RCCG YAYA Sunday School Students Manual 10 April 2022 Lesson 32: Self-Discovery And Skill Development
Topic: Self-Discovery And Skill Development (RCCG Sunday School Manual For Young Adults And Youths (YAYA)
MEMORY VERSE: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” – Ecclesiastes 9:10
BIBLE PASSAGE: Genesis 26:12-22 (KJV)
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him.
13 And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:
14 For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
15 For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
16 And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.
17 And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.
19 And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water.
20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.
22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
INTRODUCTION:
One of the crucial challenges every human faces is the discovery of his purpose for living. When the use of a thing is not known, abuse is usually inevitable. If you do not know what God has prepared you for, you may not be able to operate successfully as an entrepreneur. This is why it is important to find out what exactly it is, God has purposed for your life and acquire the necessary skills for the accomplishment of this divine purpose in the contemporary, complex and competitive world you live in.
LESSON OUTLINES:
- DISCOVER YOUR CREATIVE ABILITY
- DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
1. DISCOVER YOUR CREATIVE ABILITY
God is the first entrepreneur (Gen.1:1-31), the source of all creativity, and the originator of our ability to make something of value out of the raw materials of this world (Jn.1:3; Heb.11:3). God exposes your purpose through prayer, Bible study, education, trainings, dreams, visions, instincts, inclinations, desires, counselling, urgings and yearnings towards particular areas (Jer.29:11; Ps.119:105; Prov.3:5-6).
The entrepreneurial process requires a lot from a person. It requires them to look at the world and see an unmet need, an area of dissatisfaction, or a problem. Visualise a solution, often a solution others belittle. In many cases, the solution requires a completely different approach, something no one else could see (Gen.41:33-40; 46-57; Gen.47:13-26).
To create something truly useful, lasting and of value, we must create like God did. The enterprise must serve others, give them value, make life more enjoyable and glorify God (Col.3:17). A person that creates purely for himself has a hobby, not a business. When your hobby translates into a business, it adds value to others. When the motivation as well as the business is honourable, God delights to bless it (Ps. 37:23).
Accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour and having a relationship with Him is the prerequisite to discovering God’s purpose for you as an entrepreneur (Isa.2:5; 1Jn. 1:7; Eph.5:8).
2. DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
The following are the essential skills required from an entrepreneur:
- Communication skill. The ability of the entrepreneur to pass information about the product, its unique selling point, location, price and other relevant information that the customer should be aware of about the product and the company (Col.4:6; Eccl. 10:12; Mk.9:50; 1Pet.3:15).
- Listening skill. This is the ability of the entrepreneur to be attentive and respond to the prospective customer’s questions and complaints about the product being introduced to them through personal selling, sales promotion, etc. The salesman must not be aggressive in his approach so that he can successfully close sales. (James 1:19).
- Negotiation skill. This is the ability of the entrepreneur to bargain successfully with the middlemen i.e. wholesaler and retailer about placing orders, volume/quantity of product, pricing, discount and other incentives provided by the company with utmost sincerity and proper articulation of its policies on penetration, distribution, and competitive strategies. (Lk.14:28; Gen.21:28-31).
- Conflict management skill. The ability to settle disputes amicably between the company and its customer is another vital skill required from an entrepreneur (Heb. 12:14).
- Problem-solving skill. The entrepreneur should possess the ability to identify, analyse and proffer appropriate solutions to various problems encountered in carrying out its selling activities. He must be able to gather relevant information from veritable sources, analyse and interpret the information in line with his knowledge about consumer behaviour and purchasing decision process. (1Kgs.3:16-28).
- Interpersonal skill. The entrepreneur must be able to interact with people easily and relate with them because anybody met is a potential customer someday or somewhere. The salesperson must be approachable, cheering, and purposeful. (1Sam.22:1-2).
- Time management skill. Proper time management is necessary to differentiate between the extremely urgent tasks and those that can wait. An entrepreneur should use a notebook or whiteboard to prioritise tasks by writing them down (Eccl.3:1).
- Technical skill. To be in stride with the recent times, entrepreneurs should at least have a basic knowledge about the technologies that are to be used (Dan.9:2).
- Managerial skill. Entrepreneurs should have the required skill to manage different people such as clients, employees, co-workers, competitors, etc. (Gen.39:4,9a).
- Organising skill: They should be highly organised and should be able to maintain everything in a format and style (1 Chron.12:32).
CONCLUSION: Proper use of your skill is a gateway to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Be intentional.
QUESTIONS:
- How can you discover your creative ability as an entrepreneur?
- Mention four (4) essential skills of an entrepreneur from the manual.
FURTHER READING:
Monday: Exodus 31:2-5 (KJV)
2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
Tuesday: James 1:5 (KJV)
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Wednesday: 1 Kings 7:13-14, 1 Chronicles 12:3 (KJV)
1 Kings 7:13-14
13 And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. 14 He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.
1 Chronicles 12:3
The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite.
Thursday: 1 Kings 3:11-12 (KJV)
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
Friday: Proverbs 2:3-8 (KJV)
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
Saturday: Matthew 7:7 (KJV)
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Sunday: John 15:7 (KJV)
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
ASSIGNMENT: Highlight five (5) things you can do to succeed independently in life.
