Your words are gate-openers. When you speak, you either open a gate of praise for God to walk through or a gate of hell for the Enemy.

The greatest foundation for hearing the voice of God is knowing the Word of God.

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Reaching your potential in Christ

Intro: When you look in the mirror, what do you see? The key to reaching our God-given potential is to see that Jesus Christ gives us our identity. "In Him we live and move and exist," says the Scripture. We have the spiritual DNA of Jesus, having become a partaker of His divine nature. 2 Peter 1:3-4 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. The power to live a Godly life comes from God. He allows us to share in His divine nature. God has a will, plan, and purpose for your life individually and personally. Your heavenly Father has already embedded into you all of the gifts and talents you need to complete the work that He has assigned, prepared, and provided for you to do. Nobody can be who you are, nobody can replace you, and nobody else on this earth is capable of fulfilling the Father’s plan for you. Central Truth: Never settle for less than His best. Points: 1. How we see ourselves: We point out our weaknesses. We are called to serve God in specific ways. Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses. We remind God of our limitations. Don’t spend time making excuses; instead spend it doing what God wants. Judges 6 11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” 14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “But Lord” Gideon asked, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. ” 16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” 2. How others see’s us: Others point out our weaknesses. People may try to discourage you with negative comments or mockery, but continue to do what you know is right. By doing what is right, you will be pleasing God, whose opinion matters most. 1 Samuel 17:28-29 28 But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” 29 “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” 33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” 3. How God see’s us: You may be asking, “Well, how does God see me? ”Your heavenly Father sees you through eyes of love and forgiveness. He sees where you are, but more importantly, He sees the person He made you to be. God sees all the awesome potential and possibilities He created you to fulfill. And if you are willing to discover and align yourself with His plan and purpose for you, He will bless you more than you could ever imagine. God promises to bless you with life at its best. He sees the restored joy, peace, and sense of accomplishment that He wants in your life. 1 Samuel 16 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” All his sons passed before Samuel and still God said no, so he asked is there anymore. “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. Everyone can see your face, only you and God know your heart and what it really looks like. What steps are you taking to improve your hearts attitude? Along our path to discover Gods best for us we may make mistakes and suffer failures but we are to never give up. In our weakness He gives us His strength. Illustration: A Bunch of Failures Most of us know Babe Ruth set a record with 714 home runs in his baseball career. But few remember he struck out 1,330 times on the way to that record. Most people know Jonas Salk discovered the polio vaccine, but few realize he had to fail two hundred times before he found the right one. Nearly everyone who watches professional basketball agrees Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players of all time. But most people don't realize he failed to make the basketball team his sophomore year in high school. He didn't quit playing because of one failure. Henry Ford went bankrupt five times before he finally succeeded. Thomas Edison failed over ten thousand times in his attempts to find the correct filament for the light bulb. When an aide urged him to quit after several hundred failures, he replied, "Why quit now? We know of at least a hundred things that won't work." Application: Learning from our failures is part of the process of being successful. None of these people could have accomplished what they did if they had listened to the fear of failure. Conclusion: Do you want to reach your full potential? Ask yourself these questions: 1. What do you want me to do with my life? 2. What do you want to do through my life? 3. What did you have in mind when you created me? 4. What do you desire for me? Never settle for less than His best.