For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13, NLT*

This is one of those verses I remember learning in my teens, and I used to quote it to myself when I needed reassurance. How much was actual reliance on Jesus, and how much was positive thinking, I’m not sure.

It came back to mind recently when I was wrestling a small stump out of my flower garden. I still don’t fully grasp how we can rely on the power of God working in us instead of working in our own strength, but I see it a bit more clearly than I used to.

I can do all things [that God asks me to do] through Christ, who gives me strength.

Positive self-talk may be more important than we realize, even if just to replace the negative “voices,” but the promises of God are a key part of a Christian’s mental health. [Tweet this.]

They’re more than things we tell ourselves to keep up our courage. They’re not inventions of our minds, not human attempts to frame life in a positive or hopeful perspective. They come from the authority of God and we can rely on them.

God whose promises never fail and whose grace and power are limitless, grant us clarity to not try to pull your words out of context and deceive ourselves. Help us learn to rely on Your promises and on Your strength that works so powerfully within us.

∞

Matt Redman’s “Never Once” declares the truth that God is faithful. Let it encourage us today.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.