One of my favorite expressions is, “There are no surprises in heaven.”
If you could spend time around me, you would know that I regularly remind myself of this when I have a need to place pressures and unexpected circumstances in their proper perspective. Like most of us, I tend to underestimate my own gifts and abilities. God has highly gifted each of us. We have a reservoir of God-given and God-supported capacity for handling the challenges and opportunities of the ministry He entrusted to us. However, we often fail to recognize our own potential. We neglect to look back on our past successes when they can offer us assurance that we are well able. David did just this when confronting his giant. 1 Samuel 17:34-36, He said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Now that is a winner’s attitude! David knew that with God’s help, he had the abilities necessary to win the battle before and he would now win this battle. Our attitudes and the ways we approach our giants is in our control, not in the control of what opposes us. In Verse 37 David declares, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” David understood he could recall his experiences, remembering the faithfulness of God. In those times, when he faced seemingly impossible odds, God
enabled him to do what did not seem possible. When I think back on the difficult issues of my life and ministry, I find many instances when the grace and faithfulness of God gave me the ability to do what I should not have been able to do.
As you face your inevitable giants, you must look to the God-given abilities inherent within your own salvation. Christianity is a “can-do relationship.” The Apostle Paul said it best in Philippians 4:13, when he wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You can too! You serve the same God. You are a “can-do” Christian!