One of the ways of becoming a successful person in life is to maximise your potentials. This will enable you to excel in your work, relationships, business and in your race towards Heaven. Maximising potentials is not unconnected to time management and planning but it forms a major part of it. Without a proper utilisation of time, and of course, without proper planning, one would be unable to maximise potentials because the person will be blown about by the tide of events.
Since we are united with Christ, we are kings and priests (Revelation 1:6). With the responsibilities of being kings and priests, comes the potential to achieve even the unimaginable. After all, nothing is impossible for us (Matthew 17:20). Nothing on Earth can stop us except for one… ourselves. We are the only ones that can stop ourselves from maximizing our potentials. It only takes us to stop us!
There are several ways which we use ourselves to stop us from maximizing our potentials. These includes:
1. Fear
2. Procrastination
3. Pessimism
Fear
In Genesis 1:28, God says, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” By this, we must not limit it to childbearing alone as even Christ walked the Earth without having children meaning that celibacy is an option. However, being fruitful and multiplying means not being afraid to exhibit your potential to the maximum. The reason is that fear robs us of the fulfilment of any dream which we may want to accomplish. It robs us of the joy of fulfilling God’s words in Genesis 1:28 and also in Matthew 28:19 ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’. When we are afraid, we are unable to do any of these.
To overcome fear, we must constantly lean on the word of God for it casts away all fear. Some of His comforting words are found in John 14:27, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’. And also in Psalm 23:4, ‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me’. Take time to immerse yourself in the word of God by reading, meditating and praying these scriptures and many more that you will discover for yourself as you search the Bible.
Procrastination
This is the act of delaying something that you could have done now. It is a form of employing delay tactics towards the accomplishment of a set goal. This means rather than doing what will enhance our potentials, we procrastinate and continue to postpone it until a time when we may never do it. The dangers are enormous. These include damaged relationships which are as a result of perhaps postponing something a friend asks of you. Another danger is lowered self-esteem as you will always feel that you have let a lot of people down and you have left so much undone. We are warned against procrastination in 1 Corinthians 14:40, ‘But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way’. We must not procrastinate because God has given us strength fitting to do the work that He gives us to do. After all, Philippians 4:13 says, ‘I can do all this through him who gives me strength’ while Proverbs 10:4 leaves a warning, ‘Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.’
Pessimism
Pessimism is seeing the worse side of things rather than focusing on the good things. It is being negative rather than being positive. Currently, there are those who are too negative that from any good news, they will link it to a negative intent or outcome. Negativity is itself a sin which we shall account for on the day of judgment. Matthew 12: 36-37 says, ‘But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words, you will be condemned’.
Being pessimistic would mean that we would not want to take a risk thereby not growing our potentials but rather diminishing it. We do not get anything done. This is a hindrance to our physical and spiritual growth. Pessimism does not help anyone but rather, placing all hope and trust in God will. This is confirmed in Psalm 9:10, ‘Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you’. Let’s heed these words.
Finally, although we have been given the power to dominate by God, we must at all times not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, we must present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6). It is in this way that our effort will be crowned by the ever-present mercy of God.
