You Can Do It!

Neal Pollard

Kansei Matsuzawa is from Tokyo, Japan. He grew up there playing soccer until the thought occurred to him as a teenager that he wanted to try American football after watching his first NFL game. He had never kicked a football until the age of 20. Of course, it took a lot of practice as well as watching YouTube and Instagram videos. Last Saturday, Kansei’s last second kick helped Hawaii defeat Stanford if both teams’ 2025 opener. This is his fourth year of playing college football in America. His goal is to kick in the NFL, and who’s to doubt him? He’s come so far already!

What have you wanted to try to do for the Lord but convinced yourself is impossible? Memorize 100 Scriptures? Preach a sermon? Teach a class? Share the gospel with a lost soul? Serve in church leadership? Whatever is within the scope of God’s will and authorization and whatever is within the field of human possibility, you can do it! Find the tools needed and use them. Research, explore, and attempt! Consider what happened when men and women in Bible times thought this way:

• Caleb was ready to fight giants (Num. 13:30), then 40 years later he drove them out (Jos. 14:12; 15:14).
• Jael, an unassuming woman, killed the evil commander of an army with a tent peg and ended Canaan’s oppression of Israel (Jud. 4:17-23).
• David slew a frightening giant with a sling and a rock (1 Sam. 17:49-50).
• David’s mighty men, Adino, Eleazar, Shammah, Abishai, and Benaiah, among others, did incredibly daring and memorable things among God’s enemies (2 Sam. 23:8ff).
• Elijah out-dueled 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel and called down fire from heaven (1 Ki. 18:36-46).
• Peter walked on water (Mat. 14:28-29), then later preached the first gospel sermon (Acts 2:21-36).
• Paul won the Gentile world to Christ in one incredible effort after another (Acts 13-28).
• Hebrews 11 breaks down a highlight reel of incredible, often unlikely, accomplishments men and woman made for God by faith through the ages.

It still happens today. No, not through miraculous means and not of the physical, material kind. Not even in episodes that are earth-shattering and dramatic. It may be a brief conversation, a courageous stand, an act of service, or a show of genuine love. 

God once asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” (Ex. 4:2). Is He asking you and me that? The answer? “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ec. 9:10)!