Missed Opportunities

Many people miss their God-given opportunities for a variety of reasons. An opportunity is a special window that comes to us at a unique time. If we are prepared to see and seize it, we can be what we were made to be. Here are seven reasons why people miss their opportunities:

We Are Fearful of What Others Think of Us: This is one of the worst traps a human being can fall into. Sometimes it starts in childhood with pressure from our parents to please. This fear controls us, and it’s the grid we run every decision through. “What will they think of me if I do this?” This fear is more powerful than the thought of what will God think of me. When we strive to please others, we lose our authenticity. We do that by focusing too much on pleasing others and suppressing our thoughts and desires to conform to their expectations.

We Fear Failure: The fear of failure can paralyze us and prevent us from taking advantage of opportunities. We may be hesitant, fearing the possibility of making mistakes. When we want perfection, we wait until we are assured of success before attempting an endeavor.

We Refuse to Make a Clean Break with Our Old Sins: This hindrance keeps us from seizing opportunities because we are distracted with sin—sin that we put down and pick up repeatedly. We know it hurts us, but we continue to play with it.

We Don’t Recognize the Opportunities Until It’s Too Late: God gives us the insight to seize the opportunity to gain victory, but we often don’t recognize it. Sometimes we see it as a burden or challenge we don’t want. Preoccupied with other things, we let it slip by.

We Are Not Dependent On the Spirit: When we are not dependent on the Spirit, we act on our self-reliance. We see things through our eyes and not God’s. We don’t feel his prompts or hear the still, small voice that speaks to us.

When We Are Indifferent: Complacency works like blinders preventing us from seeing what is right in front of us. We get stuck in complacent routines, making us less able to see opportunities. Indifference makes us resistant to change.

Lack of Prayerfulness and Awareness: Prayer is challenging work. In fact, it is humbling. We admit that we cannot do the work and ask God for his help. God is moved by our humility and willingness to call on him. We need the Lord’s help more than anything else to seize God’s opportunities.