What If We’ve Misunderstood Success?

I love business — but sometimes I struggle with the business subculture.

I’ve been around people who are considered very successful by the world’s standards.

You know the ones — flying private, dressed in designer clothes, eating at the kind of restaurants where the bill feels like a mortgage payment. Cars worth five times more than the first house we bought.

And honestly? I don’t believe that kind of success is wrong. But after being around it for a while, I made the mistake of thinking that was the goal.

I even convinced myself — just for a moment — that God must want that level of success for everyone so we could “be a blessing” to others.

But then I realized something: God does want us to be successful. His definition is just different than ours.

Success, Redefined

Our dictionary and the Bible’s vocabulary don’t always mean the same thing. We like to westernize everything — and when we do, we risk twisting the truth.

Take Joshua 1:8:

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

At first glance, it feels like confirmation: See? God wants us to be prosperous and successful!

And we nod, thinking prosperity means:

• More money

• More recognition

• More power

Pretty much… more.

But what if we’ve misunderstood this verse? What if “prosperous” and “successful” meant something completely different to the people who first heard it?

The Hebrew Words for Prosperity and Success

Prosperous = תַּצְלִיחַ (tatzliakh)

Root: צָלַח (tzalach) — the same root found in Psalm 1:3.

It means: to break forward, to advance, to progress under divine empowerment.

This isn’t about hustling harder. It’s not breakthrough you manufacture. It’s breakthrough God causes when you walk in His instruction.

Joshua 1:8 connects it clearly: meditate on His word, obey His ways, stay aligned — and then you will experience God-powered progress.

Not because you forced it. But because you trusted Him.

Success = תַּשְׂכִּיל (taskil)

Root: שׂכל (sakal) — meaning to act wisely, to behave with discernment, to govern yourself with prudence.

It means:

• To make wise decisions

• To succeed through understanding

• To walk in discernment, not just ambition

So biblical success isn’t measured in outcomes — it’s measured in obedience.

To be “prosperous and successful” in God’s eyes means walking in His wisdom and aligning with His ways, even if your bank account hasn’t caught up yet.

The Picture Hidden in the Word

If you really want to nerd out with me, the root letters of taskil (שׂכ"ל) paint an even deeper picture:

• Shin (ש) — Transforming pressure or consuming fire

• Kaf (כ) — A submitted, open hand ready to receive or release

• Lamed (ל) — Instruction and guidance from a higher authority

Put together:
Through transformation and submission, you are led by divine instruction into wisdom.

It’s a picture of breaking before breakthrough. Formation before fruit.

And maybe that’s the point. Maybe the journey of being reshaped is the success — not the material results that may or may not come after.

So What Does This Mean for Us?

The world of business says:

“Strategize harder. Push farther. Force the outcome.”

But God’s word says:

“Get my instruction in your mouth. Chew on it day and night. Obey what I’ve already spoken — and I will give you both the breakthrough and the wisdom to steward it.”

He doesn’t promise every dream-board desire. But He does promise protection. Provision. And progress — the kind He defines.

And often, that progress happens inside us before it happens around us.

The Real Question

So maybe the better question isn’t:
“Am I successful yet?”

Maybe it’s:
“Am I listening? Am I yielding? Am I obeying?”

Because in God’s kingdom, success isn’t a scoreboard.
It’s a posture.

True success isn’t the size of your harvest.
It’s the sound of your obedience.

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