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Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Reggie Jackson had one thing in common. Failure. Michael didn’t make his eighth grade basketball team, yet became the NBA’s greatest player. Albert Einstein failed middle school math and became the greatest mathematician in history. Reggie Jackson was one of the greatest hitters in baseball, yet holds the record for the most strikeouts.
These men had another thing in common, a refusal to give up. They refused to believe that the setbacks they encountered in life determined their outcome. They believed enough in themselves that they eventually realized their dreams.
One day Jesus was talking to His disciples about the Kingdom of God. He told them what it would take for a person to enter the Kingdom of God and one of the disciples remarked “then who can be saved?” What he was really saying is, “then it’s humanly impossible for any of us to enter the Kingdom. The requirements are too great. We’ll never make it.” Jesus responded by saying, “You are right. Man alone can not accomplish this. Only with God is man able to enter the Kingdom.”
Every day we are met with challenges and obstacles that seem insurmountable. The task seems too great. People tell us we’ll never be able to succeed. The enemy, Satan, reminds us of past failures and mistakes. You may be struggling from an addiction or bruised from a broken relationship. Even family members may step in and tell us we just won’t ever make it. If we listen to those voices we will never be all God wants us to be.
Often times the difference between failure and success is just six inches. That’s the approximate distance between your ears! If you believe in yourself, you will have a much better chance of success. If you rely on God to help you with the task He will lead you, guide you and show you the way. Realistically set goals for yourself. Goals that are small steps to success. Want to write? Do a sentence a day. Want to lose weight? Start with that one walk, skipping that first snack.
Then, above all, grow closer in your walk with Christ. Let Him show you what He wants to accomplish in your life. Believe in yourself and believe that God truly wants you to succeed. With man many things are impossible. With God ALL things are possible because of His great love for us and His overwhelming power.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I have no trouble believing in the ‘big things of my faith’. I know You are the creator God. I know Your Son Jesus came to die and be raised from the dead so I can have eternal life. My struggle believes you for the day by day successes in my life. Help me to believe in you so that I can succeed at all you have for me. Amen.
“If you can?” said Jesus, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23
Mark tells the story of the man who brought his son to Jesus for healing from a terrible demon that would throw the boy into violent seizures. Sometimes the demon would try to kill the boy by trying to throw the boy into fire or water. The man was desperate for help.
When he found Jesus the father said to Him, “If you can do anything please help us.” Jesus responded by saying the verse for today, “If you can?” said Jesus, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” The man responded by saying what each of us has no doubt felt in our lives. “I do believe…help me in my unbelief.”
It isn’t enough to simply believe. Had the man sat at home watching the boy convulse and say “I believe you will be healed’ nothing would have happened. Empty belief brings empty results. The boy was healed because of at least three things that the man did that each of us must do if we are to see God work in our lives.
First he didn’t simply believe. He believed in God. He sought out Jesus because he ‘knew’ from what he’d seen and heard that this man was a man of the Most High God. His belief was based on fact and on a power that could indeed heal his son.
Secondly, he put action to his belief. He sought out what God had for him rather than sitting at home and feeling sorry for himself and his boy. He pursued Jesus. Jesus tells us to “seek, and we shall find.”
Lastly, the man believed in himself. He believed that he was important enough to be heard. It wasn’t that he was worthy of being heard for any reason. Like the Roman commander said to Jesus, “I’m not worthy of you coming to my house…” The man believed in his ‘worth’ because of God’s love and mercy, not his own righteousness.
Believing involves believing God to be who He says He is, believing that if you seek Him, He will come to you, and believing that you are worthy of His working in your life because of Jesus and God’s unlimited mercy.
Don’t give up! Don’t let the enemy keep you from believing in God. Don’t listen to his lies about your worthlessness. When we believe as the man did, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. There are so many times when I feel like the father in this story. I want to believe your promises but my fear, my circumstances, the guilt I have keep me from seeking after your blessing. Help me today with my belief. Show me the wonder of your mercy in my life. Amen.
He did this that he might clearly demonstrate though the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His fee grace (His unmerited favor) in (His) kindness and goodness of heat toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7 (Amplified)
Grace is more than forgiveness of Sin. The Bible tells us that not only are we forgiven but the Father showers us with a multitude of blessings. Unlimited favor! How would life be different for us as followers of Jesus Christ if we could completely grasp this one truth?
God the Father, the creator of the universe wants nothing but the best for us as His children. We are like only children to Him. We are the sole heir, the only one He has to shower His goodness on. It’s not a competition thing with the believer across the church aisle. We don’t lack because ‘he got my blessing’.
To live fully in God’s grace and to enjoy the blessings He has for us doesn’t involve a change in circumstance or location. It demands a change of vision. Some of God’s most amazing blessings come out of adversity and hardship but too often we feel so surrounded by the wilderness we miss the oasis’ along the way.
YOU are God’s chosen child. He has placed you where you are for a reason. He’s gifted you for His glory. Don’t let the circumstances you are surrounded by cause you to miss the blessings hidden in the sand of the wilderness.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. Thank you for the many riches you have given me. Forgive me for the times I have dwelt on my circumstances and not on my position in Christ. Encourage me and strengthen me for today. Help me in the midst of my pain to feel your comfort. Empower me to live according to your unlimited blessings. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 