REALISING OUR FULL POTENTIAL IN CHRIST IN 2018
(Updated Version)
-When we give our life to Jesus it is just the beginning of a life long journey with Him which never ends
-As Christians we have been saved for a purpose
The Apostle Paul wrote,“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
-God’s plan for our life is bigger than we could ever imagine
-No matter how bad a start we may have had to life God has a good plan for our life that is full of purpose and meaning
The Apostle Paul wrote,“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” (Ephesians 3:20)
-However many Christians never realise their full potential in Christ because they never win the battle for the mind and allow negative and discouraging thoughts to stop them from fully embracing all that God has planned for their life
-This is why the Apostle Paul wrote,
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
-Today I want to share some keys to help you to win the battle for the mind and to help you to realise your full potential in Christ
1)We must let go of our past disappointments and failures once and for all
i)We must refuse to live with regrets
ii)We need to forgive those who have hurt us in the past and forgive ourselves once and for all
iii)No amount of reflecting on our past failures can ever change the past. We can only learn from the past
This is why the Apostle Paul wrote,
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
•We need to even let go of our past successes
•God will continually stretch us in our faith
•It is so easy to get into a comfortable rut. Generally most people are not comfortable with change and prefer to have a regular routine
•We need to always be ready to embrace the new God given opportunities that come our way in life
King David wrote,
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24)
•We must refuse to allow our past failures and disappointments and even successes, to stop us from fully embracing all the God has planned for our future from THIS day on
•God has new and greater things in store for ourlives in 2018 – A year of new beginnings
In the book of Isaiah we read,
“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)
2)We need to live a crucified life (A life that is devoted to living for the Kingdom Cause)
-The Apostle Paul achieved much for God's Kingdom during his time here on earth. He
- Wrote around one quarter of the New Testament
- Went on three lengthy missionary journeys
- Planted many churches, and
- Mentored and helped to train up many key leaders such as Timothy and Titus
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
-This passage of Scripture clearly reveals why the Apostle Paul was able to achieve so much during his relatively short period of ministry here on earth, most likely only having come to Christ in his forties and being martyred at the age of 61 or 62
-Living a life that is fully surrendered to Jesus Christ is a key to realizing our full potential in Christ. That all that we have and all of our talents are for Him to use
-That we are prepared to sacrificially give of ourselves at times and to go the extra mile
-That we are in this world but not of it
The Apostle John wrote,
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)
-That we see our workplaces as missionfields where we can glorify God with the way that we live our life, and
-That we truly allow Jesus to be Lord of ALL of our life
-God has the best plan for our life and His ways are higher than our ways. We only have one gift of life to make an eternal difference in the lives of others
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for
those who love Him.” (2 Corinthians 2:9)
-Without having a clear commitment to living for the Kingdom Cause, the cares of this world and the many distractions in our world will draw us away from God's best plan for our life and invariably cause our lives to be unfruitful
-Jesus in His explanation of the Parable of the Sower said,“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:18-19)
-We must purposely choose on a daily basis to renounce self-centredness and to live wholeheartedly for the Lord
-This is what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ as we follow the way that He sacrificially lived for others during His time here on earth and prioritized people over possessions
Jesus Himself said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58)
-We need to say NO continually to the spirit of this world and YES to His will being done in our life
-In a world that encourages us to primarily focus on having our own needs met, we must purposely on a daily basis choose to renounce self centeredness and to follow God's plan for our life and to esteem others better than ourselves
Jesus Himself said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)
-It is in the doing of this that we begin to experience the life and life more abundantly that Jesus spoke of and see God opening up greater doors of opportunity for us to make an eternal difference in the lives of many
-So living a crucified life that is set apart for the cause of Christ is one great key to realizing our full potential in Christ and to seeing our lives bearing much fruit
Jesus Himself said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.” (John 12:24-26)
3)We need to FULLY trust the Lord with our future and let Him lead
-God has the best plan for our life
In the book of Isaiah we read,
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
-We must learn to simply trust the Lord at all times and toallow Him to direct our steps in life
-We must learn not to be moved by our circumstances but be committed to just doing what Jesus tells us to do
-Sometimes the greatest trials that we experience in life are on the point of a breakthrough in our life
-We need to be simply committed to trusting God at all times. We can depend on God’s faithfulness
-We need to continually surrender full control of our life over to Jesus Christ IF we are to embrace the fullness of what God has planned for our life
In the book of Proverbs we read,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Being continually in the centre of God’s will for our life is the key to seeing God’s continual favour and blessing upon our lives
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
In the book of Jeremiah we read,
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
-HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE LEARN TO TRUST THE LORD AT ALL TIMES AND CONTINUALLY ALLOW HIM TO LEAD
In the book of Psalms we read,
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;For the LORD upholds him with His hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24)
4)We need to build our lives based on the truth, (the wisdom and promises) contained in God’s Word
-As Christians we need to develop Kingdom thinking
-We need to build our lives based on what God says about our life
-The bible is full of promises for all believers
-The bible is also full of wisdom to help us to succeed in life and to make right choices in life
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
-The LORD said to Joshua just prior to him leading the Children of Israel into the Promised Land,
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)
-Consistently meditating on the Word of God helps us to build up our faith and to develop Kingdom thinking
-Spending time in God’s Word enables us to grow in our understanding of the things of God and helps to prepare us to fulfil all that God has planned for our life
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
-God will also speak clear direction into our lives through His Word as the Holy Spirit highlights specific passages of Scripture that relate to our current circumstances and needs
The Psalmist wrote,
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
(Psalm 119:105)
“Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133)
-Each day we need wisdom from God to do life well
-Spending time with God on a daily basis with an open bible helps us to get the wisdom that we need to fulfil all that God has planned for our life
-Being both a hearer and doer of God’s Word is the key to building our lives on a firm foundation,especially given the lawless days that we are now living in
Jesus Himself said,
“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
-It is so important that we consistently make time to spend in God’s Word
Jesus made this clear when He said,
“If you abide in My word you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)
5)We need to live a lifestyle of prayer (Communing with God). Life is full of choices
-Prayer helps us to make right choices in life
In the book of James we read,
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17)
-We have a God who is both willing and able to help us in life
-We need to learn to instinctively give our problems to the Lord in prayer
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
-Prayer is the key to seeing the mountains being removed in our life. Prayer helps to see our circumstances change as we ask God for His help
-Prayer helps us to experience the breakthroughs that we need in our life
Jesus Himself said,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
Jesus also said,
“Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:22-24)
-We are all continually in a spiritual war
The Apostle Paul wrote,“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)
The Apostle Peter wrote,
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
-Persistent prayer is the key to winning the spiritual war that we are all engaged in
-We must learn to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. That we are not moved by our circumstances but pray into being our God given destiny
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for the saints-” (Ephesians 6:18)
-We have been given great authority in the Name of Jesus. When we pray in His Name we see miracles and breakthroughs in our lives