The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (21 page)

The Scripture says in Philippians 1:28, “Do not be intimidated by your enemies.” Don’t be intimidated by that cancer. It’s no match for you. Sickness cannot keep you from your destiny. God has you in the
palm of His hand. Nothing can snatch you away. If it’s not your time to go, you’re not going to go. Don’t be intimidated by that financial problem. Don’t be intimidated by what somebody said about you. There is an anointing on your life that seals you, protects you, enables you, and empowers you. God has infused you with strength. The Scripture calls it “can do” power.

I was at the beach one time when our children were much smaller. Alexandra was three years old, and Jonathan was six. We were having a good time, playing in the sand, making castles, when this little yellow bumblebee came and landed right beside Alexandra. She took off running, afraid. I swatted the bee out of the way. We went back to playing. About thirty seconds later, that bumblebee was right back flying all around. My kids started screaming, “Daddy! Get him! Get him!” I grabbed my towel, and knocked him down to the sand. I thought,
I showed him who’s the boss!

About a minute later, there the bumblebee was again, buzzing all around, flying by our heads. This time I grabbed my towel and not only knocked him down to the sand, but I got my tennis shoe and squashed him into the sand as hard as I possibly could. I was tired of dealing with him. We went back to playing. A couple of minutes later, I looked over just to make sure he was still dead. I couldn’t believe it. I noticed one wing start to move. Then the other wing came up out of the sand. I thought,
This is the bumblebee from hell.
He started walking across the sand as though he was dazed. I was amazed that not only was he alive, but that he could get back up again. About that time, he started flying off away from me.

Just when I thought he had learned his lesson—“Don’t mess with Joel”—that bumblebee turned around and came right back and buzzed by my head at least three or four times. I had to dodge to get out of the way. It was just like he was saying, “Ha-ha-ha! You couldn’t kill me.”

Alexandra exclaimed, “Daddy, kill him for good this time!”

I replied, “No, Alexandra. This bumblebee deserves to live. I’m a thousand times bigger than him, and I still couldn’t keep him down.”

That’s the way you need to see yourself. No matter how big that enemy looks. No matter how powerful it may seem. There is a force in you that is more powerful than any opposition. Greater is He that is in you than anything that comes against you. Just be like that bumblebee—refuse to give up, refuse to fall into self-pity, refuse to be overwhelmed. Instead, have this attitude:
I’m ready for and equal to anything that comes my way. I’ve been anointed with “can do” power. I am armed with strength for this battle.
When you have this warrior mentality, this “I can handle it” attitude, all the forces of darkness cannot keep you from your destiny.

Perhaps you’ve already decided,
I can’t handle this sickness anymore. I can’t handle this problem at work. I can’t handle taking care of my elderly parents and my family, too.
Quit telling yourself it’s too much. Those negative, defeated thoughts are draining your energy. You wouldn’t be there if you couldn’t handle it. God would not have allowed it if you weren’t ready for it and equal to it. You’re anointed for it. When you press past what’s coming against you, on the other side of that difficulty is a new level of your destiny.

I heard about a wealthy man who was known for being very eccentric, far out. One night he was having a big party at his house. In his backyard, his swimming pool was filled with sharks and alligators.
He announced to all the guests, “Anyone who will swim across my pool, I will give you anything that you want.”

In a few minutes there was a big splash. He looked over, and this man was swimming ninety to nothing, dodging the alligators, maneuvering his way around the sharks, as frantic as could be. He made it to the other side just in the nick of time and jumped out totally panicked.

The wealthy man came over and said, “I can’t believe it. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. Now, what do you want me to give you?”

The man looked around the pool and answered, “What I want more than anything else is the name of the person who just pushed me in!”

Here’s my point: Sometimes in life it feels as though we got pushed in. We weren’t expecting it. A bad medical report. The relationship didn’t make it. A business goes down. It may be a surprise to us, but it is not a surprise to God. If you get pushed in, don’t sit around nursing your wounds. Do as this man did and just go for it. Just keep being your best. Keep honoring God. Keep doing what you know you’re supposed to do. God has already given you the strength, the wisdom, the favor, and the determination not only to make it through, but to come out better than you were before.

Remember, that difficulty is not going to defeat you. It’s going to promote you. You can handle it. Take hold of this strength. Get up every morning and remind yourself, “I’m ready for and equal to anything that comes my way. I am strong.” If you will do this, God promises He will infuse strength into you. You will overcome every obstacle, defeat every enemy, and live the victorious life that belongs to you.

W
e don’t have to go through life doing everything on our own, trying to accomplish our dreams only in our own ability, trying to overcome challenges in our own strength, our own intellect, and our own hard work. We have an advantage. God has placed His anointing on you. The anointing is a divine empowerment. It enables you to do what you could not do on your own. It will cause you to accomplish dreams even though you don’t have the talent. It will help you overcome obstacles that looked insurmountable.

I’ve heard it said, “The anointing to us is like gasoline to a car.” You can have the most expensive car with a huge engine, a beautiful exterior, and luxuries inside, but if you don’t put gasoline in it, it’s not going to do you much good. In a similar way, you’ve been made in the image of Almighty God. You are full of incredible potential. You have seeds of greatness. The fuel you need to release your greatness, to overcome obstacles, and to accomplish dreams is the anointing on your life. The anointing is only activated where there is faith. Instead of complaining about how it’s not going to work out or how
you’ll never accomplish your dreams, turn that around and start declaring, “I am anointed. I am equipped. I am empowered. I am well able.” When you have this attitude of faith and are speaking words of victory, you are putting fuel in your car. You’re stirring up your anointing. That’s when you’ll go places that you couldn’t go on your own. That’s when you’ll see breakthroughs. Situations will suddenly change in your favor.

You may work around people who are negative and hard to get along with. It’s easy to think,
I can’t stand going to work. These people get on my nerves.
That’s draining your fuel. Your car is not going to run properly. God wouldn’t have you there if you couldn’t handle it. Have a new perspective. You’ve been anointed to work in that difficult environment. You’re anointed to put up with cranky coworkers. You’re anointed to deal with a grouchy boss. Quit telling yourself how difficult it is and start declaring, “I am anointed. I’m going to enjoy my job. I’m going to put a smile on my face. I’m going to be good to people. This is the day the Lord has made. I’m going to choose to be happy.” When you do that, God will fight your battles. God will move the wrong people out of the way. He will get you to where you’re supposed to be.

Maybe you’re raising a child who’s difficult. It’s taking a lot of time and effort. You don’t see how you can keep doing it. You have to remind yourself that you are anointed to raise your child. God didn’t just put you there and say, “All right. Good luck. You’re on your own. Let’s see what you can do.” He has already equipped and empowered you for every situation. Stop talking about how hard it is and start declaring, “I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord. I am well able to raise my children.” You have to stir up the anointing. That’s what keeps you moving forward.

Perhaps you’re dealing with an illness. It hit you unexpectedly. You could be discouraged, let it overwhelm you, and complain, “I
can’t believe this is happening to me.” Instead, have a new perspective. That sickness is not a surprise to God. It didn’t catch God off guard. He has already anointed you. You have the strength, the peace, the determination, and the confidence you need. You’re not lacking. You’re anointed. The forces that are for you are greater than the forces that are against you. In those difficult times, you have to declare what Isaiah stated: “The anointing on my life is breaking every yoke.” “The anointing is greater than this cancer.” “The anointing is greater than this depression.” “The anointing is causing me to overcome.” Every time you say, “I am anointed,” chains are broken. Fear has to leave. Depression has to go. Healing comes. Strength comes. Faith comes.

When David was a teenager, the prophet Samuel came to his house and anointed him to be the next king of Israel. Out of all of Jesse’s sons, Samuel picked out David and poured the anointing oil on his head. What’s interesting is that after Samuel anointed him, he sent David back to the shepherd’s fields to take care of the sheep. David lived as a shepherd for years even though he had a king’s anointing. The Scripture tells us to “reign in life as a king.” Every one of you has a king’s anointing, a queen’s anointing. This means to live an abundant life, to accomplish your God-given dreams, to raise children who will be mighty in the land, to leave your mark on this generation.

But as was true for David, even though you’ve been anointed, on the way to your destiny there will be times of testing, where you don’t see anything happening, times of waiting when you have to be patient and keep doing the right things, times when it doesn’t look as
though it’s ever going to change. You have to stay in faith and keep believing,
My time is coming. God has spoken it over me. He has put the promise in my heart. I may not see how it can happen. The odds may be against me. But I have a secret weapon. The anointing is on my life.

If you will stay in faith and don’t get discouraged or talk yourself out of it because it’s not happening on your timetable, God will get you to where you’re supposed to be. God knows what He is doing. He hasn’t forgotten about you. You may think you don’t have the skill, the talent, or the experience to accomplish what’s in your heart, but that’s okay. The anointing on your life will make up for what you don’t have. You can have less talent, but with the anointing you will go further than people who have more talent. It is not just your intellect, your expertise, or your experience that determines how high you’re going to go. It’s the fact that Almighty God is breathing on your life. The anointing will cause you to accomplish dreams you could never accomplish on your own. It will propel you into your destiny.

This is what happened to a woman in the Scripture named Deborah. In the book of Judges she describes herself as “a mother in Israel.” This was significant. It was saying she wasn’t working in the corporate world. She didn’t have an impressive position, title, influence, or prestige. She wasn’t necessarily super talented or highly educated. She was a mother raising her children. Back in those days, women didn’t have the leadership roles that they have today. They were seen
as secondary, with no influence. Deborah would have been considered “just a mother.”

But can I tell you, you’re not “just” anything! You’re a child of the Most High God. People may try to dismiss you, discount you, and push you down. “You don’t have the talent, the training, the position, or the title. You come from the wrong family.” What they can’t see is that God has put something on you that supersedes all of that, something that causes you to break barriers, to excel, to accomplish dreams, to do what you could not do. I’m all for getting the best education you can, for developing your talents and improving your skills, but you are not limited to your own ability, your own education, your own intellect, or your own experience. Those will take you to a certain level, but to reach your highest potential you need the anointing on your life. You need God to open doors that you can’t open. You need favor that you don’t have to work for, good breaks that you don’t deserve, and wisdom that you don’t learn in school. That’s what the anointing does. It takes you where you could not go on your own.

This mother in Israel, Deborah, was living in a nation that was overcome with violence and all kinds of mayhem. The main roads had gotten so bad they couldn’t even be traveled. People were constantly being attacked and robbed; there was no order. It looked as if that’s the way it would always be. But God put a dream in Deborah’s heart to do something about it. She could have come up with plenty of excuses. “God, I’m just a woman. Nobody is going to listen to me. I’m just a mother raising my child. I’m not in the government. I don’t have anybody backing me up—no police force, no army.” But
Deborah understood this principle. She knew God had put something on her that would cause her to excel.

The Scripture says that the highways were unoccupied and that Israel had been held in bondage for twenty years until Deborah, a mother in Israel, arose. Deborah took a step of faith, and other people began to join in. Before long the enemy’s army was destroyed and order was restored. Everything had turned around. The nation was calm and peaceful.

How could this mother affect the whole nation? It was the anointing on her life. You are not limited by who you know, by how influential you are, or by how much income you have. There is something that supersedes talent, income, and experience. It’s the anointing God has placed on your life. Quit making excuses as to what you can’t do. “Joel, I’m just a mom.” A mom with the anointing is more powerful than a CEO without it! “Well, I’m just a student.” “I’m just a businessperson.” “I’m just an accountant. I can’t do anything great.” Why not? Deborah, a mother, changed her whole nation. I can tell you firsthand, I’m not the most talented person. I don’t have the most experience, the most training, or the most education, but I do have the anointing. So do you.