«I can do all things through him who strengthens me.» Philippians 4:13 (NAS)

God wants you confident in the truth that, through him, all things are possible.

Every day of your life, you have a choice:

· You can focus on the bigness of the giants that stand before you, or …

· You can focus on the bigness of the one, true God who is pouring his strength into you.

Your focus will determine your behavior, and it will influence your faith.

When the Israelites first approached the borders of Canaan, Moses sent scouts into the Promised Land to assess the situation. Ten of the scouts came back with reports that focused on the giants in the land, men so big and powerful the scouts feared they could not be defeated.

However, two of the scouts remained focused on the promise from God that he would hand the land over to the Israelites. One of those scouts, Caleb, silenced the others when he said, «We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it» (Numbers 13:30 NIV). He was focused on the magnitude of God and not the magnitude of any giant challenges ahead.

Today, even in this moment, you may see many giants that challenge your faith. Some of the giants crowd around you – giants of time and energy, of finances and resources, of fear and faithlessness.

God wants you to be confident that he’s pouring his strength into you so you can do whatever it takes to defeat these giants. He says you can take possession of your promised mission; you certainly can do it because God is with you.

Consider this: God wants to build up your faith, and one way he’ll do it is by showing you how, together with him, it is possible to defeat the giants that keep you from moving into your promised mission.

By seeing his hand sweep away the personal giants in your life, you’ll be even more confident that God is with you as you face many ministry-based global giants, such as spiritual emptiness, selfish leadership, crippling poverty, pandemic disease, and rampant illiteracy. You’ll be certain that you can do all things through him who strengthens you.

What does this mean to me?

· Believe God uses the impossible to stretch your faith. Whenever you’re confronted by the impossibility of a task, view it as an opportunity for God to strengthen your faith. He wants you to develop confidence in his promises. «Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!»

· The Lord is anointing you daily to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. Because of your faithfulness, they will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Adapted from Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV)

· God uses ordinary people to complete kingdom work on earth. You can do this because «all things are possible when God is working through you.» (Philippians 4:13 NAS)

· What kind of scout are you? – One whose report focuses on the giants ahead or one who focuses on the strength of God?

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.