SACRIFICE: A WAY TO MAXIMIZE YOUR FRUITFUL POTENTIALITY 1

"IN His grace, GOD HAS GIVEN US DIFFERENT GIFTS FOR DOING CERTAIN THINGS WELL. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you."
Romans 12:6 (NLT)

• You may have to sacrifice some things in order to produce maximally in the Kingdom (John 15:2,16).

Ability to do certain things well is given to every individual Believer.
The potential or ability given you by God can be maximized. In other words, you can make the best use of the ability given you by God to be fruitful and productive (John 15:2,16).
There are things you do that would make your gift, ability, or potentiality maximized.
If your ability or potential would be maximized, you would have to sacrifice some things.
Sacrifice as defined by a Dictionary is: to give up something that is important or valuable to you in order to get or do something that seems more important for yourself or for another person.
If your ability would be maximized, some relationships, social engagements, and other activities that do not edify or help your spiritual growth and fulfilment would have to be done away with (2 Timothy 2:3,4).

BUT WHAT THINGS WERE GAIN TO ME, these I have counted LOSS for Christ.
Yet indeed I ALSO COUNT ALL THINGS LOSS for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, and count them as rubbish, THAT I MAY GAIN CHRIST."
Philippians 3:7,8 (NKJV)

In the above Bible passage, Apostle Paul said things that were gain to him, things considered important to him, he counted loss or worthless for Christ.
God may demand that you forgo some things in order to follow Him and be whatever He wanted you to be (Luke 9:23-25).
When Peter, Andrew, James and John, were called to follow Jesus, they forsook everything, their boats and the fishing nets (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:22).

• There are things that you may have to Sacrifice: wishes and desires, goals, attainments in the world, career, and other activities.

Sin would have to be forsaken, as well as weights, legitimate things that would not allow you to run the race as you ought (Hebrews 12:1,2).
NOTE: there is a difference between a weight and a Sin. Weights are legitimate things that can trip you up in your Christian journey and the assignment given to you.
Nothing should be so important to you that you cannot leave or forsake to do God's Will.
God will test your faithfulness and loyalty by asking for sacrifices. He will demand things that are precious to you, before He would believe you actually love Him (Genesis 22:1-12).
Test of sacrifice is a test you have to pass, before you ascend on high.
When you pass the test, you become His confidant and an instrument of honour in His hands (2 Timothy 2:19-21).

• When you have given all to God, He becomes your ultimate Desire.

If you still have things that are precious to you, that you find difficult to forgo or give up because of Him, you may not be able to maximize your POTENTIALITY.
In most cases, things God would ask you to sacrifice are the things which you have idolized or may likely idolize in the course of your walking with Him and would afterwards affect negatively the fulfilment of your assignment.
There are things that would not allow you to focus or depend on God solely.
Things that might give you uneasy rest, peace or false hope, that would make you complacent and lean on the self (Proverbs 3:5,6).
Such things would not allow you to acknowledge God and depend on Him totally.
God would want to remove or take such things away from you that the glory of your success or making could be given to Him and to Him alone: "THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE (1 Corinthians 1:29).
God would want to know whether you love Him above all other things: "SO when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, DO YOU LOVE ME MORE THAN THESE?” He said to Him, “YES, LORD; YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs" (John 21:15 NKJV).
Peter wanted to go back to the fishing business after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus had to ask him if he still loved Him, which Peter answered affirmatively that he did. The question was repeated three times, and Peter gave Jesus the same answer that he did love Him (John 21:15-17).
Whatever you love above God has become another God to you. A servant cannot serve two masters, it is either God or Mammon, that is, either God or the mundane (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13).
As you progress in your Walk with God, you would need to forgo your choices and wishes.
You would not be expected to have your own Will or Wishing, for anything again, except the things He wanted—whatever satisfies Him alone.
It does not mean that your right to make choices would be withdrawn or taken away completely, you will still have the right to make choices quite all right, because that is given to everyone by God; however, you would have been broken to the point that you will always want God's Will above your own Will. THE desires of the flesh, or the self, would be obnoxious to you.
At this stage of your spiritual growth, you would have known that any choice you made contrary to His Will would not give you peace, Blessing, and fulfilment. Thus, you would always want whatever He wanted for you, even when it seems that what He wanted is not beautiful, attractive, and convenient at the time.
You know, and you are convinced that if He wanted it, it will bring out the best result.

24 IT was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
25 HE CHOSE TO SHARE THE OPPRESSION OF GOD'S PEOPLE instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 HE THOUGHT IT WAS BETTER TO SUFFER FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST THAN TO OWN THE TREASURES OF EGYPT, for he was looking ahead to his great reward."
Hebrews 11:24-26 (NLT)

Whatever God wanted, even that which you would not want to do, would have to be accepted by you.
Your wishes and ambitions would not matter to you again, except whatever He wanted for you; because you are thoroughly broken by now: "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, when you were younger you dressed yourself AND WALKED WHEREVER YOU WISHED; BUT WHEN YOU GROW OLD, you will stretch out your hands and arms, and someone else will dress you, AND CARRY YOU WHERE YOU DO NOT WISH TO GO" (John 21:18 AMP).
God will break you, you will be weaned of all your desires; He will make you weak and powerless like an old person, that you will not be interested in the pursuits of your own DESIRES.
IT would be that all you ever want are things which He does approve only.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!
TO BE CONTINUED