Ican - God Can Use Me, Iwill - Obey Him And Commit My Life

iCan – God Can Use Me

iWill – Obey Him & Commit my life to His Will

“iCan…iWill” God CAN use me & I WILL commit my life to His Will!”

Just as any good employer would not send you off to a job site without the necessary tools, God through the teaching of this series has equipped us with both rationale & the Biblical tools needed to love, serve, & share the people of this generation.

And today, I want to remind you that today, you have everything you need to Know God’s Word, Share God’s Word, and live God’s Word! Everything you need is promised in the pages in the Bible!

II Peter 1:3-4 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

So, for a moment, let me first embed this encouragement in your heart, that if you are a child of God – meaning, you have accepted Christ as your Savior to both forgive your sins and save your soul – then you have everything you need to live a God-empowered life!

iCan

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

You gotta love when the Bible just says it plainly & clearly.

This verse needs no explanation so let me just apply it to day-to-day living.

This verse means that:

God has given you the ability to know His Word (iKnow).

God has given you the capacity to Love people…even though you may not believe it, you can love people (iLove)

God has given you the truth & message to Tell of his love & salvation (iTell)

God can give you the humility to Serve as He served (iServe).

God has given you His Truth in His Word so that you can Stand on solid Ground (iStand).

God has given you the wonderful privilege AND invites you to Praise the God of Heaven & Earth, Jesus Christ (iPraise).

God has given you the compassion & mercy to Forgive as He modeled for us (iForgive)!

He Empowers…so that…iCan!!

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

If you have spent any amount of time in church, this is considered a very familiar & favorite passage by many. We quote it often – many have memorized it.

But I don’t know if you have thought about exactly what it is teaching:

It does NOT say, “Be strong in the Lord and in His power.” …and stops there.

No.

Notice it teaches something much more assuring!

Notice that there are THREE words for “power” in this verse –

They are all different in the 1st Century language (Biblical Greek) of the Apostle Paul when he penned this verse:

Two of the three words refer to God:

…in the power of his might!

“power” taken from the Greek word (krat’-os) which means, “power” or “greatness” or “strength”

“might” taken from the Greek word (is-khoos’) which means, “ability” or “forcefulness”

You see, this verse is not just teaching us to know the basic “God is powerful”…

RATHER, it is instructing us – actually commanding us - to rest confidently in…

…in the “power of His power”

…in the “greatness of His ability”

…in the “strength of His might”

But the third word refers to us/you/me!

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord…”

This word (a verb) comes from the word (doona-meh’-o)…where we get the word “dynamite” from – meaning, “explosive power” “overwhelming power” “uncontainable power/strength”

Meaning, that we as believers we are to show “explosive, overwhelming, uncontainable power/strength” in our lives.

HOW?

Because of my own power? No.

Well, than WHOSE Powerful ability?

Be strong in the Lord…

…Not I, But Christ.

Zechariah 4:6b 6 …Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

So, I can Know his Word.

I can Love the people He loved!

I can Tell of his love & salvation.

I can Serve as He served.

I can Stand on His Word.

I can Praise as He taught me to praise.

I can Forgive as He modeled for me!

…ALL BECAUSE He empowers me & protects me and infuses me with a power source that I can not find in & of myself!

iCan!

Galatians 2:20 promises that as a child of God - I Can! I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.