I Can Do All Things
Philippians 3:13, 14
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
There are times in our lives when our heavenly Father will stir up our spirit to do something out of our comfort zone, something that is new and stretching. Maybe it isn’t even so much about what the assigning commission given to us, as it is about our willingness to allow God’s power to sustain us in this stretching and difficult task assigned to our lives. These kinds of circumstances take us into a season of being drawn aside, not to punish us, but to draw us deeper into a place of isolation and aloneness. And for what purpose in the heart of God? I believe our Father does this so that we will be quiet and at peace enough away from the hustle and bustle of all the noise around us, so that He can speak to us, to grow us, mature us and even to reveal His great love and desire to draw us closer into this secret place of growth in Him. At first, you may feel bewildered, lost and even maybe a little bit down that this is the scenario you find yourself in. Dear one, God knows exactly what He is working in your life. The sooner you relent and labor into His rest, the sooner the greater work can begin in and through you. Always know our heavenly Father has your best interest at heart. The labor of learning a higher place of discipline and deeper trust, are all part of what you will find out you can do. How did the Apostle Paul write such anointed, powerful truths from a dank, nasty prison cell? Think about it, he wrote the book of Philippians most likely during his first Roman imprisonment, to the Philippian church to thank them for the contribution he had received from them. He even is thinking about the man, Epaphroditus, who had brought the gift from Philippi, and who was going to take Paul’s letter back to them. He encouraged the family of God in Philippi to stand united and steadfast together. He warned them not to fall for heresies that were going around. He writes with a tender, warm, and affectionate heart. He is personable, warm, and affectionate, all written from a dank, dark, cold and lonely prison cell. But here’s the best part: the theme for the book of Philippians is “joy,” true joy that is not a surface emotion that depends on favorable circumstances in your life presently. He teaches that a Christian’s joy is independent of outward circumstances, and that it is possible to have joy when all seems a battle never-ending. Remember, dear one, He would not give you a challenge for greatness in whatever He would speak to you, unless He would be with you throughout your journey, and empower you to accomplish your assignment with joy, even as He did Paul.
What about you? Is the Lord stirring you up, pressing in on you for a task, an assignment you are trying to ignore? Know He is with you; know that He will empower you and that you CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Blessings on your day.
