Sometimes we forget that God has empowered us in a major way. It slips our minds that it is He who empowers us to do everything, from sun up to sun down—every moment of each day. There are times in my own life where the stress of it all seems to push me into a corner. The thought of “I can’t do all this” rears its ugly head, and it feels like I don’t have what it takes to hold everything together. These are the times that we especially need to remind ourselves of God’s strength and power. And not just this, He tells us in Philippians 2:13, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” If we will allow Him, Heavenly Father will empower us and transform our “I can’t” into “I can, and I will!”.
In the Old Testament, God told His people in Deuteronomy 8:18(NLT), “Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.” In this verse, we learn some very important information. The first of which is that we need to remember who God is, that He is all-powerful, all-knowing, loving, and sovereign. In remembering who God is, we can’t help but also remember who we are. We’re His kids, and we carry His Spirit within us. One of the greatest aspects to being His children is being empowered by Him. This is something that He straightforwardly tells us to remember, but a good many of us forget.
God tells us in 2Corinthians 3:5 that He is our sufficiency. Everything that we need comes from Him, and He is the Supplier of all good things. Yet, many of us look to the world and the people in it for our sufficiency. We seek any-and-everything but God in some cases, and we need to change this. Statistics report that there’s at least 7.4 billion people on the earth. That’s a whole lot of folks. It’s astounding, but God knows each and every individual—the ones that are living today, and every person that has ever lived. He desires a relationship with all of us. He has the power to supply all our needs, and He wants us to lean on Him.
2Timothy 1:9 (NLT) says, “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” God chose us first. He loved us first, and gave His son to die for us. He called us to this life, and has equipped us with everything we need to live in a way that is both fulfilling to us and pleasing to Him. This isn’t a chore, it’s our honor and privilege.
Through His provision and care, it is clear that Heavenly Father wants us to live the greatest and most fulfilling life of which we’re capable. Philippians 4:19 tells us that God supplies every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Here again, He reminds us not to forget His rich and generous supply, because His supply is a sign of the promises He has made. That’s right! He’s so generous that He’s made rewarding us a sign that helps us to remember His goodness. We were created because God wanted a family on which to lavish His love. It’s in our nature to be the recipients of His care. This is why we can’t allow our memories to slip to forgetfulness when it comes to God’s empowerment. If we do, we’ll begin to work against our very own nature.
Instead of continually going to Him to pack on more fuel through His Word and through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, sometimes we try to siphon stamina and momentum from a well that’s already empty. That won’t work. Most of us recognize this at some point, and hopefully it’s a reminder to us to run to the Source of our supply in prayer. Our prayers to God is the first sign that our memory is intact—that we understand who He is and what He will do for us.
“I can’t” is a realization of limitations without Christ. It is also a mindset of hopelessness that is easily developed when we are trying to put square pegs into round holes. God said in Jeremiah 29:11(NLT), “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Heavenly Father has a plan for our lives, and within this plan is our purpose. We each have one. We have a calling to fulfill, and sometimes we involve ourselves in everything but the thing we’ve been called to do. We make associations and connections that take us off the path we are destined to be on.
God designed everything in the earth to be friendly towards His Will, and when we get on board with His plan, our lives will open up in amazing ways. “I can’t” is transformed to “I can” when we say ‘Yes’ to the promises of God, and ‘Yes’ to His Will. In Proverbs 3:1-4(NLT), He schools us on exactly how to get this done. He tells us, “1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. 2 If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. 3 Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.” Our Heavenly Father has empowered us to live boldly and victoriously through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and if we’ll trust Him, He’ll continually guide us to success. ■
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Transforming Your “I Can’t” into “I Can””, written by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.