Misunderstanding Philippians 4:13

The book of Philippians was written by Paul while he was under house arrest and in need of food. The Philippians graciously provided it for him and in return, Paul wrote the letter not only to thank the Philippians, but to express to them how important it is to be content in Christ. 

Probably one of the most well known verses of the whole Bible, even to non-Christians, is Philippians 4:13. We've seen it donned on many athletes' uniforms from Tim Tebow to Rickie Fowler.

Philippians 4:13 says, 

"I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

In a glimpse, this verse sounds very empowering. I can do anything that comes my way because my strength comes from Jesus. And that's not wrong at all. But a lot of Christians misinterpret the verse thinking it's written in the Bible to give encouragement to tackle anything that comes our way. 

But when Paul wrote the letter, he had been famished and beaten up and all these things that would likely break someone down asking, "God, why are you doing this to me?" But Paul is saying that no matter what he's going through, Christ will give him strength to get through it because Paul finds his identity and satisfaction in Jesus.

In fact, much of the context of Philippians 4:13 actually comes from the verse before it (which happens to be one of my favorite bible verses).

Philippians 4:12-13 says,

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

Paul is saying that, in his life, things have gone really well and things have gone really bad. But through it all, one thing remains constant: Christ. And because of that, we need not be afraid of anything  because Jesus is always with us. 

A lot of people forget how important Philippians 4:12 is to the context of the next verse. Paul wrote Philippians to show you that you will never know exactly what God has in store for you. And no matter what God throws at you, Christ is the one who strengthens you. 

God puts us in situations that will grow us closer to Him. He doesn't do anything unless it is for a divine reason! But no matter what He throws at us, He knows we will be able to handle as long as we remember God is with us always! 

God loves us and nothing He does will ever be to harm us. We may not always understand why He's doing what He's doing now, but we can always know that it is to further His Kingdom.