The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (14 page)

A few years ago I was out running. There was a man in front of me about a quarter of a mile who was running a little slower than me, so I decided to try to catch him. I had about a mile to go before I needed to turn off and head down my path. I picked up the pace, and I could tell every block that I was gaining on him. Within a few minutes I was only about a hundred yards behind him, and I started really pushing it. You would have thought I was in the final lap of the Olympic Games. I finally caught up to him, passed by him, and felt so good that I beat him. Of course, he didn’t know we were racing! The funny thing is that when I got my mind back on what I was doing, I realized I had missed my turn. I was so focused on trying to catch him that I went about six blocks out of my way. I had to turn around and go back.

That’s what happens when we’re competing with other people,
trying to outperform them, dress better than them, make sure we’re more successful. We end up competing in a race that we were never supposed to be in. Take the pressure off. It’s very freeing to say, “I’m okay with you being ahead of me, getting more recognition, and doing something more exciting. I’m not going to feel bad about myself. If you have a bigger house, a badder car, and more success, you have what you need for your assignment. I have what I need for my assignment. I don’t have to keep up with you. I’m not in the same race.” You’re not really free until you know you’re not competing with anyone else.

This is one of the reasons why King Saul lost the throne. He had been happy running his race. Life was good until he heard some women saying, “Saul has killed thousands, and David has killed tens of thousands.” From that moment on, he never looked at David the same way. What was his problem? He couldn’t handle somebody getting ahead of him. He was fine as long as he was number one, but he couldn’t handle being number two. He got distracted and spent months and months trying to kill David, all because he wasn’t comfortable with who he was.

Maybe like Saul you’re at the one thousand level but you have a friend who’s at the ten thousand level. The real test to see if God can promote you is, can you celebrate people who pass you by? Can you be happy for them and stay focused on your race, or does it frustrate you and cause you to think,
I’ve got to catch up with them
. Our attitude should be,
I may not be a ten-thousand-level person. God may have made me to be a one-thousand-level person, but I can promise you this: I’m going to be the best one-thousand-level person you’ve ever seen. I’m not going to stop at 950, 980, or 999. I’m going to become all God has created me to be
.

Friend, your race is run by one person—you. Don’t get distracted with competing against a neighbor, a friend, or a coworker. Just run your race. Here’s a phrase I like:
Don’t compare yourself. Celebrate yourself.

Somebody else may have conquered ten thousand. You’ve conquered a thousand, but you know what? A thousand is still good. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished. Very few people today can say, “I like myself. I’m happy with my gifts. I am satisfied with who God made me to be.” Remember, you don’t have to have a great gift for God to use it in a great way. It may seem small, making a child’s lunch or slinging a rock as David did, but when you use what you have, God will breathe on it and do amazing things.

H
ow we see our difficulties very often will determine whether we get out of them. When we face challenges and things come against us, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and start thinking,
This is never going to work out. I’ll just have to learn to live with it.
Many people settle for mediocrity. But Corinthians talks about how God has put all things under our feet. If you’re going to live in victory, you have to see every sickness, every obstacle, and every temptation as being under your feet. Those things are no match for you. They’re not going to keep you from your destiny. They’ve already been defeated. It’s just a matter of time before you walk it out.

If you see a challenge as too big and say, “I’ll never break this addiction. My child will never straighten up. This sickness is going to be the end of me,” you’re going to feel weak, discouraged, and intimidated. You’re going to attract fear, worry, and doubt. That kind of thinking not only pushes you down, but it stops God from working. You have to change your perspective. That addiction is not going to dog you all of your life. It’s under your feet. That depression that’s been in your family for years, it’s not going to get passed to the next generation. It’s under your feet. You’re going to put a stop to it.
The struggle, lack, and barely getting by are not going to keep you from being blessed. It’s all under your feet. It’s just a matter of time before you break through to a new level.

You have to shake off the lies that are telling you, “It’s too big. It’s been this way too long. It’s never going to change.” This is a new day. God is saying, “Every enemy, every sickness, every obstacle; they’re not going to defeat you. They’re going to promote you.” The difficulty was meant to be a stumbling block to keep you down, but God is going to use it as a stepping-stone to take you higher. Keep the right perspective. It’s under your feet.

This is what David did. He faced all kinds of enemies. He said in Psalm 59, “I will look down in triumph on
all
of my enemies.” Notice that David did not say “some of my enemies.” No; “all of my enemies.” What am I going to do? Look down. Why? Because they’re all under my feet.

You may be facing situations that don’t feel like they’re under your feet. The sickness looks big. The financial difficulty seems impossible. Perhaps you’ve struggled with an addiction for years. But you can’t go by what you see. You must go by what you know. We walk by faith and not by sight. In the natural, it may look huge, but when you talk to those obstacles by faith, as David did, you need to look down. When you talk to God, you should look up. You look up to ask for help. But when you talk to sickness, look down. It’s under
your feet. Look down to talk to depression. Look down to talk to fear. I’ve heard it said, “If you want to say something to the enemy, write it on the bottom of your shoe, because he is under your feet.”

On the day before a big boxing match, the two fighters will come out at a press conference and stand toe-to-toe with their faces just inches apart. They’ll look each other in the eye and just stand there and stare and stare, trying to intimidate each other. They’re saying, “I’m bigger, stronger, tougher, meaner. You’re not going to defeat me!” When you face an enemy, something that’s trying to keep you from your destiny—a sickness, a bad habit, an unfair situation—unlike those two fighters, you don’t stand toe-to-toe to look that enemy in the eye. That enemy is not at your level. It may have a big bark. It may seem so tough and so big that you can’t defeat it. But the truth is, it’s no match for you. For you to look that enemy in the eye, you need to look down under your feet. You are more than a conqueror. Greater is He that’s in you than he that comes against you. The enemy has limited power. God has all power.

If God be for you, who dare be against you? Quit telling yourself, “I’ll always struggle in this area. I’ll never lose this weight. I’ll never get out of debt.” Change your perspective. You are not weak, defeated, or inferior. You are full of “can do” power. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of you. Now, start putting things under your feet. God stated, “I have given you power to tread on all the power of the enemy.” Think of that word
tread
. One definition says “to trample.” If you will see these obstacles as being under your feet, as being already defeated, a new boldness will rise up. Your faith will activate God’s power in a new way.

I know a lady who was diagnosed with cancer. She’s in her early thirties and has always been as healthy as can be. When she received the news, it was such a shock to her. Normally she’s very outgoing and happy, but her whole personality changed. She became very depressed. All she thought about was how bad it was and how she might not make it. Instead of looking down at the cancer, she was looking up to it. She made it huge in her mind. The first place we lose the victory is in our own thinking. If you see the obstacle as being too big, it will keep you defeated.

That’s why when David faced Goliath, even though Goliath was practically twice his size, was much stronger, and had more experience and more equipment, the first thing David said was, “I will defeat you and feed your head to the birds of the air.” That’s one of those enemies David looked down on. By faith, he saw it as being smaller. If David would have just looked at Goliath in the natural and thought about his size and inexperience, he would have never had the courage to face Goliath. David understood this principle. He knew how to see his enemies as being under his feet.

I told this young lady, “You have to change your perspective. Start looking down at that cancer. In the natural, it may be huge, but switch over to your eyes of faith. You and God are a majority. It was never meant to be a stumbling block. It was meant to be a stepping-stone. You have to shake off the self-pity, put on a new attitude, and declare as David did, ‘Cancer, you will not defeat me. You are under my feet. I will fulfill my destiny. I will live out my days in good health. I am a victor and not a victim.’”

She changed her outlook. She got her fire back, her passion back.
She started fighting the good fight of faith. Today, she is four years cancer free and so happy. A couple of years ago she got married. The cancer wasn’t a stumbling block. It ended up being a stepping-stone. But had she not seen the obstacle as being under her feet, I don’t believe it would have turned out that way. If we let life overwhelm us, and we go around worried, stressed out, and locked in self-pity, we are not only affected mentally; we are also affected physically. The stress and worry weaken our immune system, which then can’t fight off sickness and disease the way God created it to. The Scripture says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Joy is an emotion, and yet it creates something physical. It creates strength. When you’re in tough times, you have to shake off the worry, shake off the self-pity, shake off the disappointment. Get your joy back. Have the right perspective. That enemy, that sickness, that obstacle—it’s under your feet. It’s not going to defeat you. It’s going to promote you.

In II Samuel 22, it says, “You have armed me with strength for the battle. You have put my enemies under my feet.” Friend, God knows every battle that you will ever face, including every temptation and every obstacle. He has not only put it under your feet, but He has armed you with strength for that battle. He has already equipped you. Quit telling yourself, “This is too much. I can’t handle it.” The greatest force in the universe is breathing in your direction. Tap into that power. Start declaring, “I am well able. I can do all things through Christ. I am strong in the Lord.” When you do that, something is happening on the inside. You’re getting stronger. Your
immune system will work better. You’ll have more energy. You’ll make better decisions.

We’ve all been to the post office before and seen the signs on the wall of the “10 Most Wanted.” Under their photos it sometimes says, “Armed and Dangerous.” If the enemy had a post office, your picture would be up there. You are not a weakling. You are bad to the bone. You are a child of the Most High God. He has infused “can do” power into you. You have to start seeing yourself as being armed and dangerous.

When we get out of bed in the morning, the first thing we should do is power up. Get our minds going in the right direction. Remind yourself: “I’m ready for this day. I am equipped. I am empowered. I have my armor on. I have my shoes of peace. I’m not going to get upset. I’m not going to let people steal my joy. I’m not going to fight battles that aren’t between me and my destiny. I have my helmet of salvation. I know I am forgiven. I am redeemed. I am approved by Almighty God. I’ve been handpicked by the Creator of the universe. I have my shield of faith. I’m expecting great things. I’m expecting to have an amazing year. I have my sword of the Spirit; I’m speaking God’s Word. I know every enemy is under my feet. I’ve been armed with strength for this battle.” What are we doing? Powering up, getting prepared for a blessed, victorious, faith-filled day.

You may be facing things that could easily steal your joy—a challenge in a relationship, a child not doing right, or an unfair situation at work. You could be stressed, uptight, and not sleeping at night. All through the day, especially when you’re tempted to worry, you need to remind yourself: “This is under my feet. God is in control. It is not going to keep me from my destiny.” Come back to that place of peace.

Psalm 110 says, “God will make your enemies your footstool.” What do you do with a footstool? You put your feet up on it. It indicates a position of rest. When we face difficulties, too often we take matters into our own hands. We get all worked up, thinking,
They did me wrong. I’m going to pay them back. I’m going to straighten them out.
Or our medical report is not good. We can’t sleep at night. We’re so uptight. So stressed out. But if you want God to make your enemy your footstool, you have to be still and know that He is God. When you’re upset and trying to force things to happen, God is going to step back and let you do it on your own. It takes faith to say, “God, I know You are fighting my battles. I know You will make my wrongs right. You promised it would work out for my good. So I’m going to keep my joy and stay in peace.”

When you put your feet up and rest, so to speak, God will take those things that seem as though they’re over you, those things that are holding you back, and He will bring them under your feet. He will turn them around and make that enemy your footstool. When something is a footstool, you could say it serves you. It makes life easier. That’s the way God is. When you stay in peace, God will take what’s meant for harm and use it to your advantage.

Let’s make it practical. Maybe at work this week or at the jobsite somebody is not treating you right. They’re playing politics, not giving you the credit you deserve. Don’t get upset. Just keep being your best each day. Stay on that high road. Your job is not to straighten people out. Your job is to stay in peace. When you’re in peace, God is fighting your battles. When you’re at rest, God will make your enemies your footstool.

This is what happened with Joseph. He was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, then falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and sent to prison for something that he didn’t do. Joseph didn’t get upset. He didn’t try to pay people back. He didn’t hold a grudge; he stayed in peace, stayed on the high road, and God turned it all around. The people who did Joseph wrong ended up working for him. His brothers, the same ones who betrayed him, came back and bowed low before him. Because he stayed in peace, God made his enemies his footstool.

Here’s what I’ve learned. God can vindicate you better than you can vindicate yourself. If you will let God do it His way, it will be bigger, sweeter, more rewarding, and more honoring. God can take the very people who are trying to push you down, the people who are trying to make you look bad, and He can use them to promote you.

In the Scripture, Haman tried to push down Mordecai, who was Esther’s cousin. He disrespected Mordecai, didn’t give him the time of day, and tried to make him look bad. But one day the king told Haman to get a royal robe, put it on Mordecai, and march him up and down through the streets, announcing to everyone what a great man Mordecai was. Of all the people the king could have chosen to do that, it just so happened that he chose Haman to honor Mordecai, the very one who was trying to make him look bad. That’s what happens when you let God do it His way. That boss at the office who’s not giving you credit, don’t worry about it. You’re not working unto people. You’re working unto God. God is keeping all the records. Perhaps instead of you working for that boss, one day that boss may be working for you. Stay in peace. God can make your enemies your footstool.

I have a friend who worked for a company for many years. He always gave it his best, but for some reason the owner of the company didn’t like him. Even though the young man was bright and talented, the owner wouldn’t take his opinion, wouldn’t really give
him the time of day. But as was true of Joseph, this young man didn’t get bitter or try to prove to everyone who he was. He just stayed on the high road and kept being his best day after day. Eventually his boss fired him.

This young man went out and started his own real estate company and became extremely successful. He never thought much more about his former boss. He didn’t have any ill will toward him at all. But God is a God of justice. He doesn’t forget what you are owed. You may let it go, but God doesn’t let it go. He is going to make sure you get exactly what you deserve.

Several years later, his former boss was downsizing the company and needed to move into a new building. It just so happened that the building the boss really wanted was owned by this young man. When he walked in and saw the young man he had fired and knew that he was the owner and had to negotiate with him, he nearly passed out. Now the former boss treated the younger man with the utmost respect. He listened to every word that he said. Today that former boss is paying rent to the young man he once fired. That’s God bringing justice. That’s God making your enemies your footstool.