The Pitfall of Potential

“You have so much potential!” said a supervisor that I once worked for. Immediately, the sound of that phrase annoyed my Spirit and caused me to go into a deep conversation with the Father. My Spirit just could not accept the word potential when all the Lord ever assured me of was promises that lead to destiny. Jeremiah 29:11 is quoted quite often in churches, prayer times, and during trials to lift the Spirit of the one seeking God for an answer. The verse explicitly states God wants to give an “expected end.” God never made a potential promise; He just made promises He could keep and ones those who trust and believe in Him can hope in. The problem with potential is that it is the decoy to promise. It is similar in nature, but it is not guaranteed; neither is it solid, but rather a mere picture that flashes to reveal the sight of what your future could be. This article is in no way written to cast a negative connotation on “potential,” but rather to open the eyes of individuals to understand that potential alone is not enough. The danger in this mirage is that sometimes one never makes it to see the full potential of life, but with a promise it is sure to come to pass.

For, 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV) states, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” When God created man, He did not create him with the potential to rule or dominate but rather He, so boldly, gave Adam the dominion. Genesis 1:28 states, “…have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (KJV). There was no talk of, “Adam you have been created and this is what you potentially could have rule over.” No! God was very direct and clear in His orders to Adam. For, mankind was created in the “image and likeness” of the Triune God. Before exploring the words, potential and promise further, it is with proper respect that they be defined.

The dictionary defines potential as, “having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future; latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.” On the contrary, promise is defined as, “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.” A quick Google search for both words in Hebrew left me understanding more of why I could not accept it. I knew why my

Spirit could not agree with something God never ordained for my life (or anyone else’s life who trusts in Him). I get it, potential is a word thrown around to motivate people to get up and do better, but just think about what life could be like if one laid hold to the promises of God with everything in them. The idea of potential, if one is not careful, could lure an individual into the trap of vain imagination and distract them from the promise. How many times has a man or woman fallen in love with the potential of a person? Who they could be but never evolved into? Why is that? Because potential allows one to see possibilities rather than promises. Many individuals fall into this pitfall of potential and find themselves in a revolving state because they have not identified that potential is not solid. I, myself, have fallen in love with the potential of people and have even wanted the fulfillment of destiny for their life more than them. Nevertheless, I do not want to leave this writing open with the information regarding the pitfalls of potential without sealing it on how to avoid those pitfalls as a believer in Christ.

Avoiding the pitfall of potential is going to require the individual to know who they are and whose they are. When I came to the reality of w

ho I was in God and all that He promised me, I knew that the potential people saw did not stand a chance against the promise of God for my life. You must know God with your heart and not just your head. Knowing God logically or educationally does nothing for the heart. That’s like just knowing the potential benefits one could have versus when they truly come to Him with their heart. Knowing God with your heart assures that one will experience the promises of God throughout your life. My sister or brother in Christ, my prayer for you is that the eyes of your understanding will be opened to the Word of God just as the Word demonstrated in Luke 24:45.

I pray now that you who are reading this would let go of the mirage of potential and embrace the full promises of God over your life. Letting go of the mirage of potential is as simple as making up your mind to say, “I will no longer dwell on the what ifs and whys, but I will rather stand on what God has said in His Word that concerns me.” No longer allow the words of others to be worn as the label to describe who you are.

If you do not know God, I pray you come to know Him in the fullness thereof. I pray that every bondage that has sealed your mind from receiving the Lord Jesus Christ be broken off you now in the mighty name of Jesus. Embrace the promises of God and avoid the pitfalls of potential.

Yours Truly,

A Servant of God