Have you ever wondered if your past mistakes, poor choices, or sin have somehow derailed God’s plan for your life? Many believers struggle with the fear that they’ve “messed up” God’s purpose for them. The good news is this: you may have mixed it up, but you didn’t mess it up. God has protected your potential from the very beginning of time.
What Does It Mean to Have Protected Potential?
Your potential – the capacity God gave you to live out your purpose – has been safeguarded by God throughout the ages. According to Ephesians 2:10, “we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things that he planned for us long ago.”
The key phrase here is “created us anew in Christ Jesus.” This doesn’t mean God is creating something entirely new, but rather restoring us to what was always intended. Like the restoration of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling, God isn’t painting over our lives – He’s removing the layers of dirt and damage to reveal the original masterpiece underneath.
Where Your Life Has Been Hidden
Colossians 3:3 reveals a profound truth: “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” Your authentic life – the one God planned before the foundations of the earth – wasn’t placed in you where it could be damaged or destroyed. Instead, God hid it in Christ Jesus, the safest and most secure place in all the universe.
This means that no matter what sin entered the world, no matter what happened in your life, your true potential remained protected in Christ. As born-again believers, we’re being reconnected to this life through our union with Jesus.
Understanding God’s Four-Fold Process
God works through a specific process in our lives:
1. Conception
Before creation, God had a concept and imagination of who you would be. You weren’t an afterthought – you were God’s forethought.
2. Creation
God created the heavens, the earth, and the world system based on His original conception.
3. Construction
You were constructed and designed with specific gifts and abilities to carry out God’s plan.
4. Carry Out
Now you have the opportunity to live out what God always intended.
You Were Fashioned for Glory
From the very beginning, you were fashioned for awe – to reflect and represent the glory and greatness of God. Ephesians 1:4 tells us that “even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”
Isaiah 43:7 declares: “Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.” You were created for greatness, not mediocrity. God’s standard for your life is glory and greatness in every area – your relationships, career, future, and legacy.
How Sin Affected Your Potential
What Sin Did
Sin caused you to fall from God’s glorious standard and lose your way. Romans 3:23 says “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Isaiah 53:6 explains that “all of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s path to follow our own.”
What Sin Didn’t Do
Importantly, sin didn’t destroy your potential – it only separated you from it. Your purpose remained intact, your capacity wasn’t diminished, and God’s plan didn’t change. You had potential; you just didn’t have the power to make it work without being connected to God.
The Mystery Revealed
For centuries, God kept a secret hidden from the world. Colossians 1:26-27 reveals this mystery: “This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people… And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.”
God wasn’t reacting to sin when He sent Jesus. Jesus was always the plan from before the foundation of the earth. Your life was hidden in Christ as part of God’s original design, not as a backup plan.
Two Types of Life
The Adam Life
This is life separated from God, where you try to use your gifts and abilities on your own. You’re constantly grasping, trying to figure things out, centered on yourself, and following your own path.
The Christ Life
This is life connected to Jesus, where you have access to the power needed to make your potential work. You’re no longer just surviving – you’re thriving according to God’s original design.
You’re Now Fitted for Glory
Through salvation, you have access not just to potential, but to your fullest potential. Ephesians 3:20 promises that God “is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
When you’re connected to your life in Christ, you have the power to make your potential work – and not just work, but work in a great way that reflects God’s glory.
Life Application
Remember What Salvation Gives You
Salvation gives you back what was already yours. It doesn’t create something new – it restores what God always intended for your life. Your potential, purpose, and calling were never destroyed; they were simply waiting for you to be reconnected to the life you have in Christ.
This week, challenge yourself to stop living like “mere men and women” and start embracing the greatness God designed for you. You weren’t created to be mediocre or to settle for less than God’s best. You were fashioned for glory, chosen for greatness, and equipped with protected potential.
Questions for Reflection
– In what areas of my life am I settling for less than God’s standard of greatness?
– How has my understanding of my past mistakes affected my belief in God’s plan for my future?
– What would change in my daily life if I truly believed my potential has been protected in Christ?
– Am I living from the “Adam life” (trying to do things on my own) or the “Christ life” (connected to God’s power)?
Your potential was never lost – you just lost your way. But now, through Christ, you’re being restored to the masterpiece God always intended you to be.
