Challenges For Exploits

CHALLENGES FOR EXPLOITS
By Revd Bernard O. Itebiye
Horby, in his Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary (2000:178) defines

challenge as, “a new or difficult task that tests somebody’s ability or skill.”
The Oxford Minidictionary (1997:80) refers to it as “a call to try one’s skill or
strength; a demand to respond to or identify oneself; … a demanding task;” etc. In
other words, challenge is acknowledged as “a difficult task” but, that which tries
ones skill or strength. Selwyn Hughes refers to it as, “The divine alluring.” He
described the term as a period when “God draws us into a spiritual desert in order
to alert us to the peril our soul may be in and to enable us to draw closer to
Him.” Exploit, on the hand, refers to “good deed” or appropriately put, “making
good use of an opportunity”.
The implication of the above definitions is that “challenges” are opportunities.

Exploiting or making good use of the opportunity has nothing to do with your
person or your statutes by birth or size. In the words of Reinhard Bonnke, in his
FAITH The Link With God’s Power, “what we are by nature is not what counts. What
we are in Christ is the truth about us.” But the question of our time is, how can
we prove that we know God well enough to stand up to anything that comes our way?
How can we change our challenges into means of exploit?
Dr. Robert Schuller in his Move Ahead with Possibility Thinking. Outlines eight
steps we can take. They are:
1. Expect problems / challenges at all times.
2. Put each challenge in its proper perspective.
3. Welcome them (challenges) as the real stimulants to success.
4. Remember that every challenge is another opportunity
5. Draw up a challenge -solution list.
6. Use the challenge creatively
7. Cultivate sense of humour.
8. Let the challenge lead you closer to God
EXPECT CHALLENGES AT ALL TIMES:

Never allow any challenge surprise you. When you expect challenges, they can never
panic you. A Christian should not be a daydreamer who expects no difficulties. He
is a realist who expects his fair share of pains, hardship, and difficulties. He
develops a tough hide but preserve a tender heart. Be your own worst critic, avoid
being a baby any more, grow up, be a man. Give yourself stern tough talk. Expect
hardships. Knowing that challenges are inevitable, try to anticipate their coming
before running into them. “By anticipating your challenges, you imagine a variety
of possible solution” say Dr. Schuller. No wonder Jesus never panicked even when
he was arrested. He anticipated it.
PUT EACH CHALLENGE IN ITS PROPER PERSPECTIVE:

Try to avoid the natural inclination to “exaggerate your challenge”. Schuller
advises. This inclination often leads to the mistake of “the impossibility-
complexed person”. The average human being is said to have an amazing capacity to
make mountains out of molehills. Always guard against the temptation of
exaggerating the seriousness, longevity and intensity of any challenge. When this
is done, you have actually reduced it to size.
Though he knew that Lazarus was dead and buried Jesus simply told his disciples,
“Lazarus hophilos hemon kekoime tai alla poreuomai hina ezupniso auton” (John
11:11). (“Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him
up”). Better to downsize a challenge that exaggerates it.
WELCOME CHALLENGES AS STIMULANT TO SUCCESS:
Problems challenge your imagination to think deeper, spend more time, devote
greater energy and reorganize your total set-up. When this attitude is developed
you would have learnt to avoid being tense, abrupt, irritable, resentful, jealous,
cynical or even get discouraged when confronted with challenges.
Know that every challenge can exercise your imagination-generating muscles. In

other words, every challenge is made to strengthen you. Be confident that you will
be able to reap profits from them as stimulant and motivator to higher grounds-
success.
Once Jesus was asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born
blind?” Jesus said in reply, “Qute houtos hemarten oue hoi gones autou all’ hina
phanerother ta erga tou theou en auto” (John 9:3). (It was not that this man
sinned, or his parents sinned but that the word of God might be made manifest in
him). In other words, it is no time to worry about why, but an opportunity to show
the world the glory of God as contained in “The Nazarene manifesto” (apology to
The Revd Canon Dr. Israel Okoye). See Isaiah 61:1-3, (Matt. 11:5; Lk. 4:18-19;
7:22).
TAKE EVERY CHALLENGES ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY:
A politician who found himself in a controversial issue and was widely criticused,
was once quoted to have said, “I welcome criticism, it gives me an opportunity to
reply to my critics. I have an excuse to make a public statement enthusiastically
pointing out all the good I am doing, have done and am planning to do. Without the
criticism, I could never have had the platform or opportunity to air my plans to
so large an audience.
It is great how many creative possibilities lie hidden in every challenge. Christ
was accused of blaspheming when he told the paralytic man. “Teknon aphuebtia sou
ai amartai (Mk. 2:5) (‘ My Son, your sins are forgiven’) the scribes could not
stomach this. “who can forgive sins but God” (Mk. 2:7) they asked among
themselves. This was enough an opportunity for Christ to once again launch into
action. “the Nazarene manifesto” must be fulfilled. “Why do you question thus in
your heart? Jesus asks. “which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “ Your sins are
forgiven or to say rise take up your pailet and walk? “But that you may know that
the Son of man has authority in earth to forgive sins”. He said to the paralytic
“Soi lego, egeire aron ton krabatton sou kai upage eis oikon sou” (Mk. 2:8) (“ I
say to you rise take up your pailet and go home”).
Take every problem and challenge that comes your way as an opportunity to prove
something.
DRAW UP A POSSIBLE SOLUTION LIST

A leader must be able to draw up as many solution lists as can be imagined. If one
solution proves fruitless, try the second. If it proves the same try the third.
There has to be a solution. May be you have to think deeper and bigger. The
simplest way, perhaps, is to give and accept defeat. But is certainly not the
solution. May be a bit of inventive thinking will bring out something. An old
axiom say. “Where there is a will there is a way”
After the violent uproar that followed his defense speech in Jerusalem ( which he
actually begged for on the ground that he was a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicai, a
citizen of no mean city) Paul knew he was in a bigger challenge. Not only was he
about to be flogged. He may never have the opportunity and right to speak to the
people again. He had to think fast, deep and big. And he remembered what was
needed most, his Roman citizenship though a Jew by blood. (Acts 22:1ff). It was
therefore convenient for him to ask “Ei anthropon Romion kai akatak riton ezestin
humin mastrixeiv? (Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen,
and uncondmned?). Unquestionable, there is a solution to every challenge says Dr.
Schuller.
USE YOUR CHALLENGE CREATIVELY:

The wise man say “what you do with your challenge is far more important that what
your challenge does to you”. Dr. baron if the Institute of Personality Assessment
and Research, University of California, said “personal soundness is a way of
reacting to challenges, not an absence of challenges” (Success Digest, Ibid 34).
A good thinker and a leader in Christ must maintain an amazing degree of

imperturbability in the face of personal or group challenges. He sees great
possibilities of service, growth, learning, profit or even humour in his
challenges.
CULTIVATE A SENSE OF HUMOUR

If there is one-thing students of St. Paul’s University College (potential
leaders) have learnt from Rev. Canon Dr. Emmanuel Ekpunobi, it is the cultivation
of a sense of humour. He can extract some humour out of any challenge, no matter
how serious.
The first commandment I received as a student of SPUCA (September 3, 1997) was

from him. He said tersely “you must never complain, no matter what.” That was
like a knock on my head, but he build up such a terrific collection of jokes
around it that I, a master complainant before then, could not help liking it. It
became my eleventh commandment. You want to be a child of God? Never ever complain
about anything.
Next was his experience in Abuja. I cannot remember the story very well but he
ended up trekking all night and arriving at the Church he was invited to, as a
guest preacher for 8.00 a.m. service, at about 7.00 a.m. and had not prepared his
sermon. I could not imagine a bigger challenge any minister can face. Yet he
narrated it in such a way that you would think he enjoy it all.
LET YOUR CHALLENGE LEAD YOU TO GOD

Well, we all know that no challenge leaves you where it found you. Be guarded by
the affirmative confession of faith “ I will be a different person when this
challenge is gone. I will be wiser, stronger, and more patient”. I will be a
better person. With this you ask yourself, can this challenge bring me closer to
God or will it drive me away from Him? Can it build my faith attitude. “Therefore,
I intend to be a better person when this problem leaves me, than I was when it
met me” . Get closer to god. Every Christian leader must be one that is able to
say with Selwyn Haghes, “I have cone to the place in my Christian life where I am
convinced that in the midst of the worst thing that can happen. There is a good
and wise purpose at work…” God loves me so must to let anything happen to me that
will not work out for good”.
CONCLUSION:
Challenge is not obstacles. They are for our good. Sometimes God may deny us a
shallow answer in order that we may put our root into eternal and consequently
stand tall and strong in any storm. But even if they are obstacles. What about it?
In the word of Norman Pearls. “ A man who faces no obstacle faces no challenges.
The man who faces no challenges is a man who knows no excitement in life. He will
soon be bored, and boredom is the real old age and next thing to death”

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CHALLENGES FOR EXPLOITS

By Revd Bernard O. Itebiye

Horby, in his Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary (2000:178) defines

The implication of the above definitions is that “challenges” are opportunities.

EXPECT CHALLENGES AT ALL TIMES:

PUT EACH CHALLENGE IN ITS PROPER PERSPECTIVE:

Know that every challenge can exercise your imagination-generating muscles. In

DRAW UP A POSSIBLE SOLUTION LIST

USE YOUR CHALLENGE CREATIVELY:

A good thinker and a leader in Christ must maintain an amazing degree of

CULTIVATE A SENSE OF HUMOUR

The first commandment I received as a student of SPUCA (September 3, 1997) was

LET YOUR CHALLENGE LEAD YOU TO GOD

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