Accomplishing things may be how you thrive, but does that come from your own power or through trust and reliance on God and the power of the Holy Spirit?

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I Am Capable

Krista Hengesh

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible…” – Matthew 19:26

This verse desperately shows our need for Jesus, and I love it.

By ourselves, we can do nothing, but with God, we can do everything.

BUT… how often are we consciously living this out?

I believe in our world today, we are taught to do “it” all by ourselves. To pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps. To work work work and achieve the American dream. To go go go until we are at the literal end of our capabilities. Whatever it is we are pursuing, it seems as though we are taught to go after it by our own means.

America has plenty and it is always right there at our fingertips. If we want a new pair of shoes, Amazon Prime 2-day shipping. If we want a scoop of amazing home-made, small-batch ice cream we can probably find two or three places serving some nearby. If we want to go to a concert, movie, play, adventure- we can! Whatever our hearts desire, we can usually get our hands on within a matter of days if not hours. So let’s put that in perspective of Matthew 19:26.

When the verse says, “with man this is impossible,” it would be referring to all that we are able to accomplish on our own. The earthly tasks being accomplished in an earthy manner. It also infers that what this man is doing is on a scale of earthly reach, achieving things that man can on his own. But then we read the next part of the verse and the game changes:

“…but with God, we can do everything.”

If you lived knowing you needed God to help you do everything?

If you lived knowing that what you can accomplish on your own, is probably great and amazing and admirable, can be so much more when you live out of trust in our Creator?

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us…” – Ephesians 3:20

Far. More. Abundantly. Beyond. That is a lot of adjectives and adverbs added on to the power of the Lord that we are given when we allow the power within us to work. When we live our lives fully dependent on the Lord, consciously recognizing this power within, we will take our earthly functioning lives and mature them into the eternal playing field where God is calling the shots and making things happen. 

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The Power Within

The reason we are capable is not because of anything we have done or will do, but because of the “power that is at work within us.” If you have said yes to Jesus, you become a new creation, with the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. And that is what makes us capable.

When God looks at us, He sees us as the pure and blameless children He originally created and thought of in the garden. He sees us in our heavenly state and for the eternal potential He created us with. When we are playing on this field of earth doing earthly things I think it makes the Lord ache as He has these grand plans for our lives, but we settle for what we can accomplish on our own, through our own efforts- child’s play.

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31

When God is on your team. When you are relying on Him for direction and to accomplish even the smallest of tasks, then your eyes will begin to be opened to what He has planned for you. When the Lord is on your side, nothing will stop you from living out His incredible plan.

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Salt

This truth of being “capable” has never rung so true as it has since starting Salt. Every day I am pushed to a point where I don’t feel qualified, knowledgable, or the right candidate for the job, yet every day the Lord provides ways for me to overcome tasks, take new steps, and grow Salt into all He has planned for it.

I heard a sermon once that talked about how you find your true character and identity when you commit to something much bigger than yourself, and that couldn’t be more evident in my life right now. With starting Salt, I put myself out there, past my own abilities, and I quickly discovered that I could only function when I was reliant on Jesus. I realized that (after the few bruises and scrapes it took me to get to that point), I started to turn to Him for everything and that is when doors started to open up. I was led to new experiences, new relationships, and connections, and saw growth in my life that I would have never imagined. I took my well functioning earthly life and moved it up into the Lord’s playing field, and oh boy is it exciting.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t question myself if I can really do this. If I am smart enough, or organized enough, or trendy or cool enough, or even if my faith is strong enough. But when those thoughts come there is this soft whisper reminding me that I am capable because He is capable. On my own, I am not smart enough or organized, or trendy or cool or whatever it is, but… the truth is that I am not alone. I am the Lord’s, and He is always with me. I am a new creation, and because of that, I have limitless potential with the ability to do “everything” with the Lord.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here…” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

So when I am up past my ears with things to do, and mountains to summit not having any clue where the path is, I know I am capable because I know I am a new creation in Christ.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…” – Philippians 4:13

My challenge for you is to find something that you can commit to or be a part of that is out of your comfort zone and in a playing field that you cannot manage on your own. It is in that environment where you will see crazy growth, and see the truth that you are capable and you are able to do far more than you can ever imagine!

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Krista