Week Forty-FIve - You Can't Say Can't

"I can't" is a common response when people don't want to do something or feel inadequate to the task. I used to tell the college students that "I can't" means "I won't" because we can do all things through Christ. (Philippians 4:13)

Granted, there are some things we can't do, like jump over the moon or swim the Atlantic, but when it comes to life's challenges, God will prove Himself capable of helping us do things we never dreamed we could do.

Let's look at 1 Corinthians 10:13 in light of this idea of saying we can't. The scripture reads, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

This verse tells me that no problem is unique. We all face common challenges. We are all tempted to lie, cheat, or even steal, but we don't have to yield to these temptations. We can rise above the temptation. We can do all things through Christ. Seeing others who have successfully faced and overcome these same temptations gives us hope and encouragement, showing us that we, too, can achieve victory.

Our tests and temptations are tailor-made, and God is the Tailor. He gives grace for trials when we need it. And the promise of this verse is based on God's faithfulness and ability, not our own. To deny God's power is to rebel or call God a liar. He says we can, so we can!  

An attitude of can't influences our thinking, attitudes, and behavior; it inhibits our potential. It says God is unable to help us. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is at work in the lives of His children at all times, and especially when we face challenges. He isn't intimidated. He loves to take these challenges as opportunities to reveal Himself. He loves to help us succeed.

By accepting God's promise, we rise to growth and hope. It places the focus off ourselves and onto God, where the impossible becomes possible and the can't becomes can!

With every trial, God promises a way of escape. The end of a problem is just as sure as the start because God is there all the way through, and His promises never fail.

Next time you hear yourself saying, "I can't," ask yourself if that is really true! Because you can do all things through Christ, and God's promise of faithfulness means you can.