BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO
Eph 5:16 says, âMake the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil daysâ (NLT). Godâs Word Translation says, âMake the most of your opportunities because these are vile days.â
In this scripture, there are two concepts I want to call your attention to. One is positive and the other negative. They are âdoing goodâ and âevil days.â Whereas doing good represents the positive, evil days represents the negative. But that scripture shows the two forces that operate on earth. God stands for good, and the devil stands for evil. Until the tenure of the devil is over here on earth, he must continue with evil work but despite that, good will still be in operation. Good will not surrender to evil.
So Eph 5:16 tells you to prepare to make the most of every opportunity to do good notwithstanding the evil that may be pervasive. The pervasive evil should not be any excuse for you not to do good.
This also applies to every department of your life, your ministry, your business, your career, your destiny, etc. There may be evil, problems, challenges, etc, but you must determine to make the most of your opportunities. Donât fold your arms and let opportunities pass you by.
There will be open doors but there will also be challenges around them. Take advantage of the opportunities while you attend to problems that are associated with them. Paul said, âBecause a wide door for effective service has opened to me [in Ephesus, a very promising opportunity] and there are many adversariesâ (1 Cor 16:9, Amplified Bible). Donât lose your wide open doors because of the many adversaries. Greatness does not come because the journey is smooth.
Four truths on making the most of your opportunities
1. Consider now your best time. Some people are fond of backward looking and backward talking. Theyâre either talking about the good old days when things were better or theyâre wishing that they had been around in those good old days theyâve been told life was easier and opportunities were plenty. But whether it is true or not such periods existed in the past, itâs a waste of time brooding over such because the past is gone and is gone.
Face the reality of the moment youâre in. Accept the season youâre living in now and embrace the opportunities it offers. This is your generation, and this is the time for you to arise, shine; this is the season your light is meant for; the glory of Jehovah God is just about to rise upon you (Isa 60:1). Â You canât rewind the hand of the clock. Eccl 7:10 says, âDon’t long for âthe good old days,â for you don’t know whether they were any better than todayâ (NLT).
There are others who do nothing today because of their belief that tomorrow will be better than today. But the truth is that as you lay your bed so youâre going to sleep on it. Itâs what you do today that determines the type of tomorrow youâll have. Actually there is nothing like tomorrow because when it comes we call it today. Today is the yesterday you spoke about. Today is your best day, your best week, your best month, your best year. This is the right attitude to have rather than engaging in wishful thinking. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, âGive us this day our daily breadâ (Matt 6:11, NKJV). Face today; make the most of its opportunities, and youâll be creating a glorious tomorrow for yourself.
2. Avoid procrastination. As it is often said, procrastination is the thief of time. But beyond that, procrastination is the thief of destiny. Donât postpone till another time or day what you should do today. Make hay when the sun shines. âJesus said, âNo procrastination. No backward looks. You canât put Godâs kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the dayââ (Luke 9:62, TM). Many, by procrastinating, have missed their opportunities. In Jer 46:17, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is described as a âloudmouth who missed his opportunity!â (NLT). You wonât miss your opportunities in Jesusâ name.
Felix, the Roman Governor of Judea was also guilty of procrastination. He was quite familiar with Christianity (The Way) before Paul was arraigned before him, but he didnât take the necessary decision to give his life to Jesus. When Paul made his defence before him, he had another opportunity but procrastinated and adjourned the hearing. Instead of asking Paul to lead him to Christ, the Bible says he was holding private sessions with Paul hoping to receive bribe from him.  âAs he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified. âGo away for now,â he replied. âWhen it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.â He also hoped that Paul would bribe him, so he sent for him quite often and talked with himâ (Acts 24:25-26, NLT). There is no record in the Bible that he ever got saved. He lost his office thereafter and was succeeded by Porcius Festus. But that is not to say that other governors were saved.
3. Avoid laziness and excuses. Laziness and excuses are twins. Laziness doesnât make people do anything or doesnât make them do enough. If you donât want to do anything in life, youâll have enough excuses to give. Therefore if youâll make the most of your opportunities, you must overcome laziness and giving excuses. âThe lazy man says, âThere is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!ââ (Prov 22:13, NKJV). What an excuse! The lion only exists in his imagination. Prov 26:13-16 tells us more about the lazy: âThe lazy man says, âThere is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!â As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed. The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensiblyâ (NKJV).
Hard work or diligence is constant in any equation of success in life. According to Lam 3:27, âIt is good for someone to work hard while he is youngâ (NCV). Why? Because the glory of young men is their strength (Prov 20:29). Why should a young person waste away his youthful strength in unproductive ventures?
Prov 12:24 says, âThe diligent will get the upper hand but the slothful men will end as serfsâ (Moffatt Translation). Hard work will give the diligent upper hand in life, and the lazy will become slave to the diligent. Prov 13:4 also says, âThe soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made richâ (NKJV). Success doesnât come by dreaming only. After youâve dreamt, you must set out to execute your dream. âThe lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possessionâ (Prov 12:27, NKJV). Devote yourself to hard work; donât let laziness steal your opportunities. âBe sure to stay busy and plant a variety of crops, for you never know which will grow â perhaps they all willâ (Eccl 11:6, NLT).
Paul said when he came to the city of Troas to preach the Good News of Christ, the Lord gave him âtremendous opportunitiesâ (2 Cor 2:12, NLT). But that is all the Lord would do. It was his responsibility to take advantage of these tremendous opportunities. If he liked, he could make excuses why he couldnât do what he should do. Laziness and excuses are part of the reasons people waste âtremendous opportunities.â Be alert.
In Col 4:3, Paul also said, âDon’t forget to pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to preach about his secret plan â that Christ is also for you Gentilesâ (NLT). It is one thing to pray for opportunities and another thing to fully utilize them. You must ensure that you donât frustrate the opportunities that God brings to you in answer to prayer.
4. Donât concentrate on the problem; focus on the opportunities. A lot of people donât make the most of their opportunities because theyâre looking for a perfect condition. Unfortunately, there is no perfect condition. Every good opportunity also comes with its own challenges.
Most businesses which yield high returns also come with high risks. The birth of a new baby is always a joyous moment but the process of child birth also has the probability of complications. The risk of complication shouldnât discourage couples from having children. The best attitude to have is to trust God and the health care professionals to manage the process well so that the outcome will be a desirable one.
Donât let the problems associated with the opportunities discourage you from seizing your opportunities. Eccl 11:4 says, âIf you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything doneâ (NLT). If you want to possess your Promised Land, you must realize that the giants are already there, and you will have to contend with them to possess it. If youâre afraid to fight the giants, youâre just day dreaming about possessing your Promised Land. âFor a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversariesâ (1 Cor 16:9, NKJV).
Conclusion: You should prepare for your God-given opportunities and utilize them because poor preparation precedes poor performance. According to Roman philosopher Seneca, âLuck is what happens when preparation meets opportunityâ As you go out each day be sensitive to your opportunities for as rightly said by columnist Ann Landers âopportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.â When you prepare, divine opportunities come your way; when you prepare, you orchestrate and provoke divine opportunities.
May be you missed some opportunities in the past or wasted them, donât brood over that. All hope is not lost for you. Ask God for forgiveness and His mercy. God, in his mercy, will open new doors of opportunities for you again, and ensure you make the most of them. It shall be well with you in Jesusâ name.
TAKE ACTION!
If youâre not born again, I urge you to 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 you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: â0 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 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 I am 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 the Lord make you a Cedar Christian. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I’ll be glad to hear from 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