“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)
In referring to “I”, Paul is referring to himself; and yet I know this truth to be true for individuals as well. This is true for me whether I believe it or not. And then he says that he “can”. There is confidence in Paul’s use of “can”. He doesn’t say “I might be able to do everything” or “I should be able to do everything”. He is definite about it – “I can”. He adds to this confidence the assurance that he can do “everything”. (Paul sure uses a lot of absolutes in his writing.) I see Paul essentially saying that God gives him all the strength he needs to do what He is calling him to do.
The idea that we can do everything “through Him” I think could be stated that we can do everything through the strength He gives. The thought that God will provide all the strength we need says that I can do things that are beyond my human capacity. I can by faith trust that if I will simply obey Him even in the most impossible of tasks, He will enable and empower me to do it.
The truth that God will provide all the strength I need to accomplish whatever He asks of me is true whether I believe it or not. The question I must ask myself is whether I will live out that truth or simply let it stand untested or unproven. My prayer is that I might have the confidence of Paul and say, “Yes, I can!” when God calls me to do something beyond my human capacity.