Opportunities Or Distractions?

Andy Stanley is the founding pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, and he wrote a great book called "Visioneering." In this book, Andy writes about how every day we will receive opportunities that will have the potential to distract us from what God wants us to accomplish, and how we must learn to say no to some good things in order to accomplish the most important things.

Andy talks about how we will receive entertainment opportunities, athletic opportunities, financial opportunities, relational opportunities, religious opportunities, investment opportunities, career opportunities, business opportunities, and vacation opportunities, and how the opportunities with the greatest potential to distract us are almost always good opportunities, not bad ones. However, pursuing these opportunities will cause us to make less progress toward what God has us here to do for Him, and will kill any chances of accomplishing the vision that God has given to you.

This is such important advice, and I see this all the time in our international ministry here in Peru. Every day I receive invitations to attend local conferences, or to sit in on meetings, or to fill up my day with other engagements, commitments, and cups of coffee. Almost none of it is bad stuff, but unless God was to supernaturally extend my day by several hours, I simply can't do it. This means that I have to say no to some people and to some opportunities. I always try to say no in the most positive and diplomatic way possible, but sometimes it is not received well.

It is important to guard your vision and your ministry jealously, because it is easy to dilute it by trying to do too much other stuff. It is very common for locals to want a foreigner to serve on a committee, or to attend a meeting, or to provide leadership or counsel to their own ministries, or to speak at a conference or at a church service. It's all good stuff, but if it's causing vision leak, then you've got to give it up, and you've got to start to say no to some people and to some opportunities.

Ask God to give you the wisdom and discernment necessary to know the difference between good-but-not-vital opportunities and vision-enhancing opportunities. The line between the two can be very fine sometimes, and only God can give you the wisdom and discernment to know the difference between them. Ask Him about it, and He'll give you the answer that you need.