GOD-MOMENTS GIVE YOU SUCCESS

by Joseph Prince

God blessed many in the Bible by putting them at the right place at the right time, and
He continues to do the same for His people today. Read on and let Joseph Prince show
you how, when you turn to God in confidence, trusting in His grace and favor rather than
your circumstances, you will find God-moments of success!

God wants to share with you the secret of how to live successfully during this time of
financial turmoil. Ecclesiastes 3:15 says, That which is has already been. In other
words, what is happening now has happened beforehistory repeats itself. So we can
look at how God supplied for His people then and understand how He provides for us
today.

Its interesting to note that in Genesis, there was a global famine during Josephs life,
and now in the end times, there is also a global financial famine. We see financial
experts at a loss as to what to do next, and the news reports are often negative and
depressing. Todays situation can be described in Ecclesiastes 9:12:

Ecclesiastes 9:12

For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a
snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.

But let me share some good news with you and show you what God is doing during this
evil time. In Ecclesiastes 9:11, Solomon says,

Ecclesiastes 9:11

I returned and saw under the sun thatthe race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of
skill; but time and chance happen to them all.

You Can Ask God For His Best

In the natural world, the fastest person usually wins the race, right? But the Bible says
time and chance happen to them all. This means that being the fastest to read a
financial report or reply an email may not matter, and being the strongest may not win
you a legal or financial battle.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 also says that provisions need not flow to the wise nor men of
understanding. In Hebrew, the word wise is chakam, which refers to natural wisdom,
not Gods wisdom. Chakam was also used of Pharaohs magicians and wise men. So it
is not true that just because you possess a high IQ, and have a great accumulation of
knowledge, qualifications and experience, you will have riches. And favor doesnt
belong only to men of skill, because those who are most skillful may not necessarily
have favor.

So the good news is that you need not be the fastest, smartest or most qualified in order
to have success. You only need to ask God for His best. What is important for us today
is to look to God for His favor and His timingwhen God puts you at the right place at
the right time, you are blessed.

A Son Of God, Not Of Adam

It is important to remember that what is happening right now is not from God. This cruel
net that the world is caught in, this financial famine, was not caused by God. And
although sons of men may be snared like birdseven financial experts have been
taken by surprise and are losing moneythis does not apply to you, a believer in Christ.

How do I know this? Let us take a closer look at the term sons of men.

There are five Hebrew words for man. In Ecclesiastes 9:12So the sons of men are
snared in an evil timethe word used is adam, which means mankind or natural man.
Therefore, those caught in the evil time are sons of adam, natural man.

Some of you may say, Pastor Prince, it seems like Im caught in this net too. It might
seem that way, but you are not. As believers, we are sons of God, not sons of adam.
John 1:12 says,

John 1:12

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name

So we are all, ladies too, sons of God! And once you are a son, you are a son forever.
Your heavenly Father wants to give you success, so lets find out about being at the
right place at the right time.

Protection From The Cruel Net

Now, God-moments can mean guidance from being caught in a cruel net. Some years
ago, a family from our church went to Penang, Malaysia, for a holiday. They were
having a good time at the beach when suddenly one of them was seized by a craving
for food from another part of the island. They packed up and left, and within an hour, a
tsunami hit. That is an example of how God can lead youeven through your stomach
cravingsto be at the right place at the right time.
We also have a testimony from a man in our church, whose son worked in one of the
twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. This man always prays for his
son, and on the morning the planes hit the twin towers, his son, who is usually punctual,
was very late for work for some reason.

Of course, the son was frustrated, but I truly believe you should not complain when you
are lateyou never know why God slows you down. If theres a traffic jam, or slow
drivers around you, maybe God is using such moments to protect you.

The Time Of Grace

Since it is so important for us to be at the right place at the right time, let us take a
closer look at the words time and chance happen in Ecclesiastes 9:11. The word time
in Hebrew is eth. Eth can also mean in its season.

Psalm 1:3 talks about the blessed man being like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth its fruit in its season. Deuteronomy 28:12 says, the Lord will open to
you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to
bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not
borrow.

Eth is also used for in the evening. Under Levitical law, a man who had sores or a
bodily discharge was unclean until the evening. I used to wonder why. Then I found out
that God had instructed the Israelites to offer two sacrifices, one in the morning and one
in the evening. Both times, lambs were offered. (Exodus 29:3839)

This is interesting because the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ was crucified at the third
hour (9am) and that He breathed His last at the ninth hour (3pm). (Mark 15:25; Luke
23:4446) Thus, He is the Lamb of God who fulfills both the morning and evening
sacrifices. So we see that the time of the evening sacrifice is the time of the finished
work, the time of grace. Now I understand why a man was unclean until the evening
he was unclean until the evening sacrifice, which speaks of Jesus finished work!

The Grace Zone

Just as God answered when Elijah called upon Him in the evening to send the fire that
defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:3638), God will answer your prayers when
you pray in the time of eth. This doesnt refer to the physical time, so dont only pray or
plan important events in the evening! Praying in the time of eth means praying in the
time of grace. It is praying in the grace zone.

We can confirm that eth is based on grace and the finished work by using the principle
of first mention. In Bible interpretation, when a subject is mentioned for the first time, it
carries a special significance.
The first time eth appears in the Bible is in the story of Noah. Noah sent out a raven to
see if the flood waters had receded and if there was dry land, but the raven did not
return. Then he sent out a dove, which returned as there was no dry land to rest. Seven
days later, Noah sent the dove out again, and the dove came to him in the evening,
and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth.

(Genesis 8:11)

The words in the evening is eth, so we can see that eth is associated with a dovea
picture of the Holy Spiritand an olive leaf, symbolizing a message of peace. Today,
the Holy Spirit is inside you, and He speaks peace to you. He does not point out your
faults. Instead, He tells you that you are righteous in Christ.

Today, judgment has passed like Noahs flood, and there is no longer any enmity
between you and God. You are not perfect, but you have peace with God because all
your imperfections, all your sins, were carried by Jesus at the cross. (Romans 5:1) And
when you are conscious of Jesus finished work, you are in the grace zone.

Praying For Success To Happen

When Abraham decided to find a wife for his son Isaac, he sent a loyal servant back to
his fathers village to look for one, as he did not want Isaac to marry a neighboring
Canaanite who worshipped idols. So the servant traveled to Mesopotamia and arrived
outside the city of Nahor at evening time. (Genesis 24:111) Again, we see the use of
eth, in the evening, the time of grace.

The servant wondered how he would find the woman that God had appointed for Isaac.
Now, he was smart and knew what to do. He prayed. And his prayer is recorded for us
in verse 12: O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day.

The Bible says that he prayed for success! The success that Abrahams servant
prayed for is qarah, which means happen. This is the same word used in Ecclesiastes
9:11, time and chance happen to them all.

And the servant continued praying, specifying the way God would reveal the appointed
womanthat she would be the one who would draw water from the well for him and his
10 camels. And before he had finished praying, it happened that Rebekah came to the
well and ended up drawing water for him and all his camels. Now, when you consider
that one camel can drink 100 to 150 liters of water, thats a lot of water to draw from a
well!

So we see Abrahams servant turning to God confidently and praying for success, and
he received his God-moment. What is success? It is being at the right place at the right
time for God-happenings to happen to you. So pray in a similar way for success in all
areas of your life.

Our God is a God of success, not a God of failures. When He made the world, the birds
and the trees, He made them perfectly. We also believe in a big God with a big heart
no matter how much you ask, there will still be plenty left over. He wont be surprised
when you ask for success in your life. So dont ever let anyone discourage you from
praying for success.

Dont Dwell In The Law Zone

Sadly, many believers prefer the law zone, the effort zone, to the grace zone. They still
believe that they have to keep the law to be holy. I believe in holiness, but I believe it
comes by grace, not by keeping the law. If you can be holy by keeping the law, there is
no need for Jesus to come.

I like the way the apostle Paul says to put no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)
But I often hear people say, Im over 50. Its very hard to find a job. Employers consider
your age, you know. A person who says this is not in the grace zone, but in the law
zone. His eyes are on his flesh. He doesnt expect a good job, and he has more
confidence in his age impeding him than in Gods grace to supply him with a job. That
frustrates Gods grace from working in his life. He has forgotten that grace is unearned,
undeserved favor! (Romans 5:21, AMP)

Put Your Confidence In God

It is better to put confidence in the Lord for favor than to depend on your own abilities or
qualifications.

Become a person in the grace zone who prays like this: Thank you Lord, I can receive
Your grace, Your favor, because I dont deserve it. I dont qualify for it, therefore its
mine. You will find that it delights God to use what you feel is your problem area for
success.

When I was in my teens, I used to stutter, and all my classmates would laugh at me. But
now, by Gods grace, He uses the area of my weakness to impact lives for the gospel of
Jesus Christ. And Im here to tell you that what you think is your disqualification is the
very area where His favor can flow. (2 Corinthians 12:910)

If you are struggling to see beyond your situation, remember the story of Ruth. She
looked beyond her circumstances and did not place her confidence in them. In the
natural, she did not have much going for her. She was a widow, and a foreignera
Moabitess. There is a law of Moses against Moabites, which says that no Moabite can
enter the Lords congregation. (Deuteronomy 23:3)
Thirdly, Ruth was poor. So she could easily have looked at her situation and given up.
But instead of bemoaning all these negative points, what did she do? She asked for
favor! She said to her mother-in-law Naomi, Please let me go to the field, and glean
heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor. (Ruth 2:2)

Ruth believed in the favor of God, confessed it, and this was the result: And she
happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz. (Ruth 2:3) Out of all the
fields she could have chosen, she just happened to come to Boazs field. And Boaz was
from Naomis family line, a man of great wealth, and a bachelor. When Ruth trusted in
God, He blessed her with qarahshe happened to be at the right place at the right
time.

When God-Moments Just Happen To Happen

God can also put you at the right place for you to be a blessing to others. Once, I was
with my wife at a mall, and I had to go to the mens room. When I came out, I was
strangely attracted to an exit door that I had not come in by.

When I opened that door, I saw a lady in a cleaners uniform sitting on the stairs,
reading a Bible. We looked at each other, and I felt a little embarrassed, so I closed the
door and left. But the Lord stopped me and said He didnt lead me to the door for
nothing. He wanted me to go back and tell the lady the words He would put in my
mouth.

So I went back and told the lady the Lord had sent me to tell her that Jesus loves her
very much, and that her miracle was on its way. You should have seen her faceit lit up
like a neon light!

Some years ago, I was returning from a conference in Holland and was looking forward
to some private time to rest on the flight back. A lady sat down next to me, and asked if I
was Pastor Prince. Now, dont get me wrong, I love to meet people, but I was tired from
the many sessions of preaching.

But as she began to share with me, I realized that God was putting me at the right place
at the right time to minister His grace and love. The lady was having problems with her
husband and I told her that it was important she received Gods Word before I prayed
for her. So I lent her my iPod to listen to one of my sermons on grace. After she finished,
she asked for more, and she ended up listening to four or more sermons during the
flight.

When we reached Singapore, she was all aglow, and said that she was going to ask the
Lord to come into her life and marriage. I could see the transformation on her face, and
you know something? When I stood up, I suddenly felt so happy and blessed. I felt
really honored and trusted by God, and I understood what Jesus meant when He said
He was refreshed after ministering to the woman at the well. (John 4:634)

I felt that that was a God-moment for this lady. Some months later, I found out that the
lady and her husband had started attending our church together. To God be the glory!

So you know you are at the right place at the right time when God blesses you or uses
you to bless others. He knows what you have, and what another person has, and He
can put two people together for success, whether it is in business, love, friendship, or
spreading the gospel.

And its important to look beyond your natural circumstances and trust God to give you
success. Only He can put you at the right place at the right time. When you pray
confidently and flow in Gods grace, He will lead you to the abundant, blessed life He
has promised you.

Copyright Joseph Prince, 2009. All rights reserved.