10 lessons for Christians from Leicester City's Premier League triumph

All hail the new Premier League champs, Leicester City FC!

It's the stuff of fairy tales! The stuff of wild dreams! The stuff of children storybooks! The stuff of bedtime tales! The stuff of fictional works at best! But it has really happened! In our day and age! In this generation! And we have witnessed it!

Leicester City Football Club have been crowned the champions of the English Premier League (EPL)!

Yep, you read right! The CHAMPIONS of EPL. The same 24-year-old (since 1992) "exciting", "competitive", "fast-paced", "physical", and "unpredictable" English Premier League!



The team from Leicester is now the darling of the footballing world after they clinched the title with two games to spare following Tottenham Hotspur's 2-2 stalemate with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. What a story to tell future generations!

They have achieved what some termed "unthinkable", "unrealistic", "highly unlikely", "not possible"; while many even scuffed at the very thought of it.
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Confession! I must be honest, though, I didn't think they could win it. Honestly. I didn't think they had it in them. But what a way for them to prove me (and you, admit it!) wrong! *Eating humble pie*
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My first reaction to their win was, "Wow! It did happen! Who would have thought it?"

The story of Leicester City's remarkable triumph should fill you with hope, belief and passion to go on in your journey to the top!

Here are 10 lessons that Christians can learn from The Foxes' triumph...

1. Be diligent in whatever you do!
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand
before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." - Proverbs 22:29 (KJV).

Everywhere I look, I see this Scripture come to pass - the man that's diligent will always rise to the top.

Diligence, which I see as "consistent hard work", is not negotiable if you want to dine with kings in any field of endeavour.

Beyond being just skillful and competent, you need to be diligent. Don't be slothful, slack or lazy. Push. For. Excellence. Work. Really. Hard.

2. Even when nobody believes in you, believe in God and in what He has deposited in you
"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not DOUBT in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says." - Mark 11:23 (NKJV).

Doubt is a killer of dreams. Who can number how many beautiful dreams that fail to become reality because of doubt! Never doubt yourself!

Few gave Leicester City a chance. Few thought it was possible. Even fewer saw it happening. But it has.

What other people feel, think, or believe is not essentially important; what you feel, think and believe matters a lot.

Don't allow doubt kill your dreams. Hold on tightly. Cut out whatever wants to feed your mind with doubt and fear.

Even if nobody believes in you now, believe in yourself and in the beauty God deposited in you. Believe in God. Believe in what you carry.

Never forget, you are God's image! You are like Him. Created for dominion. Created to rule. Created to be the head. You're not a victim. You are a god!

3. Don't be awed by the thought of achieving greatness!
It was convenient for the Leicester City team to have thought to themselves, "There's just no way we're winning the Premier League. We just can't. We'll stick with being safely away from the relegation zone. The title is meant for the 'bigger' teams with 'bigger' players"; and they would have stopped fighting and their performance levels would have dropped. Look what they would have missed out on!

But, no! They refused to allow the thought of greatness scare them from pursuing it. Instead, they used that fuel to power them to the ribbon ahead of their more illustrious opponents.

Take this route. Joseph instead of allowing the greatness of the dreams God birthed in his heart scare him, was rather motivated and drew closer to God for their accomplishment.

Greatness is what you were born to achieve. Go for it! You belong in the A-class. It's God's plan for you. It's what He wants for you.

4. Be able to spot diamonds in the rough and polish them!
The Leicester City team that have been crowned champions cost less than £30 million! I mean the entire team!

That's absolutely criminal considering the amount of money that flies around in football these days; where a single player can go for over £100 million! Just. One. Footballer!

Here, we have a team of absolute "steals"; Algerian Riyad Mahrez (the standout player of the year) signed for - take a guess - a laughable (that is, in football transfer terms) £400,000 (yes, £400,000)!

All around you are such diamonds in the rough. People with exceptional abilities that are trapped.

Learn to look beyond the figures and statistics, they don't always tell the whole story. Also, look beyond physical and emotional flaws and attributes to the beauty that lies within the person.

Believe in people. Believe in what lies on their inside. Help them awaken the sleeping giant within. Help others unlock their latent potential and they'll help you achieve your dreams.

5. Find your strengths and uniqueness and build on it
Admittedly, the Leicester City team are not the most gifted or talented of the lot, neither do they play the most glamourous and eye catching football, no!

They are, however, a very compact, disciplined and effective side; and they literally hunt opponents in packs when out of possession!

Find your strengths and what stands you out and build on that! Don't try to be like the other person.

If Leicester had tried to emulate Arsenal's passing game, for instance, they would have probably failed woefully, because at best they would be second best.

Rather, they discovered their strengths - Vardy and Shinji Okazaki, for example, can run and chase the ball relentlessly - and exploited it.

6. Never give up!
"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces PERSEVERANCE; and PERSEVERANCE, character; and character, hope." - Romans 5:3-4 (NKJV).

Every piece out there with an inspirational colouration always has the line 'never give up!'

But despite the fact that it may seem over flogged, it remains vitally important!

Never give up! You can't afford to. Even when it seems to easier thing to do, persevere.

7. Have a 100% or nothing mindset
"100% or nothing!" is the pay off slogan of a popular fruit beverage which features another EPL team in its commercials; and it is very apt!

Leicester City, most likely, didn't set out this season to win the league title. But they played every game as if it was a final, and look where it got them!

They were, as a result, able to take advantage of other team's failings as they maintained a really high level of intensity and gave their all every time they stepped onto the pitch.

100% or nothing! You never know the opportunities that lie around the corner, so you've got to give it your very best every chance you get.

8. Go about your business without drawing unnecessary attention to yourself!
"...and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." - Matthew 6:4 (NKJV).

Try as much as possible to let your results speak for you. Avoid going about telling people how you are the next big thing. Instead, knuckle down and produce fantastic works. People will take notice and celebrate you in due time.

Leicester City went under the radar, assembled a solid team and employed an experienced coach. Now, they are celebrated around the world.

9. Again, talent alone is never enough!

Leicester City's triumph adds to the long list of proofs that talent alone is never enough!

Player-for-player, the Leicester team may not be as fancied as the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and even erstwhile champions, Chelsea even though they are in mid-table!

That's not to say they don't have gifted players of their own; Mahrez is one, N'Golo Kante is another, not forgetting the goal machine Jamie Vardy. Very fine players!

But, again, talent alone is never enough! You need heart. Guts. Character. Integrity.

10. You need help from above
We all need a little help every now and then, don't we? Well, Leicester had it.

We Christians call it God's unmerited favour; others, however, may term it "luck"; but how did they go a whole season without suffering injuries to key players at crucial times?

Imagine Mahrez had picked up a serious injury mid season. Or Vardy sustained a season ending cruciate ligament injury at a key point. Or one or even two of their central defensive pairing of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth were out for a while. Or were hopelessly out of form for an extended period. Who knows how it would have turned out! Only God does.

Despite our best efforts, we'll need help from God to 'crown all our efforts with success'.
You may not be the most hardworking, or most skilled, but if you have help from God, your little efforts will yield fruit.

"From where comes my help?" The Psalmist asked; "My help comes from the Lord..."
Look up to God for strength. Ideas. Strategy. Faith. To continue when it seems to not be working. He is your ultimate source of help. He is willing and able to help you. Just keep your focus on Him.

Big congratulations to 'The Foxes' on their victory. You've earned it, folks! Enjoy the fruit of your hard work!

Who says I can't accomplish ALL that God has in His thoughts for me?!!! I CAN and I WILL. You should believe, too.

What was your first reaction to Leicester clinching the title?
Reflecting on the unprecedented win, what comes to your mind? What specific lessons about life and God does it teach you? Do share them with us in the comments section. God bless ya!