I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? - Overcoming - TouchPoints

Most importantly, know God. He enjoys making the impossible happen.

Psalm 138:3When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need.

Psalm 18:4-6The ropes of death surrounded me; the floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.

Psalm 61:2From the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help, for my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

Psalm 69:2-4Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.

Prayer, honestly talking with and intentionally listening to God, helps us face and overcome life’s obstacles. Prayer allows God, who has no limits, to work in our situations.

Nehemiah 4:10-11Then the people of Judah began to complain that the workers were becoming tired. There was so much rubble to be moved that we could never get it done by ourselves. Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”

Nehemiah 6:15-16, 19So on October 2 the wall was finally finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.

Psalm 27:14Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Psalm 31:24So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord!

The balance between waiting patiently on God and “building the wall” is courageous obedience to what God calls us to do one day at a time. You may think you can’t do the big work God has planned for you, but you can do the little tasks for God today while you wait for him to show you the way. In taking those small steps of obedience each day, you may find you have been building a great work for him one stone at a time.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When we begin to see the obstacles in our lives as opportunities for God to show his power, they will not seem so overwhelming. The very hardships and weaknesses that frighten us may be the tools God wants to use.

Luke 4:1-2Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit to go out into the wilderness, where the Devil tempted him for forty days. He ate nothing all that time and was very hungry.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit did not prevent Jesus from being tempted, but prepared him for overcoming temptation. As long as we live on this earth, we will never be free from temptation, but we can have the power to overcome it. Only when we desire and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us will he help us overcome.

Luke 4:13When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

1 Corinthians 10:13But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

Temptations will come because we are in a spiritual battle. So be ready before they come. The Holy Spirit can prepare you as you study the Bible and pray.

Hebrews 12:3-4Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Hebrews 12:1-2Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.

Having Jesus as our example helps us overcome obstacles. “What would Jesus do?” is more than a cliché; it is a good way to deal with life’s problems.

Acts 4:13-22The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves. “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

Amos 7:12-15Amos replied, “I’m not one of your professional prophets. I certainly never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees. But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, ‘Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.’”

Hebrews 11:8-9, 11-12It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise . . . It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren.

Genesis 17:17Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of one hundred?” he wondered. “Besides, Sarah is ninety; how could she have a baby?”

Genesis 18:14Is anything too hard for the Lord? About a year from now, just as I told you, I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 21:1-2Then the Lord did exactly what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant, and she gave a son to Abraham in his old age. It all happened at the time God had said it would.

Ordinary people with ordinary lives can do extraordinary things and have extraordinary courage with God’s help. No matter what he calls us to do, he gives us exactly what need to do it.

Psalm 46:1-2God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Judges 6:13-15Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

Joshua 1:7, 9Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do . . . I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

1 Samuel 17:4-7, 32-33, 37, 45-51David shouted in reply, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you . . .

2 Chronicles 32:7Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!

1 Corinthians 16:13Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong.

1 Chronicles 28:20Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly.”

Psalm 49:5Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me?