WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SEPTEMBER 19, 2021
TOPIC:Â HOW TO MAKE MAXIMUM IMPACT IN LIFE
BY T. O. BANSO
“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away” (Psalm 39:4 new Living Translation).
Everybody has just one life to live on this earth. There is nothing like reincarnation. Hebrews 9:27 says it is appointed for men to die once but after this the judgment. In view of this, it is wise to live your life and make maximum impact.
Irrespective of your present age, your time on the earth is brief. David said, “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away” (Psalm 39:4 New Living Translation). Your life is fleeing away too. Therefore, make the most of your time on earth. Live to make maximum impact according to the will of God for you.
To make maximum impact in life, you need the following ingredients:
1. Salvation. This is your starting point for a life of maximum impact. You must be born again (John 3:3, 7; 1 Peter 1:23). It’s impossible to fully live for the purpose for which God created you without being born again. Satan perverts the destinies of those who live their lives apart from the Son of God, Jesus. Accept Him as your Lord and Saviour today.
2. Discipleship. Being born again is not enough; you must become a disciple. Discipleship offers you the discipline you need to make maximum impact in life, as Jesus did with His disciples (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17; 2:14, 8:34; 10:21; Luke 5:27; 9:54; John 1:43; Luke 18:22; Matthew 16:24; 19:21).
A disciple is a scholar, someone who is receiving or has received the instructions and training of the person he is following. He believes in and follows his teachings. “A disciple of Christ may now be defined as one who believes His doctrine, rests upon His sacrifice, imbibes His spirit, imitates His example, and lives to do His work” (American Tract Society Dictionary). Become a disciple of Jesus.
In your chosen field, discipleship could also mean mentorship. In order to make maximum impact, you should be mentored by someone who has succeeded in doing what you plan to do or has excelled in an area you dream of making outstanding success. It is foolish to be competing with someone that you should approach to mentor you.
Be discipled, spiritually, and in your profession, career, or business. An untutored person will make needless mistakes in life and perform below his potential. Whose disciple are you?
3. Divine purpose. The discovery of divine purpose gives your life the right direction. It helps you to know where and what to invest your life in. In John 3:8 and John 12:27, Jesus talked about His purpose on the earth.
Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth” (Mark 1:38 New King James Version). He knew His purpose on the earth, which He fulfilled in just three and a half years of his earthly ministry. Prayerfully discover and pursue the purpose of God for your life. Don’t live a purposeless life.
4. Focus. You must set your face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7). Do what is needful and not what is available or convenient. Be focused (1 Kings 20:39-40; Proverbs 27:8; Luke 10:42). Dwight L. Moody says, “Give me a man who says this one thing I do, and not those fifty things I dabble in.” Don’t be a rolling stone that gathers no moss. A “here and there life” will waste your life. It is a destiny destroyer.
5. The anointing. You need the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon your life to make a maximum impact whether in ministry or any sector of human endeavour. Jesus was anointed and He made maximum impact.
The Bible says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38 New King James Version). The disciples shook their world after they were anointed (Acts 17:1).
The anointing is not for preachers alone. Every child of God needs it, whether you’re a doctor, teacher, software engineer, journalist, lecturer, lawyer, accountant, or whatever. The anointing will make the difference in your life and you will make a difference.
6. Grace. It has been rightly said that grace is unmerited favour. But I also define grace as the power of God, which causes a man to do more than his natural ability. Pray for grace; embrace grace; receive grace. Grace will make you. Paul recognized the role of grace in his ministry – he spoke much about it (Romans 15:15; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Timothy 2:1).
Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10 New King James Version). Don’t labour without grace or outside of grace. Grace will cause your labour to be fruitful. It will compensate for your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
7. Diligence. Grace isn’t enough; you need diligence. Paul laboured in grace as we have seen earlier in 1 Corinthians 15:10. Don’t receive grace and just sit down. Whoever does that will become a laughing stock. Don’t lag behind in diligence (Romans 12:11a). Lazy people can never make maximum impact in life (Luke 2:49; Proverbs 12:24; 21:5; 21:25 22:29).
8. Right company. You need the right people in your life and around you. That’s why early in His ministry, Jesus called His disciples. Without the right people in your life, your impact will be limited (Proverbs 27:17; 12:26; 13:20, 22:24-25).
9. Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. No fool will make any impact in life, not to talk of making a maximum impact, without these three interrelated virtues. Fools won’t even desire them (Proverbs 4:7, 21:16, 3:19-20, 24:3-7; Ecclesiastes 10:10, 15; Psalm 104:24). Pursue wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
10. Faith and patience. Without faith and patience, you can’t make maximum impact in life. Hebrews 6:12 says you should not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Either of the two is not enough. You need both.
Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). There will be challenges but you must be patient (James 1:4).
11. Judicious use of time. Have respect for time – yours and others’ time. A time waster is a life waster! Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom” (New Living Translation). There is a time for everything so don’t waste time; don’t misallocate time (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
12. Spiritual warfare: There are spiritual forces that do not want people to make an impact in life or make maximum impact. Spiritual warfare is required to defeat these forces. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God to destroy all spiritual forces working against our maximum impact in life (2 Corinthians 10:4-6).
Life is not a bed of roses – even roses have thorns. Making maximum impact is not something achievable by pleasure-seekers. Their goal is amusement and enjoyment. But we are here on earth to do the will of God. You must discover His purpose for your life and make maximum impact.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot 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 of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you 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. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, help me to make maximum impact in life. Holy Spirit, help me to discover my purpose in life and pursue it diligently. Father, deliver me from relationships, focus, and other things that waste people’s lives.
(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
