The Overlooked Factor in Success: How You Can Prepare for New Opportunities in 2025
The Overlooked Factor in Success: How You Can Prepare for New Opportunities in 2025
Happy New Year! It’s 2025—a fresh start and a new season of possibilities. As the Ball dropped and the calendar flipped, perhaps you joined the countless others who used the new year season to reflect on your life. Maybe you’ve identified areas for change or growth. Or maybe you’re wondering if this year might hold a breakthrough or transformation, an opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
Every new year is full of potential. However, experiencing a breakthrough or transformation requires more than just having a good opportunity.
The Power of Being in the Right Place at the Right Time
We’ve all heard of opportunities as “being in the right place at the right time.” History is full of stories of people whose lives were changed because they found themselves at precisely the right moment to seize a life-altering opportunity. Take Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address in 1860, for example.
Lincoln was a relatively unknown lawyer and politician from Illinois at that time. He wasn’t the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president. In fact, he was far from it. But he received an invitation to speak at Cooper Union in New York City. This invitation was an opportunity to take the stage in front of an influential audience. Lincoln delivered a meticulously researched speech that not only solidified his stance on the divisive issue of slavery but also showcased his ability to lead the nation through turmoil.
Most historians agree that the Cooper Union speech was pivotal for Lincoln. It helped him gain national attention, win over influential figures, and ultimately secure the Republican nomination, which led to his becoming President of the United States.
However, Lincoln wasn’t the only person with a platform in 1860. William Seward, a seasoned politician and the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination, had a similar opportunity. But Seward hesitated to act. Despite his reputation and speaking skills, he failed to deliver a speech that could solidify his position. His silence cost him dearly. Lincoln seized the opportunity, while Seward missed his chance to be president.
Opportunity Alone Isn’t Enough
The stories of Lincoln and Seward illustrate that being in the right place at the right time isn’t enough. Along with the right opportunity, you must also be prepared and willing to act.
Be Prepared to Act
Lincoln spent weeks studying, crafting, and refining his arguments. His preparation allowed him to deliver a speech that gripped the audience and demonstrated his leadership potential.
In contrast, Seward relied on his reputation, assuming his credentials would carry him through. His lack of preparation cost him the moment.
Be Willing to Act
The great revivalist Leonard Ravenhill is credited with saying, “The opportunity of a lifetime only lasts for the lifetime of the opportunity.” Ravenhill was a fiery preacher who often emphasized the importance of responding immediately in moments of spiritual awakening. However, his advice also applies to other areas of life.
Fear, hesitation, or complacency can cause us to miss opportunities, even when we’re in the right place at the right time. In terms of the illustration of Lincoln's speech: Don't just take the stage. Deliver the speech.
The Overlooked Factor
However, a factor is often overlooked when discussing acting on the right opportunity. It is unique to followers of Jesus. The thing that defines the opportunity, the place, and the time as “right” is the will of God for your life!
I do not believe Lincoln’s success was solely due to his capitalizing on an opportunity Seward missed. God’s sovereignty played a role. Lincoln’s humility, moral conviction, and ability to navigate the complexities of leadership were uniquely suited to the challenges of his time. His presidency wasn’t a historical accident; it was part of God’s plan for that season in history.
Listen carefully. God has a specific role for you in His plan. The opportunities you will encounter in 2025 will not be random. They will be divinely orchestrated moments that align with your unique gifts, calling, and purpose.
How Believers Prepare for Opportunity
If you are a believer and want to capitalize on the right opportunity, place, and time, your preparation will differ from others.
Believers must seek God's guidance. Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart, not to lean on our own understanding, and to acknowledge Him in all our ways so that He will direct our paths. Do that. Pray consistently, ask God to reveal His will, and give you the wisdom to recognize His timing.
Preparation for the believer also means cultivating your gifts, sharpening your skills, growing in areas where you know you have God’s calling, and stretching yourself.
And when the opportunity does come, recognize that the key to success is trusting God and stepping forward in faith to take action. Remember that when Jesus gave us the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), He did not say, "You're ready." He said, "I will go with you." His guiding presence makes the difference between success and failure.
Be Blessed in 2025
As you step into 2025, take a moment to consider whether you are in the place you are supposed to be. Do you know your gifts and calling? Are you willing to act in faith and trust God when the moment comes? Have you considered the missing factor in success: God’s will for your life?
Abraham Lincoln’s story is a testament to what happens when preparation, action, and God’s plan align. But William Seward’s missed opportunity reminds us that even the right place at the right time is not enough without God’s perfect will.
May you be blessed in 2025.
