BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO
No destiny is inferior to the other. Every destiny is colourfully made by God and realizable. Becoming the best you can in life is not about doing better than someone else in life or surpassing others. Itâs not about competition or rivalry. Itâs about doing all you can to become all that God wants you to be. Itâs about fulfilling your destiny. Itâs about actualizing your potential.
There is a difference between potential and reality. Not many with great potential to be the best in life actually become. Many people are only engaging in unnecessary competition with others instead of doing what they need to do to be the best God wants them to be.
In 1 Sam 16:16-18, the Bible records some qualities found in David when Saulâs men were looking throughout the country for just one man who could play harp well to soothe Saul whenever the distressing spirit from God came upon him. ââLet our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.â So Saul said to his servants, âProvide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.â Then one of the servants answered and said, âLook, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with himââ (1 Sam 16:16-18 NKJV).
Take note that the best man for the job they found after a national search for the right candidate for the job was David. He is described as a skillful player on the harp. Acquiring skills takes time, effort, discipline, etc. David submitted himself to all this and he became the best they could find at that time. He wasnât competing with anyone but he just happened to be the best they could find. But David was not just a skillful player, he had other amazing qualities they were not even looking forâ he was a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD was with him. Thatâs wonderful! David didnât achieve all this overnight. He must have cultivated himself to be the best he could. He didnât just play harp for Saul; he helped Saul to kill Goliath and he ended becoming the King of Israel. He was a man after Godâs heart.
To be the best you can in life, there are some necessary building blocks I want to share with you. I pray that as you follow and build up your life with these blocks, you will enjoy in life a journey to Godâs destination for you; youâll be the best you can under God.
1. Make God number one in your life. Acknowledge Godâs supremacy and give your life to Jesus (John 3:3). Matt 6:33 says you should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things like what to eat, wear, etc. shall be added to you. Put God first in your life. There canât be fulfillment in life outside of God. Those who live without acknowledging God and submitting their lives to His authority are only on a wild goose chase in life. There is always a sense of failure they have even as they supposedly achieve the best in life. Therefore, obey His words; imbibe His values. Solomon said the conclusion of the matter is to fear God and keep His commandments for this is manâs all (Eccl 12:13). According to Deut 10:13, the LORD’s commands and laws are for your own good. His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3).
2. Have the right teacher, coach or mentor. That means you need the right instructor and role model in life. Teachers and role models wield much influence on their students and admirers. The student shares the teacher’s fate (Matt 10:25). All other things being equal, a bad teacher will produce a bad student. You canât be learning from a bad teacher or have a wrong role model and hope to excel in life. You become what you behold. 2 Cor 3:18 says, âBut we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lordâ (NKJV).
Make sure you donât learn from bad teachers and donât make wrong people your role models. Youâll become like them and probably even worse than they are! Be careful who you learn from, and the example you copy. Many destinies have been frustrated because of the error they made in this area, and theyâre regretting today.
To be the best you can in life, you must learn from the right people and follow the right role model. Donât be deceived by the stardom of some celebrities and begin to imitate their dressing, appearance, manner of speech or even their career path â they have plenty of regrets in their lives that youâre not aware of; many of them are in private living a miserable life. What youâre attracted to in public is just a façade, a smokescreen. It is cosmetic, and therefore not worth it. Donât learn from them or be influenced by whatever you see in them thatâs not in Christ. Paul said in 1 Cor 11:1, âImitate me, just as I also imitate Christâ (NKJV).
3. Be teachable. You can have the best teacher, the best instructor or the best role model but if you have a wrong attitude towards learning, you wonât become the best you can. Talent is not enough, brilliance is not enough â you must cultivate the right attitude towards learning. No matter how talented or skillful a footballer is, he still needs a coach! He can never be the best in his career unless he submits to the coach.
A student needs to cultivate right attitude such as listening well, observing well, writing at the right time, obeying instructions and participating actively as heâs being taught. You canât be playful in class or before your instructor or teacher and be the best you can. An inattentive or lazy student, a truant, etc. canât excel in academics; the same attitude wonât equally allow him excel in life.
Prov 9:9 says, âGive instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learningâ (NKJV). Donât hate instruction; donât despise reproof; obey the voice of your teacher; incline your ears to your instructor (Prov 5:12- 13).
4. Discipline yourself. Without discipline, you canât be the best you can in anything. Those who want to be the best they can go the extra mile â they bring order and control to their lives; they train themselves towards proper behavior. They practise daily. Paul says, âRemember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualifiedâ (1 Cor 9:24-27 NLT).
Discipline yourself to do the right thing not what is enjoyable; discipline yourself to be diligent and not lazy. âThe desires of lazy people will be their ruin, for their hands refuse to workâ (Prov 21:25 NLT). âIf you have great talents, industry will improve them: if you have but moderate abilities, industry will supply their deficiency,â says, English painter and writer, Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792).
Donât cut corners. Discipline yourself not to cheat. Cheats always live in the fear of being found out! In addition to loss of peace of mind, it may eventually lead to humiliation and loss of everything gained dishonestly. âThe LORD hates cheating, but he delights in honestyâ (Prov 11:1 NLT).
5. Avoid bad company. Show me your friends, and I can tell you what youâll become. Iron sharpens iron (Prov 27:17). You donât use wood to sharpen a blunt cutlass. 1 Cor. 15:33 warns, âDo not be deceived: âEvil company corrupts good habitsââ (NKJV).
If you want to be the best you can, you must not walk with the wrong people who will lead you astray, break your focus or discourage you. There are different ships sailing on the sea of life â friendship, partnership, courtship, etc. If you board the wrong ship, youâll end at the wrong destination. Prov 13:20 says he who walks with the wise men will be wise but the companion of fools shall be destroyed. The righteous should choose his friends carefully (Prov 12:26). Friendship is not by force; it is by choice. Be wise who you company with in your journey of destiny.
6. Donât rest on your laurels. Donât be complacent if you want to be the best you can. Donât be satisfied with your last or current performance or achievement; challenge yourself to be better. Remember youâre not competing with anybodyâs destiny; youâre stretching yourself to actualize all of your potential; youâre pressing forward against all odds to empty everything God has deposited inside you to bless your world. Itâs not about what others are doing; itâs about what you were created to do.
Paul said, âNot that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesusâ (Phil 3:12-14 NKJV). You must continue to improve yourself; strive to be better than you are at present.
7. Humble yourself. Donât let your success go to your head. Donât become over-confident. Donât become arrogant looking down on others. Donât mock or make jest of others you may think youâre better than. It is your destiny not theirs therefore no comparison. James 4:10 says you should humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. Pride goes before destruction (Prov 16:18). According to Prov 11:2, âPride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdomâ (NLT).
Whatever is the level of your attainment, remain humble. âGod resists the proud, but gives grace to the humbleâ (James 4:6 NKJV). God hates pride. Always wear the garment of humility.  Clothe yourself with humility (1 Peter 5:5). Never remove it.
Conclusion: God has fearfully and wonderfully made you (Psalm 139:14), but what are you becoming? Are you striving to be the best you can or youâre contented continuing life as a mediocre person? Youâve not arrived yet; you still have a long way to go. Youâve not become your best yet. Strive to be the best you can. You can do everything with the help of Christ who gives you the strength you need (Phil 4:13).
TAKE ACTION!
If youâre not born again, please take the following steps: *Admit youâre a sinner and you canât save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start to attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church. There, youâll be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: âO Lord God, I come unto you today. I know Iâm a sinner and I canât save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent and confess my sins. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know Iâm saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God.â
I believe youâve said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! Youâll need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where youâll be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. Iâll be glad to hear from you. May the Lord be with you.
T.O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
Â
Â