Transcript
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Hello and welcome to The Overflow Podcast. My name
is Craig Booker. So the title of this episode is
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But God Can. A lot of the material for this week’s
episode was inspired by Craig Groechel’s book The
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Power to Change Mastering the Habits that Matter
Most. Note: I will talk a lot about mental health,
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but please note this is not a substitute for
therapy or mental health care. I am not a counselor
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or a physician. If you need help with mental health
challenges, please find a qualified mental health
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professional. So the title of this episode is
But God Can. If you saw last week’s episode we
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started a new section in this part of the book. And
last week it was the title was I Can’t. This week
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is But God Can. So if you put those together you
would say I can’t, but God can. Again we’re talking
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through the power to change by Craig Rochelle in
starting out in the introduction of this section
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Craig Groechel begins this section much like
the last he was telling a story, and last week
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you recall is a rather humorous story this week
is is still very light-hearted story uh but he
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was telling a story about a Buick Century that he
owned that got rear-ended by another driver so a
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Buick Century uh is a vehicle I don’t know how old
the Buick centuries are but it was a kind of a a
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line of vehicles and so he was telling this story
about this Buick Century that he he was really uh
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ah he he made it very funny but uh he said
you know he was driving it he got rear-ended
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it was not the most ideal car he wasn’t really
thrilled with it but he was kind of making the
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the best out of the car that he had and so
you know prior to the accident this this car
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this Buick had on the side it had like little
decal where it was labeled Sport coupe and so
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it was just stenciled there on the side but
when he got it back from the repair shop the
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whoever did the repair uh didn’t put sport or
he didn’t put Sport coupe, but he put Turbo Coupe
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and so you know the car was not any faster than
it was before the only difference was whoever
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repaired the car put this different sticker
or decal on there, and it made it seem cooler.
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It made it seem maybe faster uh because a
Turbo Coupe had a turbo engine in it and so
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you know he goes and it tells this story kind
of laying the foundation for the chapter and
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you know he says that he said because and he’s
talking about kind of transitioning to we talked
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about willpower uh in the last section and he
says because willpower doesn’t work and you and
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I really require more power we can think we’re
a Turbo Coupe, but we’re still just a Sport Coupe.
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So as we talked about in the last episode
we were talking about the struggles that we
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face when we’re trying to make changes in our
lives, we’re trying to implement new habits and
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last week we learned that willpower when we
try to use willpower to make things happen
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our lives we ultimately end up failing. And
getting into what’s called a shame cycle
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and so we try to make change we we use our
willpower to try to make these changes and
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we inevitably fail because our willpower is a
limited resource it runs out we get tired and we
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we ultimately fail in what we’re trying to do and
so last week we were talking about I can’t meaning
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in our own willpower we can’t and this week we’re
picking up and saying but God can so in this story
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he’s he’s talking about how willpower doesn’t
work and that we need more power and how we think
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that were as people a Turbo Coupe when we’re
really just a Sport coupe we think we’re better
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than we are we think we can do something but we
really can’t on our own and then he transitions
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to talking about Paul’s story and it says that
Paul knew he needed more power and that’s why
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he asked in Romans 7 24 who will free me from
this life that is dominated by sin and death and
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that is in the New Living Translation and that is
the question we all need to answer okay yeah who
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will free me from this life that is dominated by
sin and death but Paul answered his own question
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with his next sentence in verse 25. he says
thank God the answer is in Jesus Christ Our Lord
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uh so Paul understood I can’t get myself unstuck
so I need a power I don’t possess as you might
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recall last week we kind of went through a passage
of scripture that was Paul was talking about just
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the struggle that he faces in his life when he
wants to do something positive ultimately he fails
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and it’s the struggle between you know what
he wants to do and his sin nature uh and
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trying to make these changes and so
we’re kind of picking up from there
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and you know it it said we said that Paul
understood I can’t get myself unstuck so I need
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a power I don’t possess and the power he found
was in Jesus Paul discovered I can’t but God can
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so as were we’ve been talking a lot about habits
for a long time trying to make positive changes in
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our lives whether that is you want to be a better
uh a father uh to your kids you want to be a
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better employee to your boss uh you know if you’re
applying this to mental health you know maybe you
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want to stop doing something that you’re doing
a habit that is negatively impacting your mental
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health whatever it is you’re trying to start or
stop eventually you get to a point where your own
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willpower is not enough so you know maybe you’re
halfway into your goal whatever your goal is and
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you’re just tired you’ve lost the ambition or
the energy that you had at the first when you
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started trying to accomplish that goal and
so you’re just doing the Habit you’ve been
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doing every week and you’re just running out
of energy and the desire to keep going and so
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that’s where this whole concept from this
section is saying that we need to tap into
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God’s power and not rely on our willpower so that
we can get to our goal let’s look at something
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um Paul wrote in another of his letters
and it says as for you you were dead in
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your transgressions and sins this is Ephesians 2
I believe it’s 2 1. uh and it says wow the reality
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is we don’t just feel stuck we are stuck worse
than stuck we are dead so this is a quote from
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the power to change and this is Craig Rochelle
speaking in that that’s discouraging but Paul
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provided some hope inducing truth I also pray
that you will understand the incredible greatness
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of God’s power for us who believe him this is
the same Mighty power that raised Christ from
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the dead Ephesians 1 19-20 and that’s in the New
Living Translation the same power that that got
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Jesus out of the Grave resurrected from Death to
life is available to you in the next chapter of
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Ephesians Paul wrote but God is so rich in Mercy
and he loved us so much that even though we were
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dead because of our sins he gave us life when he
raised Christ from the dead it is only by by God’s
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grace that you have been saved that’s uh Ephesians
2 four through five in the New Living Translation
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Paul’s talking here we just went through
uh some sections of Ephesians and or you
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know they’re reminding us or Craig Rochelle
is reminding us that the same power that got
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Jesus out of the Grave resurrected from Death to
life is available to us to you God will continue
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giving you new life in your dead places until his
work is complete in you we’re reflecting back to
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last episode where in our exercise we are talking
about this progression that happens as we try to
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make changes in our life so the progression is
after feeling stuck long enough we can feel dead
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after feeling dead long enough we can feel shame
and after we feel shame we can give in and give up
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so that’s that progression that I was referring
back to and so Craig Rochelle was talking about
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God will continue giving you new life in your
dead places until his work is complete in you
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so we have these places in our life where we get
stuck trying to make changes maybe you know we
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try to make those changes and we fail because
we’re relying too much on our own power we’re
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maybe we’re we’re trying to do something instead
of training to do it uh for one reason or another
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we just get stuck there and we get discouraged
and so he’s talking about these places where
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we get stuck and we get stuck long enough where
it feels dead inside Paul wrote that because of
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God’s grace you have been saved saved is a verb
and you can write a verb in past present future
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or perfect tense and to help us better understand
what all that means is he says past tense past
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speaks of something that has already happened
present tense describes something happening
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right now and future tense refers
to something that will eventually
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that will happen eventually but hasn’t yet
and perfect tense speaks of something that
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has happened in the past is still happening in the
present and will continue in the future it draws
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attention to the continuing effects of something
that has happened in the fat in the past Paul
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wrote saved like the word saved in perfect tense
so you were Say by God’s grace in the past but the
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effect is still happening when Craig Rochelle goes
on to say you never have to feel defeated you can
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never give up because God didn’t just save you he
saves you he is constantly saving you uh meaning
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he has in the past he is currently and he will in
the future continue to save you God will continue
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giving you new life in your dead places until
his work is complete in you so that is why he’s
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saying you never have to feel defeated did you
can never give up because God is not done with you
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so it goes on to say you can’t but God can and
God will if you turn to his power all right so
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the exercise for this episode is complete these
sentences to write out a prayer being as specific
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as you can and what you’re asking God to do in
your life use this pattern as many times as you
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need so the way that he lays this out is he has
kind of two items and he’s and one of them is God
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I can’t and then he puts a colon to allow you
to fill in the blank so God I can’t and then
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whatever it is and then the second one is but
you can buy and there’s a blank to fill that in
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so it’s going through different areas of your
life and set and identifying places where we can’t
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do something but God can by whatever however
that applies in your situation so that’s the
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exercise and he encourage again he encourages
you to do it and as many times as you need
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the principle for this section is you can’t but
God can and God will if you turn to his power
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Ephesians 2 4-5 the New Living Translation says
but God’s is so rich in his mercy and he loved
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us so much that even though we were dead because
of our sins he gave us life when he raised Christ
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from the dead it is only by God’s grace that
you have been saved so hopefully that kind
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of ties together the the last episode and what
we talked about there because as we got to the
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end of the content there it was kind of like
we’re almost left hanging there was a lot of
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Truth in that but it was kind of incomplete
so this kind of rounds that out and shows us
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that we can’t or I can’t but God can that’s all
for this episode thank you for watching if you
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liked the video give us a thumbs up and be sure to
subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.
Show Notes
But God Can – Introduction
Craig Groeschel begins this section much like the last, telling a story. In this instance, he tells about a Buick Century he once owned that got rear-ended.1
Prior to the accident, his Buick had “Sport Coupe” stenciled on the side. When he got it back from the repair shop, it had “Turbo Coupe” instead of “Sport Coupe.”1
“Because willpower doesn’t work, you and I really require more power. We can think we’re a Turbo Coupe, but we’re still just a Sport Coupe.”1
“Paul knew he needed more power. That’s why he asked in Romans 7:24, “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (NIT). That is the question we all need to answer.”1
“But Paul answered his own question with his next sentence in verse 25: ‘Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord’ (NLT).”1
“Paul understood, I can’t get myself unstuck, so I need a power I don’t possess. The power he found was Jesus. Paul discovered, I can’t. But God can.”1
“Let’s look at something Paul wrote in another of his letters:’As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins’ (Eph. 2-1). Wow. The reality is, we don’t just feel stuck, we are stuck. Worse than stuck, we are dead.”1
“That’s discouraging. But Paul provided some hope-inducing truth. ‘I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead’ (Eph. 1:19-20 NLT).”1
“The same power that got Jesus out of a grave, resurrected from death to life, is available to you.”1
“In the next chapter of Ephesians, Paul wrote, ‘But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
(2:4-5 NLT).”1
“God will continue giving you new life in your dead places until his work is complete in you.”1
“Paul wrote that because of God’s grace, you have been “saved.”
Saved is a verb. You can write a verb in past, present, future, or perfect tense.
Past tense speaks of something that has already happened.
Present tense describes something happening right now.
Future tense refers to something that will happen eventually but hasn’t yet.”1
“Perfect tense speaks of something that has happened in the past, is still happening in the present, and will continue in the future. It draws attention to the continuing effects of something that has happened in the past.
Paul wrote ‘saved’ in perfect tense! You were saved by God’s grace in the past, but the effect is still happening.”1
“You never have to feel defeated.
You can never give up.
Because God didn’t just save you. He saves you. He is constantly saving you.”1
“God will continue giving you new life in your dead places until his work is complete in you.”1
“You can’t, but God can. And God will, if you turn to his power.”1
Exercise
Complete these sentences to write out a prayer, being as specific as you can in what you are asking God to do in your life. Use this pattern as many times as you need.
God, I can’t:
But you can by:
Principle
You can’t, but God can.
And God will, if you turn to his power.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
-Ephesians 2:4 -5 NLT
Sources
[1] Groeschel, C. (2023). The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most. Zondervan.
