Winning in the Game of life (Part VII)

SEIZE THE MOMENT

“There comes a time, a special moment in everyone’s life, a moment for which that person was born. That special opportunity when he seizes it, will fulfill his mission- a mission for which he is uniquely qualified. In that moment he finds greatness. It is his finest hour”.-  Sir Winston Churchill

I have come to realize that those who win in the game of life are those people who are always seeking for opportunities in life. Be it in business, in politics, in sports, or even in relationships and ministry. The opportunity seekers are the ones who make it. While everyone else may be sleeping, these people are always alert and ready to seize the opportunities before them. People who seek for opportunity will always prepare themselves for the same and when the opportunities come their way they are ready. They anticipate it and are ready to pounce on it once it shows up.  

While a whole nation was paralyzed by fear and that fear blurred their vision from seeing the opportunity right in front of them; one young courageous man called David, saw it, in fact it was so big to miss seeing. It was a Giant named Goliath, and when David saw his opportunity, he ran towards it and seized it and the rest as they say is history. That is what happens to those who see the opportunities before them. Instead of complaining and focusing on the obstacles before them, they see their opportunities and seize them. Someone has said that opportunities look bigger going than coming. Meaning that most of us realize a little too late the opportunity we have just missed. So open your eyes and see the opportunities that are there right before you.

It is not enough to seek for and see the opportunities before us, it is imperative that we seize them. According to Richard Branson of the Virgin Group, “You always have to be ready to capitalize on chances.” In leadership and in winning, nothing is more crucial than timing. If we fail to strike while the iron is still hot we will not be able to cut it. Twice in the New Testament the Apostle Paul admonishes us thus, “Making the most of every opportunity.”

We make the most of every opportunity that comes to us by seizing them. Being at the right place at the right time is very vital in life. Mordecai told Esther, “Who knows why you are in the Kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Like a good striker in the game of football, we must know how to strategically position ourselves, be at the right place at the right time in order to score. It doesn’t matter how well the team plays, at the end of the 90 minutes or the extra time, it is the team that made the most of the opportunities that came before them, however few are, that wins the game.

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” – [Ephesians 5:15, 16]

Winning in the Game of life (Part VI)

Many times I hear of stories of some “great men” and they say that they are self made men, in other words their success is as a result of their own sweat. But really, there is nothing like a self made man. Like Galileo of old once said, “If I have seen far, it is because I have stood upon the shoulders of giants”.  You cannot succeed alone you need others. One is too small for significance.

The twelve chapter of Hebrew begins with these words, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,” Seeing that we have such a crowd or cloud (for some people it’s the same) of witnesses, people who have gone before us; people who faced the same challenges that we are facing and even tougher challenges but refused to give up, we cannot afford to give up. In soccer we call it the twelfth man, which is the spectators, the cheering squad gives us that extra advantage that we so much need. Those spectators could be your children, both natural and spiritual, your fans even if it’s just your spouse, or even your coach and all those who believe in you. You need these people in your life to cheer you on as you run your race. It’s not just about you; it’s about others as well.

During the dark days of depression, there was a Pastor in Seoul Korea who because of the hard times was contemplating suicide. Things were so bad that he thought the best way was to give up and end his life. But as he was about to plunge himself down from his Church’s balcony, he had a voice telling him, “If you plunge yourself down from this point, you will begin a generation of people who will plunge themselves down”. In other words, he was going to start a generation of losers, people who give up. I’m glad he heeded to that voice and today he Pastors one of the largest churches in the world.

This morning I received my own personal copy of a book, “The success Kit” written by a young man who only a few years ago was on the verge of giving up on life and today is a founder of a group of companies. What could have happened if he gave up? What could have happened if the Heroes of faith gave up? There would be no cloud of witnesses.

There have been times I have felt like giving up in my marriage, but when I remember the many couples I have walked through even difficult patches in their own marriages, I cannot but soldier on. I have reached where I am today because of the several people that have had an impact on my life. Starting with my spiritual Father, the late C. Earl Stubbs (who has since joined that cloud of witnesses); my life coach, my best friend and buddy Pastor George of ICC, my wife who is my greatest cheer leader, and last but not least my spiritual and natural children whom I am an example to. I cannot afford to fail them. These are the people that have made me who I am.

Which people do you have in your life? Who is speaking into your life? Who are you impacting as you move along life’s journey? Remember, winning in the game of life requires other people in your life.

“Pay no attention to what the critics say: no statue has ever been erected to a critic.”

                                                                                                                     – Jean Sibelius

Winning in the Game of life (Part V)

One of my sons’ favorite Bible stories was the story of David and Goliath. It has become my favorite story too, because in this story, a young shepherd boy, against all odds becomes the hero by killing a nine foot tall Giant that had terrorized a whole Nation. 

This monster of a man had brought the whole nation of Israel to a stand still. Even the King, Saul was paralyzed by fear as this man taunted the armies of Israel. What Saul saw as an obstacle, and a big one at that, David saw as an opportunity. As someone once said, “David saw Goliath not as a threat too big to hit, but as a target too big to miss.” Winners see opportunities in every difficult situation while losers see only the obstacles. This is what we talked about last week; having the right perspective in life.

This week we want to look at another key element that is required of us if we are going to win in the game of life. And that is PASSION. Passion is everything; our passions are what make us come alive. The apathetic person (one lacking passion in life) is a pathetic person. Young David so much wanted to have a go at this Giant that even the discouraging words of his elder brother Eliab, could not stop him. Even the King tried to stop him by telling him, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” But the young lad David understood one great truth that we all have to know;

 “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters, but the size of the fight in the dog that does”.

What is the size of the fight in you? In other words how badly do you want to win? This is what separates the boys from the men. The desire to win, passion is what separates the winners from the losers. According to Dr. John Maxwell, we all must answer three great questions in life:

1. What do we want?
2. Why do we want it?
3. How badly do we want it?

If you can answer those three great questions in life, then you are on the right track of winning in the game of life.

“Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is” – Vince Lombardi

Winning in the Game of life (Part IV)

Last week we a saw how important our perspective in life is if we are going to win in the game of life. The ten spies saw themselves as grasshoppers and the inhabitants of the land as Giants. But the other two spies, the minority, saw themselves and their situations differently. They were optimists; they admitted the facts before them but encouraged the people to go for it not withstanding the facts, the Giants in the land. They believed that they were well able to go in and possess the land in spite of the Giants there.

To them (the two spies), the Giants are what stood between them and their destiny. The Giants are the obstacles we constantly face when we set out to realize our goals. One valuable lesson in life is to learn to welcome difficulties and obstacles (the Giants) as valuable and inevitable on the way to success. These Giants come in different ways, they may be circumstances beyond your control or very influential people in your life who tell you what cannot be done and why it can’t be done.

Most of these naysayers judge as based on our past record or on our present realities. This past Sunday I was so blessed with the text that the preacher in my church used. He preached from Mark 10:46-52; the story of one blind Bartimaeus. This man so wanted to receive his sight that he shouted to draw our LORD’s attention. The crowd around rebuked him and tried to hash him down. But the more they tried to hash him the louder he shouted until he finally drew the Master’s attention. When He did, everyone who had been hashing him down suddenly became the ones who ushered him to the Healer and thus received his miracle.

Like that blind man, refuse to be cowed down by the crowd. Don’t listen to those who tell you, you can’t make it. See their opinions as indicators that you are on the right track. Ask any child and they will tell you the names of the two spies Joshua and Caleb. But you ask even the seemingly learned Bible scholars the names of the other ten and they will really have to scratch their heads hard to even name one of them.

And so when it comes to winning in the game of life you don’t have to be a democrat. Here it is not about the majority ruling but about you doing what you know is right even if it means standing alone like the two spies did.

“Your hashers will become your ushers.” – Pastor Paul Nzimbi

Winning in the game of life (Part III)

Someone once said that "you see what you are". One of the things that I have struggled with a long time in my life is that I have found my self most of the time being a pessimist rather than an optimist. They say that the difference between a pessimist and an optimist is that the former says that a glass is half empty while the latter says that the glass is half full when observing the same glass of water. The difference between the two is only in one thing, their perspective.

As we learnt last week, how we run the right race is as important as the race itself. We are to run with perseverance the race marked out for us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Not only are we to run with perserverance but also with the right perspective. I want to emphasize the importance of having a proper perspective with a story from the Bible.

The story is about the Nation of Israel preparing themselves to enter into their promised land, into their destiny. Their Leader Moses sent out 12 spies each spy a Leader themselves representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Their mission was to go out and spy the land that they were to inherit bringing back with them tangible evidence of the goodness of that land. After accomplishing their mission, they all came back bearing the evidence of the goodness of the land. But ten of them gave a discouraging report about how there were Giants in the land and how they saw themselves as Grasshoppers in the sight of these Giants.

These ten were pessimists. Their perspective of themselves was the beginning of their fall. They failed to have the right perspective of themselves due to their grasshopper mentality. The quality of our thoughts determine our perspective in life and thus determine whether we will win or lose in the game of life. How do you see yourself? Are you seeing yourself as a grasshopper or as a Giant killer (notice I didn't say a Giant but a Giant killer)? Those who see themselves as grasshoppers lose the fight even before they start while those that have made it first saw themselves making it long before they actually made it. For us to win in the game of life needs us to undergo a personal transformation. Change must be inside out not the other way round. It is as you undergo that transformation

Winning in the game of life (Part II)

I began last week talking about winning in the game of life. We all like winning, nobody wants to loose (ask the Man U fans). Life is a game where many people win and others loose depending on the choices they make in life. We learnt last week that for us to win, "we must run with perserverance the race that is marked out for us". It is important to realize two things here, first which race to run in, and secondly how to run it. It doesn't matter how well you run the wrong race, you can never win that way.

For you to be a winner, you need to run the race that has been marked out for you. In other words you need to stay within your track otherwise you will be disqualified. You may run the fastest time in the 400 metres race but if you end up in the wrong lane that wount count. This is why I stress so much on the fact that each of us need to know what for heaven's sake we are here on earth for. If you do not know then it doesn't really matter how long you live here on earth as you will only be filling space instead of living a purposeful life. "The purpose of life is a life of purpose" is a very powerful statement worthy of all acceptance. If you don't live a life of purpose you can never win in the game of life.

This morning I woke up thinking of some prophetic words that were spoken over our (my wife and I) lives about two years ago. As I continiued to meditate over those words I was greatly stirred and filled with such joy on the realization that those words were actually being fulfilled before our own very eyes. It was like Jesus reading the words from the Book of Isaiah 61:1-4 and telling the people in the synagogue, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing"; what a moment that was. Jeses actually read to those people not just what I consider to be His job discription, but really His life's mission, His mission statement. Do you have a mission statement for your life?

After knowing what race to run then and only then, does how you run matter. To run the race marked out for you requires that you prepare well for it. Have a game plan. This past weekend it was a joy to watch Barcelona toy around with the great Manchester United. It was clear that of those two great clubs, actually the best clubs in the world this past season I believe, the team with a greater plan, the team that prepared well for the match ended up winning. Thus after establishing what race you got to run coming up with an appropriate game plan is the next important thing to do. They say that if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. It's so amazing how many people I talk to don't have a plan for their lives. They live their lives according to other people's plan for their lives. They have abdicated their responsibility of taking control of their own lives and let their bosses, their teachers, their parents some even their peers to plan their lives for them.

Plan and prepare well for your race and then run it with perserverance. For you to win, you must run well the right race, so what race you run and how well you run it is the key to winning in the game of life.

Winning in the game of life

I'm writing this blog at a time when Manchester United have just been crowned the 2010/2011 English Premier League Champions. They have now won the League a record 19 times and are now the team which has won this title the most having overtaken Liverpool's record of 18 League wins. This is truely great news to all Man 'U' fans but a very upsetting one for us Liverpool fans.

Watching the celebrations that took place last Saturday at old Trafford and similar ones that took place last week at Barcelona,  leaves you with the feeling of how sweet victory tastes. We all want to win, we all want to be on the winning side, to be identified with the champions. But you know what? You, yes you who is reading this blog, can be a winner; you can win in the game of life. And you know what! you can win without competing with anyone else but yourself. I have come to learn that beating myself is sometimes more difficult than beating my competitors. Excellence is nothing more than being the best you can be. And that is what God has called us to be. God didn't call us to be better than or like someone else, He made us to be the best us. He made me to be the best Barnabas I can be.

The writer of Hebrews in the Holy Scriptures gives us a liturgy of great men and women who beat themselves to become heros. Their heroic achievements are recorded in Chapter 11 of that book. Chapter 12 of the same book begins with these words,

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with patience (perserverance) the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith".

The cloud of witnesses talked about here are those heros I mentioned earlier, of whom the greatest is our Lord Jesus. These are the 'fans' watching us from the grandstands of heaven urging us to move on, "common you can make it, don't give up, we did it and so can you"; I can imagine them shouting at us.
Winning in the game of life will call for the three "Let 'us'es" seen above, which are vital for victory.

1. Let us throw off everything that hinders, what are you carrying that is hindering you or slowing you down that needs to be thrown off? What "Urgent" things do you need to throw off so as to take only that one important thing?
2. Let us run with patience the race marked out for us. How are you running the race and which race are you actually running? Could it be that you are running the rat race? or are you running someone else's race? Remember the race is not for the swift, neither is it for the rat. When Jesus came to an end of His brief sojourn here on earth, He said that "It is finished"; what was finished? The race marked out for Him.
3. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. Are you fixing your eyes on failures or are you fixing your eyes on finishers, are you having a victim's mentality or are you carrying with you a victor's mindset? Are you motivated by faith or are you being paralyzed by fear?