The Encourager
“Setting Yourself up for Spiritual Success”
Setting Yourself Up for Spiritual Success
by Heath Rogers
The days of one’s youth are an exciting time of life. A time to discover what is in the world and find one’s place in it. It is also a time to find direction for one’s life. We want our young people to look ahead and plan for their future in this world (get an education, prepare for a career, find a spouse, etc.). It is even more important that young people make plans for their eternal soul (Matt. 16:26).
Success in anything takes effort, whether it be academics, sports, business, or a marriage. Success doesn’t just happen; it isn’t just handed to you.
What are some things a young person can do to set themselves up for spiritual success in the future? Three young people in the Bible leave great examples to be followed.
1. Josiah. This boy became king when he was 8 years old. At the age of 16, “while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David” (2 Chron. 34:1-3). What does it mean to seek the Lord? David had explained this to his son Solomon: “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever” (1 Chron. 28:9, emphasis mine - HR).
The decision you make about whether to seek God, to come to know Him, and to develop your own relationship with Him will determine if you are successful spiritually.
2. Ezra. This man was a priest and a scribe who played an important role in the Jews reestablishing themselves in Palestine after the Babylonian Captivity. He was a very successful man, but this was not by accident. Ezra had made an important decision early in his life: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10).
Ezra “prepared his heart.” This included his entire being. He was “all-in” regarding his future service to God and His people. He sought God’s Law. He read it, familiarized himself with it, and learned how to rightly divide it (2 Tim. 2:15). This wasn’t a mere academic pursuit, for he was determined to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only (James 1:22). With this good foundation, Ezra was then prepared to teach these statutes and ordinances to God’s people.
3. Daniel. Success also requires us to avoid certain pitfalls and dangers. Daniel did not escape the contaminations of the world by accident: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Dan. 1:8). Daniel was probably a teenager when he was taken into captivity, but he did not use his youth as a license to sin. He had decided, before the temptations ever presented themselves, how he was going to react. He was determined to keep himself pure. This choice put him in an influential position to be able to serve God effectively later in life.
The things in this study can be done at any time in one’s life, but we especially encourage those who are in the days of their youth to follow these three good examples and set themselves up for spiritual success.
