I came across a startling thought, or warning you could say, in one of my favorite devotionals, "My Utmost For His Highes" by Oswald Chambers. Although at first I found the warning ridiculous, the more I thought on it, the more I realized how serious of a warning it is. I also realized how guilty I was for that way of thinking.

The warning reads: “Beware of the satisfaction of sinking back and saying—“It can’t be done.”

The first phrase that caught me off guard was “satisfaction” and the second was “sinking back.” Two dissimilar phrases, but both used to describe why we say so often “it can’t be done”. Or what might sound more similar is the big “but”— the constant making of exceptions and doubt. I might get this amazing job with great benefits, BUT I most likely won’t. There’s a possibility I will find an affordable college that will offer good scholarships, BUT that probably won’t happen. I know God is all-powerful, BUT He won’t come through for me on this.

So why are the words “satisfaction” and “sinking back” used? Who finds it satisfying to admit something can’t be done, that it’s impossible? Who sinks back when they admit that? Isn’t admitting something can’t be done our last resort after we have tried and tried at something?

It was when I realized how much I use the word “but” or think to myself “that’s impossible,” that the words “satisfaction” and “sinking back” made unbelievable sense. It is so easy to say, to believe, that something is impossible. It’s natural to continue our sentences with “but” rather than just cut it off with a period. In fact, it has become so easy for us that the phrase becomes satisfying. It’s what we have come to believe about our situations in life. We are giving in to the doubt, “sinking back” and cowering. We believe the lie that it cannot be done.

There are many problems with this newfound satisfaction, but there are specifically two that come to mind. By admitting it can’t be done, we are allowing negativity to infiltrate our lives and simultaneously we are minimizing the captivating power of Christ.

Negativity is a trait not many people realize about themselves, but that other people can definitely see. That’s because negativity affects anyone who can hear its nasty words. It creeps into minds, changes moods, and causes doubt to erupt. If negativity affects those around it, then it for sure is affecting the person from which it’s coming from. Being aware of our negativity is one way of identifying how much we say “it can’t be done” because the more say we phrases like that, the more it reveals how much we are trading our belief in God for the doubt the devil so badly wants us to feel. This brings me to the crushing truth that when we give up to what seems impossible, we are depreciating God’s power. We are choosing to forget His never-changing character and trust in what we know about the world: it will disappoint. Because when we trust in the world, it will disappoint. And even though we know that, we keep going back. We keep turning our backs on the One who has stayed faithful. We keep allowing the satisfaction of saying it can’t be done to rule our lives.

So beware of the satisfaction. In fact, with everything within you, suppress that satisfaction. Eliminate the “buts” in sentences and reflect where your doubt lies. Destroy the negativity and instead of saying, “it can’t be done,” think about all the miraculous ways God can make that happen in His name and for His glory.