Welcome to Relationship Advice by Nancy Pina
IN TODAY'S RELATIONSHIP ADVICE ISSUE:
Guest Article: Develop the Powerful Potential in You
By Joyce Meyer
Today’s Relationship Advice by Nancy
"Patience and perseverance
have a magical effect before which
difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
*John Quincy Adams
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we
have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."
*Albert Pine
Develop the Powerful Potential in
You
By Joyce Meyer
There is a gold mine of potential hidden deep within every person,
and you are no exception. When God created you and me, He breathed
the breath of life into us and then placed a little part of
Himself in us. We are created in His image and filled with His
potential-a potential to do the impossible. But how do we harness
it-how can we turn possibilities into realities? First of all, we
need to recognize what stands in the space between having
potential and seeing it become reality, and that is time,
determination, and hard work.
What is potential?
Potential is "greatness that exists as a possibility but is not
yet a reality." In other words, a person who has potential, has
all the necessary ingredients to be successful, but the
ingredients have not yet been activated. It's like knowing there
is a huge vein of gold hidden in the earth in your yard. But in
order to get to it and fully benefit from its tremendous value,
you have to do some deep digging. The person with untapped
potential needs something to motivate them to take action and
bring to the surface the treasure that is within them. To a great
degree, our God-given potential is directly connected to our
dreams and visions. God plants them in our heart, or spirit, as a
seed in the form of a thought or desire. Over time, the seed grows
as we feed it, being very careful to watch over and protect it
from the enemy who is a master at stealing dream seeds. When God
called me into ministry, I desired to fulfill His call more than
anything. I didn't know where to start, much less finish. However,
as God gave me anointed ideas and opened up doors of opportunity
to serve, I stepped out in faith. I learned not to be afraid
because the Lord promised to be with me. I learned to stop looking
at myself for answers and start looking to God. Each time, He
provided me with the strength, wisdom, and ability I needed to be
successful.
Drawing on God's strength is essential.
You and I cannot fully develop our potential without the power of
God at work in us. Therefore, we must learn to draw on God's
strength every day. Ephesians 6:10 says, ...be strong in the Lord
[be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength
from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. From
this verse, we are promised that the Holy Spirit will pour
strength into our inner man...our human spirit...as we spend time
"in union," or fellowshipping, with God. Another familiar
scripture describing the value of spending time with God and
drawing from His strength is Isaiah 40:31: But those who wait upon
God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like
eagles, they run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag
behind (MSG). How do we spend time with God? It starts with a
daily choice to be with Him. It includes things like reading and
studying Scripture, singing songs of thanks and praise to Him,
talking to and listening to Him in prayer, and then leaving an
open line of communication with Him all throughout the day.
Sometimes spending time with God is simply sitting quietly and
looking at the things He has created. I love to sit and look at
the colorful flowers in my yard, listen to the birds chirp, and
see the wind blowing through the trees. I can tell you there is
nothing on earth that can offer the refreshing rewards of spending
time with God. No relationship, no vacation, no amount of money,
no job ...nothing can even come close to the blessing of strength
that comes from a relationship with Him.
Working hard is also important.
To achieve our potential, you and I must give it some form. Like
wet cement, our potential must be poured into something in order
for it to have shape and become useful. Think of workers putting
in a concrete driveway in front of your house. If they did not use
the proper wooden forms to outline the driveway, determining its
dimensions and thickness, the concrete would be poured unevenly,
wind up in areas it was not meant to be, and prematurely crack
under the pressure of being driven on. To develop our potential
properly, we must have a purpose and a plan, and we must be doing
something to fulfill it. These things are our “form,” and prayer
must cover the whole thing. It takes hard work and solid ongoing
decisions to bring form to our potential. Many of you know of
Deion Sanders, the famous cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons and
outfielder for the Atlanta Braves. He is the only athlete to have
hit a Major League home run and scored an NFL touchdown in the
same week. Interestingly, Sanders grew up on the tough streets of
Fort Myers, Florida, where he was exposed to some “would-be”
athletes that spurred him to make a success of himself. He
explains: “I call them Idas. ‘If I’da done this, I’d be making
three million today...If I’da practiced a little harder, I’d be a
superstar.’ They were as fast as me when they were kids, but
instead of working for their dreams they chose drugs and a life of
street corners. When I was young, I had practice; my friends who
didn’t went straight to the streets and never left. That moment
after school is the moment we need to grab. We don’t need any more
Idas.” Like Deion’s childhood friends, I believe many people are
unhappy because they are not doing anything to develop their
potential. Don’t let this happen to you. Grab the moments you
have-begin doing something with your potential. Remember, your
potential is directly connected to your gifts and calling. If you
are unsure of what your call is, start doing a few things in the
area you are interested in...step out into what you feel God is
leading you to do, and you will soon discover what you can and
cannot do. You can rest assured that God will not call you to
spend your whole life doing something you hate. He has handpicked
and anointed someone for everything that needs to be done.
Experience the power of patience.
What does patience have to do with developing your potential? A
lot. Without patience, you and I are going to fall short at
developing and reaching our fullest potential. Patience is a fruit
of God's Spirit that manifests itself in a calm, positive
attitude. It is not the ability to wait; it is the ability to keep
a good attitude while we wait. And according to Hebrews 10:36, you
and I need patience so that we ...may perform and fully accomplish
the will of God.... Let me illustrate with this story based on
articles that appeared in the Houston Chronicle in 1997:"Jell-O
turns 100 this year and the story around its inventor is truly
ironic. In 1897, Pearl Wait wore several hats. He was a
construction worker who dabbled in patent medicines and sold his
ailment remedies door-to-door. In the midst of his tinkering he
hit upon the idea of mixing fruit flavoring with granulated
gelatin. His wife named it 'Jell-O' and Wait had one more product
to peddle. Unfortunately, sales weren't as strong as he'd hoped,
so in 1899, Pearl Wait sold his Jell-O rights to Orator Woodward
for $450. Woodward knew the value of marketing so within just
eight brief years, Wait's neighbor turned a $450 investment into a
$1 million business. Today, not a single relative of Pearl Wait
receives royalties from the 1.1 million boxes of Jell-O that are
sold each day. Why? Because Wait just couldn't wait!" It sounds
kind of funny, but it is sad too. There are many people who are
like Pearl Wait-they have the "goods" to really make it big and
impact others. But their impatient attitude keeps them from
enjoying the full benefit of their potential. Just think of
cooking a pot of stew. You could fill the pot with pure filtered
water, fresh and vibrant vegetables, choice seasonings, and the
finest cuts of meat available. All the necessary ingredients are
in the pot to make an outstanding stew. But without time and the
proper temperature, the ingredients will not cook properly. Only
time and the proper temperature will allow the ingredients to cook
and blend together to produce the rich-tasting, full-flavored stew
desired.
The same is true with you and me. God brings tests and trials into
our lives to develop patience in us. During the process, He is
blending together all our ingredients, or potential, into a rich,
full-flavored expression of Who He is. When you look at it that
way, life becomes more interesting. I believe that is why James
tells us to ...count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (James
1:2,3 NKJV). When we let patience have its perfect work, we are
made complete and lack nothing.
God believes in you!
He believes in you so much that He has deposited a portion of His
divine potential in you. Even if nobody else in the world believes
in you, God does, and with that confidence, you can do whatever He
wants you to do.
I encourage you to discover what your potential is and begin
developing it. Don't wait until all the conditions are perfect-do
something now. Start cultivating the divine seeds of God's ability
in you. If you are not sure what they are, find out what you enjoy
doing and have natural talents and gifts to do. Begin to train
yourself in those areas.
If you know you can write great
songs, stories, or poetry, develop your gift. Arrange your life so
that you will have regular times to write and study the rules of
grammar. If you know that you can sing, then practice, learn
music, and develop your voice through vocal training. If you enjoy
drawing or painting and have a talent in that area, set time aside
to practice and learn about colors and artistic styles and
techniques. If you know you have a talent for business, an ability
to make money, then study, go to school, and learn from those who
are already successful at it. Whatever your gift and calling,
entrust it to the Lord, pray for His blessing, and begin to
develop it. Remember, your times are in His hands, and He makes
all things beautiful in its time. Make a decision right now that
you are not going to be satisfied with anything less than all you
can be!
Joyce Meyer is a NY Times best-selling author and one of the
world's leading practical Bible teachers, spreading God's Word to
millions of people around the globe.
Visit her website at
http://www.joycemeyer.org
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I pray that God shines
His light upon you and bless you with
peace, joy and happiness.
May God bless your life and may you
experience abundant love!
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