It was Mariah Carey, the United States born African American Diva, who in one of her soul-stirring and inspiring songs, “A Hero Lies Within You” stated,
There
is a hero,
If
you look inside your heart,
You
cannot be afraid of what you are;
There
is a man inside, if you reach into your soul,
And
the sorrow that you know will melt away;
Then
you feel you’ve come to life, with the strength to carry on;
Then
you cast your fears aside, and you know you can survive
So
when you feel that hope is gone, look inside and be strong,
And
finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you.
Indeed,
there is a hero/heroin in you.
Centuries
earlier, Apostle Paul inspired by God’s Holy Spirit charged Timothy, a young
Minister serving in the city of Ephesus, amongst other things, “To stir (Fan
into flame) the gift of God that is in” him (II Timothy 1:6-7).
Without need to over labour the issue,
we all need to awaken to the reality that within each of us lay hidden, great
potentials mostly untapped. Until we explore and exploit these “Hidden
treasures” we would never fully accomplish God’s purposes for our lives.
Several Scripture passages point to the
fact that as earthen vessels, there lie inside each of us treasures of
inestimable values. One such passage is II Corinthians 4:7 where God’s Word
unequivocally states, “We have these treasures in earthen vessels….” Treasures
in earthen vessels? Yes, “…Treasures in earthen vessels.”
This means that for everyone created by
God there lies within talents of immense possibilities with a view to providing
certain solutions bedeviling mankind. Succinctly stated, you were created a
solutions’ provider. In other words, God created you to solve specific problems.
You would not have been born if it were not that a Divine seal of greatness is placed
upon your life. I dare to say, therefore, that every creature in the image and
likeness of God is created with immeasurable Divine deposits, which when
realized and harnessed could lead to accomplishing God’s overall purposes for
our planet and for humanity in particular. Scripture attests to the fact that
without certain people God’s overall agenda would be incomplete (Hebrews
11:40). You and I are part of a generation that causes the whole of Heavenly
Host to wonder (I Peter 1:10 -12).
Because you are part of a special
generation, you are altogether special.
The topic assigned to me is, CHRISTIAN
YOUTHS AND THE HIDDEN GIANTS IN THEM. This is a somewhat difficult topic but I
shall try my best to see that I share something that would motivate you.
Let me say that by the topic assigned to
me, I was not asked to specifically pin-point to and name the “giants” that are
in each of us, rather, my assignment is to lay the foundation for you to build
the superstructures that would set machineries in motion for you to identify
your areas of gifting, exploit them and awaken the giant that lies within you.
Let me say these: UNLIMITED POWER LIES
SLEEPING WITHIN YOU! To awaken this giant will be a function of what you know,
what you do and your partnership with God (Job 8:5-7, 21).
DEFINITION OF
TERMS
Words
are powerful tools. Your worlds can be turned around for either good or bad.
This is why it is important that any study of this nature should commence with
definitions; definition of terms. We want to take cursory look into the
following words: “Self”, “Discovery” and “Potential.” These are words, which
have the potentials of awakening the hero or heroine in you. We begin with the
word, “Self.”
According
to Oxford Advanced Learners’ dictionary, Self is, “A person’s nature or
personality; the qualities that make one individual”. Self is you. Self is Me.
I am not what I am because of what I look on the outside but what I am in the
inside of me. The real me is what makes me thick. My name is not me, it is my
spoken person, a kind of an identification by which I am identified from among
others. My face is not me; it is the symbol that I am immediately recognized.
It does not in any way represent the totality of my person. Some other person
may possess the same features that I have but he is not me. If none of these
describe me, who then is me? What is my “Self”? I am distinct, Unfathomable. I
am unique, I am Great. I am greater than I can be thought of. Self is beyond
human comprehension and description. No one has the ability to describe another
better than the person who is himself. Self-knowledge is principally the result
of an introspective look.
“DISCOVERY
The word
“Discovery” is from the root word, “Discover”. It means, “Knowledge of a
thing existing already but not perceived or known”. The word, Discovery speaks
not of invention or manufacture, but a reassertion of the identity and presence
of a thing or a being. When a discovery is made, it does not mean that it is the
first time such a thing is seen, rather the time when its worth is realized. It
denotes locating that which is hidden.
Crude oil was discovered in Nigeria in 1957 but that does not mean that
it had not been there all along. We learnt that late Mungo Park discovered
River Niger, but does that mean that River Niger had not been there all along?
It had. Ourselves have been with us since we were created, conceived and given
birth to but until we discover who we are, we cannot be said to have realized
self.
Self-discovery
leads to self-recovery, self-recovery leads to self-realization and
self-realization leads to self-actualization. Plato, a Greek sage once
exhorted, “Man, knows thyself”.
Self-discovery, principally, is self-realization and
awareness of our personal worth, abilities and capabilities. It is an
understanding of the latent abilities that one possesses but which lie hidden,
unexplored but upon realization begins to be tapped into for the individual’s
good.
Important
questions that would lead one to the road of self-discovery are, “Who Am I?”
and “Why Am I Here?” First, I am me, a creature of God, a creature
of destiny and not of chance. I am created for a purpose and that purpose must
be fulfilled in my generation. I am made in the very image of God. What God is,
I am. In fact, I am a god. Jesus said it
emphatically thus confirming prophetic utterance, “Is it not written in your
law, ‘I said you are gods’ ” (John 10:34).
I
possess in me the Divine nature (II Pet.1: 3-4). For instance God’s word is
creative (Gen. 1:3f; Ps.33: 9) and our own words can be creative too (Job 22:
29; Mark 11:22-23).
POTENTIAL
According
to Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, potential is “Latent”. The word, Latent
is derived from the Latin word, “Latere” and it means, “Lie hidden, not
apparent, dormant.” A dig into the etymology of the word, “Latent,” shows that
it is synonymous with the following words: Dormant, Quiescent, Potential, and
Abeyant.
Latent
“Stresses concealment as that which is present without
showing itself”, Dormant “Suggests
inactivity as a thing that is asleep; Quiescent refers to the “cessation
of action, usually for the time being”. Potential “Applies to that which
does not yet exist but is bound to exist if the process of coming into being is
not arrested”; Abeyant “Applies to being in abeyance, or state of
suspended activity.”
Potentials
refer to the innate abilities and to maximize it means to enlarge and stretch
our abilities to their very limit. To some extent, our abilities are inelastic
– the more you stretch it the better it becomes. All of us have talents which should be
developed for the purposes of launching into our various stardoms. Each of us
is a Success waiting to be celebrated.
GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR YOUR LIFE
Anthony Robbins in his classic, Awaken the Giant Within (1991:22) observes:
At
a very early age, I developed a belief that we’re all here to contribute
something unique, that deep within each of us lies a special gift. You see, I
truly believe we all have a sleeping giant within us. Each of us has a talent,
a gift, our own bit of genius just waiting to be tapped. It might be a talent
for art or music. It might be a genius for selling or innovating or reaching
out in your business or your career. I choose to believe that our Creator
doesn’t play favorites, that we’ve all been created unique, but with equal opportunities
for experiencing life to the fullest.
Through
it all, I’ve continued to recognize the power individuals have to change
virtually anything and everything in their lives in an instant. I’ve learned
that the resources we need to turn our dreams into reality are within us,
merely waiting for the day when we decide to wake up and claim our
birthright.
Who you are is a gift from God but what
you become out of who you are is your gift back to God. Talents come in raw
state, which requires some kinds of identification, exploration, refinement and
exploitation (Mining) without which such talents are lost or at best kept in abeyance.
Talents are gifts from God and everyone
has it (Matthew 25:14-30). Some seem to have more than others. In reality,
there are people who make more uses of their talents than others. The moment
you discover what your gifting is, utilize those gifting, you begin to bloom,
soar and shine in the sun.
Your gift is your passport to earthly
destiny (achievements, contributions to the development of the human race and
sense of fulfillment). You cannot be greater than your talents. In fact, it is
your talent(s) that ultimately defines or define you, gives direction to your
life and assign you a place in society. So, if there is anything you must do:
discover who you are; what you are gifted in and utilize it (them) to the full –
Awaken the Giant Within!
AWAKENING THE GIANT
Awakening the giant within is a function
of many factors: principally that of self-discovery. Self-discovery is a step
to self-recovery. Self-discovery begins the moment you are able identify
yourself as a creature of design and purpose; identify what you love to do,
what you have passion for; what gives you satisfaction and your Unique Setting
Point (USP); the things that sets you apart from the pack, or the unique value
you have among others (what you do better than others).
Having done these, you carry out a SWOT
analysis on yourself. In this effort, you consider your strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats. Those would mark the beginning of your concerted
effort to unleash your potentials and to maximize them.
ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE, GAIN SKILLS
We live in a knowledge-driven world
where your ability to unleash your potentials is a function of what you know
and what you do with what you know. In view of this, you must endeavour to
learn, unlearn and re-learn. Proverbs 4:7 states that “…Wisdom is the principal
thing.” To be sure, knowledge is the younger brother to wisdom.
Next to knowledge are skills. To add
value and strategically position yourself to unleash yourself, skills become
the next ally you need. Skills are innate potentials transformed into
marketable qualities.
TAKE CHARGE; BE IN CONTROL
One major area of your life in your
quest towards unleashing your potentials that you must give considerable
thoughts to is the area of personal responsibility. You must as a matter of
fact be in charge; you must take control. Do not surrender your life to faces,
forces and farces.
Robert Harold Schuller in his all-time
bestseller, Tough Times Never Last, But
Tough People Do! (1983:92-108) suggests areas where anyone who desires to
awaken the hidden giants in him or her should never surrender the leadership of
his or her life to, namely:
1. Do
not surrender to outside forces.
2. Do
not surrender to faces.
3. Do
not surrender to farces (lies).
4. Do
not surrender to fences (negative concepts).
5. Do
not surrender to frustrations.
6. Do
not surrender to fantasies.
7. Do
not surrender to fears.
8. Do
not surrender to fatigue.
9. Do
not surrender to faults.
10.
Do not surrender to facts.
11.
Do not surrender to frenzies.
12.
Do not surrender to fates.
13.
Do not surrender to forecasts.
14.
Do not surrender to your foes.
15.
Do not surrender to your friends.
16.
Do not surrender to fracturing experiences of life.
17.
Do not surrender to flattening-out experiences of life.
BUT
SURRENDER ONLY TO ONE THING – FAITH!
Surrender to your faith in God and faith in yourself.
Learn to doubt your doubt and to have faith in your faith.
You must henceforth blame no one for
your failures and lack of successes in life. You must be at the driver’s seat
of your own life. You must take full and unreserved responsibilities of what your
life finally turns out. You must be in charge of your emotions, reasoning and
environments. You must become master and not slave anymore.
You must appreciate the fact that no one
owes you anything in life but you owe yourself everything – Everything you will
ever be begins and ends with you. That is, you either rise or fall with
yourself. My charge to you, therefore, is BE IN CHARGE! Take your deserved
place in history.
Stop banking on people; Bank on God and
on yourself. The day you stop looking up to people and start looking up to God
and on to yourself – that will be the day of your jubilee. Stop looking
outwards and start looking upwards and inwards! When you look upwards, the
power behind the universe may direct you to look inwards. This is because all
that you need to succeed in life have all been deposited inside of you. There
is a miracle in this house (cf. Isaiah 8:16, 18).
You
must realize that God has given to each of us “…all things that pertain to life
and godliness” (II Peter 1:3). Everything you need to shine and outshine are
inside of you. See yourself the way you should, not the way you shouldn’t; see
yourself the way God sees you and has created you. See yourself the way God has
created you to be not the way your environment has turned you. The
“environment” in this case is your biological make-up, your family’s background,
educational attainments, etcetera.
The
moment you realize that you are a powerhouse of possibilities, that same moment
you will lift up from base, take flight and soar!
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TIME AND WORK HARD
Time is one of the greatest allies of
anyone who desires to awaken the hidden giant in himself or herself. It is also
one of the greatest enemies one has. I work extra hours; I work almost 20 hours
everyday. When people go to sleep, I am working and I wake up while many are
still asleep to continue to work. Jesus said, “Because my Father works till
now, I also work.”
Working out your talents is translating
your dreams into practical realities. Coming from a very poor economic
background where I had to stop schooling at Primary Five and was sent to be an
apprentice in Enugu in 1981 because there was no one to pay my school fees, I
know I could not change the circumstances of my birth and death but I, at least
can influence the way I live and how life finally turns out for me.
Therefore, to dream, fold your hands,
hope and wait for God’s time to come would not take you anywhere. You must plan
your work and work your plan! That way, your hidden talents and giants will emerge
to bless your life and your generations.
FOCUS IS A MAJOR KEY FACTOR
Writing
on the power of focus, Anthony Robbins in his classic, Awaken the Giant Within (1991:22) stated:
Most
people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we
focus all our resources on mastering a single area of our lives. Controlled
Focus is like a laser beam that can cut through anything that seems to be
stopping you. When we focus consistently on improvement in any area, we develop
unique distinctions on how to make that area better. One reason so few of us
achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never
concentrate our power.
My entire life has been continually driven
by a singular, compelling focus: what makes the difference in the quality of
people’s lives? How is it that so often people from such humble beginnings and
devastating backgrounds manage in spite of it all to create lives that inspire
us? Conversely, why do many of those born into privileged environments with
every resource for success at their fingertips, end up fat, frustrated, and
often chemically addicted? What makes some people live an example and others’ a
warning? What is the secret that creates passionate, happy, and grateful lives
in many, while for others the refrain might be, “Is that all there is?”
One
can be born rich and die poor. On the other hand, one can be born poor and die
wealthy. What is the difference? The difference lay in the fact that one lacked
focus and so allowed the giant in him or her to die while the other had focus
and so awoke the giant within.
STEPS TO
SELF-DISCOVERY AND AWKENING
THE GIANT
IN YOU
REALIZE THAT YOU
ARE SPECIAL (PSALM 139:14)
We
are all creatures of design. Each of us is a bundle of wonder. In his booklet,
You Can Be Just A Christian, Jim Massey wrote of human body, “It has
self-restoring, self-healing systems. Its ears are a sophisticated and
stereophonic auditor system. It has a tireless system of muscles. Its digestive
system is rugged yet precise. Its taste-smell machinery is sensitive and
analytical. Its skeleton is well engineered. Its blood circulation system is
extensive and trouble free. It has a computerized memory-bank brain. It has a
very sensitive nerve network. It has a programmed glandular-hormone system…. It
has a ventilation-insulation skin envelope…. It has a reproductive system,
which is unfathomable. Its voice and language mechanisms are unique. It has an
elaborate danger-warning reaction system. Its eyes have-wide-angle living colour
lens which are alive.” MAN IS A BUNDLE OF WONDER.
REALIZE THAT THERE
IS A VAST DEPOSIT OF POTENTIALS IN EACH OF US (MATTHEW 6: 22-23; II TIMOTHY 1:
6-7).
I
do not know if you know but I know that you should know that there is an
important thing in you, an enormous amount of divine deposit, something that
the devil is after at all cost. The Word of God calls it, “Light” and “Gift of
God” according to the two passages cited earlier. This Light can be
extinguished or “Fanned into Flame”; it can be used in distinguishing us from
the rest. This Light can be made to glow, enabling each of to flow in the
direction that God intends for us.
Discover
this Light that is within you. Open your eyes to its possibilities, to the
enormous resources it can bring your way and you would be happy and fulfilled.
If this Light in you grows dim for any reason whatsoever, you would live in
perpetual darkness of unrealized dreams (cf. Matthew 6:23).
Do
you want to live in darkness or in Light? Allow the Light within you to burst
into radiance, consuming your ignorance and eliminating your limitations.
“How
do I know the particular kind of Light that I possess?” you may ask. My
response is simple - What talent do you love to exhibit most? Then major in
that area and you would become a star.
HOW CAN WE FAN OUR GIFTS INTO FLAME?
1. KNOW THAT YOUR THOUGHTS CAN MAKE OR MAR YOU
(PROVERBS
23:7).
a.
For this reason engage in positive
thinking and Mind Renewal exercises (Ephesians 4:23; Proverbs 4:23).
b.
Lots of people are suffering from various
negative mentalities that are very destructive. These are “Defeatist”,
“Impossibility” and “I am A Nobody” mentality. Let us look at each of these:
DEFEATIST
MENTALITY
This
kind of mentality sees only defeat. It compares itself with the size of the
problems of life and becomes in its own mind too small and his problems too big
to be handled by such a small person as himself. This kind of mentality gives
up easily (cf. Proverbs 24 10).
While
others see an opening, he only sees strong walls of oppositions. This mentality
characterized ten out of the twelve spies sent to spy out the land of Canaan by
God through Moses (Numbers 13:27-31). God did not create us to be ruled and
ruined by defeatism (Joel 3:10; II Tim.1: 7).
IMPOSSIBILITY
MENTALITY:
The
spirit of impossibility rules in the lives of many people which explains the
many cases of dashed hopes and aspirations. In the real sense of the word,
nothing is impossible in itself. Impossibility is only a state of the mind.
Things are impossible to you because you think they are impossible. Things
maybe difficult, all right, but are not altogether impossible.
Nothing
is impossible to anyone to believe that things are possible (Matthew 17: 20). Some
people think that it is impossible to change a certain lifestyle. To them, they
have reached a point of no return.
Unlock
yourself from impossibility mentality. Dare to do things; step out in faith and
dare to take on the difficult and “impossibility” would give way to possibility.
“I
AM A NOBODY” MENTALITY:
The
devil has deceived and ruined many lives by feeding them with lies (Hosea
10:13b; John 8: 44).
Who
told you that you are a nobody? Please, reject this message. Nobody is a
nobody. You are somebody. Every one God created is created to be somebody. God
does not take time to create a nobody.
You
are created in the very image and likeness of God and God is not a nobody. He
is somebody. He is important. You are important, too.
If
you are nobody, why should Jesus die for you? Jesus died for you because you
are somebody. You have a destiny to fulfill that is why you are somebody.
2. LEARN TO PAY THE PRICE.
For
every prize received in life there is a price to pay. Paying the
price is what separates men from boys; gals from girls; Winners from losers and
achievers from dreamers. In every human endeavour there is a price attached and
only those who pay the price actually get to the peak. Are you willing to pay
the price?
3. ENGAGE IN EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT (EPHESIANS
5:16).
There
are many things we can do with time: Use time, Misuse time, Invest time; Kill
time, Waste and Manage time. To maximize your Potentials you must be time-conscious.
Time is a precious commodity and the currency in use by the super-successful
persons.
Late
Yoruba sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had advised on the proper use of time. He
opined that people should make use time should divide each 24-hour period into
three: 8 hours to sleep, 8 hours to study and 8 hours to work.
4. MAKE ADEQUATE USE OF THE NIGHT
Someone
had written, “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by
sudden flight. But they, while their companions slept were toiling upwards in
the night”. For great people, night is not just a time to sleep but to work.
But for ordinary people, it is a time to sleep and snore. Many great scientific
discoveries were made at night. Night is an important period of the day for
many serious minded persons for academic, research-oriented and spiritually
minded persons. “Prayer Warriors” make good use of night to pray effectively.
Scholars use the night extensively; Witches and Wizards equally use the night
for their nefarious and diabolical purposes (Matthew 13:24-25).
5. HAVE A GOAL AND GO THE EXTRA MILE.
A
person is as tall as his or her dreams are. You need to plan and set an agenda for
yourself. He who fails to plan, only plans to fail. You must have visions for
yourself that says in effect, “By the grace of God, in the next five, ten,
fifteen and twenty years from now I am going to be this or that.” Once you have
gotten a mental picture of who you want to be in the future, the next thing to
do is to translate such dreams into reality by going the “Extra mile”. Why the
“Extra mile”? Because “The difference between the ordinary and the
extraordinary is the little ‘Extra.’ “ Always do the extra things and learn to
do them better (cf. Ecclesiastes 9:10; Proverbs 22:29).
6.
DO NOT ALLOW YOUR ASSETS TO BECOME YOUR LIABILITIES, RATHER, ALLOW YOUR
LIABILITIES TO BECOME YOUR ASSETS.
Your
beauty or handsomeness, which is an asset, can become your liability. Your
father’s wealth, influence or connections, which are assets, can become your
liabilities. On the other hand, your poverty, disabilities, which are
liabilities, can become your assets. Use your opportunities well and turn your
disadvantages into your advantage. Let me say this - those of us who think that
they have certain disabilities and so are disadvantaged must begin to change
their perceptions. Of a truth, there is a sense in every nonsense and ability
in every disability. Most of today’s millionaires and successful people were
children of poor parents.
7. GET INTO
PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD (JOB 8: 5-7, 21; I CHRONICLES 4: 9-10; PSALMS 81:10).
The Lord Jesus
said it emphatically, “Apart from me you can do
nothing” (John 15:5b).
However, having gone into partnership with the Lord, apostle Paul affirmed, “I
can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). If
you allow the Lord to be your senior partner, you can be sure that maximization
of your potentials would know no limit. Get connected to your connector today
and you will get your connection.
SUMMATION
Great people are ordinary people with
extraordinary amounts of determination. Therefore, strive to arrive, dream to
achieve. Remember: the you, you see is the you that you will be; the you that
you are is the best that can be.
What you are is a gift from God and what
you become out of who you are is your gift back to God. So, when you stand
before the Lord, what will you present to Him as your personal accomplishments
in return for the tremendous amount of the talents that He has invested in you
(Matthew 25:14-30)?
You do not have a single reason to fail
in life. You have every reason to be a smashing success.
As
a passing word: DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE NEXT SUCCESS STORY TO BE WRITTEN?
See at you at the top!
