Identifying Opportunities
WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE
Do you have opportunities before you? What does identifying opportunities mean to you? How do you identify them?
| Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”– Genesis 41:39-41 (NKJV) |
Identifying Opportunities
Entrepreneurial success begins with the recognition of opportunities. Most people spend their time chasing after opportunities, believing that their “next big thing” is just around the corner. The problem with this approach is that they are often unprepared for the opportunities they find. Also, they may find themselves lured into the wrong kind of opportunities – something that was never intended for them, but for someone else, that becomes a costly disaster for themselves.
For a Biblical Entrepreneur, identifying opportunities means recognizing when the timing of God meets our preparation. This principle helps you recognize God’s timing for getting into business, starting a particular business, or expanding an existing business. It will require you to first recognize the abilities that you have, and then to cooperate with God to develop them.
After that, you need to recognize the beneficial gain arising from opportunities that may present themselves in the midst of circumstances that seem less than advantageous. In Biblical Entrepreneurship, we recognize that real opportunities are often found in the midst of problems, with God providing a solution to that problem that benefits not only the Biblical Entrepreneur, but also many others.
The Bible tells us in the book of Genesis that while Joseph was in Egypt, God used various circumstances, such as slavery and prison, to prepare him for the opportunity that was to come. When his opportunity came, it was disguised as a problem (in this case, a famine).
However, because Joseph was prepared, he could seamlessly provide a solution and manage the project that was given to him by Pharaoh. Whenever the timing of God meets our preparation, an opportunity will surely present itself.
As you believe God to reveal the opportunities that are right for you, focus on preparing yourself, on recognizing God’s timing, and on learning how to discern God’s will, so that you can identify the opportunities when they come. When you are in the will of God, you won’t have to chase after opportunities – they will find you.
My prayer for you today is that God will give you the wisdom to identify the opportunities that come from Him, and the wisdom and grace to take full advantage of them.
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