It feels weird saying out loud that God can’t do something. That kinda goes against what I was brought up to believe about God.
God creates things from nothing.
God parts Red Seas.
God heals the sick.
God brings dead things back to life.
God can do anything … right?
Anything is possible with God.
God is all-powerful.
Those things are true … but there are limitations on God’s power.
There are several things God can’t do.
He can’t be unjust.
He can’t be unloving.
Love and justice are in his nature.
He can’t sin. That goes against his character.
There is another thing that God can’t do. God can’t heal a part of our heart we are unwilling to give Him.
It’s why Judas could spend three years with Jesus and still allow greed to corrupt his heart. It’s why the rich young ruler walked away sad even though he’d kept all of the commandments … there was a part of his heart he refused to give to God.
Just like Jesus won’t force himself into our salvation, he won’t force himself into our transformation.
It’s why I could spend 10 years as a pastor and at the very same time live with a porn addiction.
Was God not powerful enough to heal me from that? Absolutely!
He just wouldn’t heal a part of my heart I refused to give to him. I thought I could heal it on my own.
Maybe you’re in a dry season in your relationship with God. Maybe you’re exhausted over money troubles and mounting debt. Maybe you have lost hope that a relationship can be restored. Maybe you’ve stopped believing your marriage could ever change.
You’ve gone to church. You’ve prayed the prayers. You’ve put your time in … God just isn’t showing up. God just isn’t coming through.
God can’t heal a part of your marriage you refuse to give to him. God can’t heal a part of your past you refuse to give to him. God can’t provide for you financially if you refuse to give him your finances. God can’t heal a relationship you’ve not surrendered to him.
What does that look like?
The journey is different for all of us, but the starting line is the same. The staring place for the transformation you’re missing is a simple but life-altering prayer:
“God change me. Change all of me … the parts of me that are visible and the parts of me I keep hidden. Change all of me.”
Does God have the power to transform you? Absolutely. But what He needs most is permission.
