Transcription:

We’ve all read the verse. I can do all things through Christ who has strengthened me. But the question I have for you is, can you? Can you do all things through Christ who strengtheneth you? Does Christ strengthen you? And if he does, how does he do it? Because here’s the reality, that verse is true. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. However, the apostle Paul is saying that as a culmination of a bunch of things that came before that. And so if you don’t do the bunch of things that came before that, you can’t claim that. And so what we’re going to look at is how can you do all things through Christ? With strength in me. 

And I’ve decided to call this yes, you can, because you can take your stress and turn it into a yes, but you have to do the things that come before. Philippians 413 in verses four through twelve. And here’s what it says. It says, rejoice in the Lord alway. And again I say rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all. Mendez, the Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep or guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things, those things which you’ve both learned and received and heard and seen in me do. The apostle Paul, saying, I’ve lived by example. I didn’t just tell you what to do, I showed you what to do. Seen in me do.

 And the God of peace be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I learned whatsoever things, whatsoever state I am in there with to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound everywhere in all things. I am instructed both to be full and hungry, to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. That’s what he said. He said it at the end of all of those other things. So if you want to live a yes, you can life if I. You want to take your stress and turn it into a yes, and you want to be able to properly claim Philippians 413, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthened me. You have to do the things that come before it. The first one is, you must be perpetually joyful. Philippians four four says, rejoice in the Lord. Alway. And again I say, rejoice. God is not going to tell us to do something that we have no ability to do because we’ve seen the pattern in scripture. And God doesn’t change. Before God gives a command, he always gives the capacity before he gives the command, before he gives the assignment. He always gives the ability before he gives the assignment. So if God is telling us to live in a state of perpetual joyfulness, which, by the way, is what it means when it says, rejoice in the Lord, alway. And again I say, rejoice because the prefix re means to do again. So when it says, rejoice in the Lord, it’s saying, again, have joy in the Lord. 

And then it’s saying, always. So again, have joy in the Lord, always. And again I say, rejoice. Or again, I say, again, have joyous. That sounds pretty perpetual to me. We are to live in a state of perpetual joyfulness. That’s not to say that we’re always happy. We’re not always happy. I like what my brother Mike says. He’s a pastor up in Pennsylvania. He says happenings. I mean, happiness is the result of happenings, right? But joyfulness is the result of being joyful. Joyfulness is something you be, whereas happiness is something you possess, something that you have. And so to live in a state of perpetual joyfulness, it requires a level of awareness. In fact, it reminds me of another passage over in the book of James. James chapter one, verse number one, where it says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. Those words, diverse temptations, means different kinds of trials. So count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of trials. How can I count it joy when I’m in a trial that doesn’t even seem to go together? But the reality is it does go together because it says count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations. Knowing this, which means like count is a perspective word. Have this perspective. Have the perspective of joy when you fall into diverse temptations. Knowing this, knowing is a perception word. Oh, so he’s telling me to count in a specific way based on what I know. So in order for me to live in a state of perpetual joyfulness, I have to have a level of awareness that’s greater than just being aware of what I’m going through. One of the reasons a lot of people stay stuck in a state of sadness and depression and overwhelm is because they’ve gotten stuck focusing on what’s missing while ignoring what’s there. I’m not saying that there’s nothing missing. I’m just saying you focus so much on what’s missing that you’re missing what’s there, because in order for something to be there, something has to be missing. In order for something to be missing, something that has to be there, you wouldn’t even be aware of the fact that it was missing. It’s kind of like, do fish think they’re flying? And what does that mean? It means if you’re surrounded by water all the time, do you know you’re surrounded by water, or do you just feel like you’re flying? Like, is the water for the fish the same thing as the air for the birds? Are they aware of the fact that they’re submerged under the water? 

And I don’t know if they do or not, but it doesn’t seem like it. And so the reality is most people are swimming in abundance and unaware of the abundance that’s all around them because they’re so in tune with what’s missing that they can’t perceive what’s there. So he said, count it all joy, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have a perfect work, that you may be perfect in entire wanting nothing. So in James chapter one, he’s telling us how to live in a state of perpetual joyfulness, even while we’re in the middle of a trial, while we’re going through something difficult, while we’re going through dealing with a disease, while we’re going through the living with the loss of a loved one, while we’re going through dealing with the loss of a job or the loss of a fortune or whatever, while we’re going through something difficult. We can still count it all joy. We can live in a state of perpetual joyfulness, but only if we have a level of awareness that’s greater than just what’s missing. He said, count it all joy, so that we can only have the right perspective when we have the right perception. Well, what is the right perception? Count it all joy. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, what does that mean? Well, when it says the reason you count it all joy is not because you love trials, but because you know that when you go through the trial, it’s going to work patience into your life. What is patience. Patience is persistent, consistent endurance. So he’s saying, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations or different kinds of temptations, because you know that going through this trial is going to make you stronger for the thing that God has for you to do in the future that you’re not strong enough to do right now. So what’s he saying? He’s saying, count it all joy. You can live in a state of perpetual joyfulness even when you’re going through something difficult, because you can be thankful for the fact that the God of the universe is getting you ready for something he already has ready for you. Wow. That’s a different perspective. Rather than just thinking of the situation I’m going through as my destination, I think of the situation I’m going through as my preparation. I wish I had some help in here, oh, Lord.

 Because when I think of the thing that I’m going through, the difficulty that I’m going through while I’m going through this trial, if I think of it as my preparation, then I have something to be thankful for. I can be thankful for the fact that the God of the universe is making me ready for what I’m not yet ready for. See, Joseph realized this when he was in the pit. He also realized it when he was in Potiphar’s house. He also realized that when he was put in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Joseph realized that God was getting him ready for what God already had ready for him. How do we know that? Because when Joseph’s brothers thought he was going to get them back after their dad died, he said, what you meant for evil, God meant for good. So God even uses the difficulties of our trials to make us better than we were, stronger than we were, faster than we were, more capable than we were. So we can be joyful while we’re in the midst of a trial, because the trial is preparing us for our assignment. So, yes, you can do all things through Christ, which strengthens you if you are willing to hold in your awareness the whole truth about what God is doing in your life and through your life while you’re in difficulty, and be joyful about that in spite of what’s going on around you. If you can do that, that’s the first step on the road to yes, you can and turning your yes, turning your stress into a yes. But you have to live in a state of perpetual joyfulness. So how do I live in a state of perpetual joyfulness? Well, the next verse says, after it says, rejoice in the Lord always it says, rejoice, lord alway. 

And again I say, rejoice. It says, let your moderation be known unto all men. The word moderation is self control. Hmm. But it says, let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. And I used to be so confused by that, I used to think, what does one. What does self control have to do with the Lord at hand? Here’s what it has to do with it. You use your self control, your willpower, to remind yourself that God is always present with you. So you’re using your willpower to maintain conscious awareness of the fact that God is with you and that you’re not going through the trial by yourself. Why is that so important? Why is it so important for me to maintain a state of perpetual awareness of the presence of God? Because the scripture tells us that in his presence is fullness of joy. So how do I maintain a state of perpetual joyfulness? By maintaining a state of perpetual awareness of the presence of God. I call it practicing the presence of God. What does that mean? It means I’m willfully aware that God is with me. So while I’m going through the difficulty, I am not. So woe is me. Now, I may be sad, I may still cry sometimes, I may still be sad sometimes, but I don’t live there. I heard a preacher say one time, he said, it’s not a sin for a bird to land on your head, but it is a sin for him to build a nest up there. Why? Because he doesn’t have any business being there that long. It’s not a sin to be sad, but you’re not allowed to live there as a follower of Christ. It’s not a sin to feel the pain of difficulty or the pain of loss. But you can’t live there because you’re making yourself more aware of what’s missing than you are the presence of Christ. Okay, you got it. So I’m using my willpower to maintain awareness of the presence of Christ. And when I do that, now, I have the ability to live in a state of perpetual joyfulness, because in his presence is fullness of joy. Okay, what’s the next thing it says? The next verse says, and be careful for nothing but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. So in order for me to live a yes, you can life and to turn my stress into a yes, number one, I must be perpetually joyful. But number two, I must be peacefully prayerful. What does that mean? It means I don’t worry about anything, but I pray about everything. You know what the problem is? We have the motto as followers of Christ. Well, why pray when I can worry? God says, no, do it the other way. Why worry when you can pray? And the purpose of prayer is not to get your will done in heaven.

 The purpose of prayer is to get God’s will done on earth. So I pray to get my will back in tune with his will. I don’t pray to get his will in tune with mine. And so it says, be careful or don’t have anxiety over anything. Be careful for nothing. That means don’t have anxiety over anything. It doesn’t mean don’t proceed with caution. When it says, be careful for nothing, it means don’t have anxious, care about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God. In other words, instead of worrying about something I’m going through, pray about it. And then let God give me his peace. Because he, like one, he’s in it with me. Number two, he ordained it for me. Number three, he already gave me the ability to go through it, because there’s no temptation taking you. But such as is common to man. And God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able. Hallelujah. So this is how we turn our stress into a yes and how we can live the yes, you can. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me life. But not only does it say I’m supposed to be peacefully prayerful, but also purposefully thankful. It says, be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. I love the fact that the scripture tells us we’re supposed to be thankful in all things. We’re supposed to be thankful through all things, and we’re supposed to be thankful for all things. He didn’t leave anything out. I can even be thankful for the difficulty that I’m going through, because I know God is using that difficulty to get me ready for what he already has ready for me. So I can be thankful for anything. I can be thankful for everything, even the difficult things. Why? Because I’m thankful for who God is in my life and what he’s doing through my life. So be purposefully thankful. Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Then verse eight says, finally, brethren, finally. I’m gonna wrap it up. I’m about to wrap it up. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.

 First and foremost, let’s notice that there is an order. There’s an order to God’s thought processes. It says, finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true. He starts with what’s true and then goes to what’s honest. Why? Because what’s true and honest is more important than what’s lovely and of good report. See, when you get the priorities wrong, when you get the priorities wrong, what you’ll do is you’ll put lovely and good report above truth. And so you’d rather have something that sounds good than something that’s true. You’d rather have something that is reportedly good than something that’s true and something that’s honest. Something that makes you feel good, rather than something that’s honest. And the scripture tells us this in so many ways, that truth goes before good feelings. The scripture says, the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then it’s peaceable. Then it’s easy to be entreated. And see, we have a lot of people in our world today that want stuff to be peaceable and easy to be entreated before they’re pure. But the wisdom that’s from above is first pure, then peaceable, then easy to be entreated. The scripture says, the apostle Paul wrote and said, am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? The scripture says, faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. What is the scripture telling us? That God has an order in his thoughtfulness and pure supersedes good feelings. Okay, so be particularly thoughtful. About what? About what things are true, what things are honest. Things are just. What things are pure. And after he does, I mean, think about this. True, honest, just and pure. Now, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue, if there is anything that’s good, if there’s anything to praise God about, think on these things. He’s saying, be particularly thoughtful. Then you get to be personally powerful. Then you get to practice. You get to walk.

 In Philippians, chapter four, verses ten through 13, where it says, but I rejoice in the Lord greatly now that in your last. In the last your care of me hath flourished again, wherein you were also careful but lacked opportunity. In other words, he’s saying, I’m thanking God for the fact that you sent me gifts while I was in prison. That’s what Paul’s saying to the people in Philippi. He said, not that I speak in respect to one. I’m not saying that because I needed something, but I have learned what sort of state I’m in there with to be content. Paul said, I’m not saying that because I needed something. I’ve learned whatever state I’m in, whether I’m in a state of abundance or whether I’m in a state of lack, I am content. And what he’s saying when he says, I’m content, I can be thankful there, I can be peaceful there, I can be joyful in that state, whether I have a lot or I have a little. And how do I know that? Because he said, I know both how to be a base, in other words, how to have nothing and be joyful and be peaceful and to be powerful and to be prayerful. I know how to have nothing and do that. But he said, I also know how to abound. I know how to have a lot and be peaceful and to be joyful and to be thankful and to be prayerful and to be thoughtful even when I have a lot. And then he says, everywhere, in all things, I am instructed both to be full and hungry, both to abound and to suffer in need. What is he saying? He’s saying, regardless of whether I have a lot or I have a little, I can be joyful. I can be prayerful. I can be peaceful. I can be thoughtful. I can be thankful regardless of whether I have a lot or I have a little. Why? If I have a lot, I know I didn’t go get it by myself. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of a turning. Like so, even when I have a lot, I know I didn’t just go get a lot because I’m so super awesome. But I realize it’s the blessing of the Lord that it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it. So I didn’t do that. Like, every good thing that I have in my life, the health that I have, is a gift. The wealth that I have is a gift. The friends that I have, the family that I have is a gift. The business that I have is a gift. The perspective that I have is a gift. The understanding that I have the ability that everything, every good thing that’s in my life I have it because God blessed me with either with it or with the ability to get it. But I couldn’t have done it by myself. 

So he said, I know whatsoever state I’m in there with to be content. He says that. He says, how to be hungry. I am everywhere and in all things. Verse twelve, I am instructed both to be full and hungry, both to abound and to suffer in need. I can do all things through Christ with strengthening me. Do you see how that personal power is a result of all those other things? If he wouldn’t have been, if the apostle Paul wouldn’t. And he said, you’ve seen me do it. You’ve heard me say it, but you see me do it, right? So now go do what you see me do. He said, you’ve seen me be perpetually joyful. You’ve seen me be prayerfully, peacefully prayerful. You’ve seen me be purposefully thankful. You’ve seen me be particularly thoughtful. And that is why I’m personally powerful. And I can do all things through Christ with strengthened me. So when you have those attributes that laid the foundation, then you can claim Philippians four, verse 13 where it says, I can do all things through Christ, which strengthened me. And if you will do these things, this is how you take your stress and turn it into a yes. This is how you take your mess and your test and your stress and turn it into a yes. By doing the things that God laid out for us to do in scripture. The Bible is not a book about religion. It is a book with promises and precepts and practices and prayers and prophecies that give us the ability to make predictions about outcomes in the future so we can position ourselves there, so we can receive the blessing that God has for us and the time that he has it for us, because everything is beautiful in his time. It’s time for you to take your stress, your test and your mess and turn it into a yes by following Philippians, chapter four, verses four through 13. I hope this blesses you in ways you can’t imagine yet, but you’ll be able to experience, and then you’ll be able to imagine them. In the meantime, in between times, stay blessed by the best and we’ll see you on the next video.