You Can Do This: Finding Strength for What God Has Called You to Do

Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by Stacy Averette

I realized something recently: I’ve been preaching the same message since I was a young girl.

Not the message I’ve tried to create or the one that might fit neatly into a category. I’m talking about the conviction that has been there since I was in Junior High.

I’ve always been an achiever. I like having something to work toward. I know how to persevere through hard things, and I’ve always loved encouraging other people to do the same.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the person saying, “You can do this!”

But this morning at church, I began to see that perhaps there’s something deeper beneath that simple phrase.

What if the thing I’ve been encouraging others to do all these years is really an invitation to trust God?

The verse I’ve known all my life

Philippians 4:13 is one of those verses many of us learned early in our Christian lives:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

It’s familiar. It’s quoted on coffee mugs, clothing, and inspirational graphics. And because it’s so familiar, it’s easy to overlook the depth of what it says.

I’ve been thinking about those four parts of the verse and how they describe the life of faith.

I can do.

There’s something powerful about approaching life with a willingness to try, to learn, to begin again, and to persevere.

I’m naturally inclined to believe there’s a way forward. I don’t always know what it is, and I certainly don’t always get things right. But I don’t want fear, difficulty, or uncertainty to be the reason I never try.

A can-do attitude doesn’t mean pretending something is easy. It means being willing to take the next step even when it isn’t.

And for a follower of Christ, that confidence doesn’t have to come from believing we’re capable of everything on our own.

It can come from knowing the One who walks with us.

All things.

We all have a life to live and responsibilities to fulfill.

There are people to love, work to do, opportunities to embrace, challenges to navigate, and seasons that require more of us than we expected.

God has not called every person to the same assignment. Our circumstances, gifts, relationships, and opportunities differ.

But we can each ask: What has God entrusted to me? What is mine to do in this season? Where am I being invited to show up with faithfulness and courage?

Sometimes the assignment is something big and visible. Sometimes it’s the quiet, ordinary work of loving the people right in front of us.

The question isn’t whether our assignment looks like someone else’s. It’s whether we’re willing to be faithful with the life we’ve been given.

Through Christ.

This is where the whole message changes.

Because a can-do attitude by itself can become self-reliance. Achievement can become an attempt to prove our worth. Perseverance can become striving in our own strength.

That’s not the life I want to encourage.

Christ is not simply an extra source of motivation for the things I already wanted to accomplish. He is the source of my strength, my hope, and my ability to remain faithful.

I can make plans, develop skills, seek wisdom, and do the work. But I don’t have to carry the burden of being my own source.

I can depend on Christ.

Who gives strength.

This doesn’t mean the work will always be easy or that every outcome will be what I hoped for.

Paul wrote Philippians 4:13 in the context of learning to be content in every circumstance, whether he had plenty or was in need.

The strength Christ gives is not a guarantee that we will get everything we want. It is the strength to remain faithful to Him in whatever circumstances we face.

Sometimes that strength looks like courage to begin.

Sometimes it looks like patience to wait, humility to apologize, or endurance to keep going when the road is difficult.

And sometimes it looks like accepting our limitations and trusting God with what we cannot change.

What if you started believing you could take the next step?

• Maybe there’s something you’ve been putting off because it feels too hard.
• Maybe you’re facing a new season and wondering whether you have what it takes.
• Maybe you’ve made mistakes, experienced disappointment, or lost confidence in yourself.

You don’t have to manufacture a feeling of strength before you begin.

You can bring your uncertainty to God. You can ask for wisdom. You can take the next faithful step with the strength He supplies.

You can learn something new. You can change a pattern. You can begin again. You can love someone through a difficult season. You can do the hard thing in front of you.

Not because you’re guaranteed to succeed at every endeavor, but because your faithfulness doesn’t depend on being sufficient in yourself.

I’ve spent much of my life encouraging people to believe they can do hard things. (Just ask my kids!)

The message underneath it all is even better:

We can do what God has called us to do because Christ gives us the strength.

That’s the kind of confidence I want to live with. And it’s the kind of confidence I want to encourage in others.

What is one next step you need to take in this season? Take it to God. Ask Him for wisdom and strength. And then, with His help, take the step.

You don’t have to figure out the whole journey today.

You can begin right where you are.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” — Philippians 4:13