Challenges For Exploits

CHALLENGES FOR EXPLOITS By Revd Bernard O. Itebiye Horby, in his Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary (2000:178) defines challenge as, “a new or difficult task that tests somebody’s ability or skill.” The Oxford Minidictionary (1997:80) refers to it as “a call to try one’s skill or strength; a demand to respond to or identify oneself; … a demanding task;” etc. In other words, challenge is acknowledged as “a difficult task” but, that which tries ones skill or strength. Selwyn Hughes refers to it as, “The divine alluring.” He described the term as a period when “God draws us into a spiritual desert in order to alert us to the peril our soul may be in and to enable us to draw closer to Him.” Exploit, on the hand, refers to “good deed” or appropriately put, “making good use of an opportunity”. The implication of the above definitions is that “challenges” are opportunities. Exploiting or making good use of the opportunity has nothing to do with your person or your statutes by birth or size. In the words of Reinhard Bonnke, in his FAITH The Link With God’s Power, “what we are by nature is not what counts. What we are in Christ is the truth about us.” But the question of our time is, how can we prove that we know God well enough to stand up to anything that comes our way? How can we change our challenges into means of exploit? Dr. Robert Schuller in his Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking. Outlines eight steps we can take. They are: 1. Expect problems / challenges at all times. 2. Put each challenge in its proper perspective. 3. Welcome them (challenges) as the real stimulants to success. 4. Remember that every challenge is another opportunity 5. Draw up a challenge -solution list. 6. Use the challenge creatively 7. Cultivate sense of humour. 8. Let the challenge lead you closer to God EXPECT CHALLENGES AT ALL TIMES: Never allow any challenge surprise you. When you expect challenges, they can never panic you. A Christian should not be a daydreamer who expects no difficulties. He is a realist who expects his fair share of pains, hardship, and difficulties. He develops a tough hide but preserve a tender heart. Be your own worst critic, avoid being a baby any more, grow up, be a man. Give yourself stern tough talk. Expect hardships. Knowing that challenges are inevitable, try to anticipate their coming before running into them. “By anticipating your challenges, you imagine a variety of possible solution” say Dr. Schuller. No wonder Jesus never panicked even when he was arrested. He anticipated it. PUT EACH CHALLENGE IN ITS PROPER PERSPECTIVE: Try to avoid the natural inclination to “exaggerate your challenge”. Schuller advises. This inclination often leads to the mistake of “the impossibilitycomplexed person”. The average human being is said to have an amazing capacity to make mountains out of molehills. Always guard against the temptation of exaggerating the seriousness, longevity and intensity of any challenge. When this is done, you have actually reduced it to size. Though he knew that Lazarus was dead and buried Jesus simply told his disciples, “Lazarus hophilos hemon kekoime tai alla poreuomai hina ezupniso auton” (John 11:11). (“Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up”). Better to downsize a challenge that exaggerates it.

WELCOME CHALLENGES AS STIMULANT TO SUCCESS: Problems challenge your imagination to think deeper, spend more time, devote greater energy and reorganize your total set-up. When this attitude is developed you would have learnt to avoid being tense, abrupt, irritable, resentful, jealous, cynical or even get discouraged when confronted with challenges. Know that every challenge can exercise your imagination-generating muscles. In other words, every challenge is made to strengthen you. Be confident that you will be able to reap profits from them as stimulant and motivator to higher groundssuccess. Once Jesus was asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus said in reply, “Qute houtos hemarten oue hoi gones autou all’ hina phanerother ta erga tou theou en auto” (John 9:3). (It was not that this man sinned, or his parents sinned but that the word of God might be made manifest in him). In other words, it is no time to worry about why, but an opportunity to show the world the glory of God as contained in “The Nazarene manifesto” (apology to The Revd Canon Dr. Israel Okoye). See Isaiah 61:1-3, (Matt. 11:5; Lk. 4:18-19; 7:22). TAKE EVERY CHALLENGES ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY: A politician who found himself in a controversial issue and was widely criticused, was once quoted to have said, “I welcome criticism, it gives me an opportunity to reply to my critics. I have an excuse to make a public statement enthusiastically pointing out all the good I am doing, have done and am planning to do. Without the criticism, I could never have had the platform or opportunity to air my plans to so large an audience. It is great how many creative possibilities lie hidden in every challenge. Christ was accused of blaspheming when he told the paralytic man. “Teknon aphuebtia sou ai amartai (Mk. 2:5) (‘ My Son, your sins are forgiven’) the scribes could not stomach this. “who can forgive sins but God” (Mk. 2:7) they asked among themselves. This was enough an opportunity for Christ to once again launch into action. “the Nazarene manifesto” must be fulfilled. “Why do you question thus in your heart? Jesus asks. “which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “ Your sins are forgiven or to say rise take up your pailet and walk? “But that you may know that the Son of man has authority in earth to forgive sins”. He said to the paralytic “Soi lego, egeire aron ton krabatton sou kai upage eis oikon sou” (Mk. 2:8) (“ I say to you rise take up your pailet and go home”). Take every something.

problem and challenge that comes your way as an opportunity to prove

DRAW UP A POSSIBLE SOLUTION LIST A leader must be able to draw up as many solution lists as can be imagined. If one solution proves fruitless, try the second. If it proves the same try the third. There has to be a solution. May be you have to think deeper and bigger. The simplest way, perhaps, is to give and accept defeat. But is certainly not the solution. May be a bit of inventive thinking will bring out something. An old axiom say. “Where there is a will there is a way” After the violent uproar that followed his defense speech in Jerusalem ( which he actually begged for on the ground that he was a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicai, a citizen of no mean city) Paul knew he was in a bigger challenge. Not only was he about to be flogged. He may never have the opportunity and right to speak to the people again. He had to think fast, deep and big. And he remembered what was needed most, his Roman citizenship though a Jew by blood. (Acts 22:1ff). It was

therefore convenient for him to ask “Ei anthropon Romion kai akatak riton ezestin humin mastrixeiv? (Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen, and uncondmned?). Unquestionable, there is a solution to every challenge says Dr. Schuller. USE YOUR CHALLENGE CREATIVELY: The wise man say “what you do with your challenge is far more important that what your challenge does to you”. Dr. baron if the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, University of California, said “personal soundness is a way of reacting to challenges, not an absence of challenges” (Success Digest, Ibid 34). A good thinker and a leader in Christ must maintain an amazing degree of imperturbability in the face of personal or group challenges. He sees great possibilities of service, growth, learning, profit or even humour in his challenges. CULTIVATE A SENSE OF HUMOUR If there is one-thing students of St. Paul’s University College (potential leaders) have learnt from Rev. Canon Dr. Emmanuel Ekpunobi, it is the cultivation of a sense of humour. He can extract some humour out of any challenge, no matter how serious. The first commandment I received as a student of SPUCA (September 3, 1997) was from him. He said tersely “you must never complain, no matter what.” That was like a knock on my head, but he build up such a terrific collection of jokes around it that I, a master complainant before then, could not help liking it. It became my eleventh commandment. You want to be a child of God? Never ever complain about anything. Next was his experience in Abuja. I cannot remember the story very well but he ended up trekking all night and arriving at the Church he was invited to, as a guest preacher for 8.00 a.m. service, at about 7.00 a.m. and had not prepared his sermon. I could not imagine a bigger challenge any minister can face. Yet he narrated it in such a way that you would think he enjoy it all. LET YOUR CHALLENGE LEAD YOU TO GOD Well, we all know that no challenge leaves you where it found you. Be guarded by the affirmative confession of faith “ I will be a different person when this challenge is gone. I will be wiser, stronger, and more patient”. I will be a better person. With this you ask yourself, can this challenge bring me closer to God or will it drive me away from Him? Can it build my faith attitude. “Therefore, I intend to be a better person when this problem leaves me, than I was when it met me” . Get closer to god. Every Christian leader must be one that is able to say with Selwyn Haghes, “I have cone to the place in my Christian life where I am convinced that in the midst of the worst thing that can happen. There is a good and wise purpose at work…” God loves me so must to let anything happen to me that will not work out for good”. CONCLUSION: Challenge is not obstacles. They are for our good. Sometimes God may deny us a shallow answer in order that we may put our root into eternal and consequently stand tall and strong in any storm. But even if they are obstacles. What about it? In the word of Norman Pearls. “ A man who faces no obstacle faces no challenges. The man who faces no challenges is a man who knows no excitement in life. He will soon be bored, and boredom is the real old age and next thing to death”