Achieving Your Potential

God wants only the very best for you. We know the Word says, "All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

So does this mean we can sit in the corner and everything will work for our good? I think it means if we walk in the Spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh and we seek God’s Kingdom first, these things will take place. I think on God’s part His intentions are always good for His people but we can hinder God’s work in our lives by the choices we make.

One of the problems I see is that when God blesses us we don’t always see it as blessings. For instance, chastisement, or punishment, may not be seen by us as a good thing or a blessing, but without it we would be rebellious children. I am convinced that everything that happens to a believer is filtered through the hands of God. In other words nothing can happen to a believer that God doesn’t allow.

Think of this, many times we bring things on ourselves that we may blame God for, or we may blame on the evil one. I am not saying God causes everything to happen to us that we see as terrible but He allows them after we have made the choice to cause them. Another thing I am not saying is that the evil one never has a hand in our choices. The evil one can’t make us do anything but he is there to tempt and deceive us and don’t forget he has helpers.

Let me give you an example of what I am saying. Think about Jonah’s situation, he was supposed to go to Nineveh and preach repentance but he chose to go to Tarshish. God, being faithful to His Word, caused Jonah to rethink his decision. If you were to contemplate what took place and you didn’t know the end of the story you would think it was curtains for Jonah.

First there was a great wind and a then a violent storm arose, then Jonah was thrown overboard and the sea grew calm but Jonah was not in the clear yet, he was swallowed by a large fish. Would you say that all was well for Jonah? Not in your natural mind you wouldn’t, if you didn’t know the end of the story. But what God allowed was for Jonah’s good. Without this happening Jonah might have never repented and fulfilled God’s purpose or potential for his life.

We will never achieve our potential in God by our natural way of thinking, we have to think from a biblical and spiritual point of view. Jonah was thinking from his natural mind. Because of Jonah’s experience he repented and started thinking with his spiritual mind. He went and preached to the Ninevites and they repented and were not destroyed. There were more than a hundred and twenty thousand people spared and many cattle as well.

Understand it wasn’t God’s choice that caused Jonah to run from Him, no it was Jonah’s choice. God could have killed Jonah and destroyed Niveveh but His love and mercy prevented Him from doing that. What looked like a terrible thing turned out to be the best thing in this whole situation for Jonah and the Ninevites! At that time Jonah achieved his greatest potential for God. Only when you make the right choices and decisions can you achieve your greatest potential in God. But even if you make a bad choice and sin like Jonah did, God will help you to make the right one.

Maybe God has been dealing with you over something you have done, or are doing right now, don’t run away from God like Jonah did, repent and confess and let God help you to achieve your greatest potential in Him. The Word also says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." So let God help you to achieve your greatest potential in Him today and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord. Have a great day and God bless.