I Can Do This
Posted by Dion Todd April 26th, 2020 7,487 Views 0 Comments
I Can Do This from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
Today I want to talk about something very simple, but immeasurably important, and not always easy to do. Let’s begin in a house in the book of Matthew where Jesus healed two blind men:
(Matthew 9:27–30 NKJV) When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened.
Jesus asked the blind men, “Do you believe I can do this?”, and waited on them to answer Him. Think of that for a moment; let it sink in. Do you believe I can do this? Do you believe that I can do this? They answered, “Yes Lord.” Then He told them according to your faith, let it be done to you. Which basically means ’because you believe, your request is granted’ and not in proportion to your faith as in ‘you have this much faith, so you can have this much sight.’ If they believed at all, they got it all. Both the men were completely healed. The question Jesus asked them is still the essence of our faith, “Do you believe I can do this?” Yes, we do.
(Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This verse basically means that the future and the unseen can be made real by faith, by believing. The impossible can become possible. The unseen can become seen. What was just a dream yesterday, can become a reality today. Let’s expand on that.
Everything that you see around you, like your desk, or the phone that you hold in your hand, is not actually solid. That is an illusion. Science has proven that tiny atoms that cannot even be seen by a microscope, are holding everything in the universe together. The stars, the planets, our cars, and our bodies, exist through simple electromagnetic force. Atoms cannot be created nor destroyed. They are indestructible, but they can be rearranged. To me, atoms bear a striking resemblance to our solar system, with its planets revolving around the sun. It’s the same pattern, the same design. Combine that with the idea that many scientists believe the materials that make up human bodies originally came from stardust. It all points to the same Designer, who made the universe, the stars, and then us.
What is impossible for the One who invented the atoms, who rearranges them to be anything He desires? Nothing. At His word the universe was created, and at His word it could disintegrate. In that light, do You find it hard to believe that Jesus walked on water? I don’t. How simple would it be for the water molecules to rearrange into a solid surface at His word? Remember the words of Jesus: Do you believe I can do this?
Habakkuk 2:4 tells us that the just shall live by faith. We think too small, and too often, we don’t believe that He can do this. We need to change that. Our faith produces hope, and our hope produces perseverance. Without faith, we will shrink back and say “I cannot do this.”
* The centurion in Matthew 8:5 had such great faith that his servant was healed from a distance.
* The woman with the issue of blood for 18 years in Matthew 9:18 was instantly healed by her faith.
* The disciples in the boat during a storm on the Sea of Galilee failed with “Lord, we perish!” and woke Jesus up to deal with it.
* In Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, He was amazed at their lack of faith.
We know that God is able, we know that He loves us, but do we believe that He can do this? Can He deal with what we are facing today? All the heroes that we read about in the Bible believed He could. That is why they are in there, they believed. Oh be sure there are so many that did not believe, and are not in the book.
Consider what David told Goliath:
(1 Samuel 17:45–46 NASB) Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.”
The young David said “I can do this”, then he went and did exactly what he said. That is the voice of faith. It is not “Lord we perish” but “I can do this.” Our faith pleases God. In fact, it is a requirement: "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6 NASB)
Compare David’s faith with the Israelite spies who came back from the promised land and brought a bad report of their chances. They whined “We are like grasshoppers and the people there are like giants!”:
(Numbers 14:2–4 NASB) All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
Rather than cross the Jordan River in faith and take the promised land like God instructed them to do, those Israelites wanted to stone Moses, appoint another leader, and return to slavery in Egypt. To God, it was like dragging a stubborn mule into the promised land, kicking and balking all the way. Apparently they did not have the “I can do this” attitude. God did not appreciate it, and He told them this: Say to them, "As I live," says the LORD, "just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you" (Numbers 14:28 NASB)
How would you like what comes out of your mouth to happen to you? He did it to them. They prophesied their own future. God loves us, yes indeed, but we are to love Him back. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 NASB)
Think of it this way, our own promised land is on the other side of a river named “You Can't Do This” God gives us an inspiration, or a dream, and we begin to feel that “We can’t do this.” Like Gideon, He will expect us to stand our ground even though our enemies vastly outnumber us. That is His way, to use the one against the many. When we feel like grasshoppers, and the dumbest person in the room, we are ready to be used by Him in a supernatural way. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit", says the Lord. (Zechariah 4:6).
Do not let fear hold you back from crossing over like it did the Israelites in the wilderness. Instead, be like young David. You can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you. When the Lord asks you “Do you believe I can do this?” You say “Absolutely!” and get started.
You can pray this with me if you like:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help me see through the eyes of Faith. Yes Lord, I absolutely believe that You can. There is nothing impossible for You and I know that You are right here with me today just as You have been throughout eternity. You can rearrange the atoms in the universe, and if God is for us, then who can be against us? Remember me today Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.