It is the beginning of another school year! Woo-hoo! Do you remember asking your English teacher the proverbial question,
"Can I go to the bathroom?", and her inevitable response would be, "I don't know... can you?? You mean 'May I go to the bathroom."
"Yes (eyeroll), MAY I go to the bathroom?"; "By all means, yes, you may" (smile). That little conversation exchange at the teacher's desk probably taught you a lot about those two tiny words whether you realized it or not; you still remember it to this day, don't you?
Looking in the dictionary (we are reflecting on school, after all), the word "can" is defined as "be physically or mentally able to; know how to", whereas the definition of "may" is "used to indicate possibility or probability; have permission to".
The Bible has two very well-known Scriptures that come to mind with the words "can" and "may" in them. "Can" you guess what they are?
Let's look at "may" to begin with. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." He MAY devour. What does that Scripture tell us about the devil, based on the dictionary definition of "may"? His devouring is a possibility or probability. He must have PERMISSION to devour someone. Wow! What an encouraging three letter word, that word, "may".
Who has the ability to allow or deny who he devours? We do! Jesus, our Teacher, even said so in Luke 10:19: "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you". Jesus has given us permission to defeat the one that seeks permission to devour us.
So, how does Satan get permission to devour us? We give him permission when we harbor bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness in our heart; when we live in fear; when we do things outside of the Father's will, just to name a few.
God is so great! He did not leave us on earth to be food for the enemy. He gave us His Word, His Bread of Life to feed us so we can be strengthened to fend off the enemy. James 4:7 tells us to submit yourselves to God, period; resist the devil and he will flee from you, period. Two simple but direct sentences to live by.
Those two points of submitting ourselves to God and resisting the devil brings us to our next word, "can"; a not so tiny word because it has power. Remember the definition of "can”?: be physically or mentally able to; know how to. "Can" states we have the ability to decide what we will do. We can choose to follow the Lord's ways, or choose to go our own way and be devoured by the enemy. The definition also says "know how to". We know how to do a lot of things both physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Spiritually speaking, the Bible is our all-in-one textbook to "know how to" live for Christ and defeat the enemy. It is filled with God's promises, poetry, stories, encouraging words, history, life applications, and future happenings.
Perhaps one of the most encouraging words from the Lord is our word of focus at the moment, "can". Why, you ask? Because the Lord says in Philippians 4:13, "I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I CAN, not I MAY. We do not need to ask permission to do all things through Christ. It is not probable. It is a definitive action word (a verb in grammar 😊). What action are you putting forth in your life? Do you have the "can do" attitude with Christ, using positive words and His promises to mold and change circumstances around you; speaking and studying His Word to defeat the enemy; using your faith and belief system to get you through the challenges?
Faith requires action; I CAN. Without an action of faith, nothing will change; but that is another topic for another day.
Oh, how the Lord's words make so much sense when we take the time to break them down to see what He is saying. There is no greater book written. Reading and applying His Word is life. I encourage you to delve deep into His Truths and listen to what He tells you. Remember, you CAN do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
To God Be the Glory
