Season
Season 2
Episode Number
75
Release Date
April 15, 2020
Tags
Communication
Table of Contents
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:16-17 NKJV
Summary
The difference between "can't", "won't", and "don't" makes a world of difference in our perspective. It's important to think about what we mean we say we "can't" do something because of God and think through the implications of how we perceive this. Let's talk about it…
Deep Dive
What is the difference between can(not), will (not), and do (not)? See the definitions below:
DEFINITION
can [1]
verb
- a: be physically or mentally able to b: know how to c—used to indicate possibility d: be inherently able or designed to e: be enabled by law, agreement, or custom to f: be permitted by conscience or feeling to g: be made possible or probable by circumstances to h: be logically or axiologically able to
- : have permission to —used interchangeably with may
DEFINITION
will [2]
verb
- —used to express futurity
- —used to express desire, choice, willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal
Why is it important?
We should know if we can't do something, won't do something, or don't do something.
Can't
- God gives us a choice in everything. When we surrender to His Holy Spirit, we will want the same things as Him
- There is usually time between the time we are convicted and the time we can honestly go from feeling like we can't do something and asserting that we don't do that thing
- However, there are some things we wrestle with and say we "can't" do, that are actually man made traditions (wearing jewelry, cultural definitions of modesty, etc.). The Holy Spirit isn't convicting you, people around you are.
- Things that we feel like we "can't" do, should be on our "to-study" list. Doing deep-dive studies on these topics can lead to clarity and help us to overcome (or embrace) that particular thing
Won't
- Won't means you can do something, but you simply refuse to.
- This could be a rebellion against what God is telling us to do, or a rebellion against society—or it could just be a one time thing (like me choosing not to go to the movies with people just because)
- We should recognize this too
Don't
- There are two types of actions that go here: the actions God has convicted you are wrong and moved in your heart to remove the desire to do it, and actions you simply choose not to do
- An example of the latter for me is not wearing makeup—there's nothing Biblical about it, just a personal choice
- Recognizing the latter helps us when we mentor others
Bible verses mentioned in the episode
- Romans 12:2 (transform yourself)
- Matthew 5:17 (Christ did not come to abolish the law)
References and Footnotes
- "Can". Merriam-Webster; visited April 14, 2020
- "Will". Merriam-Webster; visited April 14, 2020
- "Do". Merriam-Webster; visited April 14, 2020
2022 by Ree Hughes
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PSALMS to God is a blog, podcast, and YouTube channel that discusses many topics and issues, always keeping YHWH as the anchor. Hosea 4:6 says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”—here, the aim is to always ask questions and study to find the answers. You can keep up with new content by signing up for the weekly newsletter.