God makes the “impossible” effortless!

Have you ever watched someone do something and immediately think, “But that’s…IMPOSSIBLE!?!?”

Meanwhile, they are right there in front of you, doing “the impossible” and they are making it look effortless!

There is this popular notion that anyone who spends 10,000 hours doing something will become an expert. As great as that is, when a person sees an expert who has put in that time, there can be an inward attitude of “Well I could do that too if I spent the time.”

But what about the ones who are accomplishing something that you actually deem to be impossible for you, regardless of the time spent?! I feel like all the time when I watch professional athletes and musicians.

But more serious than sports or music, I used to marvel at the life of Christ and in unbelief say “yea… what He is impossible for me, He’s the Son of God… by default I can’t experience victory, that’s why He did it for me.”

Recently, I shared this lyric in one of my songs that said, “all the sin that entangled, they all got pop shove it!”

A pop shove it, is considered a simple skateboard trick where you jump and spin the board 180 degrees in the air and land back on it.

What a great attitude to have towards sin! To see it, and jump right over it! Praise God that each day He reveals the areas of our life where He wants us to exercise faith and jump right over sin!

I was watching some skateboarding videos this morning and found myself in one of those “but that’s impossible!?!” moments!

Isamu has been the world’s #1 ranked skateboarder for the last several years, and this clip of him practicing shows why!

While I was watching, I became really encouraged because the Word of God spoke to my heart!

And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” — Mark 9:23

But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” — Luke 18:27

I saw the heart of God’s promises encouraging me that in Him, areas of complete victory that used to cause me to marvel and see as impossible will gradually become effortless when I repeatedly trust in Christ.

I’ve seen this gradual process in my own life! I use an app called “Journey” to note significant points in my life, and today, 2 years ago, I wrote the note below.

After writing this blog, I noticed the Journey notification a few hours later and was thankful to see what the Holy Spirit is accomplishing! I may have known a promise to be theoretically true, but two years later, I know it to God’s faithfulness to be true by experiencing His grace for myself!

The funny thing I’ve found about victory over sin is that the battle is going the best when I am resting in God, not when I am laser-focused on accomplishing some act of self-improvement in my own strength.

Promises like:

For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. — Hebrews 4:10

are really starting to come alive in my life in a way that I would have deemed impossible.

A recent example has been battling pride. When I’m writing, the hope I have is that God be pleased with my life for Him. Often, I imagine God and I signing together and dancing around eternally enjoying each other. I’m so happy to reflect on how much He loves me and I imagine He is so happy to sing and dance with me because of my thankfulness and response to His kindness. God’s love is such an amazing thing!

But every now and then, I find myself thinking “I wonder what people will think and say about this song when they hear it?”

Then, because I’ve been taught to recognize sin for what it is, in almost knee-jerk fashion against the flesh, my reaction is “Don’t wait!! Repent!! The pride is too close!!!”

I used to get defeated and think, “Oooooooh, what can I do? I’ll never get all of these ungodly thoughts out of my head!” Praise God that every day He is ready to replace my fearful, scrambling nature with His nature of perfect confidence in Him!

There is this rock song I used to listen to back when I dreamed of being a rock and roller after completing my 10,000 guitar hours 😂.

The chorus went:

Can you take me higher?
To the place where blind men see
Can you take me higher?
To the place with golden streets

And praise God! He’s placed a desire in my heart to come up higher! At the first sign of unchristlikeness all I have to do is cry out to God that there is a temptation and with absolute faith, believe that He will take care of everything. The more I do it, the more “effortless” it seems!

I can grab ahold in faith for promises like:

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. — Galatians 1:10

I’m thankful that God has replaced my old rule-based habits of rote memorization of the Bible, with a hunger to know Him, to know His heart, to know His word, and a confidence that the Holy Spirit reveal the life of Christ in my life, for the glory of God. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit will always help me remember every promise I need to know, exactly when I need to know it!

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. — Galatians 3:24

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. — John 14:26–27

What an amazing life of victory in Christ!

Originally published at https://huiosforever.com on June 1, 2019.