I Am Strong

I Am Strong

Philippians 4:13 “ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”


This is truly one of my all-time favorite verses.  I keep a list of all the verses I used as the central point of each episode as there are 31,102 verses in the Bible and I want to make sure that I am not always speaking about the same few that we all already know.  I try not to repeat a verse I have used already as the main verse of the episode.  However, sometimes if I learn something new about a verse or something fascinating I will repeat a verse.  I am sure I have used this verse several times before within the episode, so I  was surprised to see I hadn’t used it as a main verse. We will finish the “I Am What God Says I Am” series this week.  If you haven’t listened in a while we have already done: I am protected, I am forgiven, I am courageous, and I am His.  This week we will cover I am strong, I am guided, I am healed, and I am whole.

I love this verse because I think if we all embraced it, life would get easier.  If we all accepted this, and let it settle into our hearts, we wouldn’t struggle so much.  It is also a great reminder that we can do anything if we are doing it with the strength we get from Christ.  This verse came from Paul in a letter to the Philippians.  Paul has an amazing story. He has lots of amazing stories.  The way He became a believer in Jesus was amazing.  God wanted Him and one encounter with Jesus changed his whole life. Paul did not have an easy life, especially after He started traveling around and preaching about Jesus.  

Sometimes we can think we are supposed to have an easy life.  We believe in God and God will protect us so we get to just sit back and relax on easy street.  That is not what God promised us.   God promised He would be with us.  He promised He would send an advocate to guide us, but He never promised our life would be easy.  Actually, He said the opposite.  In Matthew 16:24, “Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  He is calling us to take up our own cross.  Our crosses will look very different from Jesus’ cross, thank goodness.  Your cross will look different from my cross.  Just because our crosses look different, doesn’t mean we don’t have crosses.  

Paul was the Pope at one point.  We might think if He is that close to the Lord, then his life was easy.  Sometimes, oftentimes, the closer we get to the Lord the harder our life seems.  The enemy hates when we get close to the Lord, so he will try to block you every chance he gets.  The devil will make your life a living hell, and then try to convince you it is God’s fault, or if God loved you, why would He let this stuff happen to you?  The enemy can be really convincing too.  He can sound like He knows what he is talking about because He might through some scripture in there, or he will include just enough truth in his lies so that they seem credible.  This is a trick, don’t fall for it.  God is not the reason you are suffering and yet He can be the reason you make it through all that suffering.

Paul says right before the verse above in Philippians 4:10-13, “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last, you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

The word that jumps out to me first is the word content.  Many of us struggle to be content.  If we are struggling financially, we wish we had more money.  If we are successful then we still strive for more, or we feel lonely at the top.  We live in a society that wants more and more.  I rarely talk with someone who is content with where they are in life.  Paul said he learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.  You might think this was easy for Paul because He was the Pope.  It was not, here are a few things Paul went through in his lifetime since turning his life over to God. Here is a list from 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 about all that Paul went through: 

“Are they ministers of Christ? (I am talking like an insane person.) I am still more, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, far worse beatings, and numerous brushes with death.  Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers;  in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure.  And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

Can you imagine?  I can’t imagine even going through a fraction of what Paul went through, and yet I have walked through some very difficult times and I am sure you have too.  I was not showing you all Paul went through so you could look at your life and compare it.  Comparison is the thief of joy.  I don’t believe we should look at our troubles and compare them to others because then we start to feel guilty for being upset about our problems when they seem so small compared to others.  You still have a right to be upset about your circumstances, even if someone else’s circumstances are worse.  

The thing to remember about Paul is that he was able to endure so much because he had the strength of Jesus, and so do you!  We all have the Spirit of Jesus living inside of us.  That was a gift the Father gave us when Jesus went to join Him in Heaven.  The verse today says, “ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” It says, all things.  It doesn’t just mean the easy stuff. I know you feel like what you are dealing with is too much.  I know you feel like you are alone and no one is there fighting with you.  I know you might not feel the strength of Jesus and yet He is right there with you.  When I look back I can see how the strength of Jesus got me through the hard times.  

When things were really bad in our house I never gave up hope.  I didn’t wake up each day feeling defeated or depressed, well, not on most days anyway.  I woke up feeling ready to try a new strategy.  Just the fact that I got out of bed was proof of Jesus’ strength.  There were long periods, years actually, where it was crisis after crisis in my house.  I would put out one fire and another one would be right there waiting to spring up.  It was a lot and I had times when I wanted to throw in the towel.  I definitely wondered what would happen if I ran away from it all.  And yet, I made it through.  I not only made it through but I changed the dynamics in our family.  It was super hard work and work I know I couldn’t have done on my own.  

You have the strength of Jesus inside of you and you are stronger than you think.  You can do this thing you are going through right now! You can beat cancer, you can raise your kids to be great adults, you can fix your marriage, you can help your loved one recover from injury/illness, and you can make it through this financial crisis.  Whatever it is, you can make it through because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.  You are strong.  There is a Winnie the Pooh quote that I think we should all embrace as truth, "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” You are stronger than you seem.  You can do this hard thing, even when it feels like you can’t!  You’ve got this, you have the power and strength of Jesus inside of you.  You can do all things with Him!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for every person listening today.  I ask you to bless each of them.  Lord, help us to feel your strength.  Help us to see the times in our life when we have relied on the strength of Jesus to get us through.  Show us the times when you were there lifting us and we didn’t know it.  Help us to turn to you for strength Lord.  Help us not to rely on our own strength but to look to you and surrender our problems to you Lord.  We love you Lord and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus.  This week is the Encounter Ministries Boston Campus Summer Intensive.  It is in Woburn MA from 6-9 PM Monday to Thursday.  If you are local and would like to come it is not too late you can register at the door.  It is at St. Charles Borromeo.  If you are not able to join us, I ask that you pray for us.  I ask that you pray for a successful event and that people get out of it exactly what they needed.  I ask that you pray for protection over it as I know it will be powerful and wherever God’s power is strong the enemy tries to come in and destroy.  Thank you in advance for all your prayers.  I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I!  Have a blessed day!  CLICK HERE to come to Encounter Ministries Boston Campus Summer Intensive!

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