YOU GOT THIS Larry W Peebles November 19, 2021 21.42
My 10 year old grandson just completed his first season of baseball. Most of his teammates and the teams in his league had several seasons of experience, and this was player-pitch competition. He had to start at the beginning and learn the fundamentals of the game, the responsibilities of each position in game situations, how to catch, throw the ball and run the bases. At bat, he had to learn how to make contact with the ball, and how to stand in the batter’s box against pitching that was not always accurate. This seemed a huge mountain of technique to learn, but his coaches assured him that he was a fit for the team and would do just fine. His throwing and catching improved with each practice and game. Before the season was over, he was able to get the occasional hit, draw the more frequent walk, and shake off the effect of being hit by a pitch. The first time he was hit in the leg, he quickly shook it off, raced down to first base, and declared “That didn’t hurt.” He loved running the bases and scoring runs. He even got a game ball for driving in a run in a crucial situation.
Nothing in this whole experience tickled me more than listening to him and his teammates’ encouraging remarks to each other. My favorite was their chant from the team’s dugout– “See that batter at the plate (echo), he’s the best one in the state (echo)!” Of course, there was the ever popular “You got this!” when attempting to play a new position or facing one of the better pitchers in the league. Their team advanced to one of the final three left in the league’s season-ending double-elimination tournament. Following their final one-run tournament loss, my grandson cried as he said good bye to his teammates. He had come a long way in developing his skills, and in his love for the game. My sense was the tears were for missing his coaches, his teammates, and the “You got this” atmosphere of encouragement.
In stark contrast, my wife and I were ministering in a home church meeting recently. This was a Friday night worship rehearsal followed by preaching the word of God. We were to speak and pray for the people. I began by asking for a show of hands from anyone facing a seemingly impossible situation such as getting a better job, a sickness, paying their bills, or getting through school. To my surprise, almost every hand in the meeting went into the air. I was briefly stunned, but I understood why the Lord had given me this particular message for the meeting.
In my grandson’s baseball environment coaches and teammates were always saying “you can do this/you got this.” At the home church meeting, there was a room full of people who had come to believe “you can’t do this/you don’t have this.” I had to compare the differences. One was a child’s sport, the other an adult real-life situation. One was full of encouragement from teammates, coaches and parents. The other was full of discouragement from an old foe. The pastor over this group is a strong encourager, but the battle is in the mind. The people have to fight the voice of the enemy. The Bible says “our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus said “the devil has come to kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10), but He [Jesus] came that we may have life. Discouragement is one of the principal tools of the devil. The question is who will we listen to—the devil who speaks discouragement and death, or Jesus, who brings life? Jesus would never tell us we should give up because we can’t do this. Words like that come from the devil.
The Bible says the devil is a liar. Not only is he a liar, he is the father of lies. When he lies, he is speaking in his native tongue. He can only lie, because there is no truth in him at all (John 8:44). That voice in the head that says “you can’t do this, you can’t make it, you will fail” is the voice of a liar. It must be overcome.
The word of God is what Jesus used to overcome the lies of the devil when He was tempted in the wilderness following His baptism. Following are three Scriptures I presented to that room full of people facing what they thought were impossible situations. They are potent medicine for a lie. They are full of truth and encouragement, and follow a circular logic so that the last Scripture leads back to the first one:
- Psalm 72:18- “Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.” The King James Version says “who only does wondrous things.” This short verse is very rich in revelation. The Lord God Jehovah (Yahweh) is the only God who does wondrous things (miracles), but beyond that He only does the miraculous. He is not confined by the natural laws such as space and gravity, heat and cold. By definition, He is super-natural (supra-Greek-“above”), above the laws of nature. As a super-natural being, everything He does is a miracle. Miracles are commonplace for Him, they require no extra effort or special preparation. We serve a miracle-working God who loves us. He always and only does mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, outstanding miracles.
- 2 Corinthians 3:4-5- “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” Our competence or sufficiency is limited, but we can receive unlimited competence from God. Where we are insufficient, He is all-sufficient. He asks us to do the impossible not because we are qualified, but because He wants to teach us to partner with Him in doing it. Because of Him, we are sufficient for the task. He will show us how to do it if we ask Him. He gives us super-natural ideas and strategies, and connects us with the right people who can open opportunities for us. The self-help courses teach us to be self-sufficient. God’s children ask the One who is all-sufficient for help in doing the impossible. If we believe, the result is we can see the mountains in our lives move out of the way (Matthew 21:21). God gets the glory; we get to watch. God wants to involve us in the process of doing the impossible.
- Matthew 19:26- “Jesus looked at them and said ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Jesus gave us a clue that our Heavenly Father not only is able to help us with the impossible, He in fact wants to. Every dad wants to teach his child how to ride a bike, swim and repair the broken toy. It’s not a burden, it’s a joy. Because all things are possible with God, there is not one thing a person faces that should be considered impossible. When we face a financial lack, a heavy burden, a sickness in our body, or even the consequences of our own mistakes, we express our faith in the Lord God Almighty, confess our sins, and ask for a miracle.
God alone, always, and only does the miraculous, so we are back to the first Scripture. When the devil says we can’t do it, we know we can. When the devil says we have no help, we know we do—the very best help available. When the devil speaks death and gloom, we turn to Jesus, the source of life and joy. When it is our turn to step up to the plate, we can be confident we will score. Our confidence in the One True God will produce a voice in our head saying “you got this”.
