Many times, we are limited by our unbelief. “I can’t possibly finish this…” or “How in the world can I do this?” or “I can’t!” are words that have escaped our mouths one time or another. I love what the Bible says in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It’s a very simple verse with profound implications.
First implication:
The only way we can do all things (and any thing, for that matter) is through Christ. Pride says I don’t need him. Insecurity says I can’t do it. Combine pride and insecurity and we have, I can’t do it even if He’s helping me. Our perception of God and of ourselves is revealed when we approach Philippians 4:13 in unbelief. The question we ask ourselves now is: “Do we believe that God can do all things, and that we can do all things through Him?
All our accomplishments, all our good deeds, all the wealth we’ve made, all the relationships we’ve kept—these are still God accomplishing His work through us. It is His breath keeping us alive. It is His wisdom allowing us to create right decisions. It is He who teaches us how to create wealth. It is He who gives us friends and blesses us with marriage partners. Who are we to boast? In Psalm 57:2, the Bible says, “I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.”
It is Christ the hope of Glory living in us who works through us.
Second implication:
Faith is very important. Our belief that God can work through us should propel us to be men and women of great exploits for His kingdom. If we can do all things through Christ, then we can have the courage of Caleb who at eighty years old was not afraid to conquer Hebron. The story of David defeating Goliath and of Daniel praying to the real God (despite the threat of being lion dinner), should not stay as mere stories left on the bookshelf; they should jump alive, ring true in this modern day and age, and fill us with faith to do the impossible.
We must ask ourselves: how is our faith? Do we believe that we can do the impossible through Christ?
Third implication:
The Lord has strength. We may be weak, but He is strong. He can strengthen our weak bodies, our weak mental capacities, our weak tendencies. If he can make the dead come back to life—like what He did to Lazarus (John 11)—then He can blow life into us. We only need to look at Jesus for strength. Isaiah 40:30-31 says, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.”
What we have here on earth is a dynamic partnership with a living, powerful God. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Let us believe the Bible and truly declare Philippians 4:13 in our lives: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Janina Marie Rivera is the Editor-in-Chief of One Voice Magazine, a teacher of world literature, and a student of the Bible. She enjoys reflecting on life’s curve balls and plateaus. She resides in the Philippines, the country known for people who smile a lot.
