Philippians 4:13 I Can Do All Things
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

Philippians 4:13 New King James Version

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

When you can quote this verse and understand it to it’s core, you have come to a place of brokenness that can only be achieved through much pain and disappointment.

It is through these moments of pain and disappointment where we can intimately accept our weaknesses and surrender in ways we are unable to surrender in our times of strength.

Our strength is cultivated in a false sense of self-confidence and sooner or later it will crumble down bringing with it all the deceptions we harbor that keep us unsurrendered.

This verse goes far beyond dealing with daily tasks and getting through the hurricanes that invade our life. It is a verse that speaks of the grace we need where heart change takes place and where we are stripped of all falsehood and all is shaken away to our core.

Only God has the power to change us; only God has the grace to carry us through each day.   We were created to need God.  There is nothing in the makeup of our spirit or soul that allows for independence from our Creator.   

The reason we can breathe or feel is because God provides the breath He created us to need and the feelings He created us to express.

This verse is a declaration of truth; a declaration of belief.

So what does it mean when it says “All things”?   It means that in everything we do or say we have the ability if it’s in the realm of surrender.  It has to be things that He ordains.  God has given us strength to do the things He has called us to do and to live life the way He has called us to live life; to live in holiness. So the strength He gives enables us to live according to His will.  Anything we do outside of His will and in our own human strength causes us to abandon Him and we end up betraying ourselves in the process.   

Challenge:  Agree with God to break you in such a way that you behave and respond according to His character, wisdom and maturity.

God bless

Marni

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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.