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Philippians 4:13 - Christ: The Key To Doing All Things.

Philippians 4:13 - Christ: The Key To Doing All Things.

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

Can we really do everything? The power we receive in union with 
Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that 
arise from our commitment to doing it. He does not grant us superhuman 
ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to his 
interests. As we contend for the faith we will face troubles, pressures, 
and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.  [Life 
Application SB] 

In Christ there is strength to fulfill duty, power to resist 
temptation, vigor to endure affliction, patience to suffer without 
complaint. In Him there is grace for daily growth, courage for multiplied 
battles, and energy for devoted service. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

The Son of God came to our world in human form to show man that 
divinity and humanity combined can obtain the victory over sin. {ST, 
February 1, 1899 par. 10} 

We need not expect to gain the victory over sin without enduring 
suffering, or to win the overcomer's reward by feeble efforts. Think of how 
much it cost the Saviour, as in the wilderness He battled with 
temptation. For forty days He fasted and prayed. Weak and emaciated from 
hunger, worn and haggard with mental agony, "His visage was so marred 
more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." The 
Christian life is a life of constant conflict. It is a battle and a march. 
Every act of obedience, every deed of self-denial, every trial bravely 
endured, every temptation resisted, every victory gained, is a step 
forward in the march to eternal triumph..... When we are pressed with 
temptation, when unchristlike desires clamor for the mastery, let us offer 
fervent, importunate prayer to the heavenly Father, in the name of 
Christ. This will bring divine aid. In the Redeemer's name we may gain 
the victory.  {ST, October 29, 1902 par. 3-5} 

His grace is given to work in us to will and to do, but never as 
a substitute for our effort.... As the Lord co-operated with Daniel 
and his fellows, so He will co-operate with all who strive to do His 
will. And by the impartation of His Spirit He will strengthen every 
true purpose, every noble resolution. Those who walk in the path of 
obedience will encounter many hindrances. Strong, subtle influences may 
bind them to the world; but the Lord is able to render futile every 
agency that works for the defeat of His chosen ones; in His strength 
they may overcome every temptation, conquer every difficulty.  {PK 
487.1} 

   How can we control our thoughts?  Good or evil actions begin 
with good or evil thoughts (Pro.23:7).  We are all aware that the 
hardest battle in life is the struggle to think straight.  People who 
want to give up smoking have great difficulty keeping their thoughts 
off cigarettes.  Alcoholics think constantly about drink, and 
lustful persons keep thinking about sex.  Proud people focus on 
themselves, and dishonest people manufacture crooked schemes. 
   Most people will admit that there are some modes of thought 
that, of themselves, they cannot overcome, even though they recognize 
them as counterproductive.  Mind training has some value, the 
exercise of the will achieves results, but the problem persists: the mind 
is not completely controllable in respect to some "attractive" 
objects. 
   Is there a solution to this dilemma?  Can our thoughts ever 
be brought under control?  How can the Holy Spirit help us?  [Adult 
SS quarterly 7/29/95] 

   What positive changes in your life could happen if you relied 
on God's unlimited power instead of your limited willpower? That's 
what faith is: doing God's will by God's power instead of on your 
own. God will help you as you rely on him to give you the ability to 
change what he wants you to change.  
   God understands you better than you understand yourself. God 
knows what makes you tick - he knows what energizes you, what fatigues 
you, what makes you sick, what makes you operate at your best. 
Doesn't it make sense to trust him to help you?  
   Without God's power in your life, you are like a laptop that 
is unplugged; the battery will eventually drain and shut down the 
computer. Why live like that? God created you for so much more.  
   When you think about change, don't limit yourself to only the 
changes you know you can make on your own. Dream of what you can become 
when God empowers you. God wants to bring about amazing changes in 
your life. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional] 

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

   It is good that you recognize your weakness. That keeps you 
looking to Me, your Strength. Abundant life is not necessarily health 
and wealth; it is living in continual dependence on Me. Instead of 
trying to fit this day into a preconceived mold, relax and be on the 
lookout for what I am doing. This mind-set will free you to enjoy Me and 
to find what I have planned for you to do. This is far better than 
trying to make things go according to your own plan. 
   Don't take yourself so seriously. Lighten up and laugh with 
Me. You have Me on your side, so what are you worried about? I can 
equip you to do absolutely, anything, as long as it is My will. The 
more difficult your day, the more I yearn to help you. Anxiety wraps 
you up in yourself, trapping you in your own thoughts. When you look 
to Me and whisper My Name, you break free and receive My help. 
Focus on Me, and you will find Peace in My Presence. (Phi. 4:13; Pro. 
17:22) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young] 

   Do not long for the absence of problems in your life. That is 
an unrealistic goal, since in this world you will have trouble. You 
have an eternity of problem-free living reserved for you in heaven. 
Rejoice in that inheritance, which no one can take away from you, but do 
not seek your heaven on earth.  
   Begin each day anticipating problems, asking Me to equip you 
for whatever difficulties you will encounter. The best equipping is 
My living Presence, My hand that never lets go of yours. Discuss 
everything with Me. Take a lighthearted view of trouble, seeing it as a 
challenge that you and I together can handle. Remember that I am on your 
side, and I have overcome the world. (John 16:33; Isa. 41:13; Phi. 
4:13) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young] 

   Welcome challenging times as opportunities to trust Me. You 
have Me beside you and My Spirit within you, so no set of 
circumstances is too much for you to handle. When the path before you is 
dotted with difficulties, beware of measuring your strength against 
those challenges. That calculation is certain to riddle you with 
anxiety. Without Me, you wouldn't make it past the first hurdle!  
   The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand 
tightly and stay in close communication with Me. Let your thoughts and 
spoken words be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness. Regardless 
of the day's problems, I can keep you in perfect Peace as you stay 
close to Me. (Jam. 1:2; Phi. 4:13; Isa. 26:3) [Jesus Calling by Sarah 
Young] 

   Rejoice in Me always! No matter what is going on, you can 
rejoice in your Love-relationship with Me. This is the secret of being 
content in all circumstances. So many people dream of the day when they 
will finally be happy: when they are out of debt, when their children 
are out of trouble, when they have more leisure time, and so on. 
While they daydream, their moments are trickling into the ground like 
precious balm spilling wastefully from overturned bottles.  
   Fantasizing about future happiness will never bring 
fulfillment because fantasy is unreality. Even though I am invisible, I am 
far more Real than the world you see around you. My reality is 
eternal and unchanging. Bring your moments to Me, and I will fill them 
with vibrant Joy. Now is the time to rejoice in My Presence! 
(Philippians 4:4, 12; Psalm 102:27) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young] 

   You can live as close to Me as you choose. I set up no 
barriers between us; neither do I tear down barriers that you erect.  
   People tend to think their circumstances determine the 
quality of their lives. So they pour their energy into trying to control 
those situations. They feel happy when things are going well, and sad 
or frustrated when things don't turn out as they'd hoped. They 
rarely question this correlation between their circumstances and 
feelings. Yet it is possible to be content in any and every situation.  
   Put more energy into trusting Me and enjoying My Presence. 
Don't let your well-being depend on your circumstances. Instead, 
connect your joy to My precious promises: Philipplans 4:12, Genesis 
28:15; Philipplans 4:19; Romans 8:38-39, etc. [Jesus Calling by Sarah 
Young] 

EXAMPLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS

   As seniors at Spokane Bible College, we had to choose a life 
verse that would be printed next to our photo in the yearbook. I chose 
Philippians 4:13, mostly because I prayed that verse before each big exam 
and passed!  
   Ten years ago, while going through some old boxes during our 
twenty-seventh move in twenty years of marriage, I came across a lost treasure: 
my time-worn college Bible with the blue and red quilted cover that 
was so popular in the seventies. The faded verse on the inside front 
cover, written in blue ink, was Philippians 4:13. The power in that 
verse is as real to me today as the day I wrote it on May 2, 1979. But 
now it has a much deeper meaning. The "I" is so much smaller, and 
"Christ" is so much bigger. How could I know that "everything" would 
include a breast cancer diagnosis on March 21, 1996, shortly after my 
fortieth birthday, when our boys were just nine and fourteen?  
   That verse not only helped me pass Old Testament Survey, my 
toughest course in Bible College, but it continues to help me pass the 
biggest test of my life-cancer! Yes, in God's Word there is power for 
everything!  
   Connie Pombo, founder of Women's Mentoring Ministries in Mt. 
Joy, Pennsylvania, is a ten-year breast cancer survivor and a 
national inspirational speaker. She is the author of Trading Ashes for 
Roses: From Pain to Passion and a contributing author to God Allows 
U-Turns for Women and Conversations on Faith. [The One Year Bible Life 
Verse Devotional] 

   My heart broke to see my beloved son, Joseph, led away in 
handcuffs to one of the worst prisons in the state. I got through it only 
because when I was in prayer, God told me to focus on Philippians 4:13. 
 
   Almost twenty years later, I walk on holy ground as chaplain 
to more than one thousand women in another Pennsylvania state 
prison. And I am still reminded constantly to stay focused on my life 
verse. I've been blessed to share life with untold precious women loved 
by God and made in his image. Some are serving unjustified 
sentences. Some will never again see the outside world. I observed one dear 
woman in fluorescent orange, handcuffed and shackled, struggling out 
of the prison van as she returned from the hospital. Diagnosed with 
stage-four cancer, she is near the end of her life's journey, and my heart 
breaks for her suffering on top of suffering.  
   In one cell I asked a woman wrapped in a blanket and lying on 
her bunk, "How are you doing?"  
   "Not well," she replied. "I've just been told I have the 
disease [AIDS]. I don't have any family or friends." 
   I replied, "Jesus calls the church to be your family and your 
friends." 
   To be there for a precious prisoner when she finds out that a 
parent or sibling or child has died; that a son or daughter has been 
incarcerated; that three of her children have been killed in a car accident; 
or that her own illness is terminal, I must focus on the assurance 
of my life verse: "I can do everything through Christ, who gives me 
strength." 
   Dixie R. Welker, prison chaplain and former country church 
pastor, has been married to her husband, Gary, for thirty-six years, She 
has seven children and twenty grandchildren. [The One Year Bible 
Life Verse Devotional] 

   Elementary-school fund-raisers gave me a stomachache. I knew 
we needed new schoolbooks and playground equipment, but the thought 
of going door-to-door and talking to neighbors scared me - a shy 
young girl - to death. In sixth grade, students were asked to sell 
citrus fruit. In a cold sweat, I came home with my order forms. That 
was the first time my mom sat me down and explained Philippians 
4:13. That verse gave me the courage to head out the door and up the 
first driveway, repeating those words with every step.  
   When I was in the eighth grade, those words gave me the 
courage to stand in front of a room full of strangers and do my best 
before each level of competition in a speaking contest. Throughout high 
school, whenever I felt overwhelmed by academic and social pressures, my 
mom reminded me of what was quickly becoming "my" verse. My parents 
inscribed Philippians 4:13 in my graduation Bible and gave me a plaque 
with it in big letters to remind me of this truth when I faced 
loneliness and the fear of failure at the university. When I called home 
from school, heavy with stress and worry, my mom would repeat my 
verse and remind me I wasn't alone. God's strength carried me through 
my first professional pharmaceutical sales call (imagine - the shy 
girl!) and on many calls thereafter. Today, my verse, printed carefully 
on an index card, sits on the kitchen windowsill to remind me to 
lean on God's strength so that I can patiently and lovingly care for 
our squabbling twin toddlers or their crying baby brother.  
   Now I'm the mom. Our three sons will someday face fears of 
their own, and I know just the Bible verse to give them.  
   Jeanette Armitage, a full-time mom, lives with her husband, 
twin boys, and their little brother in Naperville, Illinois. [The One 
Year Bible Life Verse Devotional] 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Importance of Choice: 
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]  

Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782

Musical Devotional On Christian Living: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c  

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDY:

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/

LINKS FOR PROPHECY SEMINARS

The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor: 
http://www.lastdayofprophecy.com/ 
[March 21-26, 2016: Charlotte, NC in person with live streaming 
and multiple outreach locations] 

Revelation Today by Pastor John Bradshaw: 
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/  

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657