You see, every meaningful goal will attract opposition. Every meaningful goal will attract opposition. And if your goal is worth pursuing, it will be tested.

It certainly will be tested. In Acts 14, verse 22, the Bible says, We must, through tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. And opposition does not mean that you're wrong.

No, no. When you're looking at achieving your goals, when you face opposition, or when you're faced with opposition, it doesn't mean that you're wrong. Or it doesn't mean that something is wrong with your goals.

No, no. Adversity does not mean that God has left you also. That you're faced with adversities doesn't mean that God has left you.

These are part of the packages that come to you when you need to achieve meaningful goals in life. And very often, these things are signs that your goals matter a great deal. When I speak of opposition, or rather, when I speak of your goals here, I'm referring to your God-given destination.

I say when I speak of goals here, I'm speaking about your God-given destinations, your visions, I'm speaking about your assignments. And by opposition, I'm referring to your resistance from people. The resistance you get from people.

I'm speaking about the resistance you get from systems, circumstances, or even inner battles. I'd like to repeat myself. That when I speak of opposition here, I'm referring to resistance from people, resistance from systems, resistance from circumstances, or even inner battles.

And when talking about adversities, I'm referring to hardships. I'm referring to delays. I'm referring to disappointments, financial pressures, rejections, or even failures.

So it's important to know that great goals are not achieved by wishful thinking, but by spiritual strength. You will not be able to achieve great goals by just wishful thinking. No, it doesn't work that way.

You will achieve them by being strengthened spiritually and with the right mindset, and also by taking consistent actions. Taking consistent actions. Now, it is important to accept that opposition is part of the journey of life.

Many people quit because they are shocked by difficulties. You know, the sudden shock that difficulties bring to them cause them to quit. But it's important to hear this, to know this.

In John 16, verse 33, Jesus said, In this world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. So he prepares us ahead of time. He tells us, he says, hey, in this world, you will have trouble.

If you want to achieve something, you will have trouble. He says, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. And 1 Peter 4 says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning fair retrial.

Don't see it as something strange when you're tried, when you're tested by terrible trials and oppositions. So opposition is not a detour. It is a part of the road.

It's a part of the journey of life. And every achiever in scripture faced resistance. Know this, that every achiever in the scriptures faced opposition.

They were faced with oppositions. Remember Joseph, he experienced betrayal and he had a prison experience that wasn't good. This wasn't a plan.

He never planned to be in prison one day, but we all knew how he landed there. So opposition is not a detour, it's a part of the road. And I want to repeat that every achiever in scripture we have faced, they were faced with resistance.

Joseph is an example. Moses is also an example. He had criticisms.

He faced Pharaoh. He had wilderness experience. Do not forget, Moses was a man who had always stayed in the palace.

He was raised in the palace, Pharaoh's palace. But you see, because he needed to achieve his God-given assignment, something happened. And so he was faced with criticisms.

He had to face a Pharaoh. He had to have experience that has to do with wilderness. And remember Nehemiah also.

He experienced mockery. He experienced threats. He experienced discouragement.

And remember Jesus our Lord. Jesus Christ our Lord. He had rejections, betrayals, and strong persecutions from everywhere.

So when you do not prepare for opposition, you misinterpret challenges. So make sure you prepare for oppositions in life. Make sure you prepare for them.

Because when you do not prepare for them, you misinterpret challenges. And you grow bitter instead of being better in life. Because there are people that will step on your toes.

There are people that will hinder you. And you may be greatly tempted to become bitter instead of getting better. And sometimes find yourself quitting too early.

So mental preparation will help you. Will help you. It's the first victory.

One of the first victories that you need to have. Mental preparation. And see, be clear.

Be clear. I want to talk to you about something else. Be clear about your goals.

You want to achieve your goals in life. In the face of oppositions, be clear about your goals. Be clear and convicted about your goals.

Oppositions will always defeat confused people easily. Remember Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 2. The Bible says, write the vision and make it plain. And Philippians chapter 3 verse 13 to 14.

It says, forgetting those things which are behind. Paul the apostle says, I pressed towards the mark. I pressed towards the mark.

Hallelujah. He did what he did out of strong convictions. Strong convictions.

So clear goals will produce strong endurance. Vague visions cannot survive pressure. Vague visions, vague goals cannot survive pressure.

It's important that you know this. It's important that you know this. See, when your goals are clear, you'll stand pressure for long.

You don't give up. Why? Because you've seen the future. The Bible has seen the glory that was said before him.

Jesus endured the cross. His endurance for the cross was because he was clear about the glory that was said before him. You see, when you know the why of life, you can always endure the what? I like to repeat myself.

When you know the why of life, you can always endure the what? So what exactly today are you pursuing? It's important I ask this question. What exactly today are you pursuing? And why must you achieve it? Who will it bless? Who will your goals bless? You see, these are very important questions. You must keep them to heart.

And use them as you achieve your goals in life. You see, opposition becomes very powerful when your goal is emotional but not intentional. You must be intentional about what you do.

Be intentional about what you do. This is very important. Be intentional about what you do.

Because you see, your convictions will turn your pains into training. You find yourself learning a lot. Learning a lot in the face of oppositions and pressure.

You find yourself learning a lot. Now, I want us to look at this area, building inner strength before outer success. You want to achieve your goals.

You want to experience success on the outside. You must build inner strength. You don't overcome adversity by environment first, but by capacity.

Learn to build capacity if you must go far in life. Learn to build capacity if you must achieve great goals in life. Proverbs 24, verse 10, the Bible says, If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

It says if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Know that Satan is strong. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

In Ephesians chapter 3, verse 16, the Bible speaks about being strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man. You see, inner strength is built through spiritual roots. I'm going to show you certain things that you achieve as you build inner strength.

Or rather, how inner strength is built. How your inner strength, how you build capacity. I'm going to show you these things now.

First of all, spiritual roots, your spiritual roots, like prayers, the word, the studying of the scriptures, and the taking in of the word, fellowship, and you're doing the word. You see, these things will help you to build inner strength. The Bible says in Psalms 1, verse 3, And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that bringeth forth his fruit in the season.

His leaves also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. If a man will pray, he will be strengthened with might on his inside. If a man will take in the word, he will be strengthened.

The Bible says, Strengthen thou me, O Lord, according to thy word. The word of God in you will build capacity in you. And as you fellowship with others, the Bible says, Iron sharpeneth iron.

It will help you to build capacity. And as you do the word, the Bible says, Be not hearers only of the word, but be doers of the word. The man that hears the word and does not do it deceives himself.

So when you do these things, they help to build capacity in your life. So inner strength or capacity is first of all built through your spiritual root, like I just listed now. And secondly, inner strength or capacity is built through mental discipline.

Your ability to control your thoughts. You must learn to control your thoughts, be in charge of your thoughts. And the Bible says, What things so ever, it says, Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure.

It says, if there be any virtue, it says, if there be any thing, any, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, it says, think on these things. So it gives us a thought pattern. So mental discipline will help you to build capacity and inner strength.

I'm talking about your ability to control your thoughts, rejecting fear narratives. There are things that will come to you, information will come to you that you can never make it in life. You can achieve this.

Nobody has ever done this before. And you take these things into you. They can produce in your life fear narratives.

And you see, if you ever find these things in you, start rejecting them. Start rejecting these fear narratives. Push them away from your life.

And again, as we speak about mental strength, we're talking about renewing of the mind. The renewing of the mind or the renewal of the mind. Romans chapter 12 verse 2. It says, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing or the renewing of the mind.

Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind. That you may prove, that you may prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Again, if you need to build inner strength.

Number three, you must be looking at emotional maturity. Emotional maturity will help you to build inner strength. Not every battle deserves your emotion.

You must work on your emotion. Not every battle deserves your emotion. And that you're experiencing delays today does not mean that there's something wrong about your goals.

It is said that delay is not denier. And not every critic is an enemy. No, not every critic is an enemy.

You must mature your emotions. You see, when you're strong inside, you'll be stable on the outside. Opposition does not destroy strong people, it reveals them.

Did you hear me? Oppositions don't destroy strong people, it only reveals them. In as much as you want to achieve your goals in life today, you must learn to turn adversities into tools. There is another area you must consider, learn to turn your adversities into tools.

What the enemy means to stop you, God uses to shape you. It's in the scriptures, in Genesis chapter 50. When you read verse 20, it says, but as for you, you thought evil against me.

As for you, you thought evil against me, but God maintained unto good. And Romans chapter 8 verse 28, it says all things work together for good. All things work together for good.

All things work together for good. Understand that adversity can help to produce skills in you. Do not forget this.

It can help you to see the many-sided wisdom of God. It can help to develop wisdom in you. It can help to produce wisdom in you.

Because you've been learning a lot of things. It can help to produce resilience from you. It can help to produce discernment in you.

You see, these things matter a great deal in life. So turn your adversities into tools. Tools that will help you in life.

You see, David's wilderness experience helped him to build kingship. Joseph's prison experience helped him to build leadership. Esther's crisis positions her influence.

It positioned her influence. Did you see this? So instead of asking, oh, why is this happening to me? Why is that happening to me? Start asking, what is this producing in me? Start asking, what is this preparing me for? And what must I learn here? I want to repeat myself. I said instead, instead of asking, why is this happening? Always ask yourself, start asking yourself today, what is this producing in me? What is this preparing me for? What must I learn here? It's important you ask yourself these questions.

What must I learn here? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You see, pain that is processed becomes power.

It becomes strength in you. It becomes strength in you. Right now, right now, there are practical keys.

There are practical keys that you can use to achieving goals under pressure. There are practical keys, rather. And I want to show you these keys.

Number one, you must stay consistent. Learn to stay consistent in the pursuit of your goals. Stay consistent, not just emotional, stay consistent.

Galatians 6, 9, it says, let us not be weary in well-doing. There are things that want to stop you. There are oppositions that will come.

There are pressures that will mount. But stay consistent. You want to achieve your goals, stay consistent.

This key is so important. Stay consistent in your pursuits. You see, small daily actions will end up defeating big adversities.

Small daily actions. So stay consistent in the pursuit of your goal. That's key number one.

Key number two is that you must guard your environment. In 1 Corinthians 15, 33, it says, evil communication corrupt good manners. And the Bible says, guard your heart with all diligence.

Out of it are the issues of life. You must learn to reduce negative voices around you. Every voice that is not going in the direction of your God-given goal, your God-inspired goals and visions.

Always scrutinize them. Be careful with them. So reduce negative voices, voices of discouragement.

Reduce them. Reduce negative voices around your environment, around your life. And increase faith conversations.

Increase faith conversations. The things that stir you up, increase them. The things that push you towards the achievement of your goals from God's word.

It's important that you increase them. So increase faith conversation. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Yes. Number three, learn to adapt without quitting. Learn to adapt without quitting.

I say, learn to adapt without quitting. Proverbs 4, 18 says, the path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Goals may require new strategies.

Don't be stereotyped in your approach to life. I say, goals may require new strategies. They may require new skills.

They may require you taking advantage of the times, the seasons of life, but not a new vision. So learn to adapt. Learn to adapt.

Learn to adapt without quitting. Learn to adapt without quitting. You must not give up.

But you must learn to adapt without quitting. I want to repeat myself that goals require new strategies. Many times, great goals may require new strategies.

Don't just keep doing the same one way. No, no, it doesn't always work that way. They may require new strategies, new skills, and also taking advantage of new seasons.

And this is why we must keep increasing or developing our capacities in life. Number three, or number four rather, lean on God's divine strength. Lean on God's divine energy.

Hallelujah. Paul the Apostle says in Philippians 4, 13, I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.

God does not remove all oppositions. He empowers you to overcome them. Do you understand this? God does not remove all oppositions from your path.

But one thing he does is that he empowers you to overcome them. The scripture says, thou preparest the table before me in the presence of my enemies. He says, you have God's little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

Hallelujah. Glory to God. Glory to God.

I just want to remind you as I round off today that opposition is not a proof of failure. Adversity is not evidence of abandonment. It's important to note this.

It's important to note this. Hallelujah. Glory to God.

Glory to God. The scripture says, we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair.

Glory to God. 2 Corinthians 8, 4, rather, verse 8 to 9. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 8 to 9. Thank you, Jesus. Your goal is possible.

Your goal is possible. Your calling is valid. Your struggles, yes, your push in life is reshaping you, not stopping you.

The hand of God is mighty upon you. Hallelujah. I said the hand of God is mighty upon you.

You won't fail in life. You are strengthened. Your future is yours.

All things are possible to you. Yes, all things are possible to you. Thank you, Jesus.