When we hear prosperity, we think rich. When we think rich, we think opulence, which is luxuriant. Prosperity means successful, not necessarily rich.

Success is a solid biblical word. God promised it to Joshua, as recorded in Joshua, chapter 1, verse 8, when He told Joshua to meditate in the Word of God day and night.
Success or prosperity should be the goal of every person.

The writer of the Psalms couples the concept of “blessed” with “prosper” in Psalms 1:1, 3. Psalm 1 describes the way to prosperity or success.

First of all, it says, “Do not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” The counsel of the wicked is aptly described in Proverbs 1:11-13. Verse 11 says, “let us lie in wait (“wait” meaning sneaky and invasive), let us waylay some harmless soul.” It is the way of the thief to strike the unsuspecting.

The counsel of the wicked is to lie, cheat and steal. Proverbs 11:1 declares, “The Lord abhors dishonest scales.” When people have power over us, they can become wicked when they use that power to advance themselves in dishonesty.

Psalm 1 also speaks of the way of the sinner. The sinner and the wicked are hand in hand. Both readily violate God’s ways for temporary profit or pleasure. Both the wicked and the sinner fulfill the role of a fool which God describes in Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.'”

The wicked and the sinner both could be rich in the world’s goods temporarily, but that is far from biblical success.

Psalm 1 also speaks of the mocker or scoffer. This is the cynical one. They possibly tasted of the ways of God, but did not persevere in the steps laid out by God, and they were turned aside by wrong expectations or a time of testing brought about by God. The mocker can be more dangerous than one who is merely wicked or sinful. The mocker does not just prey on good people, he seeks to destroy them. God says, “Do not go that way!”

If a person is going to be blessed by God and have success, they need to immerse themselves in the Word of God. The Word of God speaks in principles that never change. Every legitimate means of “success” touted by all the gurus is rooted in the Word of God. Why not bypass all the gurus and go straight to the source?

God promises that the one who is seeking Him in the Word of God will be like a tree planted by a river – a tree set in a good spot, with plenty of water and nutrients to sink its roots into.

God does not promise an absence of storms or drought; they will come. But the person planted in the Word of God will have the wisdom and the strength to weather any storm and be sustained in the drought.

There is nothing quick about success or true prosperity. The analogy of the tree applies well. It takes time to grow a tree. It takes time to achieve true success.

The Rev. Dan Puckett is a minister with Life Action Ministries.