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I don’t know if I can make it through this situation.

I don’t know if I can do everything I have to do.

I don’t know if I can measure up to everyone’s standards.

I don’t know if I can be everything God wants me to be.

Well, I do know that life is hard. The Christian life is especially hard, not gonna lie. It’s hard to go against the flow. (Imagine trying to swing against an ocean current, you are just going to keep struggling to stay afloat) It’s hard to do the right thing. It’s hard to live according to God standards in this world. It requires A LOT of bravery, and heart and courage. *Something’s I still feel I am lacking.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Here is my response to this verse:

Yes, I can do all things, but it still feels like too/soo much. I don’t know if I can do it alone.

Well, this weekend it hit me! Let me let you in on a little secret I felt I was being told

YOU CAN’T! So stop trying.

Because this is what grace is for- the beauty of His amazing grace. If we could live this life all on our own, we would not need Christ. We would be able to take all the glory for what we accomplished for ourselves because we did it alone and in our own strength. Paul said so many times that he could never boast in anything done of his own hands because of the cross of Christ.

Anything we are able to do for God’s kingdom here on earth is because God gives us the strength to do it. He was crucified so that we could live. Live a righteous life here on earth, live for the souls of other people, and live eternally in heaven with him. Why? So that people could see our good works and think we are super spiritual?

ABSOULETLY NOT

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Everything we do that is good is so that the world may see Jesus. Everything. When we do “good works” here, it is for the sole purpose of pointing men to Jesus Christ. NOT so that we can boast in ourselves and our accomplishments, and everyone can see how much WE love Jesus, and how selfless and spiritual WE are. It is all for the glory of God! That is why we can not do anything in our own strength. That is why when we try to do things in our own strength so that we can take the glory from him we fail miserably. We feel as we are taking steps back instead of walking forward. We get discouraged. Because God is not interested in making us into “successful” servants. He is only interested in doing His work through us so that HIS name is lifted up. He will not allow anything that is truly done in His name be second rate.

This next part is my absolute favorite

2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul said he would boast in his weakness. He would actually be happy in areas he was weak- in areas where he could not do it. Why? Because those are the places in our lives where CHRIST gets the most glory! His strength is made perfect in our weakness, and when we do things through his power, our weaknesses are made perfect to the glory of God. Where we can non.. He can

Thank God you can not do it alone. Thank Him that you are not strong enough by yourself to do what He has called you to do. Thank God that his strength is perfect. Thank him that because His strength is in you, you can not take the glory for your own accomplishments.

Because of this, because we do nothing for the Kingdom in our own strength, what we do for God not define who we are. Christ has already defined us. His finished work on the cross is what gives us peace, and joy, and hope, and security, and our very worth. My performance fr God does not earn His love or ascribe extra special value to my life. Christ’s love was already demonstrated on the cross. He tool the wrath of God poured out on sin on His body for you and for me. There is NOT GREATER love.. and it is ALL ours.

Girls, you are His daughters, and guys you are his sons. He has promised to take care of His children. If you are doing the work of God, you literally have nothing to worry about. God will work through you. He will complete what he has started. Not it doesn’t mean that it will be easy all the time, doesn’t mean nothing will ever seem to go wrong, doesn’t mean that you will always understand, but God will never leave you in His will.

Pause for praise; Praise God that you cant do it! I don’t want to simply do the things I can, because God in me has given me His power to do the things that I can’t. How cool is that? Then, the world can look at us and say, “ What is going on in their life? There is no way they did that on their own.” That is what I want people to say of my life and yours. I want people to looks are my life, and see how inadequate I am. I want them to see that an ordinary person all alone in their own strength can not live the life I do. I want them, most of all, to see my Jesus, and His great love for me and for them, and I want them to glory Him for the great things HE can do.

So, take heart, things may seem hard, rocky and when you go forward you will go backwards, but praise God, you can not do it!

But Jesus Christ, who lives in you, can.

This is my battle- Until I reach the heavens