How to Prepare for Success

Daily Devotional – Tuesday, January 3, 2023
The horse is prepared for the day of battle but deliverance is of the LORD.
Proverbs 21:31 (NKJV)

In the ancient days, horses were as important in battle as armoured vehicles are in modern warfare. Now as then, the soldier needed to train the horse and saddle it before venturing into battle. This analogy teaches us how to prepare for success.

Getting Ready for Prosperity

Joseph knew there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine in Egypt. He used the first period to cultivate and store abundant food to counter the upcoming period of lack.

Similarly, the wise farmer tills the land, sows certified seeds and weeds his farm, so that he can harvests bountifully. Conversely, the lazy farmer invests little effort and reaps a commensurate harvest even if He prays all day long.

The Horse is Prepared for the Day of Battle

Likewise, the student who passes her exam is the one who spends long quality hours poring over books and revising for examinations. The opposite is true of the learner who flunks his tests. Victory belongs to the prepared one.

King Solomon addressed this issue millennia ago when he wrote, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle but deliverance is of the LORD.” (Proverbs 21:31). While the ultimate victory comes from God, the soldier must make the horse ready for combat.

Planning and Organizing for Triumph

God is willing to give us triumph in our plans and in the challenges we face in life on condition that we cooperate with Him and do our part. For example, to win spiritual battles, we prepare by reading the word or God daily, practicing it, and praying.

Likewise, if we want God to bless the work of our hands, we must do what we can using the resources God has placed in our hands. For instance, if you intend to start a business or to join college, start by earning money and saving part of it.

How to Prepare for Success

If you want your children to be responsible, productive and successful, give them the right spiritual, mental, social and physical education, including being their role model. That way, you will have prepared them for life’s battles.

To expect God to give us victory while we are neglecting our role is tantamount to believing in magic and superstition. James echoed Solomon’s words by stating, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17).

Prayer
Dear God, help me to prepare for success this year by doing what I can with the resources You have given me.