In life, there are countless opportunities in a lifetime. Sometimes, opportunities come but once in one’s lifetime— meaning the timing for capitalizing on something is very limited, and if it is missed, that opportunity may never surface again. You never know if you’ll get another opportunity whenever it surfaces. I think success is what you make of it – of course there is always the factor of luck, but one should always be equipped to seize the moment when opportunity knocks.
There are Opportunities for greatness, success, to better ourselves, and to serve God in a greater capacity. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “seize the opportunity!” Opportunity is defined as a combination of circumstances favorable for a purpose. To seize means to take possession of suddenly and by force, attack, or strike.
Why do you suppose it’s important for you to take possession of it suddenly? Because opportunities do not wait around for the fainthearted nor the slow to move. They must be seized! Opportunities are being presented to you on a daily basis. You will either seize them or you will let them slip by.
Many times the reason we let them slip by is because we are insensitive to them. It’s work! Most people want accelerated results before dark. A lot of people want what has happened to others but they’re not willing to do what others have done to get there.
Have you ever said, “I wish I would have thought of that?” That means you only recognize opportunity after you see someone else doing it first. We’re going to have to become more sensitive to the opportunities and the open doors that God presents in our lives.
Every opportunity that God gives you demands a steadfast, persevering spirit. Ambition alone is not enough. You’ve got to be willing to take risks, lay it all on the line, and even be willing to lose it all in order to seize an opportunity.
Your attitude and perspective about the situation has everything to do with your outcome. When the armies of Israel saw Goliath, they said, “He’s too big to kill!” When David saw Goliath, he said, “He’s too big to miss!” Same problem, different perspective!
Someone once said that if all you see is obstacles, then you’ve taken your eyes off the goals. You’re no longer focused on your vision. You’re no longer focused on Jesus. If you hear someone talking about all their problems, that’s a good indication that they’ve taken their eyes off of Jesus. God never gives us opportunities without first giving us the ability to achieve them. So, quit making excuses.
Negative excuses that will keep you from success:
- It’s impossible.
- It can’t be done.
- I don’t have what it takes.
- It’s too risky.
- What if it doesn’t work?
What if I lose everything I have?
Get these out of your vocabulary! If you lose everything you have, then start over. Your future will look bright when your attitude is bright.
Opportunities become realities to people of great passion. When God gives a vision, you have to put your all into it! Progress is never achieved by people who have no passion. Successful people become successful people because they don’t know when to quit.
Many times turning an opportunity into a reality looks impossible to the point that it will keep you from even making an effort at all. If you don’t make an effort, then there is no possible way to succeed. The moment you begin to think, “impossible,” then that’s all the ground the devil needs. He’ll keep you up all night reminding you of just how impossible it is. But in reality, if it was impossible, then God would not have given you the ability before hand to accomplish it.
The fear of failure will keep you from seizing opportunities. All of us have failed at some time in our lives, but failing is not final. Setbacks are not permanent. We cannot allow ourselves to become stagnant and non-operative because of the fear of failure. Persistence, patience, never looking back, and never giving up will cause you to reach your goals. Get rid of negative thinking. Maintain a positive perspective and attitude and become more sensitive to the opportunities God is bringing before you. The greatest rewards that you’ll ever know come only when you have stood fast on the Word of God and refused to quit.
You can seize your God-given opportunity if:
- You have confidence
- You have courage.
- You have conviction
- You are constant.
When God gives you a vision, don’t quit until you seize it! In order to seize your opportunity, you must be willing to stretch yourself, take risks and aim high! When we utilize our God-giving opportunities in a right direction, we are on the route to greatness because “Greatness” comes from the desire to do extraordinary things—to reach beyond the status quo and relentlessly chase your dreams. It all starts with setting and achieving goals, but when you aim higher than where you set your mark, you force yourself to get better, one victory at a time, and so;
1. “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” —Wilma Rudolph
2. “To achieve greatness one should live as if they will never die.” —Francois de La Rochefoucauld
3. “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” —Edmund Hillary
4. “Desire, burning desire, is basic to achieving anything beyond the ordinary.” —Joseph B. Wirthlin
5. “Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.” —Gordon B. Hinckley
6. “Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” —William Faulkner
7. “Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” —Og Mandino
8. “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” —William Shakespeare
9. “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” —Michael Jordan
10. “Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” —Mary Kay Ash
11. “Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.” —Theodore Roosevelt
12. “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.” —Dorothy Height
13. “Big dreams create the magic that stir men’s souls to greatness.” —Bill McCartney
14. “If we cannot see the possibility of greatness, how can we dream it?” —Lee Strasberg
15. “You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.” —Zig Ziglar
16. “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” —Napoleon Hill
17. “When you have had a taste of excellence, you cannot go back to mediocrity.” —Maximillian Degenerez
18. “The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking thoughts of excellence. Really, it’s a matter of programming our minds with the kind of information that will set us free.” —Charles R. Swindol
19. “No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history.” —William Hazlitt
There is greatness inside all of us, but first we must choose to be great. With a finite amount of time to live your ideal life, the time to embrace your inner excellence is always now, utilize and turn your God-giving opportunities into reality because it’s the surest way to greatness.
