Transcription
I'm sharing this morning on preparing on time for a better new year. Preparing on time for a better new year. Please open with me into Ecclesiastes chapter 3, and we shall read from verse 1 to 8. I will read from the Easy to Read version of the Bible. It says, "There is a time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time. There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and there is a time to pull up plants. There is a time to kill and a time to heal. There's a time to destroy and a time to build. There is a time to cry and there's a time to laugh. There's a time to be sad and there's a time to dance. There's a time to throw weapons down and a time to pick them up. There's a time to hug someone and a time to stop holding so tightly. There is a time to look for something and a time to consider it lost. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away. There is a time to tear clothes and a time to sew them. There's a time to be silent and a time to speak. There's a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace."
And we threw more light on verse one and then verse six. Verse one says, "There is a time for everything." Everything. Certain things we are meant to end and fade away finally in a particular year. And those who are discerning, those who are sensitive, we recognize such things and move in a new direction. But those who blindly hold on to traditions and hold on to the past could miss the seasons of change, could miss the beginning of another phase. Every year, on the surface of this earth, certain things are meant to finally come to an end, and something different is now preordained by God to begin to play out. That is why we must be consistently sea-sensitive to the seasons of change.
And then in verse 6, he said, "There is a time to look for something and there is a time to consider it lost." The time to look for something could span a year, two years, five years, ten years. However, you are going to become a victim of a wasted life if you spend all your life searching for something endlessly, pursuing something endlessly, waiting for someone endlessly. There is a time to look for something. However, even when patience, there will be time when patience has taken its full course. And even God is not the one saying, "Forget the former things, forget that particular thing." He says, "There's a time to look for something and a time to consider it lost." Consider it lost. And tell someone here this morning, you can always start afresh again. Sometimes it doesn't make sense in God's wisdom. Going to cut when you lose your focus and trust in God, then you become too embittered over certain things when they go wrong or certain forms of disappointment. And rather than listen to the fresh direction of the Spirit of God, all you are looking at is just how to get back something that God actually just wants you to let go. So there is a time to consider it lost. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.
Now, at the beginning of every new year, most people have major goals and desires in mind. And in summary, about seven notable things normally play out in the goals and aspirations of most people every year. Number one, accomplishment of specific goals and targets. So people, a lot of people have specific goals and targets that they intend to achieve and accomplish in the new year. Number two, realization of a major need. They would most of the time be at least one major need, one major need that each person would want to achieve and realize in the new year. And number three, securing a final solution to an existing challenge. Securing a final solution to an existing challenge. Number four, to successfully meet up with certain responsibilities and commitments. To successfully meet up with certain responsibilities and commitments and also get them done on time. And number five, significant growth and increase. Significant growth and increase. This is a desire of so many at the beginning of a year. It could be in the realm of higher productivity, it could be in the realm of expansion and spread, to be in the realm of satisfactory level of progress. So many people desire every year. And then number six, financial sufficiency. Financial sufficiency. So, so many people would of course want to have an experience of increased income, permanent housing, and similar desires under this particular caption. And then number seven, good health and physical fitness. Good health and physical fitness.
Now, however, we've also made observations that there are some common challenges that quite a number of people continue to face every year. And coming closer to the house of God, even amongst the people of God, those that are presumed to be living a godly life, there are some of these major challenges that some encounter. And at the beginning of every year, it's obviously one of those major needs or challenges that they are looking up to God to help them overcome and accomplish in the new year. And what are the seven major challenges among brethren? Number one, severe or prolonged illness. Severe or prolonged illness. Number two, delay in having children. Delay in having children. And number three, delay in getting married. Delay in getting married. Number four, lack of adequate income. Lack of adequate income. Number five, difficulty in paying accommodation and education bills. For quite a number of people, this is a major source of concern for them. And number six, overwhelming debts. Overwhelming debts. And lastly, number seven, unbearable offenses in marriage. Unbearable offenses in marriage. So most times, you are likely to have someone very, very close to you, if not you as a person, battling with one of the seven major needs or challenges. And I pray that come 2021, that loved one will make a joyful shout of victory over that need in the name of Jesus. And if it is for you as a person, I pray that 2021 will be your year of divine testimony.
Now, we've also observed that new year goals and resolutions are not achieved as a result of some factors. Common factors. And so, as we'll get ready to enter into a new year, it's good to also identify these factors so we don't also for pray of making mistakes in the same light in the new year. So why are people's goals not achieved? Why are people's resolutions, new year resolutions not eventually achieved? For instance, we make it more direct. At the beginning of this year, you had some specific goals, you had some new year resolutions. Now we are now in December. So how come your new year resolution was not achieved? How come your new year goals were not achieved? One, not treating it as a major priority. Not treating it as a major priority. So the reason why one major reason why your goals for the year were not achieved, your resolution for the year was not achieved, was because you did not treat it as a major priority. Not placing high value on the issue. Not placing high value. Because whether or not you sincerely and truly place high value on anything will be confirmed by setting indicators. One of them is time. Closely related to that is attention. Another one is money. Anything you truly attach value to would take your time, will take your attention, will take your money.
Another reason why new year goals and resolutions are not, that we are not achieved, even this year that is just closing now, is as a result of lack of desperation to achieve the particular goal. There are certain goals in life. Sometimes as a result of the high level of competition for that same thing that cannot be achieved by a passive approach. You will certainly need to step up your efforts. You will certainly need to take your efforts to the optimum level if truly you are going to get that thing achieved or overcome or settled within 12 months. So lack of desperation to achieve the particular goal, lack of desperation for a change, lack of desperation for a change. Sometimes even in a community, in a nation, one reason why you continue to have the wrong set of people leading you, even when you have the chance to effect a change in leadership, is because when it will continue to happen when the citizens or majority of the citizens are not desperate for a change. They are not desperate for a change. Now, when you become desperate for change, you will mobilize when it's time for an election. When you become desperate for change, you will send out a class signal that any attempt to subvert the will of the people as expressed through the results of that election will not be accepted. Now, until this happens, you can be in an environment where a crop of insensitive, incompetent, and mean men and women continue to impose themselves in government and in leadership over a group of people. And this is happening in many nations, and especially in the niche, some nations in Africa. So lack of desperation to achieve the particular goal. Everybody would like to have a first class, but many end up never getting a first class. Why? They were not desperate. Because if, when you become desperate to have such a level of distinction, you will discover that you will need to sacrifice a lot of things. You will need to cut down on a lot of your activities, a lot of your exposure to different things that could consume your time. And you will now need to give more time to studies, to research, to consultation with certain minds that can help you achieve a distinction in all the relevant subjects that will ultimately give you a first class. So lack of desperation to achieve the goal and lack of desperation for a change is a major reason why things are still the way it is today.
Lack of commitment. For some people, yes, lack of commitment. As for some others, lack of discipline. Can you lose weight? Yes, every man, every woman can lose weight if they desperately want to lose weight and a program is lined up on how to achieve it. If you are not committed to that program, then of course you are going to play down and abandon it very soon. Lack of discipline will make you also abandon the program that would have enabled you to lose weight within a specified period of time. Laziness. Laziness is a major reason under this same factor. Inconsistency. There are some things for you to achieve it in a year, you will need to do certain things once every week. But what will happen is that some people will do it for one week, two weeks, and then for the next two weeks, they failed to keep it up. Then after a while, they come back again and continue again. And that way, the results will not be achieved at the end of 12 months. Inconsistency. Still under this factor is procrastination. Procrastination. Procrastination. When you are not yet desperate, you will continue to procrastinate. When you are not desperate for a change, when you are not desperate to achieve that thing, you will continue to procrastinate. Show me a man or woman that is truly desperate for change, desperate to achieve a particular goal, you don't need to talk about procrastination with such a person. It will not be an issue.
And then number three, poor strategy and planning. Poor strategy and planning. Another reason why new year goals are not achieved, new year resolutions or goals are not achieved, targets are not achieved, it's as a result of poor strategy and planning. Ineffective strategy, wrong approach. Wrong approach. Like in 2020, now, a lot, there's a major shift in the way certain businesses are run profitably. There was a time you need a cab to move around, you have to come out of your house and stand on the street and wait for cabs that are driving past. And in some other instances, there are certain points, certain locations where cabs wait permanently for prospective passengers to come. Now, in this present times, a lot, there are new innovations and people are going straight by passing a lot of things and taking their marketing right to the doorstep of every prospective client. So now, right on your phone, you need the same car, you call up one, and instead of you walking up in the sun to the street, the cab will come and pick you up right from your house. So those in transport business, those cab drivers who are still waiting at a junction for passengers to come, they are currently complaining that market is slow. Now, that report is partially correct, but it also has its own error. For them, the market is slow, but the reality is that the transport market is still booming. They are the ones that are losing out in the market. People are still using carbs. People are still using carbs. In fact, more people are using carbs. So when you are using the wrong approach, you are using an outdated approach and outdated strategy to achieve whatever is your goal, then you could have challenges at the end of a space of time. Lack of relevant knowledge that you need, you need to apply in order to achieve that thing, solve that problem, is hindering a number of people. Still under poor strategy and planning, you have issues like lack of proper planning, lack of a backup plan. Lack of a backup plan, a plan B, an alternative plan, just in case your major plan does not eventually materialize. Just in case what you are primarily putting all your hope on suddenly fails, what is your plan B? So at the end of the year, some people are grumbling, murmuring, and some are frustrated because they did not have a plan B. They put all their hopes in just one strategy or approach, which turned out unsuccessful.
And number four, insufficient capital and funds. This is a major reason why the goals of many people are not achieved. Insufficient capital, insufficient funds. And if you reflect, you can take reflect back on some of the seven major challenges among brethren that I mentioned, you'll observe that two has, two of them have to do with relationship and the marital lives of brethren. Delay in getting married, and then secondly, unbearable offenses in marriage. Then out of those seven problems, major challenges, three of them, three out of seven, have to do with finances. Inadequate income is one. Difficulties in paying accommodation bills and education bills is a second one. And an overwhelming debt, overwhelming debt is a third one. So what does this show you? Finance is a major area of challenge that many people, including believers, are faced with. And this also implies that even when churches are having conventions, having programs, apart from just dealing with spiritual issues and spiritual related issues like healing, divine healing, and deliverance, there is need to also get quality resource persons on how to have a breakthrough, how to succeed and excel in the area of your career, the area of business, and in the area of wealth creation and money management. So insufficient capital, insufficient funds is hindering a lot of people every year.
And number five, distractions. Distractions. Every year, this continues to play out. Distractions. And in this present time, the distractions are changing. A lot of people are so busy on unproductive things, so busy on gossip, so busy spending time on social media on something that is adding no value to your life and something that is not in any way helping to provide a solution to that critical need in your life. Distractions. And number six, discouragement and weariness. Discouragement and weariness. And the last one, for sane circumstances like we had in the year 2020 as a result of the COVID pandemic that happened globally.
Now, as we go, as you begin to prepare for a new year, as you begin to have your hopes and expectations alive again for a better experience in the new year, you need to have a sober reflection on the year that has just come to a close. One of the reasons you must do this is that whatever failed to happen in your own life or for your loved one, in a lot of cases, such things still happened for so many other people in the same year, in the same environment. Every year, good things continue to happen, including the year 2020. So you will need to ask yourself, why was my dream not realized this year in my spiritual life, in my marital life, in my career? Could be the realm of business, finances, or some particular pursuit. Why was that dream, that desire not realized in the year that is closing down? Why was my target not achieved in the year that has just come to an end? Why could I not meet up with some of my responsibilities? Why now? The answer to this question is going to help you plan better for the new year. Why could I not overcome certain challenges this year? And then another very important question, what are my previous mistakes that I must avoid in the new year? What are my previous mistakes that I must avoid in the new year? What are those distractions that I must avoid in the new year? What are those distractions? What are those things consuming my time that I need to cut off completely or reduce drastically? What are those things consuming my energy, my resources? There are some social media groups like WhatsApp groups you need to pull out from because if you reflect properly, you'll discover that for no value discussions on some of those groups, you know, takes so much energy from you. And some of these groups are actually toxic in terms of the exchanges that goes on on a weekly basis. If you are not the one involved directly, someone else is involved. There is already enough to bring stress in these times that we are. So any undue exposure to things that just puts you under attention or stress should be identified and either reduced drastically or cut off completely. If you really need to get back after some time, it will be obvious whether or not you need to get back. So what are those distractions that I must avoid in the new year? What's taking my time, my energy, my resources, my resources?
Now, I want to caution you. You see, people end up giving their resources and a greater percentage of their resources to those things and to those people who make the most aggressive demand on them. Now, this is a very, very dangerous trap of life. For instance, you are supposed to be a blessing to your parents, and it will always happen. There will always be a father who never bothers the children. There will always be a mother who never bothers the children. And so if you have that kind of father, that kind of mother, you will observe that you may end up giving much more to someone else that is not as important as your father, not as important as your mother, simply because those people, they have their way of getting across to you, and you end up giving so much to them. And then your father is there, a whole year, he may never ask you for anything. Your mother is there, she may never ask you for anything. But you are supposed to be a blessing, and a bigger blessing, as things are getting better for you and your family. So we need to be very discerning, very, very discerning. And most times, certain people who don't really deserve anything from you are actually the ones that will be the most skillful, skillful in quote, in getting you to release what they want unto them. And they do it successfully because they are skilled in doing it. There are some, all they want is something from you. And every time they communicate with you, they praise you so much, they speak so well of you, they tell you the kind of things you like to hear. So by the time they eventually put across their need, you just, you flow, and you do it so happily, unknown to you that all the communication with you is not heartfelt. They are just doing it to get something ultimately from you. And God will be watching while you ignore someone else that God is expecting you to reach out to, minister to, where you end up giving nothing or something so little to such persons.
At the end of his giving space and time, if I may ask you, at the close of the year, there should be at least five persons that you consciously, intentionally reach out to to also express your gratitude, your love, and appreciation to. Who are these five people? If you are not careful, someone that is very important to your life will not be among the five, simply because that person is not an aggressive person, he's not a demanding person, even though that person is key to your life and destiny. May God give you wisdom in the name of Jesus.
So in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse 6, he said, "There is a time to throw away." King James version, "There's a time to throw away." At the end of the year, they must, we must be ready to do away with certain pursuits that were once okay. At a time, it was the best way to go. But come 2021, you need to go in a new direction. Setting courses, setting professions that were the best for our children and younger adults 10 years ago, 20 years ago. As of today, those courses are no longer the best options for them. Those courses are no longer the best options. It's a time to reflect and do away with certain businesses, do away with certain activities, relationships, yes, relationships, do away with certain ideas, approaches that we are once okay or are now unwise to continue with.
Close by sharing on some insights from the 80/20 principle, also called the Pareto principle. The 80/20 rule, the Pareto principle, states that a small number of causes are usually responsible for a large percentage of the effect in a ratio of about 20 to 80. More generally, the Pareto principle is the observation that most things in life are not distributed evenly. If you, if you'll look at it from a broader con perspective, for instance, 80% of the deposit of a bank will come from less than 10% of the depositors. 80% of the volume of products sold by a company would have come as a result of the marketing efforts of less than 20% of those in the marketing department. And if you look at it even on the personal level, you may have over a thousand, 500, or 300 contacts on your phone, but as time passes, you will discover that 80% of your time, you end up calling not more than 10% of the total number of contacts on your phone, and that will go on for a whole year. The 80/20 rule observed that most people or things have an unequal distribution. For instance, in terms of performance, in terms of strength, in terms of strength, in terms of effect, value, relevance, effectiveness, impact, contribution, contribution, influence, or productivity. So the few, the few that constitute that 10 or 20% are normally regarded as a vital few, the key things, the key factors, or the key people. They will always contribute a greater percentage of the impact of productivity of any group. So you need to always find out those things, those factors, or those people that are key. Some people are key to you and key to your destiny. Those who cause or give a major contribution, a major influence, or a major impact, either positively or negatively. There are people you cannot do without in life. They are people you just have to live with in life. But that a lot of relationships that you can from time to time reflect on and make a fresh decision as to your level of exposure and commitment. So anyone that turns out to be negative or sometimes even toxic, you would need to minimize your exposure or cut them off completely. This 20% of people that give 80% of the results, whether good or bad, are very significant because their impute, their actions, are impact causes, either outstanding positive contribution or negatively, they cause serious errors and damage. Serious errors and damage that is at least five times or ten times in some instance is greater than the iput contribution or impact of some other people. So some people, uh, you call yes, some people be described as ring leaders. Ring leaders. And most times, when the ring leaders are arrested, that problem stops almost instantly because they are the ones that instigate the others. Once you identify them, you demobilize them, most of the time the problem is checked. The same applies on the positive realm.
Secondly, the 80/20 principle will help you avoid waste and drain pipes. It will help you avoid waste and drain pipes. In Luke chapter 13, verse 6 to 9, Luke 13, 6 to 9, there are some things that you need to give one more year. And if in the next 12 months, there is no improvement, you may need to just discard that particular thing. One more year. So there are certain areas of your life where you would need to just put in some extra effort, do something new, or add something more to see if there will be a positive change. And if that still doesn't happen, then you may need to take a very strong, decisive action. I pray that the Spirit of God will guide you in every area of your life in the name of Jesus. So the 80/20 principle will help you to identify and do away or do a lot less with certain habits. Certain habits. And thirdly, the 80/20 principle will help you focus on the more important and vital things at every point in time. It will help you focus on the more important and vital things at every point in time. It will help you redirect your time on the right things, redirect your time on a better approach. It will help you redirect your focus on the right things or a better approach. It will help you redirect your energy on the right things. It will help you redirect your money on the right things, the right people, the right investments. It will help you redirect your resources on the right things.
Hallelujah. So the key areas to always review and evaluate. There's a closing point. One, your current approach, method, process, and strategy. Number two, the time factor, how you spend your time and what you give significant time to. Number three, the particular location you are using or targeting for sales or outreach. Number four, the people in close relationship with you or who play key roles around your business. And the fifth one are the beneficiaries of your budget and actual expenses and what percentage goes with them. The very last one, your habits, your daily habits, your weekly habits, your monthly habits. How beneficial are they? How beneficial are your habits? The things you do every day, how beneficial? The things you do every week, how beneficial? God will bless your plans. God will bless your plans. The Spirit of God will influence you in the right direction. The Spirit of the Most High God will lead you in agreement with God's master plan for your life. Every area of your life where a new face, a new level is now due to manifest. The Lord opened your eyes to discover them in the name of Jesus.