Why Is the Bible Key to Our Success? Everything God does will succeed. He has never failed, never lost a battle, never been out of control, and never missed an opportunity. He is God. Everything He says is trustworthy, for it has been tried and proven to be true. Skeptics will say that we are foolish to put our hope in an ancient document like the Word of God, but if God is undefeated in battle and successful in everything He has put His hand to do, why not turn to Him as our mentor on our journey to success? It seems foolish to me that we would not learn from and lean on the Word of God if we want to be successful. The men and women in the Word of God are used by God to show us the key to success. But if we neglect to study, learn from, or even hear what they are seeking to teach us, our ceasing or failing to succeed is no one’s fault but our own. David, the king of Israel, was an excellent example of great success. God used this man powerfully in many battles and wars as God made Israel into a great nation. Some of the success principles David learned and followed can be found in the book of Psalms, and one in particular gives some basic tenets for our success. Psalm 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates (ponders by talking to himself) day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf does not wither; and whatever he does prospers” (). There it is again—the connection between meditation and prosperity or success. One thing about the Bible is that it is very consistent in the messages it seeks to convey. So whether we are listening to Joshua or David, both are saying the same thing: If you want to be successful, if you want to prosper, the key is found in your ability to meditate on the Word of God. However, not only does David tell us that we need to meditate day and night on the Word of God, he also exhorts us to be careful who we are hanging out with. David says we are not to walk in the advice of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1). Why? If we want to succeed and to maintain our success, we need to seek the counsel of godly people who have the mind of Christ and are meditating on the Word of God, for they are people who will give us godly counsel. If we turn to the world for counsel, it may help us succeed in one area of our life, but it cannot help us to have success that will last or is eternal. The world may be able to teach us how to get rich by selling and buying real estate, but what about how to have a successful marriage at the same time? It cannot. Many of the people that we consider successful are not as successful as they may look on the outside, so we need to be careful to not seek counsel from the ungodly. Secondly, David tells us that we are not to stand in the path of sinners (Psalm 1:1). Are you noticing the progression that is taking place here? We tend to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, thinking it is harmless, and seemingly, this is so. But next thing you know, we are standing in the path of sinners. We have ceased just to pass through and have now stopped to stand, to observe, and to note the ways of sinners. The Lord is telling us neither to stand in the path of sinners nor walk in the counsel of the ungodly. If we stand in the path of sinners, we pick up their way of doing things, and we begin to imitate what they do. Their ways of obtaining success are contrary to the Word of God and the call on our lives to be successful in a biblical way. Finally, David says, “We are not to sit in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1). What started out as walking has moved to standing and now is seated; we have now settled into the ways of the world, and the Bible says we are to not have anything to do with these paths to success. Rather, we are to meditate on and delight in the Law of the Lord (Psalm 1:2). God knows that for us to be successful, for us to truly prosper and to be able to maintain these things that we desire, we must be people who delight in and meditate on the Word of God. This sounds so simple, yet many have chosen other paths that look successful on the outside but lack the values, beliefs, and convictions that are needed to maintain true, lasting success. This is why we need the Word of God.