Walk in the Name of El Shaddai: 7 Secrets of Success
Dr RJ Sing, 56 min
Originally preached as “Sunday Message, 10 August 2014”
Sermon outline
God revealed himself to Abraham as El Shaddai, the all-sufficient and faithful God, and those who walk in that name are well able to take hold of the success he has promised.
Main text
- Genesis 17:1-8
Opening
He prays that the Holy Spirit would help him break the Word and speak through him, and binds any harassment of the devil over the service. He announces that he will speak briefly on seven secrets of success, but first wants to lay a foundation from God's covenant relationship with Abraham, reading Micah 4:5 on walking in the name of the Lord.
Foundation: walk in the name of El Shaddai
God appeared to Abram at 99 and said, 'I am Almighty God, walk before me', giving him a name to walk in and promising to multiply him. El Shaddai means the all-sufficient one, the 'many-breasted one' with a different supply for every need, and 'the mountainous one' who is strong and unshakable. Because believers are the seed of Abraham, God is speaking the same covenant promises to them: he is faithful, he makes his people a dwelling place, and he blesses them to be a blessing.
Illustration: The Canaanites named their gods after mountains because mountains looked strong and unchanging, so El Shaddai presents God as the immovable, unshakable one. He also notes that followers of other faiths are not afraid to march in the name of their god, so Christians should not be ashamed to walk in the name of theirs.
“You might be in the valley right now but that's not your permanent residence. It's your temporary assignment.”
- Micah 4:5
- Genesis 17:1-8
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
- Ecclesiastes 1:9
- Psalm 91:1-16
- 1 Corinthians 3:16
- Genesis 12:1-3
- Genesis 22:15-19
- Deuteronomy 28:6
- Proverbs 18:10
Foundation: we are well able
Between the promise and the manifestation there will be a season of waiting, fights and mountains to climb, but God is faithful. Abraham and Sarah laughed at God's word in their old age, yet God did what he said. Ten spies saw giants and saw themselves as grasshoppers, while Caleb quieted the people and said 'we are well able'. Faith can be located by the words people speak, so keep believing and keep speaking 'but God is faithful'.
Illustration: Caleb quieting the people in front of Moses while the other spies brought back an evil report of giants in the land.
“Whatever God told you will surely come to pass.”
- Proverbs 30:25
- Ecclesiastes 9:16
- Numbers 13:27-33
- Proverbs 18:21
1. Identify a need you can meet, and then meet it
Everyone has a need, and some people sitting in church already carry the solutions. Offering solutions is the road to success.
“Offering solutions will make you successful.”
2. Identify a hurt, then heal it
Everyone gets wounded, in church, at work and in the family, but everyone also carries a measure of healing: kind words, a smile, good character and an optimistic spirit. Believe in other people and give out, instead of becoming a well that only receives.
Illustration: A well that receives but never gives out becomes stagnant.
“Everybody gets wounded but all of us have a measure of healing.”
3. Identify opportunities that you can take advantage of
Not in a carnal or wicked way, but by discerning and maximising God-given opportunities the way a farmer reads the seasons. Beware of false opportunities that derail you from your purpose, and do not expect an obstacle-free life; God gives the wisdom to deal with the problems.
Illustration: A farmer who sees the seasons and recognises them as opportunities; the apostle Paul, who had many opportunities and many obstacles.
“God is not promising you an obstacle free life.”
4. Be committed to excellence
Excellence is an attitude. Working as unto God means exerting yourself to be and do your best, because you represent God, not yourself.
“We're carrying God's reputation in our hands.”
5. Be successful and get ready for success
God spoke to Abraham as a successful man, and he speaks to believers the same way whatever level they are at now. Keep dreaming, build one step at a time, enjoy the level you are on without resting there, and never compare yourself with others or despise small beginnings.
“Comparison is a curse.”
6. Communicate your story
Share your testimony, because success breeds success, and take everyone forward instead of only blessing your own household. Refocus and refuse to be distracted, because distraction costs money, energy, time and relationships. He warns against running from conference to conference chasing prophetic words, since prophecy should only confirm what God has already said in his Word.
Illustration: Christians who are up one day and down the next, at one conference today and another tomorrow, always looking for a prophetic word.
“Success breeds success.”
- 2 Peter 1:19
7. Be organised
Being organised helps you respond quickly and effectively and exceed expectations. Prosper from the inside out: let 'blessed to be a blessing' become your DNA, treat a setback as temporary and not as failure, and do not let the enemy cut you off from the blessing carried by the man or woman of God. Success does not depend on the economy or the government, and like Paul and Joseph, successful people keep rising wherever they are put.
Illustration: Push a ball under the water in a swimming pool and let go, and it pops straight back up. Paul kept writing letters from prison and preaching wherever he was put, and Joseph could not be held down by the pit or the prison.
“Successful people keep on popping up.”
- Philippians 1:7
- Philippians 4:17-19
- 1 Corinthians 15:10
Putting it into practice
- Walk in the name of El Shaddai and keep believing through the wait between promise and manifestation.
- Watch your words, because they open or shut doors.
- Find a need or a hurt around you and meet it.
- Discern real opportunities and avoid false ones that derail your purpose.
- Stop comparing yourself with others, build one step at a time, and get organised in your thinking, discipline and service to God.
Closing
He tells the church he prays for them as their pastor and will not tolerate them failing, and declares success over their families, marriages, businesses and young people. He asks everyone to lift their hands and pray for a spirit of success, repent of negative words they have spoken, and declare that they are a success.
Declarations he led
- But God is faithful.
- We are well able.
- Lord, give me a spirit of success. Let me think success, not failure, in the name of Jesus.
- I decree and declare, O God, by solemn declaration this morning, I'm a success. I'm abounding in the blessings of God. Greater is he that's in me than he that is in the world.
In his words
- “At the book of beginnings, God already had multiplication in his mind.”
- “You might be in the valley right now but that's not your permanent residence. It's your temporary assignment.”
- “If you forget everything that I said, that you would go home with these words: but God is faithful.”
- “Comparison is a curse.”
- “Successful people keep on popping up.”
Every scripture in this message
- Micah 4:5
- Genesis 17:1-8
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
- Ecclesiastes 1:9
- Psalm 91:1-16
- 1 Corinthians 3:16
- Genesis 12:1-3
- Genesis 22:15-19
- Deuteronomy 28:6
- Proverbs 18:10
- Proverbs 30:25
- Ecclesiastes 9:16
- Numbers 13:27-33
- Proverbs 18:21
- 2 Peter 1:19
- Philippians 1:7
- Philippians 4:17-19
- 1 Corinthians 15:10
- 1 John 4:4