God’s plan for you is to be successful in every area of life. He wants you to go over and not under, to be above and not beneath, and to be fruitful in every area of life. But how do you do that? By applying “the four F’s” of fruitful living. These “four F’s” produce certain qualities in you that can lead to the type of success described in Psalm 1. Psalm 1:1-3 – “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

This Psalm refers to steps or qualities of the blessed and successful man. If you want to be fruitful and develop into a person who prospers in whatever he does, I believe you must also take the same steps and demonstrate the same qualities.

The most important thing you must do is to delight yourself in the Word of God. If you delight in the Word of God, you shall “bring forth fruit in your season, your leaf shall not wither, and whatever you do will prosper.” But, in addition to this, I believe this Psalm refers to four other steps or qualities that we should apply concerning the things of God. We will look at two of these this month.

In this day and age, sometimes it is difficult to stay focused. For example, you go to the store and you have so many choices. You can become so confused that you get sidetracked and fail to make a choice at all! That’s not only true in the natural but also in the spiritual. You’ll have many opportunities to get sidetracked from what God has called you to do. If Satan can’t cause you to fail, he’ll try to distract you, even with spiritual things.

As a Christian, the center of your attention should be filled with what God has called you to do. You can’t be like the children of Israel who lost their focus and kept looking back to Egypt. They complained: “We should have stayed in Egypt! We had it much better before than we do now!” And they eventually lost sight of possessing the land that God had promised them.

Paul said “...forgetting those things which are behind, I press forth!” Philippians 3:13-14 – “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

You will never be a success in life by looking back. Some Christians keep looking back at all their failures and say, “I’m not worthy to be used by God.” But, if you’ve been born again, you should not let the enemy put you under condemnation. Tell Satan, “There is no condemnation for me in Christ Jesus, for I have been made worthy through the blood of the Lamb!” (Romans 8:1) Then keep pressing forward and don’t look back!

It is important that you keep your heart fixed on your Savior so you will be able to stand your ground when temptation comes your way because it will come your way! You have to place your feet firmly on the only Rock that cannot be moved. That rock is Jesus.

When we were born again, we were delivered from bondage to the world (Ephesians 2:1-2, Colossians 1:13), but God has delivered some people from specific things. You may have been delivered from drugs, alcohol or homosexuality. It doesn’t matter what your former bondage was. You were in the “midst of the miry clay,” but the Lord has delivered you. The enemy will try to alter your path by tempting you with the very thing that God delivered you from. That is why you need to have your heart and mind fixed. Don’t let the enemy bring those things back into your life. Don’t even entertain the temptations for a moment.

When you come to the realization that your Heavenly Father is with you twenty-four hours a day, it will help keep your heart fixed and you won’t be so easily moved! What does the Word say? It says God will be with you in trouble and that He will deliver you (Psalm 91:15)! It also says God always causes you to triumph (II Corinthians 2:14)! And it says you are more than a conqueror and that nothing can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:37-39)! So just keep standing on the promises of God, and keep your heart fixed, trusting in the Lord!