Confidence is a part of American culture. We love it in sports.  Think of the iconic picture of Muhammad Ali standing over Sonny Liston.  Or Joe Namath’s guarantee of the Jets’ win in Super Bowl III.  We love it in music.  Kanye West and Jay-Z have built their careers on mastering their art of crafting beats and rhymes, along with an image of swagger.  We love it when Bono owns the stage – whether its at the Rose Bowl or The White House.

So many of us aren’t that confident all the time.  We wrestle with feelings of inadequacy and fear, comparing ourselves to others.  Naturally, we look to the Scriptures to buoy our lagging self-image.  God, give me something to bolster my self-assurance.  And we find that in Philippians 4:13.  This popular verse reads, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Here’s the skinny on this verse.  First, the “all things” that the writer of this passage, the Apostle Paul, is undertaking are not what we normally have on our to-do list. Travel around the known world.  Get arrested.  Spend time in jail and prison.  Receive beatings that push the extent of the law.  Be left for dead after a raging mob attempt to kill you via ginormous rocks.  So, when we think “I can do all things”, make sure you think of living on the edge of your faith.

Second, lets talk about “through Christ who strengthens me.” I will be the first to confess that I have lived huge portions of my life and even my ministry as a pastor as a Christian Athiest.  Craig Groeschel, author and pastor of LifeChurch.tv (one of the five largest churches in America), is the first person I heard pen this term.  A “Christian Athiest” is someone who professes faith in Jesus, but lives as if Jesus does not exist and is not engaged in our daily lives.

If you are a follower of Jesus, stop and think about it.  How much of yesterday did you live aware of the fact that the Holy Spirit was alive in you, empowering you to do things beyond your wildest dreams? I know I put off tasks that I felt inadequate for, avoiding reaching out to people who intimidated me.  I deferred things that could open possibilities that are brand new and the unknown paralyzed me.

If Philippians 4:13 is your favorite verse…AWESOME!  Just make sure you aren’t living small today.  Don’t just do the things that you could do on your own.  If you and I go grab a hold of the promise Paul leaves us in this verse – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – may the legacy of our lives be larger and wilder and more courageous than the sand castles we’ve spend building in the past.