Have you ever thought about yourself as the person you might become? Have you ever wondered why you struggle when you are doing everything right? Have you sensed the spiritual battle around you? The enemy knows your secret. Do you? Your life is more about who you might become than who you already are. Your life is a threat to the enemy of your soul. You are important. It’s time to make your life meaningful.
As we turn the page to Chapter 6, we are beginning to see ourselves as SIGNIFICANT. I took a survey to see what makes something or someone significant and I was met with blank stares. As I asked more questions, I realized the definition of the word was the problem. Do we not think we are significant because we do not know the definition of the word? What else are we missing simply because we never defined the words in our lives?
In our study this week, we look at the word “significant.” Today I want to introduce another word: POTENTIAL. Potential is who you could become if you pursue who you are meant to be. Please don’t leave this world with unused potential. Use it all up!
po·ten·tial /pəˈtenCHəl/
Adjective Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.
Noun Latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.
Synonyms
ADJECTIVE possible – feasible – eventual – contingent
NOUN possibility – potentiality
Your life is FULL of potential, usefulness, meaning, expressiveness, eloquence…and significance. What are you willing to do to reach that potential? It’s not too late to expand your life’s vocabulary. Let’s make the enemy mad and GROW.
Think of some of the most significant people in our history, our culture, or in your family. Can you imagine what would have happened if Billy Graham decided to stay home even one night of his crusades? Can you imagine a world without a Billy Graham Crusade?
What about India without Mother Teresa or Ghandi? Or South Africa without Nelson Mandela or Angus Buchan? Or the United States without George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? The list is long of people who have chosen to make a mark during their time on this earth. What will your mark look like?
- Each of these people are just like you. They were born, they grew, they made choices, and they lived out their convictions. There were crossroads and milestones in their lives along the way. Hard choices had to be made. If we could sit down with each one of them they would have a story to tell of good times and bad, successes and failures, hurts and blessings. Their lives were not easy, but they lived them so we can benefit from their sacrifice and contributions. We remember their names even after they have passed on from this world. Their lives were significant. Can you imagine our world without them and their influence?
The future is up to you. Take a moment today to ask God what HIS desire is for your life. The enemy already knows you have potential, do you? God wants to use your life to bring His Kingdom here and now. The choice is yours. Will you let God change you to be who you were created to be?
Worship with me as we offer this prayer through the song “Starts With Me” by Tim Timmons.
Let’s Pray:
Father God,
You have created us with incredible potential. Help us to accept ourselves as valuable to You and to submit ourselves to do Your will. We want to allow You to change us into someone useful and meaningful. We want to leave a legacy that will be remembered long after we have left this world. Father, place the desire to be significant deep within our hearts and give us the strength to see our purpose through to the end. We want to finish this life well. We want to be able to lay our crowns at Your feet and bring You glory. We love You, Lord.
AMEN
About Teresa Bolme
Thanks Teresa, For the word at the right time. my ears needed this word today. and i have prayed the prayer in Jesus name. Amen
Be blessed, my friend. God placed you here, in this time, for a purpose. You are His masterpiece. Fulfill your potential and use it up for HIM.
In the chapter you say, “The more we embrace these truths from Scripture about whom we have the potential to become in Christ, the more stable, grateful, and fully assured we will be in this world.” I’ve seen this in my own life, and I’m still growing in this truth.
Thanks, Teresa, for starting our week off with this lesson on our POTENTIAL to become more like Christ and therefore significant to His Kingdom.
Can you imagine what power our lives would hold if we could see God’s box with our name on it? We limit ourselves by what we can see and what we know. God has bigger vision for us and we can have that if we submit our lives to Him.
oh, POTENTIAL! the Great I AM has placed so much potential in each one of us! i was thinking about it…and then listened to this song you blessed us with, teresa… oh.my. truly ‘worship…as we offer this prayer through the song!’ i am praying for each of us that we can be brave enough to seek God regarding our potential (HIS perspective in this!) and humble&meek enough to move forward in that potential for His glory. thank you, my friend, thank you. <3
We could not begin this week of ‘significance’ without discussing our potential. Until we embrace the potential God has for our lives, we cannot fully appreciate the value of our life and our choices. Each one matters to God…and others ate watching. Love yu, friend.
One thing I heard in a sermon at my old church that really has stayed with me is ” Jesus sees you at what you can become in Him, not how you are now” so grateful our Savior can look beyond our present state, that He doesn’t see our past state and just sees our potential. We serve an amazing God. May I always see people through His eyes, and see their potential.
Can you imagine walking through a flea market with Jesus? Or a yard sale? Don’t you think he could “re-purpose” just about anything (anyone)? I want to have eyes like Jesus to see the potential in my life and in those around me. Thank you for your words and your faithfulness Paula. Love You.
Potential… this has always been a scarey word to me. Potential looks to what I could be. Feeling as if I am not seen for who I am now and only what I could be… that’s how potential makes me feel. People have always seen potential in me, but I’ve wanted nothing to do with it. Funny how I desire to continue to grow in the Lord and His word. Preparation time is geared towards my potential. Potential should be viewed in a positive context not a negative one. I have potential. I have a responsibility to nurture that potential, because trying to smother and hide from it just aren’t options, as I’m an ever growing being! Potential isn’t so scarey now. 🙂
My Ahmee Girl is growing up. Love seeing you grow into your “potential”
As a stay-at-home mom, it’s easy to link my potential or success to how clean my home is, how many home-cooked meals I make, whether laundry is caught up. God has been reminding me that my deeds (or lack of) do not equal signifigance to Him. It’s so easy to lose sight of the potential He has for me as a daughter of the King!
I rely on grace and mercy where my home is concerned. Lol. I have also gone too far the other way, spending way too many hours in ministry and neglecting my home and family. God has had to discipline me in those areas. Our value as His daughters are not tied to our actions but our relationship. Let’s keep getting closer to Abba.
I needed this so much today thank you!
Thank you for coming along on this journey of faith with us. We are all here to help each other grow in relationship to Jesus. We all have within us the potential to be significant… Because God Said SO!
Just what I needed to read, thanks Kim for sharing this on your facebook page. Starts with Me is the song I have heard over and over and over again since I have been back from India. I am learning that there is so much I want to do do do for God, and I know He is telling me just be still still still and soak Me in and I will do all of the doing through you. Thanks TERESA for amazing encouragement on this Monday morning:)
We cannot share what we don’t have. If Christ and His love is what we want to give away, then we need to fill up every day. We can fill up with new potential every day, empty ourselves by nightfall and rest assured that we have been significant in the Kingdom.
MEGAN S. voiced some of my thoughts on people worrying too much about their earthly significance and not enough time building their Kingdom signifICANce.Ahmee touched on a good point: One of the saddest statements in any language is, “He/she had so much potential,” – usually heard when someone squanders his/her life through wrong choices. I don’t want to fall into either of those categories. I want to live for my Kingdom Significance. I am growing in Christ every day and that’s a pretty good start. Thanks to all of you at GCH for the part you play in my growth. I appreciate you all so much! Great lesson and blog, Teresa, and great comments, ladies! Did you notice the capitalized letters in the word significance in the second line of my comment? Through Christ, “I CAN!”
I love your “I CAN” statement. Only the enemy says we can’t and he doesn’t count. 😛
If we are honest, we choose everything in our lives according to potential. Potential purpose, value and usefulness. Our lives are no different. Through Christ, we are ALL masterpieces handmade and full of potential usefulness.
Teresa, I can’t believe that we only have 2 more weeks of this study to go! I pray that this study has truly been a blessing to all who have hung in here with us, and completed every day’s lessons. You have been a blessing in such a big way, and I want to thank you for allowing God to use you in this way. I know writing this study in 28 days was not easy, and you had a lot of “things” in your way….but I am praising God for the outcome, and the blessings I have received personally from it.
One thing that comes to mind after reading today’s lesson and blog is that we not only need to realize what our potential is, but who we are RIGHT NOW, in Christ. RIGHT NOW, we are more powerful than we ever imagined, at putting the enemy under our feet. RIGHT NOW, we are more than Conquerors. RIGHT NOW, we are blessed, and we are HIS child! RIGHT NOW, we have everything that God has ever wanted us to have, in the palm of our hands. We just need to recognize that…and then stand in that power, and use it for God’s glory….RIGHT NOW! 🙂
BEAUTIFUL blog today hon!
Thank you for the encouragement and the opportunity to share my heart with this ministry. Jesus said we have all we need to do everything He did and more (John 14). What are we waiting for? He gave us the Holy Spirit to walk beside us, dwell in us and guide us through every situation. We can come boldly to His throne and receive anything we ask for in His name. It’s time to learn just how much power He has given us to live a victorious life through Him.
Amen, Teresa!! Can you just imagine what the body of Christ would be like, if we just “got that”!!! AMAZING!!! Satan wouldn’t know what to do with himself!!! Wow!!! Oh I pray that we get this message, and let it sink down deep into our hearts!!