🌱THE PORTRAIT OF TRUE KINGDOM SUCCESS

Success Through the Lens of Scripture — with Apostle Joshua Selman

Author

Jesse Konditi
September 25, 2025

đź‘‹ Dear Beloved,

What if everything you thought you knew about “success” is upside down in God’s economy? In his message “The Portrait of True Kingdom Success”, Apostle Joshua Selman challenges us to see that success in God’s Kingdom doesn’t look like the world’s checklist. Instead, it is measured by Christlikeness, eternal purpose, and the glory of God.

Let’s explore the portrait of Kingdom success together.

1. Redefining “Success” — Kingdom Thinking vs. Worldview

  • In earthly terms, success is often measured by wealth, status, influence, comfort, legacy.

  • But in the Kingdom, success is not about what you accumulate — it’s about what you become in Christ, and how you steward what He entrusts you with.

  • Selman warns that conforming to the world’s paradigm is a trap: we can “succeed” by human standards but fail by divine standards.

  • Therefore, to follow Christ is to re-anchor our metrics: righteousness, love, faithfulness, obedience, fruitfulness.

Scripture anchor:

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” — 1 John 2:15
“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…” — Matthew 6:33

These verses remind us: Kingdom success demands a different orientation.

2. The Character of Kingdom Success

From Selman’s message, a few key attributes emerge in the portrait of true Kingdom success:

Kingdom Attribute

Description / Implication

Spiritual Fruit

Success must produce fruit (Galatians 5:22–23) — love, joy, peace, patience, etc. These are marks that the Kingdom is at work.

Integrity & Faithfulness

Small things matter — God honors faithfulness over flashy success.

Servanthood / Humility

The greatest in God’s Kingdom serve (Matthew 20:26–28). True power is under authority.

Dependence on God

Success by human strength fades; success sustained in God’s power endures.

Eternal Perspective

What lasts is what advances God’s eternal plan, not temporary acclaim or wealth.

Selman often emphasizes: if your success can be explained apart from God, then it is not Kingdom success.

3. The Process — How the Portrait is Painted

Kingdom success is not instantaneous; it is forged by process. Selman highlights some “brushstrokes” in this painting:

  • Seasons of pruning and testing
    God allows challenges to refine faith, break pride, and strengthen dependence.

  • Obedience in the hidden place
    Many acts of Kingdom success are birthed in prayer, private worship, unseen disciplines.

  • Sacrifice and abandonment
    Giving up security, comfort, recognition—even relationships—if they conflict with God’s purpose.

  • Patience and endurance
    Success that rushes is brittle; sustained success endures pressure and time.

  • Yielding to the Spirit
    The Holy Spirit is the artist; we must cooperate, yield, follow His lead.

4. Contrasts: False Kingdom Success

To sharpen our vision, Selman paints what isn’t true Kingdom success:

  • Success for pride or self-glory
    If your success broadcasts you rather than God, it’s a counterfeit.

  • Success at the cost of holiness or character
    A brilliant career with a corrupt heart is failure.

  • Success without harvest
    Lots of activity, little fruit — danger of busyness without impact.

  • Success dependent on circumstances
    If your joy and identity hinge on your circumstances, then your success is fragile. True Kingdom success stays even when storms come.

5. Application: Living the Portrait

Here are steps you can take this week to align with the portrait:

  1. Examine your definition of success.
    Write out the top 5 ways you currently measure success. Compare them with the Kingdom attributes above. Replace or recalibrate as needed.

  2. Seek character over acclaim.
    Ask God to shape your inner life before granting outer fruit. Pray: “Lord, let me first be faithful where no one sees.”

  3. Cultivate spiritual disciplines.
    Deepen prayer, fasting, Scripture meditation, intimacy with God — the inner work shapes the outer.

  4. Embrace removal and pruning.
    What is God asking you to let go of — comfort, pride, ambition, bad influences — so His Kingdom can grow?

  5. Stay grounded in the eternal.
    Remind yourself daily: this life is temporary. Your calling is about eternity, not just reputation.

6. Closing / Encouragement

Beloved, God invites you to a success that doesn’t crash with markets, trends, or opinions — one built to last, firm in identity, fruitful in purpose, anchored in Him. As Apostle Joshua Selman teaches, this success is not an addendum to faith but its natural outworking: the Kingdom made manifest in our character, life, and influence.

I encourage you today: yield the brush of your life to the Master Artist. Let Him complete the portrait of true Kingdom success in you.

Questions for Reflection & Next Step

  • Which of your success metrics most needs recalibration toward Kingdom values?

  • In what area of your life is God pruning you? How will you respond?

  • What first step can you take this week to live according to this portrait?