Discovering Your Potential - Part 4 of 5

The God who worked supernaturally through the prophets and the apostles is the same God who is still working through His servants today. God wants us to use the gifts of the Spirit, but not for our own gain. They are available to us in order to bless the body of Christ and to reveal God to unbelievers. Either we can be Jesus “wanna-bes” (all talk and no power) or we can be the real thing. God desires to transform us from being average Christians to being Spirit-filled (Matt. 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33).

Be open to the Spirit and willing to make yourself available through His leading. Also ask the Lord for opportunities as He can use you in any context. You don’t even have to leave your own home to be effective. For example, you can do something as easy as praying for someone over the phone. By tuning in to the Spirit’s promptings, you’ll find that you can pray for that person in a way that goes beyond your own understanding.

Start with little steps. The more you practice using the gifts, the better you’ll get at it. Begin to discover the different callings that God specifically designed you for. Whatever you can imagine that is, God said that He can do even more. God is not limited by human standards so we must look further than our own understanding.

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Discovering Your Potential - Part 3 of 5

When I was a teenager, I asked God to give me the ability to play the piano by ear. I was taking piano lessons at the time and found trying to read music slow going. Around that time I also asked God to give me the ability to write poetry. Well, I never developed into a pianist, but I did begin writing poetry. My first request may not have been granted, but my second one was. Because I was willing to try something new, I became richer for it.

The good news is that we don’t have to stay where we’re at. There’s much more up ahead for us if we’re willing to seek it with all our hearts. In 1Corinthians 12 and 14, the Apostle Paul taught that we can ask God for supernatural gifts of the Spirit, as I mentioned above. It could be a word of knowledge, which is information supernaturally gained about someone or something. Or it could be that someone you pray for is healed. These gifts are there for all believers to equip us for supernatural service.

Maybe you’re not sure what you should be seeking. God says that as you delight yourself in Him, He promises to give you the desires of your heart. As you stay sensitive to His Spirit, He will reveal to you bit by bit what His desires are for you.

I believe that we can operate in any one of these gifts when it’s needed, but we are all given at least one gift that we can operate in on a regular basis. I say this because there will be some who have a healing ministry, but that doesn’t exempt the rest of us from praying for people’s healing. We must be available and obedient. God will do the rest.

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Discovering Your Potential - Part 2 of 5

Too many women wish they had different hair, or eyes of a different color, or different gifts and talents. Wishing we were something or someone else only cripples our potential and our joy. Some even think that they’re not a bit talented or gifted. Actually, we’re all talented and gifted, but in different ways and to different degrees. We bring God glory when we embrace the unique way that He made each of us.

We are like life coaches, but we can’t coach our kids about discovering their identities if we don’t know our own. Therefore, we need to be thankful and honest about ourselves and not pretend to be someone we’re not. By modeling this we will help our children confidently get to know who they are. Peer pressure doesn’t have to get the better of them if we create an atmosphere that strengthens their self-esteem.

The best part is that whatever we’re born with doesn’t just end there. There’s more for us because there’s much more in Christ. It’s good to note our weaknesses, but if we spend time trying only to improve our weaknesses then we may forget about our strengths. This can have a bad effect on our self-esteem, to the point where we finally just give up on ourselves. We need to keep our focus on God and His potential not on our own abilities or seeming lack thereof. Even our strengths can be our greatest weaknesses when they are not properly harnessed. We just need to stay available and teachable, and God will do the rest.

I recommend that you read my post about my son and youngest daughter in "Eye Color Conversation."

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Discovering Your Potential – Part 1 of 5

The devil doesn’t like it when Christians are in a healthy relationship with God. He knows that if he can keep us from really connecting with our Maker, then he can keep us from reaching our full potential. That potential is wrapped up in a God-given calling. Part of knowing our calling is knowing who we are as individuals.

God made each of us differently for His good pleasure. He has given us both natural and supernatural potential. The natural potential God puts in us and we discover it. He does this like a computer programmer. He wires each of us a certain way and He carefully writes out our DNA. Only God can do that. However, we were not born fully grown. We had to develop into who we are now. The supernatural potential we discover in Christ.

When we become believers, we are able to become more like Him. The more He becomes a part of our lives, the more His Spirit will operate through us. In those areas of our lives where we feel inadequate, Jesus by His Spirit makes us adequate as we call on Him. This includes enabling us to operate in the fruit of the Spirit, as found in Galatians 5:22, such as in faithfulness and kindness. Furthermore, we can ask for supernatural gifts of the Spirit, which include knowledge and healing.

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Finding Balance – Part 3 of 3

Perhaps you’ve chosen to be a full-time homemaker. That fact doesn’t mean the other members of the family don’t need to help. They’ll learn to appreciate what you’re doing when they have to do a few things themselves. They will also take ownership of the values that you hold concerning home life.

In my home, my husband jokes that he’s the butler and I’m the maid. It’s the reality of our home life. We shoulder the load together and endeavor to teach our kids the same. We’re a good team, but it has taken us lots of open communication to get us where we are today.

Having a balanced life and the right perspective toward ourselves and our work are blessings that come with being in the center of God’s will. It requires us to be faithful in the smallest things, but that doesn’t mean doing everything for everyone. It means being a good steward of what God requires of us and learning how to say “no” or “wait” regarding the rest. It’s then that we become more accurately aware of our roles as wives and mothers, or in any other spheres of influence that we have.

It’s time we stopped going through the motions of life and never really living it. When we’re in His will, we’ll find peace and fulfillment. There is truth in the saying that the more peace we have within us, the more peace we’ll have around us.

Samantha and Amanda 2012

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