Celebrating 35 Years
HELPING PEOPLE TO REACH THEIR GREATEST POTENTIAL
One of the mistakes that many young people make when it comes to reaching their potential lies in the area of their focus. Goals are often set far into the future with the concept of reaching a certain age or level of development before they make strategic plans. Parents and counselors alike try to warn them that decisions made today will shape your future. On the other hand, this habit forged in youth often becomes the pattern for adult goal setting. While the goals might already be set today, most of us look to tomorrow for their fulfillment. When we consider that tomorrow never comes, it is no wonder that so many Christians never seem to reach their GREATEST POTENTIAL. There is a Scripture text that tells us, "He whom the Son sets free, is free in deed." I like to respond to this text by asking, "Free to do what?" The answer is, "Free to be the person that I was created to be." We will never reach our full potential until God sets us free from the bondage that sin places upon us. Perhaps the first discovery that we need to make is finding God’s goal for our lives. He is the One Who has set us free and He is the One Who knows our potential. Romans 8:28 teaches, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:29 tells us what that purpose is. "Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…." Man was once made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Now that we have been marred by sin, we need to be remade into the image of God’s Son. We must now focus on the question, "How do we reach that goal and become the person that we were meant to be?" How does one reach his full potential?
Rev. David C. Hammerle
(M.A., M.Ed., DAPA)
Director of Counseling Services,
Altoona New Day
If the goal is to be all that I was meant to be, failure to reach it is even more devastating. Who am I? Why am I here? What is the reason for my existence? If one cannot feel that he knows the answer to these questions by life’s end, there is reason for despair.
However, many Christian believers, who have been set free from sin’s bondage, are still failing to realize their potential even though God has forgiven their sin and rid them of guilt.
DON’T LOOK FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT:
It is certain that we must not look to the future for our spiritual development. We are in the process of becoming now! The baby begins the process of growth and development at conception. When we became believers in Christ and invited Him to come into our lives, the growth process started.
We must look to our daily experiences when we are seeking to discover growth toward our fullest potential. Note the words of Paul in Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death…." Paul’s goal was to know the power of God in his life.
However, in another request, Paul called out to God to deliver him from a "thorn in the flesh." He was so determined that he wanted rid of the thorn (we were never told what the specific need was) that he prayed three times for God to take it away. God’s answer is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Paul then concluded that he would rather glory in his infirmities that he might know the power of God in his life. The very thing that Paul longed for could have eluded him because he was looking in the wrong place. His request for deliverance from problems, if granted, would have robbed him of experiencing God’s power in his life.
LOOKING FOR GOD TO HELP US GROW IN OUR SITUATION: The trial of our faith serves the purpose of making us more like Christ. Read James 1:2-6 and discover the purpose of the trials of faith. They are designed to make us more complete—more like Christ. If we lack wisdom concerning our trial, we may ask God and He will teach us (vs.5). We must ask in faith—that is to believe that God is working in our trial to teach us the things that we need to know (vs.6). KEYS FOR THE HELPER: DON’T BE A JOB’S COMFORTER. Job’s three friends tried to discover Job’s sins because they viewed the trial as punishment. The greater message of the Book of Job comes in the lesson that God desired to teach Job. God knows all things, so He knew that Job would not fail. Job learned that it did not matter that he knew where God was. He only needed to know that God knew where he was and when God was finished, Job would come forth as pure gold (Job 23:10). Help the person to focus on Christ and discover how each trial will make him/her more like Christ. Of course, each of us must learn this for ourselves, but Christian friends can become a distraction when they try to analyze and judge. HELP THE PERSON DISCOVER GOD’S WAYS IN GOD’S WORD: The Scripture does not lead us astray. Encourage the person to compare his/her situation to God’s word when seeking God’s direction. Patience will be of great importance. However, God’s timing is always perfect. Job did not miss the lesson. Paul found the answer from God that would change him rather than his circumstance. IT IS GOD’S GOAL TO MAKE US MORE LIKE CHRIST!!! © Copyright 2004 Rev.
REMEMBER THAT GOD ALWAYS WORKS WITH A PLAN AND HE IS NOT INTOGUESSING GAMES!
David C. Hammerle
New Day, Inc.
1212 13th Ave.
Altoona, PA 16601
Phone: 814-949-9210