IN Christ I Can Do ALL Things!

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 KJV

One of my favorite stories from childhood is “The Little Engine That Could” by Watty Piper because it gives a vivid depiction of what it takes to draw on a force greater than one’s self to complete a task too big to accomplish! Here is an excerpt from the book.

“A little railroad engine was employed about a station yard for such work as it was built for, pulling a few cars on and off the switches. One morning it was waiting for the next call when a long train of freight-cars asked a large engine in the roundhouse to take it over the hill "I can't; that is too much a pull for me," said the great engine built for hard work. Then the train asked another engine, and another, only to hear excuses and be refused.

In desperation, the train asked the little switch engine to draw it up the grade and down on the other side. "I think I can," puffed the little locomotive, and put itself in front of the great heavy train. As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can." As it neared the top of the grade, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." It reached the top by drawing on bravery and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself by saying, "I thought I could, I thought I could."

The biggest lie the devil wants God’s people to believe and meditate on is the phrase “I can’t” because he knows that if we believe and operate in the mindset of “I can”, he is rendered powerless in his attempt to defeat or destroy us! How often does the phrase “I can’t” come into your mind or out of your mouth? If I added up the number of times throughout my life where I thought or said “I can’t” I could fill several notebooks with “I can’t” entries. I am sure you could do the same. But the phrase “I can’t” should not exist in the Christian’s vocabulary because it is completely contrary to the truth about who we are IN Christ!

The truth is that IN Christ we CAN do ALL things! Not some things. Not most things. But ALL things! The problem is that we do as the large engines did in this story and look at the weightiness of the load and our own insufficiency to carry it and we say, “I can’t”. We somehow forget that Christ is the one who carries the load and His strength is great enough to carry it! Our eyes are turned inward and focused on our own limitations instead of being fixed on Christ IN us!

In this story the load the little engine was asked to carry was a load of toys for the children who lived on the other side of the mountain. In choosing to operate in the mindset of “I can” the little engine was able to deliver the gifts to the children and in doing so he brought incredible joy to the hearts of the children. Without him choosing to take on the mindset of “I can” the children would have missed out on receiving the gifts that were rightfully theirs.

As this applies to us as Christians, what are we called to carry to the people on the other side of the mountain? The answer is found in Mark 16:15-18. “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

As New Covenant Disciples we are called to take the Good News of Jesus, the greatest gift a person will ever receive, to the people on the other side of the mountain! When we choose to operate IN the mindset of “I CAN do ALL things through Jesus Christ” we are able to carry that Good News gift to the people in the world. But if we choose instead to operate in the mindset of “I can’t” the people are robbed of what is rightfully theirs; which is the opportunity to receive the gift of Jesus Christ!

That gift could be in the form of salvation, healing, deliverance, overcoming, hope, faith, joy, longsuffering, peace, or any other good gift that comes from God! So the power to operate IN the mindset of “I CAN do ALL things through Jesus Christ” comes from denouncing the lie of the devil and embracing the truth of God’s Word! This is where we will be able to ignore our natural limitations and instead draw from the force greater than ourselves; which is Jesus Christ IN us! And this is how we will be able to complete the tasks that seem too big to accomplish! Begin today to say, “I CAN do ALL things through Jesus Christ which strengthens me” and believe it by faith without doubting and watch as you are able to do more than you could ever think or imagine!

Prayer: In Jesus name I denounce the lie of the devil that says, “I can’t” and I believe by faith that IN Christ I CAN do ALL things! I praise You for infusing me with Your strength to accomplish the task of taking the Good news to the people of the world. Thank You for giving me everything I need to do what You have called me to do and today I choose to say, “I CAN do ALL things through Jesus Christ which strengthens me!” Amen