With Faith, Can You Do Anything?

Maybe you’ve heard that, in Philippians 4:13, the Bible teaches that you can do anything you want if you believe hard enough. So, if you want to be an engineer, but you hate math, this verse could teach that, with enough faith and prayer, you will become an engineer. But is that really what this verse means? Unfortunately, many people use God’s Word in the wrong way and claim teachings that are not there. While it’s absolutely true that God can make miracles happen, that isn’t what this verse is teaching. To understand this verse better, we have to look at it in its own context. When reading Scripture, we can’t just pull one verse out without looking at the verses before and after. In this case, you can’t tell what verse 13 teaches without knowing verse 12. When we look at verse 12, we see that Paul (the author of Philippians) was talking specifically about receiving the strength to live in times of great poverty and times of plenty. God sent Paul to tell people about Jesus and start churches throughout the western part of Asia and eastern area of Europe. But the job was not easy. Many of the Jews wanted to kill him, and the Romans eventually would. There were times he ran for his life and went hungry, and there were also times he stayed at a friend’s house and had plenty. In all this, Paul relied on the strength God gave him to handle the bad times and also to be thankful when life went well. No matter how much or how little Paul had, God gave him the ability to be content. So while many people think Philippians 4:13 means that God will strengthen us to succeed, the context actually reveals that God will strengthen us to be content, whether living with abundance or loss. How is this possible? 2 Peter 1:3 says, His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, He is always with us, and His presence is enough to carry us through every situation we face. Doug Velting How has God helped you when times were difficult? What are some ways you can celebrate and share with others when you are in times of plenty? I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Philippians 4:10-Philippians 4:20; 1 Timothy 6:6-1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5