By David L. Chancey
davidchancey.com
Edith Lovejoy Pierce said, “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called ‘Opportunity,’ and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”
My goodness, we’re already well into 2025! What words have you already placed onto your blank pages?
There’s one word we should avoid, and maybe even purge from our vocabulary in 2025. That’s the contraction of the word cannot — the word can’t, a highly destructive word, maybe even the most debilitating word in the English language.
“Can’t” destroys motivation, shifts responsibility and pours cold water on our best efforts before we even get started.
Pastor Ray Prichard wrote, “When you say ‘can’t,’ especially in reference to the problems of life, you are simply giving up without a fight.
“You are walking off the field, turning in your uniform, resigning your commission and admitting defeat — all without a battle. You are saying ‘I’ve lost, and it’s not even worth trying.’”
In contrast to “can’t,” Paul makes a mighty declaration in Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
The New Living Translation reads, “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”
The NIV reads, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
J.B. Phillips reads, “I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives in me.”
Four questions to consider
Four questions can help us examine our spiritual life and may help us turn our “I can’t” into “I can”:
First, do I have the personal desire to improve my life? Early in my ministry, I was venting frustration to a friend about being in the middle of a growing church field but having a hard time getting our internally focused members to reach out beyond the four walls of the church. He gave a wise answer: “You can lead, you can preach, you can set the pace, but you cannot put the ‘want-to’ into their hearts.”
Here’s a question only you can answer: when it comes to making the changes you need to make to improve your life, do you have the “want to” deep within your heart? Are you ready to pay the price to change and improve your life?
Second, do I have the personal discipline to reprogram my thinking? Go back to Philippians 4:10–12 to get the context of verse 13. Paul did not randomly write this verse. He was in chains, writing from prison, unable to continue his missionary journeys. Yet he chose contentment because his entire focus was on Christ (see Phil. 1:21).
We have the wrong idea about contentment. We pursue what we think will make us happy only to discover whatever we pursue still leaves us unhappy. Paul found himself in a bad situation, but he allowed God to use him anyway.
Along with choosing contentment, we should focus on “can” rather than “can’t.” What could you accomplish in 2025 with an I can do it approach? Suppose you knew you could (fill in the blank)? What would you undertake?
Instead of thinking “I can’t,” what if you asked, “Why can’t I?”
Third, do I have divine enablement to do all things? If you know Jesus as your Savior, then the answer is YES! You have the strength of Christ Himself to do whatever God calls you to do.
‘All things’
“All things” refers to anything God desires for your life. J. Vernon McGee wrote, “Whatever Christ has for you to do, He will supply the power. Whatever gift He gives you, He will give the power to exercise that gift. A gift is a manifestation of the spirit of God in the life of the believer. As long as you function in Christ, you will have power.”
Fourth, do I have a growing relationship with Jesus? Note the little phrase “through Christ.” Paul’s doing is dependent on his relying on Christ. “Through Him” refers to our union with Christ, the continuous action of drawing life and strength from Jesus Himself.
Am I living in a healthy, vibrant union with Jesus?
If not, what will I do about it so that, one year from now, I will be stronger and healthier spiritually than I am today?
Learning in a ‘waiting season’
By Meredith Flynn
Illinois Baptist
I have a friend who is particularly good at identifying spiritual seasons in her life. She seems to be able to “sit” in whatever season she’s currently in while also enumerating the blessings and challenges of seasons that have passed.
She told me recently of a prolonged “waiting season” she was in, when she had to trust God was at work even if she didn’t immediately see the evidence.
I certainly can relate to waiting seasons — times I’ve been too quick to give up on good, small habits or times when I should have relied on decades of experiencing God’s faithfulness, only to flap around wildly because I didn’t get the answer I wanted when I wanted it.
I have an inkling that waiting will mark the rest of my life, so I’d like it to count for more than just an intermission between louder seasons.
With my friend’s faithful testimony ringing in my ears, here are a few ways I’m resolving to wait out a waiting season:
- I will stay watchful. A quiet season doesn’t have to result in apathy.
- I won’t idolize deliverance, as easy as it would be to set my mind on the next, non-waiting season.
- I won’t go it alone. Like my friend shared her waiting season with me, I’ll look for opportunities to bear witness to God’s work.
- I will trust the process. I’ll pray for patience and the slow growth of new fruit — love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23).
Believing that God is author of every season, I will trust him to reveal beauty and purpose in this one.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by the Illinois Baptist.
“Policy affects our lives, and Christian leaders cannot ignore issues, isolate themselves or be intimidated by opposition,” said Greg Davis, president and CEO of Alabama Citizens Action Program. “Instead, we must use our influence for good.”
“Far more important than your talent, your skill or your degree is the purity of your heart before God. If you have talent and heart, God can do incredible things through you,” said Ben Mandrell, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources.
The work of Christian colleges and universities is “always grounded in biblical truth and enduring faith,” wrote David Hoag, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. “For Christ and His Kingdom, we continue to advance the cause of Christian higher education, fully assured that Christ-centered colleges and universities stand beside generations of Christians, supporting them as they grow into God’s calling for the betterment of our world.”
“When I was at a Christian college back in 2004, I was wrestling with questions like, ‘What is the point of this Christian faith, or what am I hoping to get out of this for myself?’” said Andrew Walker, associate dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. “Here’s my one-sentence answer to that — the pursuit of holiness through obedience to God’s Word produces an unmatched contentment that will hold you steady through the turbulence of life.”
“I can’t give an invitation because I’m perfect, but I can give it because I’m clean,” said Sammy Gilbreath, retired director of the office of evangelism at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “How am I going to preach on the sanctity of marriage if I’m being unfaithful to my wife?” Sin is alive and well, and “Satan is trying to destroy us,” he said. “If he destroys our preaching and our credibility, we can’t give that invitation.”
Praying a Psalm:
Prayer for guidance (Psalm 5)
Prayer in distress (Psalm 18)
Prayer for mercy (Psalm 51)
Prayer for protection (Psalm 61)
Prayer for thanksgiving (Psalm 100)
Prayer for deliverance (Psalm 120)
Prayer of repentance (Psalm 130)
Prayer for victory (Psalm 144)
Dustin Benge
@DustinBenge on X
God is calling for a purging and purifying. The will of the Father is that His people be holy. That is the work of Christ in the church.
He does it through the Word, the Spirit and the work of the people.
Grace to You
@gracetoyou on X
I will start believing people’s concerns about the SBC when they start showing up to their local associational meetings.
It’s the first step of cooperation — and the most neglected one. Make the local association important again.
Jared Cornutt
@jaredcornutt on X
The best kind of preaching leaves the congregation talking about the text. Not the preacher, not the sermon, but the text.
Clay Smith
@claysmith79 on X
