Impossible: November 12, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR TUESDAY NOVEMBER 12, 2013.

IMPOSSIBLE

DEFINITION:

Unable to be performed or affected; sure not to happen; can’t be done; utterly impracticable.

SCRIPTURE:

For with God nothing will be impossible. Luke 1:37

But without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

How many times have you faced situations that you felt it was impossible to conquer? What is your first reaction when you encounter a difficult circumstance that looks impossible? Some people start searching for an answer or a way out of the circumstance; others curl up in defeat and try to avoid the circumstance totally by ignoring it.

As believers we need to remember that if we face circumstances that we feel are humanly impossible to conquer we need to ask the right question:

We may ask, "O Lord what am I going to do?" Is this the right question to ask? The problem with asking this question is that even though we are seeking the Lord's guidance, the focus is on our actions. Therefore we limit our response to our abilities, resources and understanding. All too often if we do this our minds will start to devise plans and soon we will resort to manipulation and maneuvering to fix the problem.

We should ask, "God, what are you going to do?" Do you see the difference? Now you have changed the focus to the omniscience and omnipotence of Almighty God. God blows out the sides of any box that confines us, He untangles any situation that baffles us and He has the power to carry out HIS PLAN which is perfect and will bring Him the Glory.

God's Word is a treasure available to us because it is practical and contains answers for any and every concern we may encounter. Impossible situations for us are opportunities for the Lord to teach us valuable lessons that we would never have learned any other way.

Remember: God' supremacy trumps all human resources. And also remember that God often requires our participation to achieve His purpose. In John 6 we read where Jesus asked Philip to get bread to feed the multitude. From a human perspective it was an impossible situation. Jesus knew where the bread was and He knew how the multitude would be fed.

Jesus called on Philip to do what Jesus knew Philip would think to be impossible. Right away Philip began calculating the cost. Philip concluded it would take over eight months of wages to pay for enough bread and therefore what Jesus asked of him was, in his mind, impossible. Philip assumed what is or what is not possible based on his limited resources. Limited resources are more than sufficient when given to Jesus. Jesus took five small barley loaves and two fish and provided more food than was needed to feed everyone.

When God asks us to do what seems impossible we must not let our estimate of our own resources hold us back from doing what God wants us to do. We must remember that "with God nothing will be impossible." It takes faith to believe that with God all things are possible and without faith it is impossible to please God.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in II Corinthians 2:9a.

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.

PRAYER:

Help me today to surrender all my plans into Your hands so when impossibility comes my way I can ask, "What are You going to do, Lord?" I am grateful that You can solve all the impossibilities I face in life and if You need me to help, I am ready and willing.