Quotes:
“Deny your weakness, and you will never realize God's strength in you.”
Joni Eareckson Tada

Scriptural Reference:
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Philippians 4:13

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
Mark 10:27

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10

Reflection:

How often we fail because we try to do things on our own. We decide we can tackle the biggest projects or the hardest situations without prayer. We size it up like we might have dine as a child looking at the monkey bars and telling ourselves we can do it. And for the most part this form of self encouragement is good for us. But we forget that when we were little we had our parent or teacher within reach to help us if things got difficult.

Now that we are all grown up? We decide we can do anything without prayer. Yes we dive deep into the dark waters of life and attempt to do things without Gods' support. A the cold frigid waters of reality hit us and we freeze with fear. Perhaps swearing never to try doing something again. Not thinking of how things might have been different if we had thought things through. If we had put things in perspective and kept our priorities in order. Yep many times we take the plunge and after finding it way too difficult we give up. All the while God was right by our side Our Bible was in easy reach. And the opportunity to pray was always the best and first option available.

In Philippians 4:13 we read the encouraging words "I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me" Just don't go putting on your Superman Cape and jumping off the roof of your house. Sadly many children over the years did that and were surprised they didn't fly. Which is why manufacturers had to print in very big print "This cape will not make you fly". Though as an adult, many have tried to break natural laws and even a few legal laws at that. They try to do things they should know better not to do just because they haven't grown out of their childhood.

So what can we do in the power and strength of Christ? In Mark 10:27 Jesus is talking about how we can enter Heaven and be reconciled with God our Father. He explains that in this endeavor we can not do it. But thankfully "... with God; all things are possible with God.". So here we see how we can do something that is impossible for us with out the help of Jesus. Another is the story of Isaiah who is starting to feel overwhelmed and under trained for the calling as a prophet. He calls to God asking what he is to do. In Isaiah 41:10 God encourages him by telling him "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. The same encouragement can be ours when we step out in faith and share the Gospel with others. When we feel unprepared to defend our faith we can always pray and God will give us the words we need.

There are many other ways God can help us do things we thought were too hard for us. Just to name a few at random; Public Speaking, Witnessing, Learning a New Skill, Dealing with Difficult People. The list is of course longer. But generally I believe you will see that most challenges are not physical in nature. They are more resolute and inter human in nature. They are how we can be strong in an ever increasingly difficult anti faith world. All we need do is to take it to God in prayer.

Prayer:
Heaven; Father,
I pray today to you,
For the strength of conviction,
The strength of moral character,
The strength of steadfast faith,
The strength of your love,
And the strength to be your voice,
In a world in need of your Grace.

I pray this in your Sons name,
Jesus the Christ.
Amen