A Potent Power!
It bothers me to see wasted potential. It is a burden I bear. Seeing missed opportunities and potential that is not fully reached gets me to my very core. The origin of the word potential is from Latin potentialis, potentia or from the root, POTENT, which means power and being able. I love this because it points to how each one of us is created…with potentia, a power to be able!
In Christ, we are able to do more than we could on our own. Through HIS power at work in us, we are able to do above and beyond what we could possibly do in our own strength. This potential is in all of us and it really bothers me when the people of God do not live into the full potential of His design for them. Often this happens because we are focused on the wrong things. I can get off track very easily, but when I am in the right place, with the right people, doing the right things it is obvious something amazing is about to happen! Like what happened in the mountains of West Virginia this past October.
I was invited to a leader’s retreat, to help them see their way forward as an organization. I was apprehensive because I didn’t know these people well and some I didn’t know at all. It was also in a place I had never been before. But I knew I was supposed to go. That’s all I knew. So I went. It rained most of the trip, it was getting dark, and I was in unfamiliar territory in so many ways! I could only see a few feet in front of me. It was definitely a white knuckle kind of trip! As I came off the highway, winding my way around the mountains of West Virginia in the pitch blackness of night with no lights to guide me, I felt anxiety begin to rise within. I had only my GPS and the Holy Spirit to rely upon now. Knowing I could lose cell service at any given time didn’t help. But finally after another hour or so, I made it to this little cabin tucked away in the mountains of West Virginia. Trying to be cordial with my hosts, while coming off one of the most intense trips of my life was a challenge, but I managed. I was just thankful to be inside safe and sound.
When I woke up the next morning, I began to relax. During our quiet time, with a cup of coffee, I found a cozy spot in front of a huge picture window. A sense of peace began to wash over me. The fall landscape slowly began to appear as the sun came up over the heavy mist that was beginning to dissipate. The lake, which I didn’t realize was even there, became visible in the light of day. Brilliant colors of the season began to emerge. I prayed for the ladies I would be speaking to in a little while, leading them on a journey of clarity. I prayed, “Help them to see their worth, to realize their full potential and unleash your power in them, Lord.” Like the colors on the leaves that I could see appearing before me, I saw in my minds eye many people represented in all those beautiful colors for the display of the Creator’s glory. I could see the releasing of thousands of disciples of Jesus being mobilized to impact the people and places to whom they are sent with the potent power of Jesus in them. I saw God’s people going out, spreading far and wide, like the changing of the color on the trees across the mountain before me. A little at a time, colors were added, eventually creating what resembled a brilliant painting on a canvas, a masterpiece created by the Creator himself. I knew then that I was there for a reason that was beyond the obvious agenda before me. It was another step in unleashing the potential in the people of God for Kingdom impact.
When we stay focused on Jesus and the potential He sees in each one of us, we can actually live into that potential and more! The more is the part we cannot see, but we must place our full trust in Jesus, our saviour. He holds the HOW, WHERE, and WHEN of our potential. Our job is to fix our eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of our faith. It is only through Him that we can go beyond what our eyes can see or our minds can conceive. This is the potent power of Christ Jesus. Living any other way will cause us to miss out on His plan for us; His perfect plan. Trust that His ways are so much better, even if we can only see a step in front of us. That is part of the plan, I believe. To walk step by step, following Jesus as He leads us…one way! Even through the darkness in unfamiliar territory. Do you want to reach your full potential and have lasting impact on the world? There’s only one way… follow the Master. Then His master plan will unfold before your eyes allowing His potent power to work in and through you to engage the world around you!
