God's Unfailing Formula for Success
By Pastor David Kuntz

There is one thing everyone seeks in this life and it is to be successful.  We all would like to excel, be liked and even get rich.  Growing up as children a sense of success was drilled into each one of us.  But what is it that truly makes one successful?  Well, Proverbs 3:5-6 holds out the key for us that unlocks God’s unfailing formula for success.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”  This beloved text contains 3 ways that we can have success in life.

First of all, the phrase “Trust in the LORD with all your heart” teaches us to Rest upon the Son of God.  God’s formula for success begins with faith!  This words “trust in the Lord” occurs 152 times in the O.T.  The N.T. equivalent of this expression would be “Believe on the Lord Jesus.”  The beginning of real success for you began when you were born again!  It was moment the Spirit convicted you of sin and you turned to Christ in faith.  The Hebrew word for trust is a very interesting word to study.  It conveys the idea of leaning, resting and putting all of your weight on something.  It can also mean to lie helplessly face down.  It depicts a servant waiting for his master’s command in readiness to obey.  You must trust our Lord because He is completely dependable and sovereign.  His character makes it impossible for Him to lie.  His wisdom is so great that He can never make a mistake.  His love is so limitless that He will never be unkind to you.  You will have to discipline yourself to trust Him; it will not come easy.  It is built into our sinful nature to trust in the things we can see, feel and touch.  But when you trust Him, you must do it with all your heart!

The second way we can have success is by Reading the Word of God.  The text tells us “lean not unto our own understanding.”  This is perhaps one of the hardest commands that God asks you to obey.  The warning doesn’t suggest that you turn off your brain and ignore common sense.  It cautions you from leaning on your own understanding and intellectual pride.  This will fly in the face of everything your heart will tell you!  You will be tempted to rely upon your academic arrogance like Solomon did.  You will be tempted to follow the way of the world like Abraham did.  You will be tempted to compromise like Jehoshaphat did.  But the key to success is to base every decision on God’s Word.  And in order to do that you must start your day out with a conference with God.  You must daily realign a deceitful and sinful heart to its source of trust!  The call to trust is characterized by a total commitment – will all your heart.  The Bible gives you God’s view of life.  It imparts wisdom.  It gives understanding.  It brings light to your path.  It builds faith.  It will prosper your way!  It adds years to your life!  That is true success.

Thirdly, you must Recognize the Hand of God - “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths”  (vs. 6).  The word “acknowledge” contains a far more specific meaning that just being aware of something.  The derivative of this word comes from the word to know in a personal way.  This word is used of having an intimate and closely treasured fellowship with the Lord.  By resting in Him, reading His Word and you can recognize his way for you.  You must cultivate the habit of letting the Lord guide your every action.  When you trust in the Lord, He will smooth out the path of the believer.  God systematically will begin to remove obstacles that hinder you in life.  The implication is that wise choices allow you to avoid many problems that would otherwise hinder you.  By recognizing God’s hand in everything, it removes anxiety and increases joy.  It will turn you from a complaining bitter person to a blessed praising person!