Maximizing Opportunities by Apostle Johnson Suleman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Life Is an Opportunity

Matthew 25:15, 28 — He gave to one five talents, to another two, to another one, according to each man's ability. Take therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has ten.

Life is the biggest opportunity you can ever have. Life is given to you by God as a privilege. Everything that comes your way is given by God to be maximized. God does not give you health for your health to depreciate. God does not give you intellect for it to depreciate. Everything God gives is meant to be taken to the highest level — 100% profit.

Our king is coming back. Everyone who goes on a journey must return. Before he left, he gave — and whatever you do with what he gave is up to you. But do not forget: the one who gave you the gift is coming.

Gifts Are Distributed According to Ability

The man who had five had ability for five. The man who had two had ability for two. The man who had one had ability for one. So if someone is ahead of you, it is not because God is partial — it is because that person has developed ability.

Your gifting sits on the platform of your ability. It is not God who determines the number of gifts you receive — it is your ability that determines it.

Anytime you grow in faith, in discipline, in prayer, in study, in intimacy, in grace, in giving, in meditation — you are increasing gifting capacity. As you increase capacity, gift increases. Are you following?

There are not just nine gifts of the spirit — Paul addressed nine that were causing problems in the Corinthian church. There are multiple gifts. Administration, helps, and many others. And God can give you the grace to walk in them — but you have to develop ability.

What Is Your Advantage?

A believer is one whose life is an advantage. You are different from the world.

If they cheat and you cheat, if they lie and you lie, if they are immoral and you are immoral — what is your power? What is your advantage? What others do that you do not do is your power.

Anytime you walk away from sin, you are building power. Anytime you choose holiness, you are building spiritual muscle. Enoch built power to the point where he became so spotless that God said come home — and took him. A man walked with God until he walked to heaven.

Build power with God. Build strength with God. Build identity with God. God said about Abraham, I know him. That word know is not just facial recognition — it means I trust him. That no matter how great he becomes, he will command his household after me.

Serve God

The first way to maximize opportunity is service. There are three dimensions of service.

Service to God. Job 36:11 — if they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasure. Matthew 6:24 — you cannot serve two masters. Everything in this life is looking for worship. Money is looking for worship. Fame is looking for worship. Satan said to Jesus, all of this I will give you if you fall down and worship me. Jesus said, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him alone shalt thou serve.

The world was handed to Satan when Adam fell. What the second Adam came to give back to you is your soul — not a car, not a house. The soul is what Jesus came to redeem. Whether you like it or not, mammon still controls this world.

Real prosperity message begins with your soul. Give your soul to Jesus. Then build career. Build business. Build home. That is prosperity. If your soul is not prospering, nothing else is permitted to prosper.

When serving God, do not give so that God will give back to you. That is transaction. God is too big to be your business partner. Give because it is your responsibility as a Christian. When you have that mentality, heaven can trust you.

Service to people. When you leave this world, what people remember you for is your influence on them. Your impact on their lives. That little smile gave someone hope. That little cheerfulness gave someone joy.

When someone does something for you, say thank you. When your wife finishes cooking, say thank you to her. Stop feeling entitled. Be grateful.

And understand that when you harm someone, you are harming God's product — and the manufacturer is watching.

Destroy Excuses

The second way to maximize opportunity is to destroy excuses. One servant came and gave excuses. That is why he lost even what he had.

No excuse. God has given you life. You have no excuse to fail. God has given you brains, given you ideas. You have no excuse to be stranded.

That thing you call an excuse is what other people see as raw material. You are saying you cannot sleep — somebody else is looking for how to stay awake for a project or to pray. You are calling it a problem; they are calling it a gift.

Do what is available until what is desirable comes. If you have to clean shoes, clean plates — do what is available. Your certificate means nothing if you refuse to act at the level you are at now.

Have a Good Heart

The third way to maximize opportunity is to have a good heart. The heart is the platform for living.

The reason heaven is closed over many people — despite prayer, fasting, calling upon God — is that the heart is corrupted.

In the parable, the servant who had one talent told his master, you are a hard man. You reap where you did not sow. He saw the gift as a trap, as exploitation. But others saw the same gift and made profit with it.

When you have an entitled mindset, you lose title. Nothing makes a man untitled like entitlement. When you are too entitled, you end up untitled.

Everything you are doing, there are about a thousand people who can do the same thing. What stands you out is character, faithfulness, and a good heart.

Katherine Kuhlman was ministering until she was exhausted — body shaking, hands trembling. She said, Jesus, I need strength. The Holy Spirit said, I know what you are doing is a man's job. A man failed me. That is why I picked you.

Three Qualities of a Good Heart

• A grateful heart. Be grateful. Grateful. Grateful. Even for the smallest things. You are thankful. Wake up in the morning — Father, thank you for life.
• A heart that thinks well of others. Ask yourself before acting: if this were done to me, could I take it? That person you want to fire — his mother may be eating from his salary. Life changes. They are down today; they can be up tomorrow.
• A heart that thinks before speaking. Not everything your heart wants to say should be spoken. Let your words minister grace. When you are offended, if it will not come out gracefully, keep it. There are utterances that even Satan is shocked by.

Father, in the name of Jesus — every gift given to me by God, I receive grace to maximize it. Every gift given to me by God, I receive grace to maximize it. I receive grace to maximize it.

I pray that every assignment of God for your life — whatever God has called you to be, ordained you to be, designed you to be — you will be it. You will not fail. Your life will produce fruits. Your life will produce benefits. Your life will produce evidence. Your life will produce increase. You will increase on all sides in the name of Jesus. God will circumcise your heart. The spirit of God will purge your heart. There is restoration coming — of all that you have lost. God is putting an end to evil patterns.