SWS TOPIC - APRIL 02,

2017

PRINCIPLES OF SPIRITUAL SUCCESS

WALKING A CAMEL THROUGH THE EYES OF A NEEDLE

(VML Magazine - March 2017)
Success in its many forms is pursued by many, but reached by few. In my 70 years of serving Jesus Christ as
the Messiah, I have learned from God many principles of success that have been lost in the Body of Christ. This
month, I will share these tremendous principles with you so you can reach the kind of success God has destined for
you.
A tremendous difficulty in the Body of Christ today is that many people are not prepared to handle success.
They have not taken time to build the character it takes to deal with success in a godly manner. Because of this,
success tends to drive them out of the will of God. I'm going to share with you some principles in this month's
lesson that will enable you to be successful without destroying your own life!
Studies have shown that families that become suddenly wealthy through lotteries or contests rarely do well
after they receive their financial rewards. In fact, many of these families suffer from divorce, alcoholism and drug
abuse after becoming millionaires.
Why?
They did not have the character it takes to handle financial success. See what Jesus had to say on this subject:
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have
eternal life? And He said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God:
but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto Him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt
not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself. The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what
lack I yet? Jesus unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and
thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. But when the young man heard that
saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I
say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It
is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God.
Matthew 19:16-24
The young man Jesus spoke about here had great riches, but did not have the character it took to make his
riches serve God's purpose. Instead, the young man was in bondage to his money. He could not do anything that
would separate him from his riches.
In fact, this young man was in so much bondage to his money that he could not give it up even if it meant his
soul would go to hell for all eternity. The draw of his temporal blessings was greater than the draw of eternal life.
This is what happens to many people who become successful in material things. They hear the "follow me" of
money louder than the "follow Me" of Jesus.

EVERYTHING HAS A FOLLOW ME

Money, wealth, fame, glory, popularity and status all have something tremendous in common with Jesus. They
all say the same thing, "Follow me." Everything has a "follow me." Everything has an attraction to itself and a
distraction toward spiritual things.
This is why character is so important. Character gives you the ability to use temporal success without being
used by it and ending up without your salvation.
The sad truth is that most people believe they have character, but do not. That's why Jesus made it painfully
evident that it was harder for a rich man to come into the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle!

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 Although scholars throughout the ages have tried to explain away this statement by saying the eye of a needle
was a narrow gate called Needle's Eye, or that the word camel represents a special rope or cable used in sailing, it
is clear from the reaction of the disciples that the meaning is exactly what Jesus said:
When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, who then can be saved? But Jesus
beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. -
Matthew 19:25-26

The concern of the disciples was genuine. In their day, wealthy people were considered to have risen to their
status by having the favor of God. If these favored people could not make it to heaven, who then could?
Jesus answered very simply and put their fears to rest by showing them that all things were possible with God.
God does not require that you be poor!
God does not require that you have nothing!
God only requires that you serve nothing but Him!
The rich young man was serving his money instead of serving Jesus!
But don't get me wrong. There is a tremendous sacrifice for those who leave behind their riches, wealth and
status to serve God. Peter saw directly into the meaning of what Jesus was saying. The rich young man was
unwilling to surrender his riches and serve Jesus, but the disciples had already been willing to give up riches, their
businesses and anything else they had, in order to have the privilege of serving Jesus and following Him.
He had to know what that meant for him and the rest of the disciples.

Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed Thee; what shall we
have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the
regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name's sake, shall receive an
hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be
first. - Matthew 19:27-30

What a tremendous blessing Peter and the disciples were promised! They were promised to sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel!
But there's more.
Jesus didn't stop there...He went even further into a dimension of blessing that is available to us today!
He showed how anyone who has left something behind to serve Jesus would be richly rewarded...even one
hundredfold what they gave up to serve Jesus!
Most preachers preach that the rich young man wouldn't have had to give up everything if he had been willing
to do it.
Forget about it!
Jesus meant what He said. The young man would have to give it all up, but he would have received it back one
hundredfold and inherited eternal life as well!
What's standing in your way?
What's keeping you from God? Is it your business? Your bank account? Your family? Some secret pleasure in
your life?
Get rid of it!
Give it to God!
When you let it go, not only do you add eternal life to yourself, but also you position yourself to receive it back
one hundredfold in a way that will not allow it to steal your soul!

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. - Proverbs 10:22

When God gives back to you the blessings you have earned by your sacrifice, He not only gives you the
blessings, He also gives you the character it takes to handle those blessings that your soul isn't sorrowed in the end.
 The riches God gives you will not put you in the place where you have to worry; He'll take you through the eye
of the needle!

IT TAKES THE FEAR OF GOD

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and
one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of
oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all
the men of the east. - Job 1:1-3

Job, a contemporary of Abraham, had such tremendous wealth that he was well known as the greatest of all men in
the east. Job also had a heart for God and had the fear of God alive in his life.
Many people do not understand the concept of the fear of God. Preachers want to soften it up and water it
down so people are not intimidated by it, but the reality is that the fear of God is a strong spiritual and emotional
state in which the person who fears God does so with a reverence far greater than that which can be covered in the
word respect When you realize the One you are dealing with created the Heavens and the Farth, and has the power
to destroy the universe with a word, you will fear Him.
Job feared God. He had this condition so deeply ingrained in his being that it kept him from serving false gods
or even his own riches, which were the greatest in his region. It was a tremendous fear of God.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant job, that there is none like him in the
earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the
LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his
house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his
substance is increased in the land. But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will
curse Thee to Thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only
upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. - Job 1:8-12

Satan was convinced that Job would not serve God if his wealth had been taken away, but God knew Job's
heart. He knew the fear of the Lord was there, and consented to allow Satan to destroy all Job had.
This incredible confrontation between Satan and God in the life of Job illustrates fully the character and fear of
God it will take in your life if you are to receive the wealth and success God has planned for you.
Until you receive this in your own life, God cannot give you the spiritual or material success He desires to pour
out upon you. You are not waiting for God, but God is waiting for you!

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. - Job 1:22

Satan took everything from Job, all his wealth, his livestock, his children, everything but his wife, who
encouraged him to curse God, but Job would not.
Why? Job had two things working for him...his character and his fear of God. With these, he kept God in the
proper position in his own heart and did not react as others expected him to.
Today, some people come to God, accept Him because they heard an instant prosperity message and backslid
because they didn't get rich in six months.
What happened?
They weren't taught about character, the fear of God, and sacrifice.
The truth is that salvation is so wonderful a gift from God, that it alone would be worth giving everything for,
but God has given us unspeakable benefits beyond salvation! We've just got to develop some character and
maintain the fear of God in our lives.

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 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the
earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast
his integrity, although thou movedst Me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered
the LORD', and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth Thine
hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face. And the LORD said unto
Satan, Behold, he is in Thine hand; but save his life. - Job 2:3-6
Job was still on trial in heaven. God is still bragging on him and Satan is still betting he can take him out. His
faith is being tested. His courage and his will are being tested.
His character is being tested.
Now Satan had permission to attack Job's body and did so with a vengeance. He put the most painful pitiful
affliction on Job and covered his entire body with boils, but Job did not waver.
His wife told him to curse God and die, but he did not waver.
His friends falsely accused him of being a sinner, but he did not waver.
What kept him?
What sustained him?
Two things. Job first knew that God, was God and feared Him as God. Next, Job had character. Look what he
said about his relationship with God:

Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him. - Job 13:15

Job knew that God was to be feared and served regardless of circumstances. His resolved was unshakable, and
he kept himself from sinning. He remained constant. That's character.

So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep,
and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven
sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second,
Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the
daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. - Job 42:12-15

Job prospered so much that he ended up with twice the wealth he had before. Even the beauty of his daughters
became legendary in the East. He even gave his daughters an inheritance among their brothers, a thing that would
be very uncommon at this time. The wealth Job had was so great that even dividing it ten times for inheritance by
his children did not diminish their sense of wealth and inheritance.
Can you imagine having so much wealth that you could divide it ten times and still see no change in how you
lived? God's blessings are limitless!

After this lived job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons; and his sons' sons, even four
generations. So Job died, being old and full of days. - Job 42:16-17

Not only did Job receive tremendous success and wealth, but he also was able to live to see his great
grandchildren living in the success he earned with his faithfulness to God.
 (Additional Message)
Measuring Spiritual Success

1. Compare yourself to Christ

The big mistake we make when trying to measure ourselves is to measure ourselves against someone else.
If we compare ourselves to a spiritual giant we feel depressed. If we compare to a backslider we feel superior
and proud. In order to get a true "fix"on where we are in our spiritual life we should compare ourselves to
Christ and His word who never change their position. By doing this, two things happen:
We do not feel discouraged or proud because Jesus is the perfect ideal and we can truly know exactly
where we stand when compared to Him and His teachings without feeling inferior.
We can get a true measure of our progress from year to year because unlike human models, He does not
change and neither will His word. By comparing ourselves to a fixed position, we can measure how much
progress we really do make in different areas.
Another way to measure our spiritual growth is to:

2. Compare your purity level

Our ministry or service is not worth anything if we are not walking in purity. Jesus said "Blessed are the
pure in heart for they shall see God," but the opposite is true also, those with impure hearts will not.
We need to continue to tighten and refine the screening of our eyes and ears and mouths and hearts to filter
out the dirt and sin of this world. Very simply put, are we talking: seeing, listening, practicing cleaner things
than in the past? It is a difficult process but an honest self- examination will let us know if we need to change
our filters
to guarantee more purity or not.

3. Ask others to rate you

Paul said there was no one else like Timothy to care for and be concerned for the church. High praise
coming from high places. Very few people will take it upon themselves to rate you spiritualty because it is a
personal thing and a sensitive issue. However, if there is someone you feel is truly a spiritual person, someone
you believe is succeeding in their spiritual growth, ask them to give you an opinion as to how you are doing.
We are not to judge or criticize each other but we are allowed to give an informed opinion in love. Many times
we will not do this because we know too well what the answer may be, howeyer, along with the answer may
come some advice or encouragement that will greatly motivate your spiritual development.

Summary:
We need to measure how we are doing spiritually for one very good reason: one day God will measure how we
have done and reward or punish us for the results.
The first thing to determine is if we are pointing in the direction of God. We are if we have confessed our faith
in Christ, repented of our sins and been baptized for - forgiveness. The next thing to determine is if we are moving
towards Him by growing in faith and love or sliding back because of unfaithfulness and impurity. If your direction
haa been wrong and your progress is nil, you can change that. . .

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By Mike Mazzalongo