Articles written by Shaneen

April 23rd, 2010

Dare to be Great

Shaneen Clarke

Before Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper, he saw the masterpiece in his mind. Before Winston Churchill led Britain to victory during World War II, he envisioned winning the battle. Before Tiger Woods won his first championship, he saw himself holding the coveted trophy. There are times when God gives you a dream so distinctly that it changes the direction of your life. This is what he did for Joseph, the son of Jacob, who predicted his rise to great leadership – much to his brothers’ chagrin. On other occasions the Lord plants an idea the size of a mustard seed into your mind and it begins to germinate and grow.

In my seminars I often ask people to take out a pen and jot down what they wish to be known for, what they feel the Lord wants them to accomplish. You will never savour the thrill of success until you see yourself as victorious. I’d like to live by the words of Paul who said,

‘We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’

(Romans 8:37)

You are valued by God. You were created in his likeness and are essential to his plan on earth. Your Heavenly Father planted seeds of greatness in you – which he expects to blossom and grow! This will only happen if you challenge yourself to move from the natural to the supernatural, from the common to the uncommon, from the ordinary to the extraordinary; in other words you must dare yourself to change.

Glance over the titles on a news stand near you and you’ll see dozens of magazines promoting health, beauty, sex, fashion and self-improvement – it’s not hard to see why the average person finds it difficult to align their will with the Creator of the earth. Why? Because we would rather sing along with Frank Sinatra, ‘I did it my way.’

God’s Kingdom requires the opposite approach: doing things according to his will. There is absolutely no substitute for a life that is totally yielded to the Lord.

So how will you know if you are fulfilling God’s calling for your life? Perhaps you can answer these questions:

• Is there ‘fruit’ – can you see results from your efforts?
• Do you enjoy your daily activities?
• Do you feel a sense of urgency, or a passion for what you do?

If your answer is ‘no’ then you are just filling in time and fitting in with those around you. Today may be an opportunity for you to take some time for personal inventory and self-evaluation. As it says in Proverbs 29: 18, ‘It is God’s perfect will for you to have a vision, because without it you will perish.’

During a graduation speech at England’s famed Harrow School in 1941, Winston Churchill gave one of the shortest, but perhaps the most powerful addresses in history. He simply told his audience,

‘Never, never, never, never give in.’

There is an echo in his words of the apostle Paul saying,

‘I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3: 14)

What does ‘Sold Out’ mean to you? To a shopper it might mean a frustrating absence of an item they are after, or to the shopkeeper it might mean bare shelves and high profits. To me those words convey being dedicated, transferred and surrendered completely to God.

Your salvation came as a result of a sold out life. Jesus paid the ultimate price when your sins were nailed to the cross and his blood provided cleansing for your heart. All that is required of us to receive this priceless gift is… faith.

Why not repeat this prayer with me:

‘Lord, thank you for your priceless gift of life – for the future and for now. Thank you for your example of being ‘sold out’, please help me along that path too. Help me read your word and strive to be the absolute best at what you call me to be. In this way I know I will accomplish your perfect will in my life. Amen.’

By praying this prayer you are daring to step into greatness!

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