You Can, With God's Help

October 14 (Exodus 3:11-12)

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”  God answered, “I will be with you.”  (NLT)

We all need encouragement when we think a task is too much for us, and chances are, you’ve offered encouragement to someone else in that situation.  The problem is, we usually do it all wrong.  We begin by telling people not to feel that way, we continue by assuring them they can do whatever it is, and for proof we trot out a list of their abilities and accomplishments.

Now, take a look at how God does it.  Moses doubts himself at the deepest level.  “Who am I?” he asks God.  In the human scheme of things, he is a nobody and he knows it.  Yet God does not say, “Come on, buddy!  You’re not a nobody, you’re a somebody!  Would I have picked a guy who couldn’t do this?  Think of how you stepped up when the Egyptian was beating one of my people (Exodus 2:11-12).  You can do this!”  Instead, God simply says, “I will be with you.”

God will not lie.  He will not pretend you are what you are not just to make you feel good, and sometimes He calls us to something that we, in our own strength, cannot do.  And you know what?  It doesn’t matter whether we can do it.  God can.  If He calls us, He is with us, and He will accomplish the task.

Father, I might as well be Moses for all the ways I have excused myself from doing what You have called me to do.  God, please help me to focus on You and not on my own weaknesses.  Help me not to over analyze and think things to death, but simply do what You call me to do.  In the name of Jesus, the very model of perfect obedience, amen.

Copyright © 2018 by Steven R. Perkins

Strength of Soul

June 18 (Psalm 138:3)

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.  (ESV)

Strength of soul…what a great phrase!  It suggests something far more than physical strength.  Yet it is also more than mental strength or emotional strength.  Strength of soul is something much deeper.  It is strength at the fundamental level of who you are.

Recall a time when you just had to get something done.  It may have been pulling an all-nighter to make sure you were ready for the exam.  It may have been settling down to the weeks and months ahead of dealing with the aftermath of loss or tragedy.  Whatever it was, you had this sense of needing to dig down deep into a reserve of strength not usually tapped.  You needed strength of soul.

The beautiful, wonderful, amazing thing is that this deepest source of strength is yours for the asking.  David says that on the day he called to God, He answered him, and his strength of soul increased.  No one sits on the couch wondering why he does not get physically stronger.  It takes work.  It is simple work, but there is something a person must do to build muscles.  The same is true with strength of soul, and it is just as simple.  You call out to God in prayer.  You let Him speak to you through sustained, quiet time with Him.  You give yourself over to His word in the Bible.  I can testify along with David that your strength of soul will indeed increase.

Lord, I need the strength of soul that You gave David.  Whether I am facing a particular challenge or going through the daily tasks of life, I need more than my natural resources of brain power and physical might can accomplish.  Grant me that deep strength that I may meet victoriously all that lies before me.  In the name of Jesus, my Savior, I pray.  Amen.

Copyright © 2017 by Steven R. Perkins

Strength In God Alone

July 3 (Exodus 3:11-12; Judges 6:15-16)

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”  He said, “But I will be with you….”

And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.”  And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you….”  (ESV)

Moses and Gideon both questioned their abilities to accomplish the tasks that God had set them.  Welcome to the club, boys!  If they had put these doubts to their friends, their friends would likely have responded by pointing out all the things they were good at.  They would have talked about the college degrees that Moses and Gideon had, how long they had worked at their companies, and all the past awards and successes that lined the walls of their offices.

We do the same, and we even do it with ourselves.  When I am daunted by something, my first thought is to rehearse my own resume for encouragement to face the task.  Notice the difference in God’s response.  He does not replay the greatest hits of Moses and Gideon.  He does not even refute their claims to inferiority.  Instead, He says, “I will be with you.”

No matter how well padded our resumes, no matter how much life experience and talents we possess, we will always feel inadequate to some task.  That feeling may be a lie from our enemy to discourage us or it may the truth.  We may truly not be up to the challenge.  Either way, our strength to face it comes from none other than the Lord God of the universe.  Let that sink in.  God promises to be with us and He does not lie.  Surely that is worth more than all the mental and emotional bootstrapping we do in the vain effort to help ourselves.

Father, thank You for the abilities You have given me.  I am grateful for them and all that You have allowed me to experience in my life, both the good and the bad.  Yet I set all that aside and claim my strength and identity in You.  I am Your child.  Jesus is my savior and brother.  In You alone I have what it takes to face what You have called me to this day.  In the name of Jesus, Who looked to You even on the cross, amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

Seeing As Jesus Sees (2 in a series of 4)

October 4 (Isaiah 31:1, 3)

Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!  Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit.  (KJV)

I want to get things done.  When I have a task in front of me, I just want to get it done now.  Right now.  I also have numerous broken items around our house showing the wisdom of that approach.  This is what happens when I rely solely on my own understanding and strength to accomplish things.

In last week’s devotion we saw it was a mistake to think that people who do not follow Christ will live as if they do.  It is equally a mistake to think that problems can be solved by purely human means.  For some of us, the only tools in our box are political efforts, financial resources, and government programs.  These are certainly good tools and can be used to accomplish much, but if these are the only tools we have, then we will never solve the problems that matter most.

Not a day goes by when we do not read about this or that effort to address this or that problem.  We must look at all proposed solutions to see if they are really just a trip to Egypt, a trusting in men and horses rather than in God.  If the solutions we are considering are purely human, they will have a short-lived effect at best.  If they are rooted in God’s strength and wisdom, they are guaranteed to produce the only kind of effects we truly want.

I read too much news, Jesus.  I get far too caught up in the ideas and plans of people.  Keep me grounded in You and Your word so that I may first of all discern clearly Your will and then be able to evaluate truly the solutions to the problems around me.  In Your name I pray, amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins