Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential by John Maxwell
Authors: John Maxwell
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circumstances cause me to show strong emotion, either positive or negative? What kind of people do I spend my time with? What spiritual gifts do I possess, and am I using them? How am I living in the light of my knowledge of God? If there are areas in which you’re falling short, try to identify the reasons why.
The second thing we need to see is our inner desires . If you could be anything you wanted to be and do anything you wanted to do, what would you be or do? What would really bring joy to your life? If you can answer this question, you have identified your inner desires. Knowing this will help you reach your potential.
We need to see our resources, both internal and external. What are your personal strengths? What can you draw on to help you possess the land? Do you surround yourself with supportive people? Do you use past experiences to your benefit? Do you take advantage of opportunities as they arise?
Fourth, we need to get a clear sight of our God. We need to see him as the God “who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20).
S AY I T —F AITH ’ S W ORD
In Hebrews 11, there is a list of examples of active faith. The possessors of this faith are described in verse 13:
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
First, they saw the promises—that’s see-it faith. Then they confessed, or said, that they were strangers and exiles—that’s say-it faith.
S TEPS TO S AYING I T
There are four steps toward possessing a say-it faith. How do you make your inward belief an outward confession? First you need the confidence to say what you believe. Many great dreams die because the dreamers lack the confidence to declare them. Whenever we are unsure of ourselves or our projects, we usually remain silent. We don’t say it because we want to save face.
Saying it takes commitment . Many great dreams die because dreamers lack the commitment to declare them. Other people cannot follow our inward hopes; they follow our visible commitments. It’s seeing the dream consume us and seeing the commitment that makes us act on that dream that causes others to follow it. Commitment is contagious. People will only catch what has caught you.
The third step to say-it faith is good communication . Many great dreams die because dreamers lack the communication skills to get it across. This is very important. There are four ways that people learn: listening, discussing, watching, and discovering, or participating. Discovering, or participating, is the most effective way to learn. You need to help your people discover that dream for themselves by allowing them to participate. They need to hear about it, discuss it, and see it happening. You will not have effectively communicated your dream, however, until they participate in it.
If we’re going to say it, there’s a fourth thing we need, and that’s conviction . Many great dreams die because the dreamers lack conviction to act on them. There’s a difference between commitment and conviction. Commitment keeps me going when things get tough. Conviction keeps others going when things get tough. People around us are motivated by emotion, our conviction, that tangible sense of morale. People do not follow a leader because of character; they follow a leader because of conviction. People do not do something because it is right; they do something because they feel that’s it’s right. When we act on our conviction, others are drawn to us. Without conviction we may communicate truths, but we’ll develop no disciples. We will have people who have the right answers, but we won’t have people who live the right lives.
Saying it, then, requires confidence, or knowing it; commitment, doing it; communication, showing it; and finally, conviction, feeling it.
The second thing we need to see is our inner desires . If you could be anything you wanted to be and do anything you wanted to do, what would you be or do? What would really bring joy to your life? If you can answer this question, you have identified your inner desires. Knowing this will help you reach your potential.
We need to see our resources, both internal and external. What are your personal strengths? What can you draw on to help you possess the land? Do you surround yourself with supportive people? Do you use past experiences to your benefit? Do you take advantage of opportunities as they arise?
Fourth, we need to get a clear sight of our God. We need to see him as the God “who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20).
S AY I T —F AITH ’ S W ORD
In Hebrews 11, there is a list of examples of active faith. The possessors of this faith are described in verse 13:
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
First, they saw the promises—that’s see-it faith. Then they confessed, or said, that they were strangers and exiles—that’s say-it faith.
S TEPS TO S AYING I T
There are four steps toward possessing a say-it faith. How do you make your inward belief an outward confession? First you need the confidence to say what you believe. Many great dreams die because the dreamers lack the confidence to declare them. Whenever we are unsure of ourselves or our projects, we usually remain silent. We don’t say it because we want to save face.
Saying it takes commitment . Many great dreams die because dreamers lack the commitment to declare them. Other people cannot follow our inward hopes; they follow our visible commitments. It’s seeing the dream consume us and seeing the commitment that makes us act on that dream that causes others to follow it. Commitment is contagious. People will only catch what has caught you.
The third step to say-it faith is good communication . Many great dreams die because dreamers lack the communication skills to get it across. This is very important. There are four ways that people learn: listening, discussing, watching, and discovering, or participating. Discovering, or participating, is the most effective way to learn. You need to help your people discover that dream for themselves by allowing them to participate. They need to hear about it, discuss it, and see it happening. You will not have effectively communicated your dream, however, until they participate in it.
If we’re going to say it, there’s a fourth thing we need, and that’s conviction . Many great dreams die because the dreamers lack conviction to act on them. There’s a difference between commitment and conviction. Commitment keeps me going when things get tough. Conviction keeps others going when things get tough. People around us are motivated by emotion, our conviction, that tangible sense of morale. People do not follow a leader because of character; they follow a leader because of conviction. People do not do something because it is right; they do something because they feel that’s it’s right. When we act on our conviction, others are drawn to us. Without conviction we may communicate truths, but we’ll develop no disciples. We will have people who have the right answers, but we won’t have people who live the right lives.
Saying it, then, requires confidence, or knowing it; commitment, doing it; communication, showing it; and finally, conviction, feeling it.
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