When you woke up this morning, God gave you a gift called “today” wrapped in a twenty-four-hour period of time. We must always remember how precious this gift is because we can never get back time that has gone by. In fact, your time is the most valuable commodity in this life that you have. It’s more valuable than money because you can make more money, but you can’t make more time.

Scripture tells us to make the most of our time and every opportunity God has given us. That means we have to be careful how we live and how we approach our days. We can’t live this day unfocused, unhappy, negative or defeated because God has entrusted us with an assignment and deposited precious gifts and talents on the inside of each of us. You are a person of destiny, and you have a purpose to live out. The more you use your God-given potential, the more fulfilled and happy you will be. You have to look for those doors of opportunity and be ready to move forward to what God has for you. It’s not always easy to step through a door of opportunity. Everyone has things that come against them—fear, distractions, things that steal your time—but sometimes when an opportunity comes from God, we have to be bold and just go for it! We can’t waste precious time going needlessly back and forth.

It’s like getting into a cold swimming pool on a warm day. You can walk over to the edge and stick your toe in first. Maybe you splash your hand in the water, but that doesn’t really help you get used to the temperature. In fact, going in slowly sometimes makes the whole process a bigger deal than it needs to be. It prolongs the inevitable because it doesn’t matter how slowly you try to get in, the water is still going to feel cold to each new body part that hits the water. You can spend twenty minutes trying to get into the pool that way, but it’s a whole lot easier if you just jump right in! It only takes a second for your body to adjust to the temperature so you can enjoy your swim that much sooner and not waste valuable time.

The same is true in life. When an opportunity shows up and you know it is right for you, don’t let fear hold you back. Don’t give yourself time to reason it all out because you can easily talk yourself right out of a God-given opportunity! You can come up with every excuse in the book to stay right where you are, where it’s comfortable. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should just jump into every opportunity just like you wouldn’t just jump into every pool you see. No, it has to be the right time and the right conditions; but when you know it’s right, go for it! Don’t waste precious and valuable time. Remember, if God gives you the opportunity, He has already given you the ability to accomplish it.

When I first began speaking at Lakewood, I didn’t give myself time to reason it all out in my mind because I knew I would talk myself out of it. Instead of thinking about all the reasons I couldn’t do it, I started thinking about all the reasons I could do it. I encouraged myself and allowed the Word of God to empower me. And yes, I was scared! But I knew that God wanted me to step into my position and begin encouraging people. So I took a step of faith, and He was right there with me. I dove right in, and the more I did it, the easier it became. I pressed through my feelings and gained victory, and that is exactly what God wants for you. He wants you to overcome your fear so you can do what He has called you to do.

Today, don’t shrink back and hide your talent or let excuses keep you from God’s best. He wants you to live a fulfilled life. He wants you to be refreshed and make the most of every opportunity He’s given you. Be a faithful steward of your time, and don’t let worry or fear hold you back. You are equipped, you are able, and you are not alone. The water is just right, so c’mon and jump right in!

Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days (Ephesians 5:15–16, NLT).