“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour”
1 Peter 5:8
Many times we are initially excited by the glimpses God gives
us of the potential He planted within us. In the early weeks and
months after we invite Jesus into our hearts, we may spend time in
worship, prayer, and Bible study; we may attempt to look beyond our
present circumstances to the unseen world of faith; we may seek
God’s guidance in our daily decisions as we open ourselves to His
plans and purposes for our lives; we may appreciate and treasure the
many blessings He showers upon us; we may carefully adjust our
surroundings to make them uplifting and positive; and we may work
to bring our dreams and ideas to completion. But as time passes, the
garden of our potential loses its early vitality as we allow circumstances
and responsibilities to crowd and choke the imaginations and
the possibilities that lie hidden within us.
I want to share the second of the four keys to encouraging your
garden to maturity as you liberate all the potential that God
deposited in you.
Key #2—You must guard your potential.
Most gardeners have experienced the frustration and the disappointment
that occur when rabbits, insects, or birds destroy their
carefully cultivated plants. Fences, insecticides, and scarecrows are
some of the many things they use to protect young plants from those
things that would seek to devour them.
Satan is intent on destroying your potential. He is constantly trying
to use a multitude of circumstances, attitudes, things, and people
to devour your abilities. You will never see but a small portion of
what you can do unless you guard your hidden wealth. The release
of your full potential is directly dependent on your diligence in protecting
your dreams, plans, and imaginations from the many negative
influences that would block their effective fulfillment.
The release of
your
full potential is
directly dependent
on your diligence
in protecting it.
