I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). These words are resident in you and me and are always spurring us upward to the manifestation of Christ’s victory. Victory is never independent of struggle or resistance. You and I will never manifest Christ without being a part of His “fellowship of sufferers.” Scripture says, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Philippians 3:10). Although Jesus gives us His victory, we must suit up and show up for the struggle and suffering!
I am what one might call, a flatlander. I love the plains! In South Texas, the land is so flat that we often say, “one can see on Friday evening who is coming to dinner on Sunday.” I love flatlands, places that do not challenge my norms, my comfort zones, my natural tendencies!
For my fiftieth birthday, I was given airline tickets for two, and I could fly wherever I wanted to go in the continental United States. I chose Washington State. It was so exciting, but there was one huge problem: I do not like heights! In order to really appreciate the beauty of Washington, I would have to scale the mountains, both large and small. In our upward journey with the Lord Jesus, we are required to scale uncomfortable heights. The problem is that we were born with a low nature, one that does not like the heavenly realms. We are earthly! That is why we resist going higher with God. In the heights, we often lose our balance, we get dizzy, and most of all, we lose our sense of control. Jesus knows our fears and inclinations, therefore in order to acclimate us to our heavenly position, He carries us to places that we fear to go. He does so that we might become accustomed to our new self, our new position, and the new heights we have been saved to.
When the apostle says, “I can do all things through Christ,” he means it, and that statement is there to inform every one of us of our new place of being. We have been saved to the uttermost in every sense. Therefore, as you look down from the heights, I urge you not to resist going a round higher with God. Just remember, The Lord is with you wherever you go.