If you have ever wondered how to be ready when opportunity comes knocking on your door, and what to do in those moments when God's instructions seem to defy logic, then you should probably keep listening. Hey friend, welcome to another episode of Thriving Geng. Today, we have a powerful topic to explore a subject that resonates deeply with me, and it's the subject of being prepared when opportunity comes and the importance of obeying God even when nothing makes sense. Life as you and I know it is full of unexpected moments and sometimes opportunities knock on our doors when we least expect them. And this episode touches on how we can ensure that we are ready to seize these moments when they arise. So this past week, a friend came to me. And a bit of backstory. A few years ago actually, this friend had shared with me that one of his academic certificates or diplomas, I should probably call it, had the wrong spelling of his name on it. And I remember back then, I advised him and I told him, I think he should probably get this thing sorted out. I remember telling him it's definitely important to make sure that your name on very important documents are spelled correctly. Because who knows what opportunity may arise in the future that you need to present this document. You just want to make sure that everything is done properly. You have all your things together and you don't have to find yourselves scrambling when that time comes. So I remember we had this discussion many, many years ago. And just this past week, this friend comes to me and was telling me, Sena, you remember this thing you advised me to do? Yeah, I never followed through and now I need to get this document for something and I've now had to go pay a ton of money to get things changed quickly. And I was just thinking to myself, wow. We tend sometimes as human beings to think that certain things are irrelevant or maybe irrelevant is too strong a word, but I think that it's easy for us sometimes to overlook the minor details and just feel like, well, if that time comes, I can just talk my way through it, you know, at the end of the day, this part of my name is spelled correctly and I mean, it's my certificate, so I can just talk my way through it. And I don't think this is what this friend had in mind. I just think it wasn't a priority to him at the time to get that thing sorted out. And unfortunately the situation he finds himself in now does not easily allow for you to just say, oh, well, it's, it actually is my certificate, you know, just this and this and that happened and that's why the name is spelled wrongly. Like at this point where you are trying to maybe get into a certain institution or a certain season of your life is coming, there are principles that come with everything there are principles that come with every door that we go through. And sweet talking is not going to get you through those doors. It is your ability to meets the prerequisites that will get you through that door. So I wanted to do a podcast episode on this topic of the importance of being prepared when opportunity comes. But I wasn't quite certain that that was what the Lord wanted me to talk about this week. But on Wednesday, it was like every sermon, every podcast I listened to in some ways seemed to touch on this topic. I mean, I was at the office I was working and I just had my airpords in, cause I had to do a lot of heads down work. And every one I listened to. And I'm talking about three different vessels of God that I listened to. And even if it was just one sentence, it kept coming up. The fact about being prepared, being prepared, the importance of obedience in seasons when it doesn't even make sense, just so that when something comes up tomorrow, you are prepared, you are equipped with what you need for that season. So I usually record the podcast episodes on Fridays and just FYI by the time you hear this episode it's probably going to be about a month after the very first episode. I just try to give myself a bit of a buffer just because I'm in grad school, I worked full time and life gets very tough sometimes and I just want to make sure that I'm staying as consistent as possible. And so most of these episodes are going to be pre-recorded unless of course there is something that's of an urgent nature that the Lord wants me to talk about. But other than that, you're going to have to be piecing together parts and pieces of my life, and I think the mystery of it is kind of fun, but let me know if I'm wrong. So, like I was saying, I usually record on Fridays. But as of this past Friday, I still wasn't certain of what I wanted to talk about for the week. I mean, I have a ton of episode ideas, but they all just didn't feel right to record. So during prayer time with my friends later that Friday night, the preacher that we had on was sharing about prayer, the systems of prayer. And I was really taking in the word I was, you know, I was learning. I mean, I received so much light, so much insight. But he said something and it was just a couple of sentences that really dawned on me like, okay, this is something that the Lord wants me to talk about. So, you know what, let me obey and talk about this thing. So I do not really anticipate for this episode to be very long because I really just have a few things to say on this topic. And I think I probably even said most of them already. But it is my prayer that whoever the Lord wanted me to record this for will listen and will do that which God has instructed him or her to do. As Christians, we believe that. Oh, God has a unique plan for each of us. Right? This is something that we've been talking about in previous episodes. We've talked about passion, we've talked about purpose a little bit. And we've really emphasized on the fact that God didn't just create us and just put us here just to come in occupy space and just live our best lives. He created us with a purpose. He made us unique. He had a unique path that He wanted each one of us to take. And it's very crucial, I think for us to be prepared and open to the opportunities that He presents to us along the path that He has set out for us. And so when we talk about opportunity, we talk about preparation. Obviously you cannot be ready for any opportunity that comes your way if you are not prepared for it. Life just doesn't work that way. But preparation begins with cultivating the right mindset. A mindset that is not only a go-getter mindset. Cause I know I'm an over-achiever. I over plan everything in my life. I'm always putting pen to paper trying to just work out little details and things like that. But the power of preparation comes not when you sit down and you try to plan every minor detail of your life, but it comes when you acknowledge the sovereignty of God and trust in His guidance. Preparation requires a willingness to step out of your comfort zone even when the path seems uncertain or conventional. And as Christians, our feet cause us to obey God's commands, right? Even when they don't align with our understanding or they seem counterintuitive. Or it's just like God can't You see this thing that I'm going through? Why are You asking me to go do this thing and be prepared for what? Like, no, I need to figure out the season that I'm in. I need to come out of this season that I'm in. I heard one of my fathers Prophet Nanasei say a couple of days ago that When you're in a very deep financial situation, you have your rent coming up and you're about to get evicted, kicked out of your home in probably a matter of days and all your prayer is on God send me a helper. Lord, send me a helper, financial assistance. That's what you would be praying, right? I mean that's what I would be praying. But one thing he said that made me stop in my tracks was he said, what if the Lord instead of sending you a helper gave you a business plan. You would immediately feel like, no, I don't have time to start a business. Lord this is not the time. What I need is to pay my rent before I get kicked out. Like, are You going to watch me go homeless? What is the plan? Lord, I don't need a business plan. What I need is money to pay this rent so that at least I know I'm sorted for the next month for the next couple of months and in my home country Ghana, we pay rents in advance maybe a year or two, whatever the situation is. And so your whole focus is just how do I just get out of the current situation I'm in. Without much thought really of the long term plan that God has. And so I want to put that question to you. If you went in such a situation and the Lord gave you a business plan, what would your reaction be? How would you feel? I know for me personally, I would feel like God is not hearing me or as sometimes I have felt like God is just not paying attention to me. Oh, He's just choosing to pretend like He has not seen what I'm going through. But in that moment, we have to remember that God sees the beginning and He also sees the end. He knows what is going to happen five minutes from now, even as I record this episode, I don't know what I'm going to say five minutes from now as I record this episode or even if I'm still going to be talking. But the Lord knows, and this is just, you know, a tiny minor picture that I'm trying to paint here. But God knows why He's asking you to start that business in that moment. And maybe after you take on whatever business idea He's giving you, the financial help may come, but it also may not come. But we have to know that preparation does not only come in times when things are okay, when life is going to well, then now you're like, okay, now I'm ready to plan the next year of my life. God, what's up? What's the plan? What are we doing? No. Preparation also comes, and I would like to say even most of the time comes from times when, you are just on the down low. You are just in a deep rut, and you're just trying to figure your way out. And the Lord is telling you this is a season of preparation. This is a season of going to school, getting that degree. This is a season of going to learn that trade. Yes, I know the people you are living with abusing you everyday. I know your father is abusing you. I know your mother is doing this and that. I know that the people you are living with are pounding on you, but this is a season of preparation. I want you to be here to learn something from this home. I want you to be working at this place to learn something about how a business is run. I want you to be here to learn something about administration. I want you to stay with this person to pick up, maybe, on the spirit of patience, on endurance, on forbearnce. And in those moments, It's very easy for us to not look at it as a season of preparation, but as a season of punishment. So I want us to draw some inspiration from the Bible. We have someone like Noah. And God commanded Noah to build an ark, and he was building this ark for many, many years before the rain came. Now, I bet you, if many of us had lived in that time, including myself, okay? Including myself cause I'm not even going to take myself out of this. If we had lived in that time, would we have been one of those people who were saying this man doesn't know what he's doing? He's silly. Like there's no weather forecasting it's gonna rain. Why are you carrying an umbrella? What's wrong with you? You're out here building a whole ark. You're not making any sense. You and both God, you don't know what you're talking about because my logic, my knowledge that I've gone to school to gain, all those degrees that I have. I mean, I've studied the weather, I've done this and this and that, like you and both your God don't know what you're talking about. Okay, Noah? I don't think any rain is coming and even if the rain was coming. Does he even necessitate a whole arc? Like how bad can this rain be? So Noah's obedience to God's instructions definitely seemed irrational to those around him. And even us when we begin to read the story without knowing the end. It's like but God why? What's up? But Noah trusted in God's plan and he faithfully carried out the task that he was assigned. Even though he was ridiculed, even though he was mocked, he did what the Lord asked him to do because he fully trusted in God's plan. And he understood that there's a seasoning when you prepare. And this is a season where the objects of your preparation comes and how much you have prepared is going to be put to the test when that time comes. So we have this story of Noah and many other stories from the Bible that teach us that obedience to God demands stepping into the unknown and trusting Him completely. It's during these moments of surrender and faith that we position ourselves to receive the blessings and opportunities that God has prepared for us. So how can we practically apply this wisdom to our lives today? How can we be prepared when opportunity knocks and obey God even when nothing makes sense. And I think that first, we have to seek God's guidance through prayer and meditation on His word. And this is probably going to be my number one bullet point for everything that I share on this podcast, because see if you're not talking to God, if you're not getting your plans from God, if you're not getting the ideas from God, then really What journey are you on? What path are you walking? What path are you traveling? Because if you're not going to speak to the One who made you, the One who designed the trajectory that your life should follow then what life really are you going to have? no matter the situation, no matter what it is, we have to first seek God's guidance. Because it is only by aligning our hearts and our minds with His that we will position ourselves to recognize, to hear, and to respond to His leading. It's one thing to hear God. Right? It's another thing to recognize that it is God speaking. And this is also another thing to obey that which God is telling you And the Bible says that you are my friends if you do what I command, if you love me And I know in my life that some of my friends, maybe not some, all my friends. I have just a very tight group of friends. And whenever they talk, I tend to listen. But that's just friendship here on earth. So we margin being friends with God. God who unlike my friends know tomorrow. God who unlike my friends here on earth knows everything. He knows how the decision I'm making today, although it may seem wise, may not seem wise 20 years from now. So imagine having that God as your friend. And just following this sweet path that he's laid out for you. No Sena, we don't do it this way. Let's do it that way instead. And the thing is, God does not have to explain himself to us when He gives us an instruction. And for people like me, who tend to want to control the narrative. You want to plan out your life? This is not something that sits well with us. Because you want to know why. I'm always asking why. Why do I have to do it that way? No, why do I have to do it this way? And God does not have to explain. Because He's already told you in His word, that all things will work together for your good. And those all things even include the mistakes that you've made. So how much more the things that He himself is telling you to do. How much more those things. Do you think that those things will all work together for your good? I think they will. Because He's already given you that assurance. That no matter what it is, no matter what it looks like now, at the end, it is going to work out for your good. And so for me, I've come to this point where HS, and if you're new here, HS is the Holy Spirit as I like to call Him. I'm on the gold to make HS my best friend. I mean, I have very tight group of friends but the goal is to be one with the Lord. So that when he speaks, I hear. So that when he speaks, I recognize. So that when he speaks, I'll be prompt to obey. The other thing that can help us practically be prepared when opportunity knocks and obey God, even when it doesn't make sense is to cultivate the spirit of surrender and trust. And I think I've kind of touched on this a bit. But I just want to talk a little bit about surrendering. Surrendering means letting go of our own plans, of our own desires, and embracing God's plan for our lives. See, we have to remember that God's ways are higher than our ways o. He knows what He's talking about. You may meet a 90 year old today. And in as much as that 90 year old has so much wisdom that you will not have until you get to that age, that 90 year old does not know everything. But God, God, the Ancient of Days. He that was there before everything. I mean, He knows, He knows, He knows, He knows. And not only does He know, whatever he's telling you to be prepared for now. Whatever season He is taking you through now, His timing is perfect. He knows the best time for you to unveil that business plan. He knows the best time for you to get married. He knows the best time for you to get that degree. He knows the best time for you to get into that company. He knows the best time for you to meet that person. He knows the best time to bring that destiny helper across your path. And until we are willing to surrender and trust him, and let go of our plans, of our desires, and how we want things to go, then we are going to miss out. On the preparation that he's trying to take us through. And if we miss out on the time of preparation, then we miss out on what comes at the end of the preparation. The other thing I want to talk about is that for us to learn to be prepared when opportunity comes, we have to develop a growth mindset. And this is very in line with the premise of this podcast as a whole. We have to learn to embrace challenges and view them as opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. Whatever situation you're going through, whatever season you're going through. Yes, you've been unemployed for two years now. Yes, your mother has been sick for three years now. We have to lean into God and ask Him, what are you trying to teach me in this moment? What thing am I supposed to be learning in the season? How are you using this difficult circumstance to shape me into the person that you need me to become? How does what I'm going through translate to benefiting the Kingdom. And I think that if we begin to develop a growth mindset around everything that is happening in our lives, and not asking why I'm going through this just because you don't want to feel the pain. But rather asking how is this thing going to benefit the Kingdom? What am I supposed to be learning Lord in this moment? I know it's painful. I know what's hard. I know it's tough. I know, it seems like God is not on your side. I know it seems like God has forgotten you. I know it seems like God has abandoned you. And I know it seems like even though God is bringing other instructions and you're talking to Him every day, you're reading the Word, you're hearing from Him, you're dreaming dreams, you are seeing visions, you're receiving prophecies. It seems like that particular thing that you're talking to Him about, He's just pretending like He hasn't heard it. I know it seems that way. I know it feels that way. But can you develop a growth mindset around the situation you are going through? Can you develop a growth mindset? I go my license shortly after I turned 18 and I did not really drive after that until I graduated university. At the time there was no car for me to drive, but my mom was so bent on me getting the license. It's just, you have to get it. You have to get it. And it was so frustrating at that point. Because I knew she didn't have the money and it was a sacrifice for her to be paying$35 an hour for me to go and learn how to drive at the time. And I just had so much anxiety. I was like, oh my God, I just want to get this license, you know, pass because I cannot go and take that test and come home having failed that that is going to be drama. You know, but it was such an annoying season for me because I did not see why I had to learn how to drive if I did not have a car to drive. And if there was no foreseeable future of me getting a car to drive anytime soon. But I listened and I went. And God been so good. I got that license and I probably moved a car maybe two, three times after that. It wasn't until four years later that my mom was able to get a new car and she gave me her old one and a couple months later, I got my own car. And all this happened so, so quickly. It was like, my life was just moving at a rapid pace once I got that bachelor's degree. Everything was just moving so fast. And you can imagine if I hadn't had that license, then I would not have been prepared for the situation that was coming. And this is just a minor example, but there are many other things that I've gone through in life that I can share, but this episode is already getting too long. After I said, I wasn't going to talk much, but I did leave myself to the Holy Spirit to speak through me. And so we've given Him that time to just do what he has to do and speak to who He has to speak to. If my mum did not have that growth mindset of a time is going to come when you need to know how to drive. So you just get your license now. Just have it, just have it, just put it down. You never know when you're going to need it. What matters is that when the time comes you have it. And you will have it in the exact moment that it is being required of you to have it. When all is said and done, finally, you have to surround yourself with a supportive community of believers who can encourage and uplift you on your journey. See this journey of life is not easy. It is not easy at all. And sometimes you're going to go through things. Sometimes seasons of preparation are not going to make sense to you. But it is in staying close to people who are filled with the Spirit, to people who have the mind of God that you can be encouraged, that you can be motivated, that you can be assured that God has not left you. He is still there. He's still watching out for you. You're His baby and He's going to take care of you better than anyone else could better than you can take care of yourself. And He's working all things out for your good. He's laying all the plans. He's laying all the foundations. And it's all gonna work out. As we wrap up today's episode, I want you to remember that being prepared when opportunity comes and obeying God even when nothing makes sense is an ongoing journey. It's an ongoing journey that requires courage. It requires faith and it requires a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father. Because without the relationship, without the trust of the relationship that you have with Him, it's very easy to lose hope. It's very easy to feel like you're just doing mundane things in life. That you are just going through a routine. That you're just going through a tough time. That the season you are in, does not matter. That the season you're in has no benefit to the life that is ahead of you. That what you are going through has no relevance to God or to the kingdom. But if you lean in to that relationship you have with Him. And you know that this is my lover, this is my friend, this is my father, this is my savior, this is my Redeemer. He's not just going to leave me hanging, then you have something to hold on to. And that is the only way you can embrace His plan and embrace the unexpected opportunities that are going to come your way. And so I hope this has inspired and encouraged you to embrace God's plan for your life, even when it may seem daunting and confusing, even when it may seem unintelligent, unwise, even when it may seem illogical. Remember that when you surrender to his guidance, and you trust in His wisdom to lead you through whatever season you're going through. That is when you position yourself to receive His abundant blessings. And that is when you position yourself for unimaginable opportunities. That is when you position yourself for the transformative growth that He has in store for you. And truly, ultimately, that is when you position yourself to walk in purpose and fulfill that which He has called you to do. I pray that the Lord will help you walk in faith. That He will help you be prepared for the extra ordinary moments that await you. And I pray that you will surrender to Him, your desires, your plans, your pain, your disappointments. That you will surrender it to Him and tell Him that Lord I'm going to trust You. Even though it seems hard in this season I'm going to trust You. Even though it seems like this thing does not make sense, I'm going to trust You. Even though, I don't think it's important for me to go get that degree, for me to go get that certificate, I am still going to go through that three month course just to get it because I don't know why You're asking me to get it. But I know and I trust that a year from now two years from now, 20 years from now, You're going to use this thing that You're asking me to go get. And so even though it's painful, it's hard that I'm praying for others they're getting healed. Their mothers are getting healed, but I'm not, I know that this is a season You're taking me through. Even though I'm going to this time where I've been job searching for two years, with three years and nothing seems to just be working out, I know that there's going to be a suddenly, there's going to be a time where a shift is going to take place in my life. And when that time comes, I'm going to be prepared with all the things that You're teaching me in the season. And so I'm going to lean on You, Lord. I'm going to trust You, Lord, I'm going to surrender to You, Lord. I'm going to give You my all Lord. And I'm going to let You take control. And I'm going to let You direct this car to its destination. I pray that the Lord will help you. That he was establish your path. And that you will find rest in Him. And trust that whatever you're going through now, it's all in preparation towards what is coming. And so I hope that today, you choose to be prepared for when opportunity comes knocking. Because the opportunity will come. But the question is, are you going to be prepared? And I hope you are. Until next time, keep thriving!