These are notes on the sermon, Keys to Good Success, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 31 January 2021, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Pastor Prince shares about a dream he had two weeks ago, where he was fishing on a small island by a beautiful and calm lake. The lake carried a refreshing air of tranquility, and it seemed as though there was no place for harm or destruction. All of a sudden, he saw white skulls bobbing up from the water—a sight so out of place in such a peaceful lake. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, came a huge crocodile that devoured all the skulls in one gulp before quickly disappearing beneath the surface of the water. Following that, the lake was peaceful once again.
Pastor Prince felt the Lord tell him through that dream that this year, the enemy is out to attack those who are carnally minded (represented by the bobbing skulls). This year, don’t be carnally minded. To be carnally minded is to become devourable to the enemy (represented by the crocodile).
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
— Romans 8:6 NKJV
“peace” – In Hebrew, this is the word “shalom,” which means “well-being, health, wholeness.”
We usually think of a carnally minded person as someone who is addicted to pornography or who has other sinful habits. However, being carnally minded can also mean trusting your own understanding and wisdom, walking in the counsel of the ungodly, or relying on your own talents, gifts, and efforts. This is contrary to the message of the gospel that we cannot save ourselves.
In Genesis, after Adam fell, God said that Adam had become dust, meaning that he had become a carnally minded man of the flesh (Gen. 3:19) instead of a man of the Spirit.
God gave us this body to live in, but we are not to be ruled by it and be carnally minded. The part of a person that God breathed into that is eternal, royal, and has a likeness to Him is the spirit. Your spirit is who you really are, not your body.
Look at Jesus as He walked on earth as a man. With Jesus as the “prototype,” God shows us how He wants our spirit—the real man—to rule our soul, mind, emotions, and bodies.
To avoid becoming carnally minded and devourable by the devil, God told Pastor Prince that we need to stay in the Spirit (be spiritually minded). Just as Pastor Prince was untouched by the crocodile in his dream, when you and I are in Christ Jesus (which is our position in the Spirit), we are untouchable to the enemy.
“Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding;
For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.”
— Proverbs 3:13–17 NKJV
With wisdom comes these 5 blessings:
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”
— Ephesians 1:17–18 NKJV
“the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” — The spirit of wisdom operates when the eyes of our understanding—or the eyes of our heart (Eph. 1:18 ESV)—are enlightened (“phótizó” in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament). This happens when we receive a hazon vision from the Lord and walk in the knowledge of His revelation (1 Sam. 3:1 KJV, NKJV).
We have a choice to open our spiritual eyes (the eyes of our heart) with either the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or with the tree of life. Pastor Prince shares two examples which show the difference between these two scenarios:
Opening spiritual eyes with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil — Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened after they ate the fruit of this tree and realized their nakedness (Gen 3:7a), lack, and destitute state. The result was death, disease, and poverty.
Opening spiritual eyes with the tree of life — Jesus walked to the village of Emmaus with two of His disciples whose eyes He restrained so they did not realize it was Him who was walking with them. Instead, He expounded on the Scriptures the things concerning Himself so that they would see Him in the Word. It was only at the end of their journey when Jesus broke bread with them that their eyes were opened and they knew it was Him (Luke 24:16, 31a). The result was life and knowing Jesus personally. Today, breaking bread (the holy Communion) is the tree of life, the anti-type of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Child of God, God wants your eyes to be opened by the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The spirit of wisdom and revelation operates together with the Word of God, not in place of it.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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.”
— Joshua 1:8 NKJV
Before Moses died, he laid his hands on Joshua and Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom (Deut. 34:9a). Yet in the very next chapter, Joshua 1, God told Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night. This shows that it is not enough to only receive the spirit of wisdom, but we are to meditate on His Word as well.
“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”
— Psalm 119:130 NKJV
“light” — This is the word “phótizó” in the Septuagint (the Greek translation), which is the same word used for “enlightened” in Ephesians 1:18.
“entrance” — This is the Hebrew word “pethach” which means “to open the door.” This is translated as “The unfolding” (ESV) and “The opening” (YLT) in other versions of the Bible. Every time you hear the Word of God as it is opened to you and you're meditating on it, you are actually setting your mind on the Spirit. To be spiritually minded is life and peace (Rom. 8:6b).
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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.”
— Joshua 1:8 NKJV
“observe to do” — This means that as you meditate on a passage of Scripture or a verse from God's Word, sooner or later, you will observe—you will see—how to apply it in your life.
“meditate” — This is the Hebrew word “hagah” which means to “mutter” with your mouth. We often think of meditation as taking place in the mind, but Biblical meditation is not blanking out your mind. It is actually filling your mouth with God’s Word and thinking about what you are muttering.
As you meditate on the Word, you will observe and see with the eyes of your heart the wisdom in that passage—in picture form.
“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”
— 1 Timothy 4:13–15 KJV
“Meditate” — This is the Greek word “meletaó.” This verse is the counterpart to Joshua 1:8, which tells us not to neglect meditating on God’s Word.
Joshua 1:8 says that when you meditate on God’s Word, you will “make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.”
— Psalm 1:2–3 NKJV
“the law of the Lord” — This does not refer only to the Ten Commandments, but to the first five books of Moses, or in general, to the Word of God.
“meditates day and night” — As you meditate on His Word in your daily life, you shall be like a verdant tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in its season and whose leaves do not wither. Your health will not wither (Rev. 22:2b) and you’ll be young and green forever.
“whatever he does shall prosper” — The benefit of meditating on God’s Word is that whatever you do prospers, no matter your occupation. Man can impart to you a skill and train you to be good at your work, but only God can cause every area you are involved in to prosper!
“ . . . you will have good success”
— Joshua 1:8
“good success” — This is the Hebrew word “sakal.”
“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”
— 1 Timothy 4:15 KJV
“that thy profiting may appear to all” — As you meditate on God’s Word, your success will be visual, palpable, and something that everyone can see.
“And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.”
— Genesis 39:3 NKJV
“the LORD was with him . . . the LORD made all he did to prosper” — This is similar to how in Genesis, Potiphar, and later Pharoah, saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord prospered whatever Joseph did.
Friend, as you meditate on God’s Word and experience the resulting blessings from the Lord, your boss, your colleagues, and the people of the world around you will notice it. They may not know God themselves or be able to define the cause of your success, but they will see the Lord is with you and that whatever you do, He causes it to prosper!
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
— 1 Timothy 4:16 KJV
“thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” — Paul told Timothy that as he continued to meditate on God’s Word, he would cause himself and those who heard his teaching to be saved. Here, the word “save” is the Greek word “sōzō.” Besides referring to eternal salvation, it also means “healing” (Mark 5:34a NIV), which applies to us believers as well who are in need of healing in our bodies, minds, and emotions.
One of the biggest challenges faced by people today is that they are facing situations they do not know how to deal with. Whether you’re facing a financial, marital, or other type of challenge, the answer is the wisdom of God.
You can receive His wisdom by:
God’s Word is a storehouse full of hazon visions and wisdom and He wants you to break it open. His unfolding Word gives you light, wisdom, and all the blessings that follow.
Just as David rejoiced over God’s Word as though he had found great spoils of war (Ps. 119:162 KJV), or just as we rejoice over an investment that has paid off, we should rejoice over uncovering the wisdom of God in His Word! In fact, the wisdom we find in His Word is of far more worth than material riches (Prov. 3:13–15)!
People in the world think they have a marital or financial problem, but actually they have a wisdom or discernment problem.
In the Bible, Joshua was about to bring 2–3 million people into the promised land and would first have to face many enemies in numerous battles. It was a daunting challenge, but in the midst of it, God told him the secret to success—that the book of the law should not depart from his mouth, and he should meditate on it day and night (Josh. 1:8).
Even as the commander of a great army who had many things to plan and see to, Joshua took time to read God's Word and meditate on it to obtain victory in his challenges. Let’s do the same for our own lives!
You can do this by reading God's Word and when you find a verse that speaks to you, memorize it and meditate on it often. As you’re driving to work or on your way to school, mutter the Word. Even utter it under your breath at night before you go to sleep.
In these 2 passages, we see that God has different types of wisdom to impart to us:
“Happy is the man who finds wisdom (“chokmah”), And the man who gains understanding (“tebunah”); For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.”
— Proverbs 3:13–17 NKJV
“And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. "Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning (“bin”) and wise (“chakam”) man, and set him over the land of Egypt.”
— Genesis 41:32–33 NKJV
“wisdom” — This is the Hebrew word “chokmah” (Prov. 3:13), which is the noun form of the Hebrew word “chakam” (Gen. 41:33).
“understanding” — This is the Hebrew word “tebunah” (Prov. 3:13) which is the noun form of the Hebrew word “bin” (Gen. 41:33). “Bin” refers to discernment, or the ability to see through a facade to know the true nature of things.
Joseph recommended that Pharoah find a wise and discerning man to advise him on the challenging times to come in Egypt.
“And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning (“bin”) and wise (“chakam”) as You.”
— Genesis 41:38–39 NKJV
Pharaoh, a man of the world, recognized that Joseph was a discerning and wise man and appointed Joseph to be his advisor. We can see here that the world values and puts a premium on discernment and wisdom, even though they may not express it in those words. No matter how advanced technology and artificial intelligence become, nothing can replace a wise and discerning man.
God wants to release different rivers of wisdom into your life. Whether God gives you wisdom, discernment, astuteness, or knowledge, they will all bring about a successful outcome.
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
— Luke 2:52 NKJV
“increased in wisdom” — The very first area that Jesus increased in was wisdom.
“I have more understanding (“sakal”) than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.”
— Psalm 119:99 NKJV
“For Your testimonies are my meditation.” — In Psalm 119, a Messianic Psalm, we can see how Jesus had more understanding (the Hebrew word “sakal”) than His teachers because He meditated on God’s Word.
Friend, this can be so for you and I as well! With God’s wisdom, it is possible for you to have more understanding than those older or more experienced than you, even if they have more knowledge than you.
For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (“sakal”).”
— Joshua 1:8 NKJV
“good success” — Besides “understanding,” the Hebrew word “sakal” also means “good success.” It is the ability to put two and two together, resulting in a successful and prosperous outcome.
When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents were looking for Him and found him amongst the teachers and rabbis of Israel. While He had more understanding than the teachers, He did not push his way to preach as it was not His time to do so, but instead honoured them by asking questions and listening to them teach. When they in turn asked Him questions, the teachers were amazed at His understanding (Luke 2:47 ESV).
“good success” — In the Septuagint (the Greek translation), this word is “‘suniémi,” which means to put two and two together. There are people who receive God’s Word but are not able to put it together and fully understand it. This understanding comes by meditating on the Word.
As you take a verse of Scripture and meditate on it, open your spiritual eyes to see it in your own life. For example, when you meditate on Psalm 128:3, see your wife as being fruitful and intoxicating. When you meditate on Psalm 1:3, see your husband as a solid tree planted by the rivers of water.
"Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand (“suniémi”) it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.”
— Matthew 13:18–19 NKJV
“understand” — This is the Greek word “suniémi,” an understanding that comes by meditation. When a person listens to the Word but does not meditate on it, he does not fully understand it, and so the enemy is able to come and snatch the Word away from his heart.
As you listen to the Word each week, think about which verses spoke to you, then meditate on them, memorize them, and chew on them throughout the week.
Pastor Prince shares the testimony of a sister in Singapore who had been suffering from insomnia for two months and was relying on pills to fall asleep. She received healing for this condition when she started partaking of the holy Communion and meditating on Psalms 127:2 which says, “He gives his beloved sleep.”
Pastor Prince speaks to those who have been experiencing sleepless nights, sharing that meditating on God’s Word brings supernatural energy (Ps. 119:25b KJV) that reinvigorates you so that even if you have only a few hours of sleep, you can still wake up feeling refreshed.
He also shares about his experience when he was a student and facing a stuttering problem. Each time he was asked to read in front of his class, he would be extremely nervous and stammer and stutter his way through. During this time, God gave him this verse to encourage him:
"Therefore prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
For behold, I have made you this day
A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land.
They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you," says the Lord, "to deliver you."
— Jeremiah 1:17–19 NKJV
Jeremiah was a young prophet called to preach to the princes and leaders of Judah and he was afraid of them.
“A fortified city . . . an iron pillar . . . bronze walls”— God encouraged Jeremiah by telling him that those he preached to would not be able to fight him in his preaching as God had made him as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls before them. Similarly, Pastor Prince saw himself this way before a crowd when speaking and allowed that hazon vision to occupy his mind. This vision has empowered him to overcome his anxiety many times, even when he felt inadequate.
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
— 2 Timothy 3:15 KJV
"Salvation” — This is the Greek word “sótéria,” which means physical and mental wellbeing, protection, wholeness, and health. Paul told Timothy that from the time he was a child, Timothy had known the holy Scriptures which were able to make him wise and cause him to enjoy wholeness in all areas of his life.
Pastor Prince encourages parents to take time to train their children in the ways of the Lord by teaching them and giving them memory verses. As you teach them to meditate on the Word, the Word will encourage them when they are alone or afraid.
Parents, you can also lead your children by example by meditating on God’s Word when you are with them and telling them what you are doing.
“And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.”
— Deuteronomy 11:19, 21 KJV
“speaking of them” — As you meditate on God’s Word throughout the day and teach your children about it, the Lord will multiply your days and make them as days of heaven upon the earth!
Pastor Prince prays for people with:
Every healing can stand the test of medical science. Please go back to your doctor to verify your healing. Only stop taking your medicine when your healing has been confirmed by medical reports. Then write in to share your testimony!
Pastor Prince also prays for the congregation—for all of us to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation that enlightens the eyes of our hearts. He asks the Lord to fill our hearts with visions of life, health, longevity and freedom from ailments, that we will see ourselves always refreshed, never lacking, and prospering in all that we do.
“The Lord bless you and the Lord keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be favorable to you. The Lord protect you and your loved ones from the COVID-19 virus, from every infection, from every disease, from harm, from tragedy, from all the powers of darkness. The Lord grant you and your families wonderful shalom wellbeing in your bodies and in your minds, and shalom-peace multiplied to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and all the people said, Amen.”
Is there an area in your life you’re concerned about? Is there a situation you’re struggling with? Find a scripture verse from God’s Word that gives you a positive picture or vision of that situation, then memorize it and meditate on it.
Meditate on the scripture verse of your choice by uttering it under your breath, pondering its meaning, and envisioning it in your personal life.
As you delight in and meditate on God’s Word day and night (i.e. throughout the day, on your daily commute, before you fall asleep at night, etc.), and as you continue to ask the Lord for the spirit of wisdom (Eph. 1:17), you will find yourself walking in good success and seeing His hazon visions come to pass in your life!
Here are some verses from today’s sermon you can meditate on:
Here are some other verses…
For health and renewal of youth:
For your family’s protection:
For your career:
For your finances:
For your parenting:
For your marriage:
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2021
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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