How Christian Women Can Find Success in Life (A Bible Study)
Victory!
When you first start reading The Bible and find yourself learning about people like David, Daniel and Noah it can be easy to get discouraged and hang up your Christian shoes.
I'm here to give you a little pep talk and keep you from getting discouraged.
Instead, these ordinary but victorious people of God can serve as an inspiration and kick your success into gear.
Pour yourself a cup of your favourite drink and pretend you're sitting at a table with these great men of faith and listening to them tell you the secrets of victory through the right kind of habit forming routines.
1. Honing Your Skills Like David
David had a colourful existence. You name it, he did it. Both good and bad. He’s known for:
Killing Goliath
Playing his harp and worshipping God.
Committing adultery with Bathsheba.
And so much more.
But whether you love him or not one thing cannot be denied. David was a master at his craft: using the sling and stone.
He spent lots of time out in the fields taking care of his father’s sheep.
Feeding them. Shepherding them. Protecting them.
He protected them from wild animals using his sling and stone. Over and over again.
David honed his skills on the pastures which prepared him for the battle with Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
He could have been busy running away from his duties and deciding that he would have fun whenever he wanted. No social media or emails in his day. But I’m certain he could have found something else to distract him with mindless entertainment that would not lead to progress.
He could have decided…”I don’t feel like protecting the sheep today.”
But David went day after day doing what really mattered. Doing the boring repetitive tasks that weren’t appealing but were oh so necessary.
Then one day he went to feed his brothers on the battlefield. Only to find them, Saul and the rest of the army, busy hiding from Goliath.
What’s your own sling and stone?
What’s that thing that God put within you that he wants you to develop through the endless and seemingly boring repetitive tasks?
Maybe emailing your list every week seems tedious. But it's helping you to nurture them to become your clients one day.
Perhaps keeping a spreadsheet for your networking events seems boring. But it's giving you data about who to connect with in the future.
You may think that these actions won’t take you anywhere.
But one day your discipline and skills will explode onto the right scene like David’s did. Because after killing Goliath he got visibility from the right person: The King of Israel. Which led to opportunities, wealth and great success.
2. Praying Consistently Like Daniel
Let’s look at Daniel now. Here are some things you can find about him in The Bible:
Being stolen by the Babylonians and forced into captivity.
Standing with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego against false worship.
Receiving dreams from God that changed nations.
Daniel was living in Baylon but Babylon wasn’t living in him. He held onto the teachings and principles of The Lord despite his environment.
His intelligence was obvious and caused him to have great opportunities. But it also put him in the same circles as the charlatans and deceivers who had the king’s ear.
No matter what was going on around him Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10).
His enemies couldn’t find fault with him so they went after his God. And convinced King Darius to sign an irreversible law that for 30 days no one could worship anything but him. Or they would be thrown into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:9-13).
Daniel heard the decree like everybody else and did what he was accustomed to doing. He prayed 🙏🏾.
They came for Daniel, threw him to the lions and dusted their hands with glee at the thought of his impending death. Even the king lost sleep when he realised he was tricked and would lose a man like Daniel.
But Daniel was cool because the Lord sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions. He had a peaceful night. The next day, the overjoyed king threw his enemies to the lions and they were mauled before they hit the bottom (Daniel 6:24).
Daniel prayed.
He had a consistent prayer life that did not waver. No law, threat or enemy could prevent him from fellowshipping with His God. If we’re being real, most of us will never face a den of lions.
And yet we find it hard to pray consistently in our cozy, comfortable environments. But if you don’t pray regularly, whenever your ‘den’ shows up - whatever the situation might be that wants to take you out - you’ll panic and react with fear rather than respond with prayer in faith.
You need to pray for Holy Spirit guidance and clarity about what to do.
You need to pray for strength to keep going when it looks as if you're failing.
Success isn’t only found in honing your skills. It’s also found in a consistent prayer life knowing that God can guide and protect you every day.
3. Obeying God's Word Like Noah
In the Word
And finally Noah. Here’s what he’s known for:
Being a righteous man.
Building the ark.
Surviving the flood.
Even people who don’t read the Bible know that Noah built the ark. I think.
I hope. 🤞🏾
There was so much wickedness on the earth but Noah was found righteous before God. God decided to send a flood to destroy the earth but he wanted to save Noah and his family (Genesis 6:11-13).
God told him to build an ark (v. 14).
The Bible doesn’t state how long he took to build it exactly. But tracing genealogy and time lines shows that it could be between 50 - 75 years. At the time of this blog post I’m 40 years old. 👀
Noah was real busy for a real long time.
People would have thought he was crazy and laughed at him. But then it was done and the animals and his family were safe inside and God shut the door.
When the rain started the laughter stopped. After months of being shut up inside the ark, God opened up the doors to a new world.
God wants you to build an ark. And no, I’m not talking about a large boat to survive flood waters.
He wants you to do a specific work He’s called you to do, while loving Him and loving others as Jesus commands.
The Lord is calling to labour for as long as it takes using the resources He's given to you. It could take years before you see the kind of success you want.
Like Noah.
People may laugh and say you’re crazy. That you can’t achieve that goal. You’re wasting your time.
But whose voice will you obey? Whose report will you believe?
Success is found in honing skills and praying consistently to know what God is saying. Yes.
But it’s also found in obedience.
Following God’s Word leads to success that man cannot perceive and cannot stop. You just have to decide to listen to The Lord and obey Him.
4. Applying This To Your Own Life
"Good for them," you may be thinking aloud, "But victory using The Bible can never work for me and my business.”
That’s not true, sis.
Chances are that if you've kept reading to this point, you do have a clue that these steps are applicable for you.
Here's how you can apply these success stories to your own life.
First, don’t compare yourself to others. They wanted to put Saul’s armour on David and the weight nearly knocked him down. He knew he couldn’t walk into a battle doing something he hadn’t proved. Focus on your own unique abilities. Not somebody else’s.
Next, set aside specific times to pray like Daniel did. He prayed three times a day no matter what was happening. If you struggle to pray, start with an alarm that leads to a routine you can develop with time. Be intentional about it and the habit of praying consistently will develop.
Third, write down the goal that God wants you to achieve and stick it up where you’ll see it often - laptop, bathroom mirror, fridge, bedroom wall, lampstand…everywhere! Noah had to keep his focus on the command from God to reach his goals. Keep your eyes on the goal God gives you so that you can walk in obedience to achieve it.
And there you have it. You can finally start using the keys to victory from David, Daniel and Noah to help you find success in your own life.
Wrapping it up
Remember, all of these tips have been tried and tested out by real people who lived real lives.
A king, a government administrator and a ship builder. Sounds like the setup to a great joke, doesn’t it?
But these guys weren’t laughing their way to victory. They were serious about God’s business and their daily habits worked for them. They can work for you too!
If you have any more questions on using God’s Word for your own success, reach out to me here.
If you’re not sure how to find your unique talents and use them like David did, read this blog post about How To Find Your Talents in Life.
If you’re really ready to take action with your prayer life like Daniel, my 5-4-3-2-1 Prayer Challenge is just what you need.
And to develop a closer relationship with God so you can hear His voice like Noah, you’ll want to read 4 Reasons to Know God Better.