Seizing Every Opportunity

(This teaching was primarily for Young People)

Rom 8:28 We are assured {and} know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together {and} are [fitting into a plan] for good to {and} for those who love God and are called according to [His] design {and} purpose.

Heb 12:16 That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.
Heb 12:17 For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears.

•If we are to progress in life and achieve, we must seize or utilize every opportunity that we get
•Some opportunities that we miss or neglect may not come anymore
•In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Abraham told the rich man that he (the rich man) lost his opportunity for salvation when he was on earth and could not get another. The rich man begged for Lazarus to go back to earth and preach to his brothers, Abraham said the brothers should use the opportunity presented by Moses and the prophets, if they fail to use it, they too will die.
•So, we need to be careful and not miss or the opportunities that God gives us, they may not come again
•Esau missed his opportunity and sold his birth right, he tried in vain to regain it again, but could not, he had lost his chance!

Examples Of Opportunities
1)Salvation Opportunity
•Some miss the opportunity for salvation and end up in eternal death
•You get the chance of accepting Christ, you hear the gospel but you keep procrastinating until you die in sin!
•Some accept Christ but later get caught in other silly things and lose their salvation and lose opportunity for eternal life
2)Education / Academic Opportunity
•Some lose opportunity for excelling in their education
•You have somebody taking care of you, paying for all your school needs and you play with that chance.
•When you are / were at school, did you put enough effort to study and being serious? Are you not regretting today that you lost opportunity to excel when you were at school?
•Some realize when it is late that they missed a good opportunity to excel at school but now they have no resources to correct the mistake
•Some dropped out of school when they were pregnant and could not write exams, later when things are bitter in life, they regret
3)Employment Opportunity
•Have you lost opportunity for employment?
•Some lose opportunity by being late, not adequately preparing for interviews, etc
4)Business Opportunity
•Have you lost opportunity for making money or business deal?
5)Giving Opportunity
•Some lose opportunity for giving
•Sometimes God can instruct you to give something having earmarked you for a blessing or reward, if you do not obey, you lose the blessing
6)Ministry / Service Opportunity
•Some miss the call of God for service for simple small things, you miss your destiny in serving God by disobedience
•Saul lost the opportunity to be a king by simple disobeying God’s instruction in war
•You may lose your opportunity by arrogance, some run to ministry prematurely and lose their opportunity
7)Marriage Opportunity
•Some lose the opportunity of keeping themselves virgins till marriage
•You cannot afford to lose your virginity and a testimony in marriage for sleeping for 5 minutes with a man/ woman! You can lose the opportunity for a happy good marriage just for failing to control yourself. Some lose their virginity just months, weeks or days before their marriage!
•Some disobey God, get married to a wrong partner and die prematurely

Conclusion
•I know that there is room for repentance with God and forgiveness
•But there are some opportunities that come once in one’s life and when lost can not be regained again
•If you lose your virginity, you may be forgiven but that can never make you a virgin again
•Some of the opportunities we lose or mistakes we make may cost us our lives
•If you live a promiscuous life, you make get infected with HIV at a young age, lose your opportunity for a happy marriage and die prematurely
•I have seen very good and promising young people die prematurely
•You may miss the opportunity of listening to God and marrying the wring person, marry an HIV career and die prematurely
•I know of good people in church that have died of HIV and you know for sure that they had a destiny to achieve before they die but died prematurely
•You need to seek God will and purpose for your life and not just do things your way
•Sometimes God’s ways may not seem good and wise but His plan is always the best
•Do not lose any opportunity because of ignorance or disobedience
•It is painful to look back and regret because of lost opportunity and bad choices that you made
•It is painful for people to come and say, “we told you” and you know they did!
•There was a time when Moses lost opportunity to got to the promised land, God said because of what you did, you will not get into the promised land. Moses tried to beg God until God said, “Do not mention that to me again” Numbers 20v8-12,
•Let us be careful, let us not abuse God’s grace and opportunities that He gives us
•Utilize every opportunity and not live to regret tomorrow