I've been praying what new topics to share this month. I was blessed to attend a lovely Prayer and Praise meeting recently, and some "Power Thoughts" from a book by Joyce Meyer were shared, and I borrowed the book. I'm glad I did, because I'm finding ways in which I need to renew my mind again. I guess it's an on-going process, because we are always receiving new attacks against our minds.
The first Power Thought - "I can do whatever I need to do in life through Christ." A paraphrase of Phil. 4:13 is "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency."
Are there things that trigger dread, fear or cause you to say, "I could never do that!" when you think about them? Whether it's getting over the loss of our loved one, facing a serious illness, a family challenge (and don't we all have those?), or many other situations that come suddenly that seem to shake us to the bone. The fact is, while some situations may be intensely undesirable or difficult, you can do what you need to do in life. This is true because God tells us in His Word that we have the strength to do all things because Christ empowers us. He always has an abundant supply of His extraordinary abundant grace to help us be more than conquerors through Christ (Rom. 8:37). He does not say everything will be easy or that we'll like all we have to do, but we can enjoy life in their midst. He guarantees us the strength for everything we need to do because of Christ. When Paul prayed three times for God to remove the thorn in his flesh, God assured him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9).
What a thought, that God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses! So the more difficult the situation, the more Grace God gives us to, not only get through it, but do it in His strength. I often think of Joseph in the Old Testament. His mother died at the birth of his youngest brother Benjamin. The elder brothers resented him because he was his father's favorite. When Joseph had dreams of his father and brothers bowing to him, they became even more jealous. The brothers sold him to Ishmaelite traders, where he was purchased as an Egyptian slave. He served faithfully, and God gave him favor with his Master Potiphar. When his wife tried to seduce Joseph, he fled leaving his cloak. She unjustly accused him of trying to seduce her and he was put into prison. Even there he walked in God's favor. Two fellow prisoners had dreams, which the Lord interpreted through Joseph. Both came true, but he was forgotten and remained in prison. In God's timing, Pharaoh himself had two dreams that deeply disturbed him, and when none of Pharaoh's magicians could interpret them, the Chief Cup bearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh of him. When the Lord gave Joseph the interpretations, he was promoted by Pharaoh to be second in command in Egypt. His brothers, because of the famine predicted in the dreams, were led to Egypt where they met Joseph. He later had his father, brothers and families brought to Egypt, and when their father died, the brothers feared Joseph would take revenge on them. One of my favorite verses is, "Joseph said to them, 'Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.'" (Gen. 50:19-20). This is my condensed version, but Joseph's entire story can be found from Genesis 37-50.
Let's get back to our power thought. We must understand that Phil. 4:13 does NOT say we can do anything we want to do because we are strong enough, smart enough or hard-working enough. In fact, it leaves no room at all for human striving or self-effort. The secret to being able to do what we need to do is to realize we cannot do it alone, but only through Christ. For some reason, we often fail to use our faith to believe and act on that truth. Instead, we think we have to do it all, forgetting that the power of Christ works in us. Then we are defeated before we even begin. We need to be partners with God. We cannot do His part and He will not do our part. He wants us to believe and take action on His direction and leading, but He insists that we trust (lean and rely on) Him every step of the way.
One of my favorite verses says it this way: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5, 6.
Together, let's learn to lean on our Lord. Nothing is too hard for Him, and when we place our trust in Him and His strength, seeking Him in prayer, He will lead us through the stickiest situations. Our God is faithful.
We will celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord at the end of this month. I pray you can join us at Calvary's Original Production, "Our Savior's Here."
I look forward to seeing you there. Have a Blessed Resurrection Celebration!
In His love and mine, Dee
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