Success is a Biblical concept. God always wants his people to succeed in all their endeavors. One of the common denominators with people who walked with God in the Bible is that he made them hugely successful. And these people are a cross-section of society including farmers, politicians, prophets, housewives, and almost all careers that existed in Bible time. This confirms that success comes from God.

Success Comes From God

One of the best illustrations of this is in the book of Joshua where God promises him to meditate on scripture day and night and then he will find “good success.” Here’s the reference:

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8

This insinuates that anyone who has a close walk with God will enjoy success and prosperity in their endeavors. And there are lots of examples of this in scripture. The first noteworthy reference is Father Abraham. In Genesis 12, God asks him to leave his country and go to a land that God would show him. God promises to bless him there. After he leaves, we read this in the following chapter;

And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Genesis 13:2

Here are some other Biblical examples that illustrate how success comes from God. 

• Abraham’s servant acknowledges God as the source of success

Then he prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Genesis 24:12

• Joseph prospered because the Lord was with him.

The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. Genesis 39:2

• The Psalmist taught that everything a Godly man does prospers
  
  He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. Pslams 1:3
• God delights in making you successful

Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock, and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors (Deut. 30:9) 

The Lord Wants to Bless You

To bless means to empower others to succeed. Success, therefore,  comes as a result of the blessing. Just as God blessed Father Abraham, he wants to bless all his children too. As we have seen in Deuteronomy 30:9, God delights in making us prosperous. Just like a good father enjoys blessing his children with good things. Several scriptures illustrate this point. Let us have a look at some of them below: 

• The first thing that God did after creating man was to bless them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Genesis 1:28

• His blessing will bring wealth without any sorrow

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Prov. 11:22

• God takes joy in the prosperity of his servants

Let them shout for joy and be glad that favor my righteous cause; yea, let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified who hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. Psalms 35:27

• Prosperity is part of the atonement 

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich. 2  Cor.8:9

• You get the blessing by obedience and the curse by disobedience
  
  See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—  the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today;  the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. Deut. 11:26-28

• God can teach us how to prosper

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deut. 8:18

Success Comes Through Stewardship

While it is true that God wants us to succeed, success does not come automatically. For you to enjoy God’s success in your life, you must first pass the test of stewardship. A steward is a manager who is in charge of another person’s property. As Christians, we must first appreciate that we own nothing – everything we have comes from God and we are just stewards of God’s property. This is not only true about property but even gifts and talents. 

The Bible has lots of lessons on stewardship and for the most part, these lessons are tied to success (especially financial prosperity). Here are some of the important Bible lessons on stewardship and success. 

• We must be good stewards of every gift we have received from God.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 1 Pet. 4:10

• God owns the earth and everything in it
  

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalms 24:1

• God created Adam to take care of the Garden of Eden

And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Genesis 2:15

• God rewards faithful stewards  and punishes unfaithful stewards

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Mathew 25:29

Conclusion

There are many more scriptures on success in the Bible but the above are sufficient to paint the picture. Suffice it to say success comes from God and He wants all his children to succeed. As we have already established, God is excited about his children enjoying success. However, there are conditions for success so we must be willing to do our part to enjoy the success.