Discovering and
Maximising them
Emmanuel Ayensu
Copyright © 2016 Emmanuel Ayensu
ISBN: 978-9988-2-4179-7
DEDICATION
CONTENTS v
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i
FOREWORD iii
1. UNDERSTANDING OPPORTUNITIES 5
2. DISCOVERING OPPORTUNITIES 13
4. MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES 90
God richly bless you Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dogbe for
your wonderful work on the manuscript and fatherly
counsel.
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FOREWORD
Benjamin Franklin is noted to have said, “To
succeed, jump quickly at opportunities as you do at
conclusions.” In Opportunities: Discovering and
Maximizing Them, Emmanuel Ayensu offers us nuggets
of gold that not only allow the reader to jump at
opportunities, but also to be ready for it when it comes
and to recognize it so as to seize it. The gems of
wisdom described in this book does not only provide us
with practical tools for daily living but are also
grounded in strong biblical reflections that persuades us
to reach beyond ourselves into becoming who God
created us to be – developing our potentials and
maximizing them.
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1. UNDERSTANDING
OPPORTUNITIES
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them.
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Get your focus right, and believe that what you are
looking for may not necessarily be far from where you
are, then go work on your job. You may miss an
opportunity when you become too desperate for it.
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EFFECTIVE MEDITATION
Proverbs 20:12
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You need the eye to see what people are not seeing.
You first have to be a man or a woman on a mission.
You should know what you want; and beyond that, see
with your mind‟s eye that it is possible. You may be
standing in your acres of diamond now and yet not
know. Walt Disney saw his mountain in Disneyland
where everyone saw bush. He told people he was seeing
this mountain in Orlando, Florida, and they thought he
was losing his mind. He saw what others did not see.
He worked with engineers to make it possible. It was
rather unfortunate he passed on before the
commissioning of the place.
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Proverbs 23:18
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2. DISCOVERING
OPPORTUNITIES
Isaiah 55:6
Ecclesiastes 3:1
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1 Chronicles 12:32
“For man also does not know his time: Like fish
taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.”
Ecclesiastes 9:12
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victory.
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Proverbs 17:8
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Gal 6:9-10
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Of Jesus, it is said;
Isaiah 53:3
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Philippians 2:25
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Daniel 2:49
Matthew 19:28
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2 Kings 3:11
James 4:2
Matthew 7:7,8
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Hebrew 12:14
Matthew 5:9
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Proverbs 24:26
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1 Kings 4:34
Serendipity
Serendipity from the Oxford Dictionary means the
making of happy and unexpected discoveries by
accident. God in His infinite wisdom has made us in a
way that everyone will have opportunities. The wise
and the fool, the intelligent and the ignorant all have a
chance to succeed. Nabal was rich. It does not matter
your race, tribe or gender, you still have a chance.
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Ecclesiastes 9:11
1 Samuel 9:3,9
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1 Samuel 10:1
1 Samuel 17:17-18, 25
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Adversity
God schedules enemies in our lives to change our
seasons. Change is inevitable. People love change but
do not want to change. I remember a friend saying, “it
seems babies in diapers are the usual people who
always love change.” Some people bring change, but
everyone is affected by change. There are times God
wants us to leave where we are to where He wants us to
be but we are not willing to make a move. Sometimes
we know where we are is not good for us but we fail to
make a move. God is so gracious that He consciously
schedules events in our lives that will bring change and
help us fulfill destiny.
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Tips
Your imagination may run wide but your reality is
always shaped by your focus and your actions.
Discovering should not be difficult. As far as you can
see, read and listen, you are good to discover every
opportunity you want if only you master these facts.
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3. WHY PEOPLE MISS
OPPORTUNITIES
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First Impression
It is said that you do not judge a book by its cover.
However, the reality is that most people do. God who
created man knows that we are quick to judge by what
we see. That is why He told the Prophet Samuel,
1 Samuel 16:7
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Impatience
“But the ones that fell on the good ground are
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Luke 8:15
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1 Samuel 13:8-10
1 Samuel 13:13
Procrastination
“Procrastination,” we say, “is the thief of time.”
There is no better moment than the present. Tomorrow
may never come. Even if tomorrow comes, you may
not be there. Many people who started the year with us
are not alive. We do not live forever on earth. Open
doors do not stay opened forever. If you procrastinate in
starting your business, career or ministry, you may
wake up one day and realize you are old and incapable
of accomplishing those things you have planned.
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Proverbs 13:12
Inconsistency
Consistency is the key to your breakthrough. You
may be doing the right thing but not long enough.
Consistency pays. Many people can‟t wait. They want
to have everything overnight. Such people do not get
anything in the long run. You need to be consistent in
executing the task set before you. Many people are
praying and longing for the opportunity that you have.
You cannot maximize such an opportunity with a
lackadaisical attitude.
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1 Kings 18:43,44
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Matthew 7:8
Proverbs 25:2
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Proverbs 25:4
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you have and the things you do. They may seem so
ordinary, but never forget that extraordinary things are
normally refined ordinary things that find themselves in
the right place at the right time.
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Luke 4:42-43
Indecision
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of
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decision.”
Joel 3:14
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Dishonor
“Honor is the seed of access. What you respect
moves toward you. What you disrespect moves
away from you”.
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Mike Murdock
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Failure to Negotiate
Problems are opportunities. That does not mean
that you solve just any problem you come across. Jesus
did not heal everyone. He did not preach to everybody.
A problem becomes an opportunity if there is a reward
for solving it. Almost every problem has a reward for
solving it. However, that does not mean you will be
rewarded for solving it. There are problems that you
may have solved for people that they did not reward
you, or the reward was less than what you anticipated.
This is because people are not under any obligation to
reward you just because you solved a problem for them.
This is the reason you have to negotiate on the reward
for solving problems before solving them. I would
thank you if I come and see you mopping my floor. I
will not pay you if I did not give you the job.
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Luke 10:7
Proverbs 14:23
1 Corinthians 9:14
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Jephthah
Judges 11:9-10
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Joseph
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Genesis 41:33-34
Genesis 41:38-39
Jacob
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took all the brown, speckled and spotted sheep and goat
and gave them to his sons. This means that Jacob had
nothing. Yet God honored this principle of legitimate
negotiation. He showed him in a dream where the ram
that were leaping on the flock were speckled and
spotted. That was how Jacob got more flock than Laban
his master. If you can negotiate right in all honesty,
God will help you prosper.
David
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1Samuel 17:26
1Samuel 17:25
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Ecclesiastes 9:14-15
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Peter
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Matthew 19:27-29
Hebrews 12:2
Isaiah 45:19
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Emmanuel Makandiwa
Ungratefulness
The small things that happen in our lives really
matter. We are tempted to take many things for granted
every now and then, especially when they seem
mundane. Appreciating a single act can lead to
countless opportunities. There are many people in the
world that we all have the right to choose whom to
befriend. You should appreciate those who care enough
to know how you are feeling. Be grateful for that
person who spent some time just to listen to you. We
normally take for granted those who are close to us and
care a lot about what we do. You may even get upset
sometimes at the people who just come over and sit by.
Having someone to sit by you is a blessing you should
not take for granted. There are many lonely people in
this world.
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Luke 17:15-19
Fear of Failure
Fear can cripple your life. We all do not want to
fail. The only person who has never failed is the one
who has never tried anything new. Failure paves the
path to success. Henry Ford is noted for answering
someone who asked him how to succeed,
John 4:18
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Rebellion
People usually change with power, so do they with
opportunity. Once a faithful guy can turn to be the
worst rebel you can deal with. Some people are so
deceived that they do not even recognize when they
start rebelling. They justify their actions with so many
reasons.
Proverbs 27:24
Ecclesiastes 10:7
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Psalm 68:6
Foolishness
“The foolishness of a man twists his way, and his
heart frets against the LORD.”
Proverbs 19:3
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that can twist your way can cost you more than you
may be willing to pay.
Ecclesiastes 10:15
Loss of Focus
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have
apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead,”
Philippians 3:13
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unfocused”.
1 Kings 20:39,40
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Luke 10:41, 42
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4. MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES
2 Peter 3:18
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Learn all you can about all you do. Then learn what
others are doing that may have an impact on what you
do. You may share a platform with people but you
should understand that they are likely to have better
opportunities than you do if they are better in
knowledge and skills than you are.
Hard Work
“Hard work doesn‟t kill, it refines”
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Ecclesiastes 9:10
Tenacity
“…There was in a certain city a judge who did
not fear God nor regard man. "Now there was a
widow in that city; and she came to him, saying,
'Get justice for me from my adversary.' "And he
would not for a while; but afterward he said
within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor
regard man, 'yet because this widow troubles me I
will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she
weary me.'”
Luke 18:2-5
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Self-Discipline
“Self-discipline is the ability to do what you
should do, when you should do it, whether you
feel like it or not”
Elbert Hubbard
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Listening
Good listening skill is one of the greatest skills to
have. It helps you to understand people and
opportunities. Communication is vital in every
environment. The funny thing is that very few people
have mastered good listening skills.
Mentorship
A mentor is very essential to your success. Your
books and tapes do not replace your mentor. Those who
have never been mentored are those who understand the
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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4. Effective Meditation
6. Treasures of Wisdom
ayensuemmanuel@gmail.com
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