To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must learn and practice qualities and skills that you have never had before. Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.
Texts: Matthew 25:1-46; Matthew 21:28-31: Prov 13:20
Introduction
Who is a great child?
He or she is not necessarily the most brilliant, the most handsome/beautiful, best dressed, most informed, the most versatile in football news or music. It is not becoming another Michael Jackson or Magic Johnson. It is not becoming a TV and Movie stars or celebrity. The fact that a person is a mighty politician, movie star, singer, soccer star does not mean that the person is great. Real greatness is measured by attitudes, character and morality.
A great child can be said to be-
- A child who is good all round,
- A child who can be said to be better than the best,
- A child who so well behaved that he or she becomes a reference in her community,
- A child that parents are proud of and
- A child that God can boast of.
It is the will of God for us to become all we can be and He has given everything to become all He has destined us to become in life. All we need to do is to discover those secrets and apply them to our lives so that we can fulfill God’s given destiny. To become someone that you have never been before, you must do what you have never done before. To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must learn and practice qualities and skills that you have never had before. Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. There is a prevailing strength to be a great child everyday of this year and beyond.
What is prevailing strength?
Prevailing suggests power that makes it possible to gain up hands and be victorious in life duties, responsibilities and battles.
Areas young people must demonstrate greatness?
Love, courage, prayer, self-control, knowledge, family life, full of understanding and wisdom, inner strength, executive ability, drive to finish an assignment; obedience to parents/authority, financial discipline.
Why you need prevailing strength to be great everyday
- Life responsibilities are much and could be very challenging.
- The flesh is weak and by the power of the flesh, no one will ever prevail.
- We are faced with powers too strong for us to defeat in our strength. We need empowerment by God. Eph 6:12 -13
Things that deplete the strength of young people
- When we immerse our spirits in the multitude of earthly pursuits
- When we sedate our souls with endless amusements or hard drugs.
- When we indulge our bodies in vain pleasures and ungodly fashions
- Secret ungodly habits
- The Dross – argument, anger, rebellion, bitterness, stubbornness, unforgiven spirit (negative emotions)
- When we think it all depends on us and run too much on our own strength we get fagged out and burn out with discouragement and despair
Drawing on the needed prevailing strength that is able to help you gain upper hand or be more than able
Note
You will not be able to go through the entire seminar paper with the group, please make sure you cover numbers 1- 6.
- Accept Jesus Christ into your heart and life.
- Be in constant fellowship with God ()
- Be in constant fellowship with fellow believers (Eccl. 4:9-12; Hebrews 10:25)
- Study the Word of God faithfully and consistently to. (Joshua 1:8; Romans 10: 17)
The word of God will help you to develop the wisdom and spirit you need to be a great child everyday.
Note:
Wordless Christians are powerless Christians. God’s word gives us power. Refuse negative counsel, weigh every suggestion and intention on the scale of the Bible.
- Be attentive to the Holy Spirit. He will guide, encourage and guide you.
- Seek to glorify God in your life by pursuing a good name everywhere you find yourself.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
1 Cor 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
- Develop iron will and firm commitment to God and Godly living – just like Daniel and the three Hebrews (Dan 1:8. 3”18)
- Do not be weary in well doing.
Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
2 Th 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
- Exercise yourself self-control. No one will ever make it to the end without conscious discipline. By practicing self-discipline, you become a new person, a different person, better person, stronger and a more clearly defined person. Practice of self-discipline makes you to become all you can be in life
- Consistently maintain the inner strength by believing you can do all things – saying no to all temptations and resist the pressure to conform and compromise your faith. Need to say no those sins, those video films, and other objects of sins and addictions in your life.
- Avoid compromisers and evil companions; they easily distract you from God’s way, will and word. Choose your friends wisely. Great people choose their friends wisely. He who walks with the wise will be wise. Those who want to be great in life don’t live carelessly (anyhow) Heb 1:9; Ps 1:1-3. Make Jesus your best friend, the Bible your best book, the children of God your best fellowship, positive things your best utterance.
- Accept Personal Responsibility for your life: Desist from blaming others for your circumstances and your situations. Nobody is in charge of your happiness, success. You can choose to be happy. Your situation today is a result of the choices you made yesterday. Avoid the four emotional cancers -criticizing, complaining, comparing, and competing
- Maintain at all times a positive attitude to life. Fill our mind with possibility doctrine : (Your confessions) You will have what you say. Hence form the habit of saying positive things not only to yourself bu t even to others as well. In happy moments, praise God, in quiet moment, worship God, in painful moments, trust God, in every moment, thank God
- Early preparation (This is the beginning of a new year). Always plan ahead, it was not raining when Noah built the ark”. The achievement of any great dream or goal is always preceded by a great plan. He, who fails to plan, plans to fail. Deep and adequate preparation is inevitable if you want to be a great child. You must develop a time table and discipline yourself to follow it strictly. Have a daily to-do-list.
- Progressive prayer life is absolutely important. Prayerful Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. Pray for knowledge/Wisdom/Spirit of excellence/executive ability. Pray for Divine Ideas/ Understanding. Pray against distractions/not to lose focus
- Dedicate yourself to self-improvement and continuous learning in every way possible.. Reading broadens your mind. Read beyond the class work, other books. Read beyond your area of discipline. Read spiritual books too: Faith; Prayers: Leadership; Success ; Bible too. Read biographies of successful people. Form /Join Readers Club. Package yourself well; your career; Polish your English (spoken).Learn how to pronounce well/speak well. Work on your self
- Acquire all manner of skills relevant to your career ( to succeed more than others, you must have what others don’t have) Skill will make people to look for you. Skill will connect you with people that matter. Learn typewriting : Use of computer; Repair of computer/ phones; Software development; Use of Basic software; Web design; Attend seminars, conferences and workshops. The world is looking for what you can offer
- Study the life of the people doing well and their habits. What are things you admire about them? List, ask questions, and possibly move closer to them.
- Don’t allow your work to accumulate, do each day’s work diligently. Diligence is aiming to be the very best at everything you do, not second best. Do more than is expected of you: Extra effort – Wake up a little earlier than others, work a little harder than others, sleep a little later than others. That is good enough is the language of an average person. (Prov 10:4)
- Manage your time well. It’s not possible to save time, but you can only re-allocate your time to things that are of high priorities. Great people don’t spend quality time on what they will never become.
Conclusion
As young people – now is your summer, the winter is fast approaching (John 9:4). Youth is the sowing period; old age is the harvest time. Set aside quality time for your career; spiritual life and things that count for eternity. Jesus made provision for our future and He is daily preparing us for that future. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Your future therefore, isn’t dependent upon your own strength but upon the strength of God who does not faint or grow weary. Although we may grow weary, God never does. This new year, you will move from strength to strength and daily increase.