CHAMPIONS, RECORD BREAKERS AND TRAIL BLAZERS

Champions , Record Breakers and Trail Blazers

As a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, it is important to understand that our divine potential can be likened to potential energy or kinetic energy. When potential is dormant there is a failure of realization or under performance with respect to our God-given capacity. Every true child of God has the capacity to operate as a champion, record breaker and trail blazer.

A champion is defined as one who shows marked superiority, who battles for the honour of another, is a militant advocate or defender and warrior or a fighter (Merriam-Webster dictionary). A record breaker is a person who achieves a better result or a higher level than has ever been achieved before (The Oxford Learners’ dictionary). A trail blazer is a person who is a leader in a field, especially one who does something before anyone else does (Collins dictionary).

If you desire to be a champion, record breaker and trail blazer, there are certain spiritual laws that you will need to follow.

1. The Law of Love –We must love God deeply and passionately. It is this love depth that sets us apart in our walk with God and this will eventually turn you into a wonder or an extraordinary expression of God’s grace. In 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him”.

2. The Law of the Word - The word of God is key because it produces spiritual strength and the required inspiration to do exploits. The holder of Divine secrets will make you a star. Divine ideas are obtained via a concerted study of the word. The revelations of scripture keep believers ahead of their contemporaries when properly accessed and applied. In Psalms 119:130 says, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple”.

3. The Law of Prayer – “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing” (Martin Luther King Jr). Prayer must be your nature because without prayer you can’t achieve much. In the place of prayer, you can exchange your weakness for God’s strength (2 Chronicles 14:11) Every victory comes from God and prayer is vital.

4. The Law of Vision – without vision it is impossible to do extraordinary things. Vision allows you to see things before they are accomplished (Jeremiah 1:11-12). Vision gets the dreams started. Emmitt Smith said that “dreaming, employs your God-given imagination to reinforce the vision. Both are part of something I believe is absolutely necessary to building the life of a champion, a winner, a person of high character who is consistently at the top of whatever game he or she is in”. Habakkuk 2:2-3 tells us that we must write down our vision so that we can run with it and it will come to pass at the appointed time.

5. The Law of Planning - Anyone who fails to plan is planning to fail. A plan is a documented course of action. People who plan are people who accomplish a lot. It is impossible to win and achieve great feats without a plan. Jesus spoke clearly about planning. In Luke 14:28 he said, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” Planning begins with sitting down to thoughtfully document a course of action. Planning saves time during implementation and it also makes the process of implementation seamless and efficient.

6. The Law of Purpose – When the purpose of a thing is unknown, then abuse is inevitable. Purpose refers to the reason for existence. The ideals of functioning require that purpose is known. You must understand and walk in your purpose to achieve mindblowing feats. Success is much easier when you walk in your natural estate (your purpose). According to Rick Warren, “the greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose”.

7. The Law of Focus – Focus is key to our progress as true champions. Focus begins with identifying your destination and pathway, it also involves eliminating every other competing interest and investing all your energy in your identified assignment. The Bible records in Proverbs 4:25 “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.” Keeping your eyes on the goal increases our chances of hitting the target and making indelible marks on the sands of time. Ralph Marston stated that “the direction of your focus is the direction your life will move. Let yourself move toward what is good, valuable, strong and true.”

8. The Law of Passion – Passion refers to a burning love and zeal for what one does. We must get to the point where we have a deep passion for our assignment. The Bible speaks about passion in Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." You can never be truly successful in any endeavour without a great passion for it.

9. The Law of Integrity – Integrity refers to the quality of being absolutely honest and applying sound moral principles in all you do. Men and women of integrity are in very high demand in every sphere of life and human endeavour. Those around the prophet Samuel were able to testify “Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand” (1 Samuel 12:4) Bob Marley said “the greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”

10. The Law of Diligence – Diligence is defined as careful and persistent work or effort (Lexicon Dictionary). Our work must be both careful and persistent. Proverbs 12:24 says “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.” And in Proverbs 22:29 we are also told: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men].” Note also that Miguel de Cervantes stated that “diligence is the mother of good fortune, and idleness, its opposite, never brought a man to the goal of any of his best wishes.” There is no substitute to diligence in the pursuit of a glorious destiny. To become a true champion diligence is a must.

11. The Law of Discipline – In today’s world there are a lot of distractions. These distractions could be internal – like our appetites and desires; they could also be external like social media and other activities. The distinguishing factor is discipline. Discipline is defined as the ability to carry out a required task whether we feel like doing it or not. It was Harvey Mackay who said, “It doesn’t matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts, or life in general: The bridge between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.” One of the men of old that moved the frontiers of the gospel beyond previous bounds was Paul the Apostle. He stated in 1 Corinthians 9:25, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things...” Discipline is key to exceptional and striking accomplishments.

12. The Law of Courage – Courage is not the absence of fear, rather it is the ability to keep moving on despite fear. True champions are very courageous. A trailblazer must be extraordinarily courageous because he or she would tread paths that have never been trodden in the past. Nelson Madela said “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”In his farewell speech, Moses told Israel in Deuteronomy 31:6 –“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

13. The Law of Perseverance – The quality of not giving up easily is called perseverance. Those who give up easily may never accomplish great feats in life. Those who give up deny themselves the experience of reaching great heights. Persistence makes us continue in the hope of success and even when success seems elusive we stick to it until we seize it. “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did” (Newt Gingrich). This means that those who persevere continue despite tiredness. They have a way of re-motivating themselves even after they have been demotivated. Galatians 6:9 says “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

It is time for believers to rise up, engage these laws and obtain results that would shake our generation.

Dr. Obasi Odefa