christiandiscussions

Twenty Cans of Success

This article is based on Dr. Neil Anderson’s wonderful book Victory Over the Darkness. It is a good idea to look up the Bible references, especially those you are not too familiar with. When you have read and meditated on each point, rereading the entire list out loud makes each truth your own personal strength of faith.

1 – Why should I say I can’t when the Bible says I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)?

2 – Why should I worry about my needs when I know that God will take care of all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)?

3 – Why should I fear when the Bible says God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)?

4 – Why should I lack faith to live for Christ when God has given me a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)?

5 – Why should I be weak when the Bible says that the Lord is the strength of my life and that I will display strength and take action because I know God (Psalm 27:1; Daniel 11:32)?

6 – Why should I allow Satan control over my life when He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)?

7 – Why should I accept defeat when the Bible says that God always leads me in victory (2 Corinthians 2:14)?

8 – Why should I lack wisdom when I know that Christ became wisdom to me from God and God gives wisdom to me generously when I ask Him for it (1 Corinthians 1:30; James 1:5)?

9 – Why should I be depressed when I have hope and can recall to mind God’s loving-kindness, compassion, and faithfulness (Lamentations 3: 21-23)?

10 – Why should I worry and be upset when I can cast all my anxieties on Christ who cares for me (1 Peter 5:7)?

11 – Why should I ever be in bondage knowing that there is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is (2 Corinthians 3:17)?

12 – Why should I feel condemned when the Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)?

13 – Why should I feel alone when Jesus said He is with me always and He will never leave me nor forsake me (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)?

14 – Why should I feel as if I’m cursed or have bad luck when the Bible says that Christ rescued me from the curse of the law that I might receive His Spirit by faith (Galatians 3:13,14)?

15 – Why should I be unhappy when I, like Paul, can learn to be content whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:11)?

16 – Why should I feel worthless when Christ became sin for me so that I might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)?

17 – Why should I feel helpless in the presence of others when I know that if God is for me, who can be against me (Romans 8:31)?

18 – Why should I be confused when I God is the author of peace and He gives me knowledge through His Spirit who lives in me (1 Corinthians 2:12; 14:33)?

19 – Why should I feel like a failure when I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loved me (Romans 8:37)?

20 – Why should I let the pressures of life bother me when I can take courage knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and its problems (John 16:33)?

Thank you for sharing this Brookside. I am going to spend some time meditating on each point.

Brookside wrote:Twenty Cans of Success

This article is based on Dr. Neil Anderson’s wonderful book Victory Over the Darkness. It is a good idea to look up the Bible references, especially those you are not too familiar with. When you have read and meditated on each point, rereading the entire list out loud makes each truth your own personal strength of faith.

I would like to share some of my thoughts, meditations and understandings on some of these.

1 – Why should I say I can’t when the Bible says I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)?

Christians can do "all things, according to their duty and calling," By Christs power, grace and Spirit, which Christ communicates to us by virtue of our spiritual union with Him.

2 – Why should I worry about my needs when I know that God will take care of all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)?

God will not permit that Christians will be in want of any good thing, those good things according to His riches and glory, not necessarily what we may want or think we need, Romans 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? All in and through Christ, namely by communion with Christ

3 – Why should I fear when the Bible says God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)?

Since God has given us so many excellent gifts, not of human or worldly origin, but divine. Our calling and the giving of the spirit of power is grounded upon the good pleasure and grace of God, as he has predetermined it before the foundation of the world, unto our everlasting election. Eph 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love

What is there to fear?

4 – Why should I lack faith to live for Christ when God has given me a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)?

Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
We are all in our calling, given a measure of faith and a certain amount of the knowledge of God. We are given the faith to believe and live for Christ and the knowledge to fulfill our calling. We are to be holy, modest and not take anything on which is beyond our knowledge, but should be within one's proper mind. And keep within the bounds of God's written word, which is the only rule of faith, and within the measure of degree of knowledge which God has given to each of us.

5 – Why should I be weak when the Bible says that the Lord is the strength of my life and that I will display strength and take action because I know God (Psalm 27:1; Daniel 11:32)?

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
The Lord is our counsel, guide, direction, wisdom, my joy and comfort. He dissolves all our inward darkness's of trouble and confusion, and our external dangers and troubles. All in His strength and might, who shall we fear?

Daniel 11:32 "By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. Christians will persevere and stay constant in their service to the Lord,and through their communion with Christ will over come all the great obstacles and temptations, when others in the world will not.

6 – Why should I allow Satan control over my life when He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)?

1 John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
If we are in Christ, we have overcome the enemy, stand firm in the faith. 1 Cor 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
We are a new creation in Christ.

7 – Why should I accept defeat when the Bible says that God always leads me in victory (2 Corinthians 2:14)?

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
God always leads us to triumph (victory) "In Christ". and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. By the power of the Spirit of Christ, we will spread the gospel (the knowledge of Christ), in power and conversion of people throughout the world.

8 – Why should I lack wisdom when I know that Christ became wisdom to me from God and God gives wisdom to me generously when I ask Him for it (1 Corinthians 1:30; James 1:5)?

1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
This wisdom, righteousness and sanctification are all of Christ, since we have none of our own, God has given this to us in Christ, Christ is the spring which all these flow from and in this union with Christ, we have wisdom in the revelation of the mystery of salvation, righteousness and sanctification, and perfect obedience for the justification on man ect.....We have part in these things by by virtue of our union with Christ.

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Spiritual wisdom, to judge rightly in spiritual things.
Context: Wisdom in judging all afflictions, temptations and their causes, aims and fruits, and to know what we must do to deal with these for the peace or our souls. Knowing that the testing of our faith produces endurance.
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Hi Dennis,

You made a nice expansion on the eight points you commented on. That's now a much fuller teaching when the two Posts are read together.

I like the reflections you added here. They make the truths stand out for good understanding!