Can You Do Anything You Set Your Mind To Do?

People in the world makes lots of popular claims, but many of them are just plain ridiculous. For example, we can't do anything we set our minds to do. We have different gifts, different skills, and different opportunities in life.

But Christians can say with confidence that we can do anything God calls us to do because we are depending on His strength, not our own (Philippians 4:13).

God made each of us unique. Instead of believing we can do anything we set our minds to do, we should be diligently seeking to know God's will for our lives, His purpose for our abilities, His guidance for our training and education. 

As we do this, we begin to see that even the difficulties in our lives are part of God's purposes. We learn through mistakes and through trying different tasks. 

Bible Love Notes has an excellent collection of 1-minute devotions called Discovering, Developing, and Using Your Gifts. I encourage you to take time to read 1-2 each day. I especially recommend Waste or Invest which offers 4 ways to develop your gifts. And I also think you'll be blessed by Don't Be Jealous of Other People's Gifts.

Some points to ponder:

1. We are each unique, designed for unique purposes:

Romans 12:3-8: For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

2. We must pursue God's purposes, not our own.

Matthew 6:33: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [our needs] will be given to you as well. 

1 Peter 4:10-11:  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Copyright, Gail Burton Purath, 2014, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, edited and updated 2022