Opportunity comes to everyone in regard to whatever we do- whether spiritual or circular.

In Christ, God gives us opportunities to excel and give Him glory, especially when adversities come our way, as we trust Him. His word tells us:

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

When you have committed your challenges to God in prayer, especially, praying in the spirit, you can be sure that all things will work together for good for you.

Maximising the moment implies making the best use of the opportunity you have to scale higher heights and dive deep into deeper depths, using stumbling blocks to climb mountains, using adversity for prosperity, opposition for promotion and trials for triumphs.

¹⁴ Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us ^[a]diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 2Cor2:14

Let us look at a few examples:

David and Goliath

Israel faced a challenging moment in her history when faced with the Philistines who had Goliath as her champion. For forty days, Goliath taunted and challenged Israel to send someone to fight with him if they could. He was so macho, menacing and intimidating that they had no answer. They were all quaking in their boots, wondering who would bell the cat.

Then David, a small teenager, showed up and wondered what the King would give whoever brought Goliath down. He was very confident and shared his previous experiences with lions and bears who came to have his sheep for food and how he pursued them and slayed them. Those who heard his amazing testimonies went to inform the king and David was brought before king Saul. This was David’s opportunity and he took it with both hands.

When the king enquired from David what he was saying, he was bold and repeated how God had helped him defeat the lion and the bear in times past and he believed that if given the chance, Goliath would be like one of them. He pitched that battle as between God and Goliath and that he was uncircumcised and hence vulnerable, weak and exposed.

“Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1Sam17:34-37

Initially the King was hesitant when he compared the size of Goliath to David and to avoid being accused of child abuse, offered his armour to David who tried it and found he could hardly move. David rather relied on God and his stones. And sling stone when he was given the green light, he chose 5 smooth stones and ventured out to face Goliath.

 And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. 1Sam17:39-40

Goliath was amused that David was approaching him with sling and stone.

However, David continually spoke of what God would do to Goliath through him. He even spoke of cutting off the head of Goliath even though he had no sword but Goliath had one.

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” 1Sam17:45-47

Eventually, David backed his words by running towards Goliath with his sling and stone and hauled his missile which was directed by the Holy Spirit into Goliath’s forehead with the force of a grenade. Goliath fell down flat and helpless and David ran to him and stood on him. He then took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head.

⁴⁸ So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. 1Sam17:48-51

The moment the Philistines saw this, they were in disarray, depressed and desperately scampered away, pursued by the Israelites. David became popular overnight and became a household name. The king was prepared to give him his daughter in marriage and he was made a leader in Saul’s army.

Paul and Silas in Phillipi: Household Salvation

Paul and Silas were divinely directed to go to Phillipi to preach the gospel. However, on arrival, they met with fierce opposition which led to an arrest and maltreatment and even imprisonment. They were badly beaten with rods and their hands and feet were in strait-jackets and then they were thrown into a dungeon.

But at midnight they began to pray and sing praises to God who enjoyed their sacrifices of praise and rocked the foundation of the prison such that their chains fell off and the windows and doors were flung open.

The prison warden heard the commotion from his bedroom and thinking they had all escaped, came running out with his lantern and was about committing suicide but Paul quickly stopped him:

He was surprised that they had the opportunity to run away but they did not and wandered why. This was Paul’s opportunity to lead the man to Christ, when he tried to find out what he must do to be saved. Paul was wise to seek to maximise the opportunity. Rather than having only the prison warden saved, Paul wanted his whole household to be saved.

 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. Acts16:31-34

We are all in a Race of Grace and in this race, Paul teaches us how important it is to discipline ourselves and focus on the race set before us so that we can maximise the moment and finish well and strong and obtain the prize.

Striving for a Crown

²⁴ Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. ²⁵ And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. ²⁶ Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

1Cor9:24-27

He also tells us the secret to win the prize ahead of us:

¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

¹² Not 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. ¹³ 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, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

He never assumed he had arrived. He kept pressing on to know God more intimately. He knew his goal and pressed passionately towards it until he clinched the prize when he finished strong and was able to confidently declare:

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2Tim4:6-8

Daniel And Friends

Despite being carried away into slavery, Daniel and his friends made up their minds to maintain their devotion to God and to be the best in the land. God honoured their dedication and rewarded them handsomely, despite their opposition. In fact, their opposition was turned into promotion.

After their trial of faith, they were promoted in the land when they passed with flying colours.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ²⁹ Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. Dan3:28-30

Daniel, who was in line to be made the first minister of the land was reported to the authorities for praying after a decree was passed that no one should pray to any God for a given period. Daniel knew where his loyalty lied and prayed as usual. The king was alerted when they found out and he was thrown into a lion’s den. However, God protected Daniel and at the end he was promoted in the land whilst his detractors were thrown into the den and were feasted on by the lions.

Darius Honors God

²⁴ And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.

²⁵ Then King Darius wrote:

To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:

Peace be multiplied to you.

²⁶ I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.

For He is the living God,
And steadfast forever;
His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed,
And His dominion shall endure to the end.
²⁷ He delivers and rescues,
And He works signs and wonders
In heaven and on earth,
Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

²⁸ So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Dan6:24-28

Peter Maximised His Encounter with Cornelius

When Cornelius had an encounter with God and was directed to invite Peter to tell him what to do, Peter was initially hesitant even to go the house of a Gentile. However, he was convinced and he went. On arrival, and as he began to minister, he discovered that the call was not just for Cornelius but for the whole household because they were all there listening to him. He flowed with the tide of the Spirit and led the whole household to salvation and baptism in water.

³⁴ Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. ³⁵ But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.   

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. ⁴⁵ And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Act10:34-35,44-48

In the same way we need to be sensitive to the movement and leading of the Holly Spirit when we are witnessing so that we can maximise our assignment and not limit God. If Peter had focused on Cornelius, he would have missed God, but he was open to what the Holy Spirit was doing and this brought about a house-hold salvation.

Esther Maximised Her Opportunity and Obtained a Sceptre Of Deliverance

Esther, by her dedication and commitment to vision and purpose, not only eliminated the enemy of the Jews in Shushan but overturned the decree that had been signed to annihilate them from the land.

¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” Esther4:16

When she had the opportunity to be ushered into the king’s presence, made the most of it.

5 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. ² So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

³ And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”

⁴ So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

⁵ Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

The banquet she planned was definitely of the Holy Spirit so that Harman could be eliminated.

However, she did not stop at that, but made sure the evil, wicked and diabolical death sentence hanging over the heads of her people was completely quashed and the table turned in their favour.

⁵ So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”

⁶ And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!”

So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

⁷ Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. ⁸ When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?”

As the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.”

Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”

¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided. Esther7:5-10

⁹ So the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. ¹⁰ And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds.

¹¹ By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, Esther 8:9-11

Isaac Maximised His Prosperity from Obedience and Sacrifice

Isaac not only obeyed God and stayed in the land where there was severe famine but also sowed and got a hundred-fold return.

And despite repeated opposition where the wells he dug were blocked time and time again, he remained adamant until God gave him a complete turn-around, undeniable and lasting victory.

26 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

² Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. ³ Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.

¹² Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. ¹³ The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; ¹⁴ for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. ¹⁵ Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. ¹⁶ And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

²¹ Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. ²² And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

When you have an opportunity to give, do so, and God will make all grace abound to you.

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke6:38

⁷ Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].

⁸ And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].

2Cor.9:7-8 AMPC

In 1Kings17 the Widow of Zarephath was challenged to give the prophet from the little she had, but it was an opportunity for her prosperity, a set-up for a lift up and a come back from penury to opulence. And when she obeyed, she passed the test and God gave her a testimony that has echoed through the ages. She maximised her opportunity. May you maximise the opportunity that God brings your way, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

¹⁵ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

1Kings17:13-16

This scenario has been repeated many times in the lives of many when they are sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  God still guides. God still speaks and wants to be involved in our daily affairs. I pray that you and I will not miss the time of our visitation but use it as a launch-pad to greater glory.

Joseph Used His Opportunity to Serve Well

Joseph maximised the opportunity he had to serve his master- Potiphar- and he served him so well that God prospered Potiphar because of His presence with Joseph and in return Potiphar realised that he was being blessed because of Joseph and left everything in his care and control.

Despite the temptation that Potiphar’s wife became and despite Joseph’s purity and integrity, was still sent to prison. But God allowed it to be a set up for Joseph’s promotion. And because Joseph remained dedicated to God and committed to excellence, he was outstanding in the prison too and this led to him being set as an overseer of other prisoners.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. ²² So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ²³ The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. Gen39:20-23

Joseph in Charge of Egypt

Eventually, Joseph was catapulted from prison into the palace after he interpreted the king’s dream, where no other person could. It looked as if Joseph was forsaken and his dream of greatness was turning a nightmare, but he remained focused and interpreted other people’s dreams and sowed seeds that one day came back to bless him and enable him fulfil his purpose, dream and assignment.

⁴¹ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” ⁴² Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

⁴⁴ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.” ⁴⁵ Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

Gen 41:41-45

The Feeding of the 5000

When a little boy’s lunch was released, it became an opportunity for a miracle of the feeding of 5000.

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. John6:7-13

Dorcas Maximised Her Gift and Talent- Using it to Bless those around Her

We all have some endowment or gift or talent from God. Do you know what your gift is? And are you using it to bless others? That is where fulfilment comes. This was what Dorcas did. And so, when she fell sick and died unexpectedly, the people who benefitted from her generosity clamoured for her come back. They looked for Peter and urged him to come and raise her back to life. They made a demand on the anointing on his life and they were not disappointed.

Peter came and put all those weeping out and raised her back to life to the glory of God.

³⁹ Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. ⁴¹ He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. ⁴² This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Acts 9:39-42

The Disciples Maximised the Grace of Giving

The Believers Share Their Possessions

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Act4:32-35

The generosity of the disciples led to superabundance amongst the believers so much so that no one lacked.

Little is much when God is involved; so, do not miss your opportunity to leave a legacy for all time. Maximise your time, treasure and talent in the service of the Lord and God would make you a wonder to your generation.