Maximizing Your Potential

power as the means by which God works salvation in us—“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)—and he carefully portrayed this salvation as “a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that [our] faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). In a similar manner, Peter and John understood God’s power to be the secret behind their power: ...“Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?... By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong” (Acts 3:12,16a). God doesn’t want us just to know who we are in Him; He wants us to become it. This occurs as we take hold of His power and make it our own. We must always be careful “...to show that this allsurpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Even when we do not understand how God is working in our lives or what He is trying to accomplish, we can do great things when we cooperate with His power. This is true because potential is vision in a dormant state that can be activated by our faith in God’s power. If we are children of God, our greatest goal in life should be to resemble our Father. God doesn’t want us just to know who we are in Him; He wants us to become it. Whenever we see ourselves being something, doing something, or going somewhere, and we believe that God’s power in us will bring this glimpse of our potential to pass, we tap into God’s power to accomplish His will. This power of God is at work in us to save us and to call us to a holy life in Christ Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 and 2 Timothy 1:8-10). Satan knows that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20) and he is threatened by potential that is transformed by this power. Therefore, we must diligently defend God’s power within us so that our vision can be changed into mission and God’s potency may be revealed in us. God’s power in us is a second treasure to be defended from the schemes of the evil one. The Treasure of the Holy Spirit Paul also identifies the Holy Spirit Himself as the deposit or treasure within us that we must guard. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come... (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Now it is God who has made us...and has given us the Spirit as a deposit,