

This short passage gives up a "recipe" on how to be successful and produce good fruit in our lives. It gives us five simple points that we can use and put into practice.

1. Do not take the advice of wicked people

If you are wanting to make godly decisions it is important to have people you trust and of good character in your life. Listening to or taking advice from people who are not trustworthy or wicked means more than likely will lead to bad decisions on your behalf. Having good people around you to speak into your life is vitally important.

2. Do not spend time with people who are doing wrong

All of us at times will need to spend time with people we know who are doing wrong. There may even be times when the Lord asks us to, to reach someone. However, I believe we need to make sure we are not spending all of our time with people who are not living right. If we do before long we will find it might effect our attitudes and the way we live.

3. Do not spend time with people who continuously run people down

It can be very hard at times when you get caught up in a conversation that starts running other people down. I believe there are several things you can do when this happens. You can either join in - which the Bible warns us not to do - or you can change the tone of the conversation by injecting some positive comments about the person/people. This usually helps, but if that fails it might be just better to walk away!

4. Take joy in doing the Lord's will

Understanding and knowing God's will for your life is one of the greatest things I believe a person can know. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that God does have a plan for our lives that He prepared for us long ago. Knowing day by day that you are fulfilling God's plan for your life is very exciting. Playing my part in God's plan for my life brings me a sense of joy and contentment and helps me to face each day with excitement.

5. Regularly meditate on God's Word

Meditating on God's Word does not mean sitting on a mountain cross legged chanting chanting "Oh-ummm!" It means to read God's Word and reflect or "mull" it over for a while. I usually pray about a passage and ask God's Holy Spirit to let me know what it means. Many times I have found that by reading and reflecting on a passage of Scripture for a few days, I get a deeper meaning to it or find practical things that can help in my everyday life. Psalms 1:1-3 is an example of this!

The results of following this plan

The Bible tells us in verse three that if we avoid the first three points and focus on numbers four and five, we will be blessed and prosper in everything we do. It says we will be like a healthy tree that always produces fruit at the right time. It says we will be like we are planted by a river which is perfect conditions and when things get hot or hard we will not wither.

That is a fantastic promise we can hold on to! I claim this promise from God every time I try something new or I am not feeling confident in my abilities. I would encourage you to follow this recipe and see the difference it can make and the confidence it will give you too!