Not “I Can’t,” but “How Can I?”

The world is full of ideas. We’re bombarded with new ideas daily. Because of their sheer volume, we’ve learned to compensate for potential idea overload by filtering those ideas. There are the no-brainers,” the “I’ll need to think about its,” and the “I can’ts.”

You get what you pay for, right? Higher quality usually means higher cost. Often the hardest things to do are the most rewarding, and the most rewarding things are hardest to do. So how hard are you willing to work? How badly do you want to achieve your financial goals?

When you’re presented with an idea, are you willing to find a way to achieve that goal? Are you willing to step outside your comfort zone? Are you willing to think creatively with an optimistic “can-do” attitude? Now of course, I’m not talking about a humanistic way of thinking where we lift ourselves up by our bootstraps to accomplish a goal. I am talking about an “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” attitude. (Phil. 4:13)

Think of Moses. When God had clearly revealed to Moses that he was to lead the Israelites to freedom from Egypt, Moses was initially full of excuses and an “I Can’t” attitude. He was focusing on self instead of on simple obedience and reliance upon God’s sufficiency. God gave Moses creative ideas, such as having Aaron do the speaking, to get the job done.

On the other hand, think of Jonathan and his armor bearer when they killed 20 Philistines because of Jonathan’s willingness to have faith in God and then act on that faith. He could have been full of “I can’t” excuses, the most obvious one being that they were greatly outnumbered by their enemies. Instead, Jonathan approached the situation with faith and an attitude of “How Can I” that God used to defeat enemies of His people.

How does this apply to your finances? You might be thinking “ I can’t get out of debt. It’s impossible.” Or “ I can’t buy a rental property. There’s just too much paperwork and I don’t know where to begin.” Instead of “I Can’t,” change your attitude to one of faith in God and “How Can I.” Be willing to embrace new ideas, educate yourself, and make mistakes along the way.

In the end, remember that God wants to use you for His glory, but if you’re stuck on what you can’t do instead of what He can do through you, your usefulness will be limited. Just remember the words of Christ in Mark 9:27, “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

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