"You Can Do It"

Has God ever asked you to do something for which you felt totally unqualified? As a result, you held back, fearing failure, or offending someone, or making a fool of yourself. You might have even argued with God and told Him to find someone who would be better suited for the job.

Most assuredly, there have been times in my journey with God, when He called me to do, say, or write things that were as far out of my comfort zone as the North Pole is from the South Pole. Several years ago, God gave me an assignment that seemed far removed from my abilities. In my insecurities, I quickly protested and listed every reason why I was not qualified. I then heard God firmly speak into my spirit, “Are you going to be like Moses, who argued that he was not articulate and was slow of speech.” 

We find that conversation between God and Moses in Exodus 6:29-30. “I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt everything that I say to you.” (God had not made a request of Moses; He issued a direct command.) However, Moses replied, “Since I am unskilled in speech, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

Moses had limitations that he believed were too great to overcome. Another limitation that most likely created fear in his heart, was that 40 years prior, he fled from Pharaoh’s house after slaying an Egyptian. Now, God was requiring that he return to Egypt and stand before Pharaoh with His demands. Instead, Moses allowed fear and his insecurities to dictate his negative response to God.

Trusting God is paramount to having faith and obeying Him when circumstances shout, “You can’t do it!” However, God knows our capabilities and is saying, “Assuredly, you can do it.” After all, He placed within us gifts, talents, and abilities, which we often fail to discover due to insecurities and self-doubts. The result is that we allow those heinous thieves of self-doubt and fear to rob us of our full potential. 

Needless to say, despite my doubts, I chose to trust God and comply with His directive. In that reluctant obedience, God surfaced abilities I never knew I possessed. That single experience gave me assurance that God knows me far better than I know myself, and I can, with all certainty, trust His guidance and leadership.  

Not long after the Red Sea crossing, God instructed Moses to send one representative from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to spy out the land of Canaan. Forty days later, they returned with the report that the land was flowing with milk and honey. They even showed the enormous fruit that they had gathered. But ten of the 12 spies argued, “We can’t attack those people! They’re too strong for us!” So they began to spread lies among the Israelites about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored is one that devours those who live there. All the people we saw there are very tall.” “We felt as small as grasshoppers, and that’s how we must have looked to them” (Number 13:31-33).

The enemy of our soul will always use lies to discourage us from trusting and obeying God. And as expected, fear spread throughout the community as the people raised their voices all night in protest to Moses and Aaron (Numbers 14:1). However, God is never happy with lies, because lies give life to doubt and unbelief. In fact, ten of the twelve spies’ behavior was so egregious, that it angered God and subsequently, all ten died from a plague. Only Joshua and Caleb, who had brought back a good report would eventually go on to lead God’s people (Numbers 14:36). 

Upon Moses’ death, God entrusted Joshua with Moses’ mantle of leadership and said, “No man will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. I will be with you just as I have been with Moses. I will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone. Be strong and have strength of heart (Joshua 1:5-6).

God would give Joshua another directive: “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them” “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6, 9). 

There must be trust, faith, and obedience to achieve victory, whether we are in a spiritual or physical battle, for victory will always come on the heels of a battle. One such battle involved the five kings of the Amorites who had joined forces and moved up with all their troops, taking positions against Gibeon, and then they attacked. The men of Gibeon sent Joshua a message asking for help. “Do not relax your hand from your servants. Come quickly and save and help us. All the kings of the Amorites who dwell in the hill country are gathered against us” (Joshua 10:5-6).

Joshua had a steely, uncompromised, and unwavering faith and trust in God. So, when he received the Gibeonites’ cry for help, he did not hesitate and immediately responded. It was in his response, that the Lord assured him, “Do not be afraid of them (the five kings); I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”

God promises blessings, but blessings never come easily nor without purposeful action on our part. We cannot climb life’s mountains without putting forth effort and that effort requires sacrifice, perseverance, and faith that with God’s help we can reach the goal and complete the mission. Throughout Scripture, prayer and faith were prerequisites to successfully warring in the flesh and in the spirit. Only then did God secure the victory.   

We live in very difficult and uncertain times, and God is looking for faithful, prayerful people whose eyes are continually fixed upon Him, and who will respond to His call and willingly to do the difficult. He wants us to trust that He has already imbued us with unique capabilities needed to accomplish whatever task He is requiring of us. And if we obey and move forward in faith, God will do for us what He did for Joshua, who witnessed the hand of God supernaturally defeat the enemy.

God is capable of doing amazing things through us, if we cooperate with Him. However, He will not honor or tolerate disobedience and unbelief. Joshua could have been like the other 10 spies who argued that there were too many obstacles and too many adversaries. The difference between Joshua and the others was that Joshua implicitly believed and trusted God to be faithful to His Word. He was not trusting in himself and his abilities. He was trusting in the abilities and faithfulness of God whom he served.  

PRAYER: FATHER, I desire to be Your obedient servant who walks in faith and trusts You wholeheartedly. May I always hold Your Word close to my heart, knowing that You will never ask me to do something that You have not prepared the way for success. For I can do all things through Christ Jesus, who gives me strength. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Picture courtesy of sasha-freemind-gooBgyq17i0-unsplash.jpg