BY JOHN EDMUND HAGGAI

Suppose you’re in an operating room awaiting surgery. The nurse has just given you a sedative. Suddenly you catch a glimpse of the surgeon. He’s in the corner of the room, wringing his hands. His face expresses his agony. His body language exudes distress.

You hear him quietly saying, “Oh, I don’t know why I took on this responsibility. I’m just not up to it. I hope I can get through it.”

At this point, you would probably try to shake off the sedative and bolt out of the room! No one wants to be cut open by a surgeon who lacks confidence. That surgeon has the necessary training — but he needs to believe in his ability to perform his duty. He needs confidence to be successful. You do, too.

Even when you face obstacles, confidence in God is what makes you effective. Apostle Paul gave a great example of this confidence when he wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This verse is literally translated as: “I am almighty in the One who continually keeps pouring His power in me.” 

When You Can’t, You Can
Paul didn’t write these words in the air-conditioned comfort of an apartment atop one of Rome’s seven hills. Paul was in prison. By today’s standards, Mamertine Prison (Paul’s prison) would be considered inhumane. Unlike modern prisons, it didn’t have peppermint-striped sheets, color television, or fitness centers.

The Romans had banished Paul to a dreaded dark cell. They thought these conditions were a greater punishment than death. Paul could have whined, “How can I accomplish anything here? Surely, the Lord knows that I am immobilized by my imprisonment.” Instead, despite his surroundings, Paul said, “I am almighty.”

We know that the apostle could not study his beloved books and parchments. We know that Timothy could not visit him. Nevertheless, Paul spoke with joyous confidence: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). He said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Compared to this, no one can justify their complaints — ever — regardless of how intolerable their circumstances are.

Knockout Confidence
As a child, I was small and sickly. Every bully on the playground picked on me. One day, I accompanied my cousin, Alex, down to Seymour Square to pick up groceries for his mother. As we walked home, three big guys in a pickup truck came by and shouted, “Haddad, get yourself and that @&#% Hebrew cousin of yours out of here before we mop the gutter with you.”

I cringed. I thought to myself, “Uh-oh, here comes another beating.” Then I looked over at Alex, and my fears subsided. In fact, I started to smile. Alex was the AAU wrestling champion in the 175-pound division that year. At 15, he was a man. His biceps were like cannonballs, and his pectoral muscles looked like bronze marble slabs.

What had converted me from terror to optimism? Simply this: Alex was near. Apostle Paul knew the source of his power, too. Sitting in prison, he knew the Lord was near. Living in that awareness changes us and extends our capabilities. It’s often the only major difference between a defeated Christian and a victorious Christian.

You Can If You Continue
The word “continue” comes up in the New Testament repeatedly. Continue in God’s kindness. Continue in faith. Continue in prayer. Continue in love. Paul sensed that God was continually pouring His power into him. Many of us feel confident in the middle of a success seminar or a stirring church service. We feel safe and invincible.

And who wouldn’t? But, it’s the tough times that really count. Our continuity is most important when we face obstacles.

To continue, you need a fresh supply of biblical confidence every day. Hyperventilating for 30 minutes doesn’t mean you can go the next 30 minutes without breathing. Gorging yourself for a month doesn’t mean you can go the next month without eating. Continuity means pressing forward at all times.

Are you aware of God’s inexhaustible supply of power? If so, are you utilizing it for success? Do you really believe that God “is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20)?

Convert Your Impossibilities
God does not think in terms of limitations. Our God is the God of the impossible. Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). So, don’t play it safe.

David was the youngest and smallest of Jesse’s eight sons. Goliath stood 9 feet 6 inches tall. He mocked the Israelites and challenged them to send one of their men to fight him. King Saul stood head and shoulders above all the other Israelites, but like the rest of them, he quaked in his boots.

David, however, thought Goliath could be defeated. He said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). His oldest brother, Eliab, angrily accused David of pride and insolence. No one else was willing to take up Goliath’s challenge. But David trusted that God would sustain him, despite his seemingly inadequate strength.

In fact, David’s recognition of his weakness was his first qualification for success. A willingness to attempt the impossible is a key ingredient in success — not because impossibilities are really possibilities in disguise, but because the God who gives us confidence has no limitations.

The world says, “Know your limitations because that way you’ll be safe.” The Bible says, “Ditch the word ‘impossible’ because it chains you down.”