Are all things possible?

Are all things possible through faith? That was a question that has been running through my head since it was mentioned in one of my pastor's sermons a couple of weeks ago.

If I had to answer right away, I would have to say YES and NO. But wait, let me explain....

There is nothing too great for God. He could snap His fingers and make me dance like a puppet if He wanted to. Not that He would, but He definitely could. That being said, there is nothing we can't accomplish if our faith is strong enough, right? Even Jesus says this in the Bible! In Matthew 17, the disciples are wondering why they were not able to cast a demon out of young boy. In verse 20, Jesus says "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." But the question we really need to ask is does God want us to accomplish it? This was the hardest concept for my mind to grasp.

I like to think that the possibilities are endless. Look at all these amazing things that people did in the Bible - casting out demons, healing people, talking with God directly. If only I could develop enough faith to do these things too. I am still trying to grow my faith daily, learning how to depend on God instead of myself. But I know that deep down it is a never-ending process. I know that my faith still has a long way to grow.

So what exactly was so hard for me to grasp? There is a clear distinction between potential vs. overcoming. Potential refers to our abilities as human beings. I want to be able to heal someone. Does that mean that if I simply have enough faith that it will happen? No, it doesn't. And the reason is because it is not God's plan for me to go around healing people. Overcoming refers to struggles or obstacles in our life. And there is nothing too great for God to handle or help us overcome. Again, His timing may not match up with our own, but through faith, there is nothing that we cannot overcome. That is the distinction between the two. Our abilities and talents are limited by God to those in which He wants us to have. His capacity to help us through a problem or bad situation is limitless.

We must depend on God at all times - for both the good and the bad. Growing our faith is important because it leads us to greater challenges and dependence on God. Not just depending on Him for the challenges, but for everything. Depending on God should not be considered a weakness, but a strength. Sometimes we do genuinely sell ourselves and our abilities short. The important thing to remember is to understand not what we can't do, but what we won't [be able to] do because it isn't God's plan for us.