I visited my Twitter feed this morning and the first thing that caught my attention was a tweet from one of the pastors I follow.

In two days his church is having a conference, so pinned at the top of his page is a question and a poll of four things attendants are expecting to see as a result of participating in this conference. Out of four desired outcomes, almost fifty percent of attendants are expecting to see breakthrough in their finances, as it relates to their business.

I have never met anyone who doesn’t want to be successful. Parents, pastors, bloggers, businessmen and women all have this one desire in common – success.

One of my favorite Bible verses to pray is Psalm 90:17

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

The common mistake we make as it relates to praying for success is to use a misguided definition of success. For most, success is, the attainment and self use of prosperity, popularity, and power. To use this measure in prayer is to miss the heart of God. It is, actually, to pray amiss.  James says,

You ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

True prosperity is finding favor from God to achieve His dreams, goals, and calling on one’s life. For example, we can say that David was very successful in that, “he served the purpose of God in his own generation” (Acts 13:36).

What did Jabez understand when he prayed “Lord bless me?” I assure you this was not a selfish prayer.  First of all, “Lord bless me” means to prosper me, elevate me, promote me, lift me. But that phrase almost always has “others” in mind. For example, “enlarge my territory” according to scholars, means “to multiply my borders with disciples.”

But the Bible is clear when it comes to praying for blessing or success:

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing to others. Genesis 12:2

May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him. Psalm 67:7

I will save you that you may become a blessing. Zachariah 8:13

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return. Luke 12:48

So that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work.                  2 Corinthians 9:8-11

The above definition makes praying for success very easy. This is what Jabez understood when he prayed, “Lord bless me indeed” (1 Chronicles 4:10). Because of that understanding, the Bible says, “God granted what he asked.”

Jabez’s heart and prayers were aligned with the heart and character of God.

Here are some ways you can use this prayer. Lord Bless Me:

• Make me a successful parent… in order be a blessing to my children and an encouragement to other parents
• Make me a successful pastor… to lead well, to pastor with compassion, and care for my brothers and sister in Christ
• Make me a successful blogger… to write some uplifting, life-changing articles for others to enjoy and grow
• Make me a successful business man/woman… to take care of my family, invest in your kingdom and help the poor

I guarantee you, if you order your prayer for success in this manner, you will begin to see results in you life. God bless you richly!