OCTOBER 12, 2025

  “Opportunity is being in God's place, at God's time, following God's instructions, to obtain God's results.” 

― Bidemi Mark-Mordi

ISAIAH 48-49

10See, I have refined you, though not as silver;

I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. (48:10) 

COLOSSIANS 4

 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

JOURNAL 

Isaiah 48:10 says, “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” Refinement happens in real time, moment by moment, decision by decision. We often imagine success as something that happens in the future, but in truth, it’s forged in the present. God’s refining fire burns in the now, not someday. The furnace of affliction is about how we respond right now. We can’t be refined if our minds are lost in the past or rushing ahead into the future. The present moment is the only place where faith, obedience, and growth truly exist.

Paul writes in Colossians 4:5–6, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.” Every moment carries divine potential if we are awake enough to notice it. When Paul talks about salt, he’s reminding us that our presence should bring out the goodness around us...preserving truth and preventing decay. In sports, we often talk about being “in the zone.” That state of focus, where everything slows down and we perform at our best, is simply about being fully in the moment...completely present, not distracted by what’s ahead or behind. Spiritually, it’s the same. To be “in the zone” with God is to trust Him fully in this breath, this choice, this conversation.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 reminds us there is a time for everything and a season for every purpose under heaven. The rhythm of life is God’s design, and success is not about controlling what comes next but engaging wholeheartedly with what’s now. Focus is not just a mental skill, it’s a spiritual act of surrender. To live fully present is to live in step with God, trusting that this moment is exactly where His refining, His grace, and His purpose meet.

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace

ECCLESISASTES 3:1-8