Grace to Do What You Don’t Think You Can Do

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. (Ephesians 3:6-7)

“The Gentiles should be fellowheirs?” That might not seem significant to you, but such a statement would have shaken the Jewish believers in the very early church. Remember, Paul was a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” and a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5). Although Paul was comfortable and skilled in engaging with their culture and Scriptures, God didn’t call him to minister to the Jews. 

I’ve noticed over the years that God will never ask you to do something you can do without Him. If you feel like you can handle it alone, remember that God gives you the “grace” for your assignment. Grace is the person of the Holy Spirit, and through His ministry, He provides supernatural empowerment to do whatever needs to be done, no matter how impossible it seems.

Paul wasn’t naturally suited to be the minister to the Gentiles. He was a Pharisee of Pharisees, trained by Gamaliel, and deeply rooted in Jewish law and tradition. But God’s grace allowed him to become a minister to those outside his cultural and comfort zone.

When many believers receive a call from God, they think, “I can’t do what God’s asking; I’m not equipped.” The truth is, God never asked you to do it in your strength. He asks you to let Him do it through you. Paul describes this grace as the “effectual working” (energeia) of God’s power (dunamis). This is supernatural efficiency. It is the ability to do what God has called you to do effectively. We also call this the anointing. The tangible presence of the Holy Spirit enables you to do what is humanly impossible.

Practical Application

Grace is more than just unmerited favor. It’s God’s empowerment on you to do whatever it takes. Like Paul, you might feel unqualified or out of place in what God is calling you to do. But the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you and will empower you to do whatever you need to.

2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 1:5