Tap your potential

Most of us live our entire lives and never achieve our full potential, robbing ourselves and the world of the unique gifts that God placed in us. If we are to release our potential, we must understand the principles that God has established for unlocking that potential.

It is God who formed us on purpose and placed in us the capacity to fulfil that purpose. So that potential cannot be fully realised without factoring in the spiritual dimension associated with it. Therefore, a large part of realising your potential starts with God.

A person may reach the pinnacle of a profession or be lauded as the best in the world at a particular sport, skill, or craft. They may rank at the top of any number of the world’s scales or criteria of evaluation, but unless they factor God into their life and seek to love and serve Him wholeheartedly, they won’t achieve their full potential. They would have maximised only outward abilities and not the inward attributes.

As we develop a good strong relationship with God, He guarantees the maximum performance of our potential if we remain related to Him and submitted to the conditions, specifications, and standards set by Him. Philippians 1:6 (NIV) says that “… He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” A personal relationship with our Creator is key to the release of our full potential.

Each manufacturer designs, develops, and produces their product to function in a specific manner. Auto­mobile manufacturers, for instance, design their products to function with gasolene, spark plugs, batteries, oil, water, and so forth. If we don’t supply the elements required for the operational function of the product, it will not perform well.

God designed human beings to function as He does, and we were created to be fuelled by faith and love. Romans 1:17 states; “The righteous will live (operate) by faith.” If we are going to fulfil potential, we are going to have to believe God and take decisions that require faith.

Faith and love are inseparably linked. Galatians 5:6b states that “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love”. To fulfil our potential, it cannot only be about us; it must also be about God and others. Fear, selfishness, and hatred short-circuit our potential. So we are required to grow in love because “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16b NIV). Our potential cannot be released without faith and love.

Every product exists for a specific purpose. God created us and gave us life for the general purpose of glorifying Him, but He also gave each of us a specific purpose. Regardless of how big the dream God gives us is, our potential is equal to the assignment. We spend hours thinking and planning for the job we want, where we want to travel, the experiences we want to have, and so much more, but what we first need to do is ask God what He has created us to be and do.

We need to ask God: “What do You want to do in my life?”; “What do You want to do through my life?”; “What did You have in mind when you created me?” and; “What do You desire for me?”

Only God can answer these questions, and for the majority of people in the majority of situations, God will answer them only when asked. So ask Him: What are you specifically built for?